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!