Did I mention that I crave fresh veggies and salads recently? Well, it turns out that when you want fresh produce in the winter, you have to dig for it. Literally. I mean that your best option are the root vegetables. But don't be put off by the digging part because most treasures are actually hidden under the earth surface and you have to dig for them!
Today's treasure is a salad that combines 2 root vegetables, white rutabaga and celeriac, together with an apple i.e. a tree-growing fruit. And like a true jewel, it is laid on a velvet canape of leafy greens and studded with the some precious dried shrub fruits - cranberries. Thus, the salad goes all the way from under the earth, through the leafy green beds, past the shrubs to the top branches of the tree, giving you nutrition and energy that grows on every level of the vegetation pyramid.
Now, let's see why this salad is a treasure. Because of the nutrients of course! And these are the main ones.
Rutabaga: A starchy vegetable with a good mixture of vitamins A, B and C, and a blend of minerals.
Celeriac: A good source of vitamin K which helps increase the bone mass activity in the bones. Contains a complex of minerals including phosphorus which is essential for cell metabolism and copper that helps restore immunity and prevents anemia.
Apple: High in fiber, vitamins and minerals, apples also contain the detoxifying apple pectin that is used in many cleansing formulas. Like a mini multivitamin, apples have a bit of everything!
Leafy greens: These are probably the richest in nutrients of all foods in the vegetable kingdom: high in vitamins A and C, abundant in folic acid which is particularly good for the heart, rich in magnesium, potassium and iron.
Red currents: Rich in vitamin C red currents serve the body as an antioxidant. Because of the vitamin C the iron that is contained in them is more easily assimilated by the body.
Such a powerful combination of vitamins, vitamin C predominantly, and other healthy nutrients, this salad is a perfect winter dish that will promote your health and strengthen your immunity. Eating such foods is the best way to prevent your body from seasonal flues - better than any vaccination and post medication. And much more delicious as well!
White Winter Salad
Ingredients (1 serving):- 1 handful of leafy greens
- 1/2 rutabaga, grated
- 1/2 celeriac, grated
- 1 small apple, peeled and grated
- 2-3 tbs dried or fresh cranberries
- 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- juice of 1/2 lemon