When it’s time for the holidays, holiday side dishes look great. Most fall into the vegetable or bread/stuffing category. Many people also enjoy standard cranberry jello sauce or cranberry orange dressing with its beautiful red and orange colors. But here’s an alternative that’s just as delicious and so brightly colored that it’s sure to add to the festivity on your holiday table.
To make my beet and cherry salad you will need:
1 large apple – unpeeled
1 medium raw red beet
1 large or 2 medium carrots
1 lime – juiced
1-2 packets of stevia
1/3 cup pitted dried tart cherries
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
Addresses:
Mash apple, beet and carrots in a bowl.
Add the dried cherries. The ones I use are pitted tart Montmorency cherries.
Add the lime juice and stevia. Mix well.
I love using Stevia. It is my favorite sweetener. You may only need one packet, so taste the level of sweetness and adjust to your liking. If you want to add a bit of spice, add the ginger powder and adjust to your liking as well.
The beets will color the other ingredients, but the bright orange of the carrots will show through, making this a beautiful dish.
Warning: beet stain! Be careful not to splash the juice on your clothes. As for your hands, you’ll probably have to wash them several times to remove the bright red stain. Also, the bright red color of beets is due to a compound called betanin. It is not broken down in the body and, in higher concentrations, can temporarily make urine and stool look slightly red; fear not, it is harmless and will dissipate once the food is out of your system.
Obviously, this is the type of recipe that you can adjust based on the amount needed and the level of sweetness. The root vegetables have a lovely earthy twist and the dish is a festive slaw that could easily be a side dish or a dessert, though not a traditional one.
Nutritionally speaking: beets are a good source of vitamin C, iron, and magnesium, and a very good source of dietary fiber, folic acid, potassium, and manganese. The bad news is that they are generally high in sugar, just like carrots. Carrots are a good source of thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, folic acid, and manganese, and a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, and potassium.
Lastly, for those of you who just have to eat blueberries, you can of course substitute them for the cherries. I’ve even come across orange-flavored blueberries, so those would work well too. But try the cherries, they really add a nice flavor to the coleslaw. Happy Holidays!
