A fresh, light salad of arugula, beets, and oranges meets a kefir dressing, bringing earth and air together. Tangy, fermented kefir and chopped pistachios bring zesty flavor and earthy crunch.
What is kefir?
Kefir is a fermented milk drink. You can buy kefir or make your own with kefir grains available from specialty shops. But these aren’t grains at all—they’re small bundles of beneficial bacteria and yeast that are added to milk to help it ferment. The result is a rich, slightly sour beverage, full of beneficial probiotics and calcium.
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This recipe originally appeared on alive.com as “Arugula, Beet, Orange, and Pistachio Salad with Kefir, Honey, and Orange Dressing.”
Arugula, Beet, Orange, and Pistachio Salad with Kefir, Honey, and Orange Dressing
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Ingredients
- 2 medium beets approximately 9 oz
- 1/2 tsp salt divided
- 1/2 tsp black pepper divided
- 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup plain kefir
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1/2 tsp grated gingerroot
- 1/2 cup lightly salted shelled pistachios
- 2 oranges
- 3 cups baby arugula
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Lay piece of parchment in shallow baking dish. Place beets on top of parchment, pierce with fork, and season with 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and olive oil. Wrap beets tightly in parchment and roast for 50 to 60 minutes until tender. Rest in parchment for 30 minutes, or until cool enough to handle. Unwrap beets and remove skins with knife, then cut into segments.
- In Mason jar fitted with lid, combine kefir, honey, vinegar, orange zest, gingerroot, and remaining 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Set aside in refrigerator.
- Use food processor on pulse setting to chop pistachios until size of small peas. Set aside.
- With knife, remove peel and pith from oranges. Cut along division of orange to segment. Once all segments have been removed, squeeze remaining orange in bowl to capture juice. Repeat with second orange. Reserve.
- To assemble salad, arrange beet segments and orange slices over arugula. Add 2 Tbsp reserved orange juice to dressing and mix well. Drizzle approximately 3 Tbsp dressing over salad. Toss and top with pistachios.
