Fresh Toppings:
• A few slices of zucchini, peeled into long super long, flat thin strips
• Approx. 1/4 cup of fennel, chopped
• Approx. 1/4 cup of cucumber, chopped
• 3x yellow beets, roasted and sliced
• Feta cheese of some sort
• Fresh mint (and/or whatever fresh herbs you have)

Basil-yogurt dressing ingredients:
• 1/4-1/2 cup of fresh basil, roughly chopped
• 2x cloves of garlic, crushed and roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp of lemon juice
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1/4 tsp of salt to start, add more to taste
• 1/2 cup of water
• a dash of white or black pepper

Marbles with apricot sauce:
• 2 tbsp of apricot jam
• 2 tsp of sesame oil
• 1 tsp of soy sauce or tamari
• 2 tbsp of water
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Juicy Marble filet cut into strips
• Oil for cooking

1. For the beets, heat the oven to 220°C. Put the beets on a tray and place the tray in the oven. There is no need to peel the beets or add any oil; the beet peel will retain moisture as they roast. Roast them for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until you can poke a fork through them. When they are done, allow them to cool for a few minutes, peel them, and slice them.

NOTE: If you have any leftover beets or want to make extra, you can keep them in the fridge for up to a week and peel them when you are ready to eat them. I have kept roasted beets in the fridge for about a week, and they stay good. :)

1. For the zucchini, if you have a mandolin, you can use it to slice the zucchini into long, super-thin slices. If you do not have a mandolin, you can use a peeler. Slicing zucchini in this way adds a really nice, slightly creamy texture to the salad, so I highly recommend it.
2. For the cucumber and fennel, chop them into bite-sized pieces.
3. For the basil-yogurt sauce, add the garlic and basil to a food processor and blend until roughly chopped. Then add the rest of the dressing ingredients and blend until everything is well combined and tastes good. :)
4. For the apricot sauce, combine apricot jam, tamari, sesame oil, water, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and mix well. That is all.
5. For the Juicy Marbles meat, heat a non-stick pan to medium heat and add some oil. When the oil is hot, add your meat to the pan and salt it. Allow the meat to sear for a few minutes on each side, until each side is toasted to perfection. Then remove from the heat and combine the crispy meat with the apricot sauce.

Assembling the salad: Arrange all the components in a bowl. You can roll the zucchini slices to make the bowl look pretty, if you wish. Top the salad with fresh herbs and feta. Toss gently and enjoy! Have fun blowing your friends’ minds.