Tomato, Beet, and Arugula Salad

I love tomatoes all year round and eat them often, but something about the tomatoes of summer is different. They taste sweeter somehow.

Beets are typically a winter staple, but have found their sweetness pairs nicely with the tomatoes too.

Actually, it all kinda came together by happenstance!

I had beets and lots of them! I had gone to Costco some time before (can’t recollect when) and found beets at the back of my fridge. They were already cooked so that made life easier too. Though roasting beets is about the easiest thing you can do in the kitchen. If you have beets and they are raw, you just wrap them in foil and place in the oven at 400 degrees F for 40 minutes until they are soft. My beets weren’t expired, but were going to soon. So I figured better to use them than lose them.

I also had these beautiful tomatoes that I needed to use, so I thought, “why not”?

Balancing it all out.

I paired the sweetness of the tomatoes and beets with the spiciness of some arugula I had on hand and the lightly salty flavor of olives. The flavors came together beautifully and it was a hit with both the adults and teenagers alike. (That’s always a bonus. Not to mention, it also looks good on the plate.)

Packing a nutritional punch!

This salad is a nutritional powerhouse! Arugula is part of the cruciferous family, providing all the same benefits as broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels Sprouts. Tomatoes lend the lycopene, and beets bring on the carotenoids. And the sterols in olives decrease inflammation. All of these big words spell bad news for any kind of illness. Whatever you want to protect yourself from, this salad will do the trick! These vegetables are part of an overall healthy plant-based diet that will keep your heart tickin’, your blood flowin’, and all other bugs and bacteria at bay. (You get all the benefits and you don’t even have to eat Brussels Sprouts!)