Photograph: Claire Gunn
The Association for Dietetics in South Africa (ADSA) and Vanessa Marx (head chef of Dear Me and The White Room) have teamed up to bring another healthy, tasty dish to our tables. This salad is super-easy to make and perfect for a summer soirée. Plus, it‘s a powerhouse of nutrients!
ADSA spokesperson and dietician, Maryke Gallagher says: ”Deep-coloured vegetables like beets and spinach contain many ‘non-nutrient’ compounds, called phytochemicals. In relation to cancer, phytochemicals help metabolise drugs, toxins, carcinogens and mutagens. Also, beetroot juice may improve performance for some athletes due to its high nitrate content.”
What You Need
1 medium beetroot
100g baby spinach
50g radishes
1 Pomegranate, or 100g fresh pomegranate arils
50g Danish feta cheese (lower in fat than Greek)
30g baby spring onions
30ml extra-virgin olive oil
10ml red-wine vinegar
Method
Boil the whole beetroot, with the skin on, until soft (you should be able to pierce the beetroot with a knife effortlessly). While the beetroot is cooking, wash the baby spinach and pat off the excess water with some paper towel (or spin in a salad spinner). Wash the radishes and thinly slice them. Once your beetroot is cooked, leave it to cool slightly. While it’s still a bit warm, use your hands to rub off the skin. Give the beetroot a rinse to remove the excess skin. Cut into small cubes.
If you have a whole pomegranate, cut it in half. Hold the pomegranate half in your hand with the cut side toward your hand, leaving a gap between the pomegranate and the palm of your hand, by gripping the edges of the pomegranate with your fingertips. Hold the pomegranate over a large bowl and, using a large spoon, whack the back end of the pomegranate and the seeds will release from the shell. Repeat this until you have retrieved all of the arils.
Arrange the baby spinach on a plate or serving platter. Add the chopped beetroot, the sliced radishes and the pomegranate arils. Crumble the feta over the salad. Top with the baby spring onions. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar and serve.
For more recipes, visit the NutritionConfidence blog: nutritionconfidence.wordpress.com
For more information on ADSA, visit www.adsa.org.za