Growing up, one of my favorite salads to eat at home was something so simple yet so perfect with its lemony flavor. I would have it at least once a week and I knew it by its Greek name, Horta. 

At my household, we traditionally ate this salad with boiled green kale, lemon juice, a dash of olive oil, and sometimes feta cheese. For me, it was perfect with nothing else 

I’ve seen other traditional Greek households use dandelion greens, kale, swiss chard, curly endive, or a mix as well. Overall, the more diverse the greens you use, the more health benefits you’ll get! 

This recipe is a version of the Greek-style greens salad (Horta) made with steamed red kale and red beets. I choose to steam for the cooking process rather than boil to ensure they retain more nutrients. Let me know your versions in the comments below!

Ingredients

For the Salad:

1 large bunch/8-15 large leaves of red kale (you can also use green kale, dandelion greens, curly endive, or a mix)

2 medium-sized beets (cut each beet into quarter-sized pieces)

Juice of 1 lemon

10-12 pitted kalamata olives

Pinch of salt

Pinch of black pepper

Directions

For the Salad:

1. Wash greens and beets thoroughly

2. Remove stems from greens and peel skin off of the beets

3. In a steamer, add your beets and then the greens on top (the beets should be added first since they take a longer time to cook in the steam) 

4. Close the lid and let the greens steam for 5 to 10 minutes until you can dig a fork cleanly through a wilted leaf, beets will cook longer for a total steam time of 15-20 minutes

5. Remove the greens and beets after they’ve steamed thoroughly and let them cool

6. Cut the greens and beets into bite-sized pieces and add to a salad bowl

7. Add lemon, olives, and seasoning 

8. Serve with feta cheese, onions, or a toss of olive oil – and enjoy!