roasted beet, purple cabbage and lentil salad ~vegan, gluten free~

Roasted Beet, Purple Cabbage and Lentil Salad

Need to press the refresh button after a weekend of partying?  This salad is a delicious way to get your diet back on track!

Roasted Beet, Purple Cabbage and Lentil Salad ~ vegan, gluten free~ A clean eating, antioxidant rich salad for detoxification~

There’s a whole lot of antioxidant power going on in this salad with roasted red beets and raw purple cabbage!  Lentils are added for a protein punch making this a well-rounded meal.  Did you know purple cabbage comes from the cruciferous vegetable family?  One of the most powerful veggies out there thanks to a compound called indole-3-carbinol, which is known for its anticancer effects and capability to speed up detoxification!

Every time I roast beets I’m reminded about how much I LOVE them!  I kept sneaking bites, I’m surprised I had any left for the salad!

Note to self: Next time roast more beets for snacking on!

Roasted Beet, Purple Cabbage and Lentil Salad ~ vegan, gluten free~ A clean eating, antioxidant rich salad for detoxification~

The original recipe was found here from Food & Wine.  I altered it by dropping the bacon and blue cheese and switched up the dressing a bit.  I hope you like it :)

Roasted Beet, Purple Cabbage and Lentil Salad
 
This recipe makes 2 large dinner salads or 4 smaller side salads.
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients
  • ½ cup dried lentils, picked over and rinsed
  • 3 beets, roasted
  • 2 cups purple cabbage, chopped
  • 2 cups Boston lettuce, ripped into bite sized pieces
  • For the vinaigrette:
  • 2 tablespoons shallot, minced
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • ½ tablespoon maple syrup
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Lentils:
  2. Add lentils to a small saucepan, cover with a few inches of water and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain off excess water and let cool.
  3. Beets:
  4. Preheat oven (or toaster oven) to 425 degrees. Rinse and trim beets and wrap them in foil. Place in oven for 45-60 minutes (depending on size of beets) or until easily pierced with a fork. Let cool and peel skin away, chop into bite-sized pieces.
  5. Vinaigrette:
  6. Add shallot, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, dijon mustard and maple syrup to a bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper.
  7. Salad:
  8. Place all ingredients in a large bowl, drizzle with vinaigrette and enjoy!

goji pomegranate orange smoothie

I have my beautiful niece Ella Mae to thank for this smoothie!  She gave me this wonderful Christmas present…she knows me so well :)

"Superfood Smoothies" by Julie Morris

“Superfood Smoothies” by Julie Morris

I love this book!  It is loaded with useful information on different ways to pack more nutrition into every smoothie, essential superfoods to use and nutritional benefits of drinking smoothies!  The author also gives really creative ideas on how to jazz up the ordinary smoothie.  One of my favorite tips was to make “almond ice” by freezing almond milk in ice cube trays, brilliant!

The smoothie I chose to make today was the “pomegranate orange” smoothie.  It tasted amazing, gave me a quick burst of energy and is off the charts in ORAC value (the antioxidant level of foods) thanks to the pomegranate juice and goji berries.  To add a healthy dose of omega fatty acids I added two tablespoons of hemp seeds.

Goji Pomegranate Orange Smoothie

Goji Pomegranate Orange Smoothie

1 orange, peeled

2 tablespoons dried goji berries

3/4 teaspoon grated orange zest

2 tablespoons hemp seeds

3/4 cups pomegranate juice

2 cups of almond ice cubes

(To make almond ice: freeze almond milk using an ice cube tray)

dash cinnamon

~blend and enjoy!~

Thanks Ella Mae :)