Cooking is usually a rush job in our house to accommodate for a hectic work and long-distance distance triathlon training schedule. It always seems like there are too few hours in the day and despite this we do our best to never compromise on nutrition; from the sourcing to the eating :-).
If we can be prepared for our work and training we can do the same for our daily meals all it takes is organisation.
We eat every evening dinner at the table with one another when possible; it may be the only calm and peaceful part of the day and it is sacred to us.
Food is crucial to not only fuel the body but to create it, regenerate it, heal it and with sport in mind to make it work better than it did the day before (via multiple physiological adaptations). We are not only what we eat, we are what we absorb AND we are made, move and think from what we eat… amazing.
It is currently winter and so we aren’t eating a lot of cold salads; all the same it is good to sneak one in now and again; which is exactly what I did last week.
Some background nutrition titbits:
In our house the perfect plate must achieve the following goals:
- Several colourful vegetables.
- A well sourced protein from either wild caught or organically farmed fish, seafood, grass-fed meats, free-range and organic poultry, grass-fed organ meats, vegetarian protein such as beans, legumes and lentils (NOT soya protein veggie creations, quorn or any other processed fake vegetarian foods – same rules as for all other foods!), duck eggs and free range hen eggs, and I think I have covered the options here!
- Fats from any of the following depending on what our bodies are crying for given that endurance training expends a lot of fuel from fats: nuts, seeds and their products, quality cheese, quality oils/ fats (from olive, coconut, butter, pumpkinseed, toasted sesame, rape seed, etc. Not all of these are suitable for heating), animal fats as found on cuts of meat or organs, and avocado are the most commonly consumed in our house.
- Fuel from carbohydrates depending on how much we have earned during the day, what we need for recovery and what we require in preparation for the coming day: root vegetables are the norm and on occasion we enjoy home-baked vegetable packed alterative grain baked bread (multiple recipes up on the blog), polenta, alternative grain and high protein pancakes, and on rare occasion quinoa, rice, or bean and brown rice pastas.
- We are condiment junkies; there is often home-made pesto, relish or hummus, or Dijon mustard on the plate 🙂
Back to salads:
So this is a quick salad that I threw together last week to complement some South African sausages – a very lean and healthy sausage! iI is called Boerewors (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boerewors) and I have a South African boyfriend to thank for introducing this yummy delight compared to the fat and gluten filled no-go Irish sausages.
We buy our Boerewors from a super butchers in the Butchers in the Parkway shopping centre on the Childers road in limerick FYI South African friends!!
Tools:
You will need something to grate your vegetables. A basic grater as shown here will suffice, or a food processor with a grating blade, or a spiraliser as I used (I was too curious to pass on the latest trend). However the one I use does tend to frustrate me! Here is a review on some of the popular brands; mine is a cuisinique http://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/equipment/the-best-spiralizers-tried-and-tested/
Ingredients for rainbow spiralled salad:
Bear in mind I was using what I had; so this is a flexi-adjustable recipe once you get the jist! Some cherry tomatoes would add nicely to this.
- Fennel
- Courgette
- Rainbow or normal beet roots
- Green cabbage
- Carrot
- Seeds – I used sunflower seeds and quickly toasted them on a dry frying pan. Pumpkin seeds, pine nuts or other nuts will work well also.
- Dressing – I made a quick dressing from extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, a dash of ground cumin, honey and chopped herbs.
I may have chucked in some celery also and if I had it I would have added celeriac as this adds nicely to this type of salad.
If you wish to make a meal of this consider adding some cooked rice or quinoa (or even dried fruit) and some boiled eggs or sliced meats to make a meal in a bowl.
Instructions:
Well this is the simple bit, simply grate or chop all your (washed and prepared) vegetables and mix with the toasted seeds and your dressing of choice.
As ever the final serving photo never got taken as we were too busy eating the meal! We enjoyed this with poached fish on the side. YUM!
If this has stoked your taste buds here are some great ideas from the crew at Food Matters: 5 nourish bowls that we love
Enjoy,
Love Andrea
