Check out this edible puzzle! Beetroot kiwi Rubik’s cube salad is a real eye-catcher, made of kiwi, beetroot and creamy feta cheese. This is a fun way to enjoy fruits and vegetables. Also, its fresh and appealing look makes it a perfect lunch, dinner or snack.
I always love to be creative in my kitchen. Don’t you just love when the dish you make tastes wonderful and it looks amazing? Maybe try to motivate yourself to try new things and to step out of your everyday routine. For example, cut your veggies and fruits in a different way, give them a new shape, use a vegetable that you’ve never tried before, include fresh herbs and spices and create your own dressings.
Moreover, a very important factor, when cooking and also when making this dish, is to have FUN. Don’t worry if the cubes aren’t perfect and if they don’t fit well. Simply play with them. I saw art in it, even though the cuts weren’t perfect. And there’s no such thing as perfect art. Wink. Play with the colours and create the pattern you like.
When choosing the ingredients, try to pick firm fruits and vegetables, which won’t turn brown and semi-hard cheese. Feta seems just perfect. Wink. Also, aim for different colours. I just love to combine bright and vivid colours, too. Look at this cube! There are a creamy white, kiwi green and a dark velvet red colour.
Besides looking good, this dish is also packed with flavour and nutrients. The fruity yet a bit tangy kiwi, as well as the earthy beetroot, are both rich in vitamin C and fiber. If you are a beetroot lover, check out these lovely recipes: detox beetroot raspberry soup, delicious beetroot-beluga lentils burgers and simple beetroot carpaccio.
Feta, on the other hand, is one of the cheeses that are low in calories but high in vitamin B, calcium and proteins. Don’t miss these: watermelon carpaccio, a delicious pumpkin feta flammkuchen, juicy feta meatballs or a hearty shakshuka. There you have everything in one dish; colours, flavours, health benefits and fun.
Also, take a moment to think about how you are going to cut the cubes out of beetroot and kiwi, for instance. Creating a Rubik’s cube is really easy. However, you can always make a quick sketch to have some visual help by building it.
How many cubes do you need? How big should the cubes be? It really all depends on how big your cube is going to be in the end. You can make it 3×3 and cut larger cubes, or choose to make more rows and layers (4×4, 5×5), either with smaller or bigger cubes. There’s plenty to play with.
However, more rows you decide to do, more cubes you’ll need. For instance, if you decide for 3×3 cube then you’ll need 9 cubes of each ingredient. With a 4×4 cube, you’ll need 16 cubes of each ingredient.
As I said, it really depends on how large you cut the cubes. But, bigger the cubes, more stable the whole sculpture will be. In addition, you can also decide, either to make a single cube for each portion or a larger one to share.
Ingredients for one beetroot kiwi Rubik’s cube salad (4×4):
- 250 g Feta cheese (cut into 1,5 cm cubes)
- 3-4 big beetroots (cooked and cut into 1,5 cm cubes)
- 4-5 kiwis (peeled and cut into 1,5 cm cubes)
- basil pesto (optional)
- some basil leaves (garnish)
To start, cut the ingredients into 1,5 cm (or bigger) cubes. Start with feta cheese, because it’s the easiest. Then, peel the kiwis and decide how you’re going to cut the cubes out of them. I cut them into 1,5 cm thick slices first, and then into cubes. And as of last and the messiest, cut the beetroot in the same-sized cubes.
Once you have all of the cubes ready, brush some basil pesto on the plate (to prevent the cube from sliding) and start placing the cubes in alternating patterns in a four by four (or whatever you decide for) square, directly on the spot with pesto. Then, continue with the second layer on top, again with alternating cubes. Keep building up the cube until done.
In conclusion, you might add some dressing, a plain yogurt, more fruits and nuts or meat to it. In fact, this beetroot kiwi Rubik’s cube salad can be served as a fun dessert, salad, side dish, snack or as a whole meal. Have fun and celebrate the end of summer in a great way.
Enjoy!
