Gut and Hormone Loving Super Salad
nourish your gut and hormones with this salad.
This salad is so good. It’s hearty and satisfying, and what’s even better is that it’s absolutely packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It is great for the immune system, gut health, plus it’s a fantastic source of several specific ingredients which support female hormones.
If you choose to add the chickpeas, the extra protein makes a delicious side dish or even a meal on its own. Apart from being fantastic for digestive health, chickpeas are a great source of plant based protein which means they’ll keep you full for longer.
This salad is also dairy and gluten free, so it’s suitable for those sensitive or intolerant to gluten or dairy, individuals with Celiac disease and vegetarian and vegan diets.
This salad would be perfect for a healthy lunch idea, and it’s always a winner for when you are entertaining.
SERVES: 2 TIME: 40 min
INGREDIENTS
2 heads of broccoli
1 butternut pumpkin
3 cups mixed greens (e.g lettuce, spinach, watercress, kale)
1 can chickpeas
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
2 Tbs goji berries
3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
pinch salt
pinch pepper
For the dressing:
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 175 degfrees Celsius.
2. Cut pumpkin and broccoli into small pieces and place in large bowl. Mix in olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on baking tray and place in the oven for 20 min (broccoli) and 30-40 minutes for the pumpkin, until soft.
3. To make the roast chickpeas, see my recipe for Spiced Roasted Chickpeas.
4. Prepare the salad ingredients (e.g. wash greens) and assemble the salad with all ingredients apart from the dressing. To make the dressing, combine the olive oil, balsamic and lemon juice in a small jar and shake to combine. Pour over salad just before serving.
Note: you can make a larger batch and save some for the next day’s lunch – just don’t add the dressing until the day to prevent soggy salad leaves.
If you give this salad a go, let me know how it turned out! I usually tweak the ingredients and nutrients for my clients, depending on their particular needs.
I provide holistic nutrition and lifestyle medicine support for women through all seasons of life. To find out what I can help you with, head to my About page.