Spiced Beet Slaw with Apple, Cilantro, Pumpkin Seeds, Yogurt, and Orange-Cumin Dressing
A vibrant magenta slaw of shredded raw beets, thinly sliced red onion and green apple, raisins, toasted pumpkin seeds, and fresh cilantro, tossed in a Moroccan-spiced orange-cumin vinaigrette and served with a cool, tangy yogurt sauce.
Moroccan and Mediterranean-inspired
Yield: Serves 4–6 as a side · Active: 20 min · Total: 20 min · Year-round (beets are at their sweetest in North America from fall through winter) · Best eaten: midday or early evening
Ingredients
Slaw
2–3 medium raw beets (red, or a mix of colors like Chioggia, Detroit Dark Red, and golden), peeled and shredded in a food processor or on a coarse grater
½ red onion, thinly sliced into half-moons
1 green apple (like Granny Smith), thinly sliced, julienned, or coarsely grated
⅓ cup unsulfured raisins (soaked 5 minutes in warm water, if they're firm)
¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas), lightly toasted
¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Optional: 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Optional: ¼ cup crumbled feta or goat cheese
Tip: Mixing in golden beets keeps the slaw from turning entirely magenta, and makes it even prettier.
Orange-cumin dressing
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp fresh orange juice, plus the zest of 1 orange
1 tbsp raw honey
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Yogurt sauce
½ cup raw whole-milk yogurt or sheep's milk yogurt
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
Optional: 1 tbsp fresh mint or dill, finely chopped
Method
Make the dressing. Whisk all the dressing ingredients until emulsified.
Build the slaw. In a large bowl, combine the beets, red onion, apple, drained raisins, toasted pumpkin seeds, and cilantro (and parsley, if using).
Dress it. Pour the dressing over the slaw and toss well. Don't dress it too early: the citrus softens the apple, and the beets turn everything magenta as they sit. Serve within an hour, for the best texture.
Make the yogurt sauce. Whisk the yogurt, lemon juice, salt, and herbs (if using).
Serve. Spoon the slaw onto plates, and add a dollop of yogurt sauce alongside, or drizzle it over the top. Scatter with the cheese, if you like.
Ways to Make It Your Own
Quick-pickled red onion: Soak the sliced onion in raw apple cider vinegar with a pinch of salt for 20 minutes, for a brighter, gentler flavor.
Orange segments: Add peeled orange segments (supremes), for color and juicy texture.
Toasted pistachios, in addition to or instead of the pumpkin seeds, for a Persian-inspired touch.
Pomegranate arils, for jewel-like color and bright, tart pops.
Preserved lemon, finely chopped and stirred into the dressing, for a distinctly Moroccan flavor.
Fresh dill alongside the cilantro, for more herbal depth.
Roasted golden beets for half of the beets, for warmth and caramelized depth alongside the raw crunch.
A dusting of sumac, whose bright tartness pairs beautifully with the cumin and coriander.
Storage: The dressed slaw is best within an hour, but it keeps refrigerated up to 2 days (it softens but stays delicious). For make-ahead, store the shredded vegetables, dressing, and yogurt sauce separately for up to 3 days, and toss just before serving. Add the pumpkin seeds at the last minute, so they stay crunchy.
A note on honey: The raw honey in the dressing stays raw, since it's never heated. Honey shouldn't be given to babies under 12 months.
Nourishment Notes
Raw beets — folate, manganese, potassium, dietary nitrates (which support healthy blood flow), and betalains, the vivid pigments behind their color. Eating them raw keeps their delicate compounds intact.
Green apple — pectin, quercetin, and a crisp, tart contrast.
Red onion — quercetin and prebiotic fibers.
Pumpkin seeds — magnesium, zinc, iron, and plant protein.
Raisins — potassium, iron, and natural sweetness.
Cilantro and parsley — vitamin K, vitamin C, and apigenin.
Orange and lemon — vitamin C, which helps your body absorb the iron in the beets and seeds, plus d-limonene in the zest.
Cumin, coriander, and cinnamon — warming spices traditionally used to support digestion, and cinnamon helps moderate blood sugar.
Yogurt — protein, calcium, and live cultures.
Extra virgin olive oil — oleic acid and polyphenols.
For your cycle: The beets' folate and nitrates and the pumpkin seeds' iron and zinc make this especially supportive during the menstrual and follicular phases, and the citrus's vitamin C helps your body absorb that iron.
Sourcing
Beets, red onion, green apples, cilantro, parsley, mint, and dill — organic, from a farmers' market or CSA, ideally heirloom beet varieties like Chioggia, Detroit Dark Red, golden, and Bull's Blood (beets are also easy to grow at home, and cilantro thrives on a windowsill)
Raisins — organic and unsulfured, from a farmers' market dried-fruit vendor or a trusted brand
Pumpkin seeds — organic and raw, from a farmers' market or Latin American grocer, or sprouted pumpkin seeds from Go Raw
Spices (cumin, coriander, Ceylon cinnamon, black pepper, sumac) — organic and non-irradiated, ideally single-origin; Ceylon cinnamon from Sri Lanka
Yogurt — raw whole-milk yogurt from a local dairy or Amish farm you know and trust, or Bellwether Farms sheep's milk yogurt
Cheese (optional) — feta, or a fresh goat cheese from Cypress Grove or a local dairy near you
Raw honey — organic, local, and unfiltered, from a local beekeeper
Oranges and lemons — organic (you're using the zest), from a farmers' market in citrus-growing regions, or your own backyard tree
Preserved lemon (optional) — homemade (see my Moroccan Lamb Shank Tagine for the method)
Extra virgin olive oil — organic, single-estate, harvest-dated, in dark glass
Salt — Baja Gold sea salt; Maldon for finishing
— Anna aka Food Marshall