Surprise. With beets salad.

My son has surprised me. He came back from school and asked for beets salad for snack. He said "It was SOOOOO good. I ate everything in my lunchbox. Give me more."
I had kept my jaw from dropping down and served it to him. Like it was a bowl of strawberries.

"Here you go, dear."

What is this magical salad?

It is a short version of Russian "vinеgret" (винегрет), usually made from beets, carrots, potatoes, green peas, pickled cabbage and cucumbers, simply seasoned with sunflower oil and salt. This salad is often eaten during the Great Fast, important fasting season for Eastern Christianity, when almost only vegan food is allowed for 40 days.

Satisfying and filling, beet salad keeps well in refrigerator for few days, making it easy alternative for lunch box. Healthy and delicious.

Beet salad with pickles (винегрет)

Ingredients

Beets, 5-6 medium size, cooked and diced
pickled cabbage and/or cucumbers, about 1 cup
green peas, 1 cup, cooked (I used organic frozen peas, cooked according to package instructions)
scallions, 1/3 cup, cut small (may substitute with red or regular diced onions)
sunflower oil, unrefined, 1 tablespoon (may substitute with olive oil)
sea salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste

Method
Mix everything and serve.

Packed for lunch with pan fried wild salmon, steamed broccoli and yellow pepper

Variations
- this beets salad delicious served with tahini (sesame seeds) sauce.
- for traditional version, add 2 diced boiled potatoes and 1 carrot. Cook them in their skins.

Questions? Comments?

Pickled cabbage

Russian Sauerkraut (квашенная капуста)

Pickled cabbage is an excellent source of vitamin C. It is a fermented food and has active probiotic cultures to aid healthy digestion, similar to yogurt.  I love adding pickled cabbage to salads or to serve it as a small dish side. For me it is the easiest serving of vegetables available.

The recipe I provide here for pickled cabbage is for small jar, simple enough to prepare in 20 minutes. It is not a project that takes hours as when my parents made it. Sure, they prepared it to last for the entire winter in almost commercial amounts!

Packed cabbage in a jar; lemon squeezer; shredded cabbage and carrots mix

 

Pickled cabbage (Russian Sauerkraut)

Ingredients
cabbage 2 pounds
carrots, 2 small
sea salt, 20 grams (2% to the weight of vegetables) make sure salt has no additives, as they might interfere with fermentation process

3 days after
honey, 1/2 teaspoon (preferably raw)

Method
Wash cabbage head. Remove outer leaves and any damaged leaves. Using sharp knife or food processor, shred the cabbage. Shred the carrots. Mix cabbage and carrots together. Mix with salt and press with your hands to break and soften vegetables until small amount of juice is released.

Tip: Use small Mason jar to pack the cabbage using hand lemon squeezer.  The recipe is enough to fill 24 ounces canning jar. Put 1 cup of cabbage and carrot mix in and press it into bottom of the jar to pack tightly. Use lemon squeezer.  Continue with the same method, putting one cup of the mixture at the time till you fill the jar. There should be some juice on top. If the cabbage is relatively dry and there is no juice, cover with small amount of boiled and cooled water. Cover jar with paper towel and a rubber band and leave on counter for 3 days. After 3 days, take small amount of liquid with spoon, dissolve honey in it and return it back to jar. Place jar in refrigerator. Ready to eat after a week, best aged for 3 weeks.

For salad, my favorite combination is pickled cabbage, cooked beets, arugula and scallions, seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper.

For kids lunch, pack pickled cabbage as is or mix with cubes of cooked beets. Season with extra virgin olive oil or sunflower oil for better vitamins absorption.