Asparagus & Beetroot Salad with Pomegranate & Mint Dressing

If you’re entertaining this summer you can’t go wrong with a salad that looks this amazing!

Add a splash of vibrant colour and loads of nutrition to your dinner table these holidays with this delicious recipe from LeaderBrand. The salad itself is loaded with all sorts of tasty goodness including veggies, herbs, nuts and feta cheese. To top it all off be sure to add the divine pomegranate and mint dressing which has a unique combination of ingredients to complement the dish beautifully.

Leader Brand is a New Zealand horticultural business that is 100% family owned and operated. They grow, harvest and distribute a wide range of fruit and vegetables both nationally and internationally.

Visit Leader Brand for more delish recipes on Instagram here

Asparagus Beetroot Salad

Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time 25 mins | Servings: 4 – 6

Ingredients:

1-2 bunches LeaderBrand Asparagus

2 kumara, peeled, diced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted

1 pack LeaderBrand Pure’n Ezy Baby Beets

200g creamy feta cheese

2 oranges

1 bunch chives, snipped

1 whole pomegranate, seeds extracted

70g pistachios, roughly chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

To garnish, small fresh mint leaves

Pomegranate and mint dressing:

1 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped

3 Tbsp pomegranate molasses

1 cup pomegranate juice or fresh orange juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1 Tbsp liquid honey

1 cup fresh shredded mint leaves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180°C. Spread cubed kumara pieces on an oven tray and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes until tender. Remove from oven and  allow to cool.

Toast walnuts, then roughly chop. Cut beetroot into quarters. Trim asparagus and cut into bite sized pieces. Peel oranges and use a sharp knife to segment. Crumble feta cheese.

Make the dressing by mixing all the ingredients together. Mix well until molasses dissolves, adding more honey if it needs sweetening. Season to taste and allow to stand for a few minutes to allow cranberries to soak.

When ready to serve, place the kumara, feta cheese, walnuts, beetroot and asparagus in a salad bowl or platter, and arrange the orange segments on top. Dress with half the dressing. Then sprinkle over the chopped chives, pomegranate seeds and chopped pistachios. Drizzle over extra dressing and finally garnish with plenty of small mint leaves.