Beetroot and Feta salad

My biggest battle with food at the moment is finding a dish that’s simple to prepare and light to eat. The life of a freelancer can be a bit unusual in that I have to roll with the work when it comes in. The past couple of weeks has been particularly jam-packed in terms of jobs-on-the-go, and while I always have a slow cooker meal underway for the kids, eating a full meal after 8pm at night is always going to be a challenge for me.

In the past 7 days I’ve worked with 2 separate TV crews, and there’s more to film this evening with TG4. Tune into Nationwide on Monday evening for a peek at the allotments and my tiny kitchen (yes it is that small, and yes that is where all my recipes are developed). The work with TG4 I’ll let you know when the airing date is confirmed!

This weekend I’m working with Flavours of Fingal by giving cookery demonstrations in the Big Red Barn on Saturday and Sunday. You’ll find me demonstrating with as much local produce as I can lay my hands on with the help of some local chefs and producers.

Life has become a bit of a whirlwind so I’m looking forward to a quieter week next week and some downtime with the family.

In the meantime, I’ll be lashing the salads into me so that I’m not going to bed with a heavy stomach.

[recipe][recipe title=”Beetroot and Feta Salad” servings=”4″ time=”40 mins” difficulty=”easy”]

Beetroot can be tricky to prepare and cook, but I have a simple way to save your blushes and concentrate the wonderful earthy flavour.

Ingredients

• 4 medium beetroot, raw and unpeeled
• 2 generous handfuls of rocket salad
• 1 block of fresh feta cheese
• 40g pumpkin seeds
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Method

Preheat your fan oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Individually wrap each beetroot (with the skin still on) tightly in tinfoil and sit in a small heavy baking dish. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes before removing and allowing to cool. Once cool enough to handle, unwrap the beetroot and gently rub the skin; which will peel away with ease.

Chop your peeled beetroot and combine with all the other ingredients for a fresh and zingy salad. [/recipe]

Disclosure: This recipe was originally developed and photographed for Lidl Ireland.