Smashed beets and rainbow salad with dukkah

Beetroot looks so vibrant you know it is going to be good for you. We seem to get beetroots in our veg box quite a lot, so we had to learn how to cook them! This very quick dukkah will add loads of crunch, flavour and protein to your salad. It doesn’t matter if you use nuts with skin on or off; just use whatever you have! You don’t need a salad dressing with this; just mix in the smashed beets before eating.
 
Makes 2 lunches
Prep: 10 minutes
Cooking: 2 hours (cook when the oven is on for something else)
 

For the smashed beets
2 beetroots
1 tbsp tahini
Squeeze of lemon (optional)
 
For the dukkah
25g hazelnuts
50g almonds
1 tsp black or white sesame seeds
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
 
For the rainbow salad
1 carrot, cut into ribbons
2 handfuls of watercress or rocket
1 courgette, spiralised or grated
5-6 radishes, sliced
5-6 cherry or heritage tomatoes, halved
Cress, optional
 

1. Wash the beetroots, snip the leaves off, then wrap the beets in foil. Roast in the oven for 2 hours (ideally, do this when you are cooking something else – Sunday lunch or night before etc). When cool, peel and chop into rough chunks.
2. To make the smash, put the beetroot, tahini and a squeeze of lemon (if using) in a blender and whizz until smashed but not too smooth. If you don’t have a blender, just chop the beetroot finely, and mix with the tahini and lemon.
3. To make the dukkah, put the hazelnuts and almonds in a blender and whizz until rubble, or just chop roughly or smash in a mortar and pestle. Mix with the seeds and herbs.
4. Arrange the rainbow salad veggies in two lunch boxes or bowls. Add the beetroot smash. Just before eating, sprinkle over the dukkah.

 
Love your leftovers
You can use beetroot leaves in a stir fry, just like rainbow chard or bok choy.