Serves 4

Ingredients

For the salad
3 (450g) medium beetroots
½ cup cashews
2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds
2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
2 large carrots
100g baby spinach
100g feta, crumbled
4 Tbsp dried cranberries
For the cranberry dressing
2 Tbsp pure cranberry juice
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey, or to taste
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt, to taste
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp ground cumin

METHOD

Wash the beetroot well and wrap each one tightly in foil. Air-fry at 200°C for about 25 to 35 minutes or until completely tender when pierced with a knife. Allow beetroot to cool, peel and slice into semicircles. To prepare the carrot ribbons, using a zig-zag peeler or vegetable peeler, slice the carrots into long, thin ribbons. To toast the nuts and seeds, place cashews, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds in the air-fryer and toast at 150°C for 8–10 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly golden – after about 8 minutes, keep an eye on the mixture, as the seeds can brown quickly. Allow to cool. To make the cranberry dressing, add cranberry juice, balsamic vinegar, honey, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, black pepper and cumin to a jar. Close tightly and shake vigorously until emulsified. Taste and adjust honey, salt or pepper as needed. To assemble the salad, arrange baby spinach (or greens of your choice), carrot ribbons and roasted beetroot on a serving platter. Drizzle generously with the cranberry dressing. Top with the toasted cashews and seeds, crumbled feta and dried cranberries.

Serve immediately.

Chef’s Tip

The secret to a really satisfying salad is layering. Think about combining different flavors and textures — earthy beetroot, sweet-tart cranberry, creamy and salty feta, fresh carrots and plenty of crunchy toasted nuts and seeds. For a lunchbox, keep the cranberry dressing and crunchy toppings separate and add them just before eating. This keeps the greens fresh and the nuts and seeds crisp.