Carrot & Turnip Salad

It has to be said that nothing beats a salad on a warm day. You can literally throw in what you have in the fridge and elevate it's flavor with seeds and cheese. This is how I created this carrot and turnip salad recipe. I bought turnips at the market and didn't want to roast them so began playing around. This recipe is for a carrot and raw turnip salad with herbs, onion, pomegranate and feta, with a fennel seed and garlic, apple cider based dressing. Raw turnip is so underrated and gives the salad such a refreshing crunch. The taste is subtle and pairs well with carrot and other veggies. The salad is sweet yet acidic, and the feta balances it out perfectly.

This recipe is very straightforward - you simply prepare all of the ingredients and add them together with no cooking involved. To start, wash and peel the carrots and turnips then cut off the roots. I have been enjoying using a food processor to grate my veg for salads recently, which has been a big time saver, but you can also box grate the carrots and turnip. Both hold a lot of water, so take a handful of the grated veg over the sink, and squeeze the excess water out. You can omit this step if you want a juicier salad but I find it too wet and soggy when skipped. Once the juices have been squeezed out, place into a bowl. Then it's time to prepare the rest of the salad - finely chop a red onion, a large handful of fresh parsley, and some fresh mint and to the bowl. Cut the pomegranate in half through its core, then using a wooden spoon, tap the outer pomegranate to loosen the seeds which will fall right out. Take a cup of the pomegranate and add to the bowl.

The only thing left is the dressing. For this, mix together apple cider vinegar, good quality olive oil, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, sumac, fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Stir the dressing into the salad just before serving, and garnish with more pomegranate seeds, good quality crumbled cow feta cheese, and pumpkin seeds. And voila - a super easy and healthy salad that tastes so refreshing! 

---

Carrot & Raw Turnip Salad

Prep time: 15 mins     Yield: 4    Author: Anika Pannu

Ingredients

4 carrots, washed, peeled and grated

4 turnips, washed, peeled and grated

1 cup pomegranate seeds

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

large handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped

handful of fresh mint, finely chopped

Dressing 

4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon sumac

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 large clove of garlic, minced or grated

salt and pepper

Garnish

feta cheese, crumbled

handful of pomegranate seeds

pumpkin seeds

Method

1. Wash, peel and grate the carrots and the turnips.

2. Squeeze the excess water out of the carrots and turnips and place into a bowl.

3. Finely chop 1 medium red onion, a large handful of parsley and mint, then add to the bowl.

4. Add 1 cup of pomegranate seeds to the bowl.

5. To make the dressing, mince the garlic very finely, or use a microplane to grate it.

6. To the garlic, add 4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon of sumac, 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine then set aside.

7. Only when about to serve, mix the dressing into the salad and toss to combine.

8. To serve, place the salad into a serving dish then top with crumbled feta cheese, more pomegranate seeds and pumpkin seeds.