On the Cheap

Warm Beet, Swiss Chard, and Hazelnut Salad

October 14, 2014

Every week, Caroline Wright creates simple, civilized recipes for Food52 that feed four -- for under $20, in under 20 minutes.

Today: A hearty salad that warms you up from the inside -- and comes together in no time.

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The secret to many twenty-dollar, twenty-minute meals -- and budget-conscious cooking in general -- is to find a versatile ingredient and use it to its fullest. In this salad, every inch of the Swiss chard is put to use: The tough stems and tender leaves are cooked separately, so that they both remain perfectly toothsome in the finished salad. If you find beets with beautiful greens, then treat them just like the chard and tuck them into the salad, too. It's a hearty and filling dish -- perfect for fall nights that beg for a warm meal.

More: Did you buy too much chard? Here's what to do with it.

If you're looking to save time, prepare the salad ahead: Simply slice and refrigerate the greens in a resealable bag and steam the vegetables in advance. When you're ready to eat, pick the recipe back up at step three -- the moment when everything is tossed together in a hot skillet and toasted alongside the hazelnuts and coriander seeds. 

Warm Beet, Swiss Chard, and Hazelnut Salad

Serves 4

4 medium beets, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 bunch Swiss chard, stalks cut into 2-inch pieces and greens sliced into 1-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 cup hazelnuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Photo by Caroline Wright

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Before her diagnosis, Caroline wrote a book on cakes called Cake Magic!. She started developing a birthday cake using her gluten-free mix found in that book. Check out other recipes she’s developing for her new life—and the stories behind them—on her blog, The Wright Recipes. Her next book, Soup Club, is a collection of recipes she made for her underground soup club of vegan and grain-free soups she delivers every week to friends throughout Seattle's rainy winter.

1 Comment

Afrovitalityeats January 1, 2015
Absolutely love beets! My husband got me to eating them in the first place and whenever I grab a healthy sized beet at the market all i can think of is "what can i do differently?"