Last week I had done a huge grocery shopping over the weekend and had completely forgotten that I needed to make the salad for my book group. Fortunately, being caught unprepared is often when you create the most interesting and delicious things!
I always have several dark leafy greens on hand. I try to vary them…sometimes it’s arugula and kale, other times collards and romaine, or occasionally swiss chard and spinach. Did you know that dark leafy greens are the MOST missing ingredient in the western diet? They are also the most nutritional per calorie. As an example, kale is an excellent source of vitamin C, B6, carotenes, manganese, and fiber. It also contains many minerals including copper, iron and calcium. It’s high phosphorus content has been proven to help prevent osteoporosis, and it has some of the highest anticancer properties of any food. In fact, there are over 200 studies showing that people with diets high in dark green leafy vegetables have 60% reduced chance of developing cancer. Dark green leafy veggies have also shown in some cases to even shrink existing cancers. All fruits and vegetables have different super powers, so eating a good variety (with a lot of dark, leafy greens) is the goal. I encourage you to add in dark leafy greens with EVERY MEAL if you can.
Don’t forget that our 10-day autumn cleanse has launched! The cleanse runs from Oct. 14-23, with Oct. 13th being Prep Day. Link here for more info!
Following is the super fun recipe for Book Group Salad….and it of course contains dark leafys!
Book Group Salad
serves 8
5 leaves thinly diced kale
1/4 purple cabbage, shredded
3 tomatoes, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
1 beet
1/3 cup salted roasted almonds, chopped
1/4 cup parsley
1 recipe lime crema
Preheat the oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Wrap the beet in tinfoil (skin on) and roast for 1 hour. On the baking sheet distribute the tomato and carrot slices. Cover in olive oil and sea salt. After about 35 minutes, add the baking sheet to the oven, and cook until well roasted, turning vegetables once. Remove the beet and the baking sheet. Peel the beet and cut into chunks.
In a large salad bowl, place the kale, and sprinkle the cabbage over it. Carefully distribute the roasted veggies. Sprinkle with parsley and salted almonds. Drizzle lime crema over and serve.
The root vegetables in this recipe are also very grounding and are a really important seasonal food to integrate into your diet this autumn.
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