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Edible Art with Benefits: Purple Power Salad
Drifting off to sleep last night, what would you guess was on my mind? ...If you guessed kale salad, you are correct! I suppose you know you are a health coach when you doze off to sleep fantasizing about a new colorful, creative kale salad…
These are the purple veggies I had on hand to incorporate:
Purple cabbage
Purple bell pepper
Baby eggplant (so cute!!)
Purple long beans (think foot long green beans that are purple!)
Red onion
Red kale
Purple carrot (Indigo variety, if available)
Red beet
Purple basil leaves
Simply wash, chop and toss the eggplant, onion, bell pepper, carrot, cabbage and beet in some avocado oil and sea salt. I roasted these lovely veggies at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until tender.
Then, massage the kale (3-4 cups, torn) with lemon juice (1 teaspoon-ish), organic white miso (½ Tablespoon-ish), tahini (½ Tablespoon-ish) and Bragg liquid aminos (½ teaspoon-ish).
Chop the long beans and shred the purple carrot on top of the kale salad, then top with the roasted veggies and basil leaves!
ART: This salad may sound extravagant, but it is exciting (to me, at least) to branch out and make food into edible art!
PREP: It just took a little planning to have the veggies on hand and take a few extra minutes to roast and prep the salad while I was getting ready for work/ making breakfast. This would also work well with leftover purple roasted veggies from the night before and massage the salad in the morning. Top with some black beans to keep with the dark hued theme, or wild salmon, sardines or baked chicken! Boom! Your power lunch is packed! :)
BENEFITS: Not only is this salad a work of art, but it offers an arsenal of nutrients for your body!
According to one of my favorite books (Prescription for Dietary Wellness), here are what these foods bring to the table:
Your body’s cells will be delighted that you chose to partake in this salad because you will get unique antioxidants such as anthocyanins, zeaxanthin and lutein! (That’s a mouthful, isn’t it?!)
Eggplant may support immune function and intestinal function…
Beets are excellent for the liver and lymphatic system…
Kale has been known to help protect the body from abnormal cells and supplies calcium and magnesium…
Many purple foods such as eggplant, blueberries, blackberries, red cabbage and many more provide amazing antioxidants called anthocyanidins which support eye health, promote circulation and heart health, and assist the body in eliminating cancer causing compounds*!
So, grab a fork… snap a quick picture of your edible art, and be nourished!
~Robin
*source: Balch, Phyllis A. Prescription for Dietary Wellness. Second ed., Penguin Group, 2003.
None of these statements have been evaluated by the FDA, nor are they to take the place of a doctor. The reader assumes full responsibility for his/ her health; this information is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure disease.
