A Star-Spangled Salad Recipe to Dress Up Your Patriotic Barbecue
Hallie Klecker ~ Aside from Thanksgiving, the Fourth of July is my favorite holiday. I wait all year long for the July issue of Martha Stewart Living to come out, eager to flip through the pages for festive table decor ideas, summery recipes, and gorgeous photographs. Independence Day seems to encapsulate the essence of summer in one fun-filled day, and I can’t help myself from joining in on the action every year.
Nothing says summer like firing up the grill. And with every good burger, steak, or marinated chicken breast goes a nutritious salad.
In the patriotic spirit of the season, I made this Star Spangled Salad over the weekend featuring some adorable beet stars that are actually super simple to make! The beets slice up perfectly when they’re raw, so there’s no steaming or roasting required. They add color, crunch, and whimsy to the salad. I just might make them all summer long.
Star Spangled Salad
For the salad you see pictured, I used mixed lettuces from the farmers’ market, sugar snap peas, shallots, raisins, blueberries, and toasted slivered almonds. Anything goes here. Use whatever you like and can find locally, if possible.
- Mixed greens or baby spinach
- Chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, shallots, and/or snap peas
- Raisins, chopped pitted dates, or dried cranberries
- Toasted almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, or sunflower seeds
- 1 medium to large red beet, peeled and thinly sliced
- Your favorite salad dressing (homemade is always better!), to serve
Toss all of your salad ingredients in a large serving bowl.
Use a sharp star cookie cutter to cut stars out of the beet slices. If you don’t have one or can’t find yours (ahem…like me), trace a star onto a sheet of parchment or waxed paper and cut it out. Place the template on the beet slices and use a sharp paring knife to cut around the template and form the star.
Arrange the stars atop your salad mixture. Serve with the dressing on the side.
Article, recipe, and photos by Hallie Klecker. Hallie is a passionate gluten-free and dairy-free foodie and author of the Daily Bites blog. She received her training as a Nutrition Educator through Bauman College of Holistic Nutrition and Culinary Arts.
