My dad has always been an incredible cook. He manages to take the most simple ingredients and turns them into something wonderful! This is a salad that he first made for me last year and it is now one of my favorites. It took him a few minutes to throw it together and yet it turned out to be delicious and it had a gourmet quality to it. The carrots and raw beets are just slightly sweet, perfectly crunchy, and the feta adds a wonderful salty, tangy, creamy quality. Yum! This is the perfect salad going into spring. Since all of the vegetables are raw it will hold up and remain crunchy for several days when stored in the fridge allowing you to enjoy it more than once, that is, if you even have leftovers. Enjoy!
Note: My beets appear pink in the photo because I used chioggia beets which vary in color from the more common red beets. You can use any kind of beet you can get your hands on for this recipe. However, I do think red beets give you the most beautiful color.
INGREDIENTS
3 fresh beets, washed, peeled, and shredded
4 large carrots, shredded
1/2 c Italian dressing
1/2 c feta cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
STEPS
- Combine the shredded beets and shredded carrots in a large bowl.
- Pour the Italian dressing over the veggies and toss to combine.
- Top with feta cheese and fresh parsley.
- Chill until ready to serve.
divadicucina.com 
I was wondering for beets: you don’t need to cook them? Can they be eaten raw? I am asking because I had a beet salad the other day a friend made and the beets were raw, but they were really hard and ‘earthy’ tasting which turned me off.
You can most certainly eat beets raw or cooked! When I eat them raw I shred them with a cheese grader so it is more like grated carrots and you don’t get a big hard bite. I can’t imagine having a big chunk of raw beets. I think a creamy cheese (like feta or goat cheese) and a tangy dressing are key when eating raw beets. Please give this recipe a try before completely dismissing raw beets. 🙂