Beetroot is an all year round winner so this salad often features in my recipe repertoire, I’ve shared this with friends and family over the years and it’s always a hit – especially for beetroot and chickpea lovers. You can use regular beetroot but I stumbled across these gorgeous beauties at my local market.

Rroasting them with orange gives a beautiful sweetness that cuts through he earthiness that beetroot has – a good splash of balsamic gives a really deep slightly caramelised flavour…

Beetroots have a ‘superfood’ status for a good reason – its nutritional profile is impressive. It’s full of antioxidants, high in vitamins and minerals and is one of the richest sources of folic acid you can eat. It has also been proven to reduce blood pressure and is popular with gym bunnies for its ability to help with endurance. Try and get the best quality chickpeas you can (the ones in the glass jars I find better than the tinned ones. They are packed with phytochemicals that boost immunity, they are high in protein, fibre, folate and zinc (great for skin, hair and nails). Chickpeas also contain copper and manganese important for healthy youthful cells. What’s more they are fibre rich helping stabilise blood sugar levels, hormones and ward off wrinkles. I’m all over chickpeas!

This recipe works really well with goat’s cheese too, I like the saltiness you get from crumbled feta. If you are wanting a vegan option just leave out the cheese all together…still delish.

Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

500g small fresh beetroot

400g cooked chickpeas

Grated zest and juice of 1 small orange

2 tablespoons apple balsamic vinegar

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon clear honey

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon chopped dill, plus extra to garnish

150g Feta cheese or soft rindless goat’s cheese, crumbled

Handful fresh mint leaves

Optional Dukkah for sprinkling over (or toasted pumpkin seeds)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/gas mark 5. Trim the stalks from the beetroot, peel and cut into bite-sized wedges. Place them in a small roasting tin. Add the orange zest with two tablespoons of the juice, one tablespoon of the vinegar, two tablespoons of olive oil, half a teaspoon of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Toss together well, cover the tin tightly with foil, and roast for 40-50 minutes until just tender. Remove and leave to go cold.

2. Whisk the rest of the vinegar with the honey, then whisk in the remaining oil. Stir in the garlic and season to taste. Spoon the dressing over the chickpeas with the one tablespoon of chopped dill and mix together well. Transfer to a shallow serving bowl, scatter over the feta or goat’s cheese, the cooked beets, and sprinkle with dukkah or pumpkin seeds, extra dill and mint leaves and serve.