dijon mustard Archives • A Sweet Pea Chef

This savory and sweet salad makes a perfect lunch on the go or a light dinner. The Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with White Wine Vinegar Dressing is packed with vitamins, fiber, and protein that will keep you full and happy! Raise your hand if you like cheese! I’m a huge fan of cheese! Soft cheese, hard cheese, all the cheese! Ever since I made the decision to eat more healthy, nutritious foods and prepare my own meals, I’ve been so happy I get to still enjoy cheese as part of a well-balanced diet. While most cheese is usually pretty high in calories and often has a high fat, cholesterol, and sodium content, it also provides calcium, protein, and other vitamins. The key is to not go overboard. A great way to indulge in your favorite cheese is to add it to healthy, balanced meals as a source of protein. For instance, I love adding it to salads. You curb your cheese cravings, still enjoy your favorite foods, and eat healthy, yummy salads. It doesn’t get better than that. I’m sharing with you one of my favorite salad recipes - a Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with White Wine Vinegar Dressing. Goat cheese goes perfectly with the cooked beets and easily turns a side dish into a full meal. Follow my recipe and give it a try! PS If you don't like goat cheese, you could replace with bleu cheese, gorgonzola, or feta. WHAT GOES IN A BEET AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD? The most beautiful thing about salads is, no two salads are the same! You can easily swap ingredients, add your own, and customize it to your liking. Salads are a great quick and healthy option for lunch and dinner as they can easily be prepared in advance and just stored in the fridge, especially in a mason jar (like this salad). Mix fresh greens with some crunchy fresh veggies or your favorite grilled veggies like peppers and zucchini, add some lean protein like beef, chicken and cheese, some nuts for those healthy fats and to add a bit of crunch and that's all the goodness right there. For this Beet and Goat Cheese Salad, as a base, I use baby arugula, since it's packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Cooked beets are pretty sweet and go really well with the tart, earthy, and creaminess of goat cheese. For some crunch, I love to dice up some apples and top it off with some toasted pecans. YUMMMM. Instead of reaching for a store-bought salad sauce full of sugars and additives, puh-lease try my healthy White Wine Vinegar Dressing. It's so dang easy and super yummers, too. HOW LONG DOES A BEET MASON JAR SALAD LAST IN THE FRIDGE? With salads, it’s all about HOW you store them in your fridge. As long as you follow a few simple tips on storing your mason jar salad, the salad can last up to five full days in your fridge and still be crispy and fresh! Great, right? When preparing your mason jar salads, start with the dressing on the bottom and follow with harder veggies, protein, and then softer veggies and fruits. Top it off with nuts, seeds and leafy greens and seal properly. I use 1 quart mason jars for this, but any air-tight container will do. ARE BEETS GOOD FOR YOU? Beets are definitely underrated! Not only do they make a great side and are perfect for salads, soups and sandwiches because of their earthy, sweet flavor, but they are so good for you, too! Beets are packed with all the nutrients you can think of, like manganese, vitamin C, and fiber. They're also great for prenatal diets, too. Adding beets to your diet can help boost your immune system, fight inflammation, and help purify your blood and your liver! Pretty sweet, right? IS GOAT CHEESE GOOD FOR YOU? Including goat cheese to your diet can have some amazing benefits! In general, cheese is usually pretty high in calories and although it’s packed with a lot of stuff that’s really good for you, it should be consumed in moderation. Good news is that goat cheese contains fewer calories than other forms of dairy cheese. Goat cheese is also richer in essential nutrients, like vitamins B and C and calcium, and is much easier to digest as it contains less lactose than any other kind of cheese. See, you can still enjoy cheese and maintain that healthy diet! More Mason Jar Salad Recipes! Because you can simply never have enough salad recipes, I wanted to share some of my faves. Enjoy! Fig, Pistachio & Goat Cheese Salad Make-Ahead Mason Jar Salads For The Week + A Killer Clean Honey Mustard Dressing! Chicken Cobb Mason Jar Salad (With A Clean Ranch Dressing!) Beet And Goat Cheese Salad with White Wine Vinegar Dressing This savory and sweet salad makes a perfect lunch on the go or a light dinner. The Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with White Wine Vinegar Dressing is packed with vitamins, fiber, and protein that will keep you full and happy! For The Beet And Goat Cheese Salad:2 beets, (cooked and diced*)1/2 granny smith apple, (diced)1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese2 tbsp. pecans, (toasted or raw)2 cups baby arugulaFor The White Wine Vinegar Dressing:2 1/2 tbsp. olive oil2 tbsp white wine vinegar1 tsp raw honey1 tsp Dijon mustard1/2 tsp. sea salt To make the dressing, combine olive oil, white wine vinegar, raw honey, dijon mustard, and sea salt in a small mixing bowl, and stir to combine.Pour the dressing into the bottom of a 1-quart sized mason jar, followed by cooked, diced beets, diced granny smith apple, crumbled goat cheese, toasted pecans, and then topped off with baby arugula.Seal the jar tightly with a lid and place in the refrigerator to be enjoyed later. * To cook beets, you can microwave, lightly covered, in a deep dish with 1/4 cup water for 8-10 minutes, then peel OR wrap in foil, lightly covered with olive oil, and place in a 375 degree F oven for 45-60 minutes. Healthy Recipe, mason jar salad, Meal Prep, Salad, Salad DressingEasybeet and goat cheese salad, beet and goat cheese salad dressing, beet goat cheese salad This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.