My Parent's Passover Salads!

My parents are Passover seder stalwarts and rep for the vegetarians HARD CORE! Over several decades they have carefully curated an immaculate assortment of salads that they contribute to the Passover table each year. Their current line up: beets, carrots, heart's of palm. My mom's heart's of palm has been everyone's favourite and I often get requests for the recipe. So here is that recipe with a couple more! TIP: They're good for any time of year!

BEET SALAD

In a large pot, boil 5-6 medium beets (assorted colours look lovely!) unpeeled. Do not overcook. Test the beets for tenderness; you should be able to cut through it smoothly with a knife, but it should still be quite firm and not mushy. Remove from the hot water, refresh with cold water and squeeze off the skin. 

Cut the beets into bite-sized chunks and toss in a generous glug of olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic and some roughly chopped flat leaf parsley. Don't forget the salt and pepper! 

CARROT SALAD

Shred or coarsely grate about 4-5 medium carrots (the sweeter the better!). Toss in a large bowl with 1/4 cup olive oil, the juice of 1-2 juicy lemons, and loads of lemon zest. Add roughly chopped fresh coriander mixed with flat leaf parsley. Add about a tsp of sweet paprika and 1tsp of ground cumin. Allow to marinate for a few hours before serving--serve at room temperature. 

HEARTS OF PALM SALAD

Use about 3 cans of hearts of palm (if you can find in glass jars then HURRAY!). Drain them and slice into bite sized but chunky rounds. Gently toss in a bowl with lots of olive oil, white wine vinegar, 2 tsp of Dijon mustard and plenty of salt and pepper. Garnish with a couple handfuls of flat leat parsley.