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Last weekend a bunch of rainbow beetroots arrived with my veg box delivery (Riverford, if you wondered.) Beetroot is in season right now – and I have a beautiful batch of rainbow beetroots delivered with my veg box last weekend. I used the red beetroot for the brownie batch and I used the other two to make this fantastic, Mediterranean freekeh salad with it. Which was absolutely delicious on its own but my guests had it with things off the BBQ. This Freekeh Salad with Rainbow Beets comes with a feta yogurt dressing – but don’t worry if you are vegan, I have included a vegan version of the dressing in the recipe as well.
So, if you are new to freekeh, let me introduce you first to this wonderful grain.
What is freekeh?
Freekeh, frekeh, frikeh or farik is a dried green durum wheat (harvested before the grains are fully ripe). Traditionally is made by roasting and rubbing – hence the rich nutty, smokey flavour to it. They’re usually cracked into smaller pieces, which improves the texture and makes them cook faster. It’s a supergrain: an excellent source of protein, fiber, and manganese.
What’s the best way to cook freekeh
As a general rule, the best way is use a ratio of 1 part freekeh to 2.5 parts water or veggie stock (which is what I did). It’s a good idea to rinse the freekeh before cooking. In a saucepan, add the freekeh with the water or stock and bring them to boil. Then, Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender – check if unsure.
What can you make with freekeh?
Freekeh can be a star of any Mediterranean or Middle-Eastern inspired dish: goes well with a lot of vegetables, can be a main meal or a side dish too depending on how loaded.
- tomato
- peppers
- onions
- olives
- radish
- beetroot
- asparagus
- aubergine
- courgette
Freekeh Salad with Rainbow Beets
This Freekeh Salad with Rainbow Beets is very simple to make – it’s just the beetroots that need long roasting but apart from that, it’s not even that much time – so you can even roast them ahead, although I do prefer them on room temperature in the salad.
You can of course youse any beetroots – doesn’t have to be rainbow or sliced into segments – can be just regular beetroot cubed if that’s easier.
Freekeh Salad With Rainbow Beets
Equipment
- 1 handheld mixer
Ingredients
Salad
- 250 g freekeh cooked with veggie stock
- 2 small-medium roasted beetroots doesn't need to be rainbow, but different colours look nice
- 4 spring onions sliced (also the creen bits)
- 3 handfuls chopped walnuts
- handful fresh mint chopped
- handful fresh coriander chopped
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Feta yogurt dressing
- 100 g feta cheese
- 3 heaped tbsp greek yogurt
- splash of oat milk
Vegan version of feta yogurt dressing
- 3 heaped tbsp plant based yogurt
- 1-2 tsp nutritional yeast
- splash of oat milk
Instructions
- Wash and cut up the beetroots into quarters. Roast them on 180 Celsius for about 45 minutes or until they are soft enough to bite.In the meantime, cook the freekeh as per instructions (pretty much like rice) and use stock cube for more flavours.When the beetroots are done, set them aside and let them cool before peeling them. Cut them into orange segments-like size and shape. (You can cube them too if that's easier, the taste will not change!)
- Mix the cooked freekeh with the chopped herbs and spring onions. Add the olive oil and the lemon juice during the process.Prepare the dressing: put the ingredients in a bowl and blend them with a handheld mixer until the texture is smooth and runny. If it's too stiff, add a splash of oat milk to it.On a large serving plate, layer the freekeh at the bottom, followed by arranging the beetroot pieces nicely and sprinkling the chopped walnuts on the top (you can toast the walnuts if you fancy, but not necessary). Just before serving drizzle the feta yogurt dressing on the top. Serve the rest of the dressing in a little dish with spoons in case people would like more of it (which is the case normally).Enjoy!
If you enjoyed this Freekeh Salad with Rainbow Beets recipe – you might like these too:
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad with Roasted Romano Peppers & Feta
Wholewheat Couscous With Roasted Butternut Squash And Kale Salad (Vegan)
Tricolour Quinoa Salad With Roasted Vegetables
