roasted sweet potato and farro salad with lemon and dill

 I was flipping through my mom’s Martha Stewart magazine and this recipe caught my eye.  Wintertime has me craving root vegetables, and sweet potatoes are the perfect fix!  I altered the original recipe a little by decreasing the amount of farro and adding raw purple cabbage for crunch and to boost the nutritional content.  Served warm, this salad makes a comforting and wholesome side dish.  You can also top with spicy chickpeas to make it a vegan main course.

A generous amount of dill is used in this salad.  Dill is wonderful for aiding in digestion.  According to “The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods” it decreases flatulence and digestive disturbance.  The active compounds in dill are found in it’s oil.  They are carvone, limonene, and anethofuran.  These compounds have anticancer and antimicrobial effects as well as promoting liver detoxification by activating an enzymatic reaction protecting the body from carcinogens.  All this power comes from a tiny, delicate herb!  Nature is amazing :)

Long story short…add dill to salad dressings, hummus, soups, everything!

roasted sweet potato and farro salad with lemon and dill ~vegan~

Roasted Sweet Potato and Farro Sald with Lemon and Dill

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 cloves garlic, unpeeled

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup farro

grated zest and juice from 1 lemon

1/2 cup lightly packed dill, chopped

1/2 cup purple cabbage, chopped

sea salt and pepper to taste

-Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Divide sweet potatoes and garlic between 2 baking sheets.  Drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Toss to coat and spread into a single layer.  Roast, flipping once, until sweet potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.

-Meanwhile, bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add farro, bring to a boil, then simmer and cook until tender, around 30-35 minutes.  Drain water, place in a large bowl and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, toss to coat, season with sea salt and pepper.

-When cool enough to handle, remove roasted garlic from peels and mash with lemon zest and lemon juice in a small bowl.

-Add garlic/lemon mixture, sweet potatoes, dill and purple cabbage to farro and stir until well combined.

-Serve warm or cool, enjoy!

purple powerhouses

purple cabbage

In a salad rut?  Try adding purple cabbage to add crunch and color!

According the U.S. Department of Agriculture red/purple cabbage contains 36 different varieties of anthocyanins, a class of flavonoids that have been linked to cancer protection.  Anthocyanins are the purple pigments found in foods such cabbage, blueberries and grapes.  Not only do these purple powerhouses fight cancer they also improve heart health and brain function.  1 cup of cabbage also provides 85% of your daily vitamin C needs.  The health benefits of purple cabbage are more potent when eaten raw so it’s best to add to salads or chopped up and used for slaw.

Edamame Apple Salad with Maple Dijon Dressing

Ingredients:

2 cups purple cabbage, shredded

1 cup mixed salad greens

1 cup steamed edamame, shelled and cooled

1 cup carrot, shredded

½ gala apple, cubed

1/2 avocado

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Dressing:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

1 lemon, juiced

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

-Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl.

-Wisk together dressing and drizzle over salad.

-Top with sliced avocado.

-Enjoy!

Voila!

Voila!

A sweet and savory salad that is bursting with flavor and flavonoids!

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