Category Archives: Salads

Like many other legumes, black beans are an excellent source of the cholesterol-lowering dietary fibre good for cardiovascular system. They also contain a good amount of iron that gives you energy, antioxidants that protect you from cancer and a complete source of protein for vegetarians when combined with a whole grain such as brown rice. Their high soluble fibre, low GI and high protein stabilises your blood sugar level, which helps people with diabetes. This superstar is so versatile in cooking and baking as well. You can add into your soup, salads, taco fillings, hummus made of black beans, braised black bean casserole, vegetarian patties, even in your brownies…list is endless! Tips for cooking these amazing guys? You need to soak your beans overnight to reduce your cooking time. Don’t add salt or acidic ingredients while boiling them otherwise it won’t cook but gets really tough.

Black Bean Salad
Cook pre-soaked black beans. Pan-fry diced sweet potatoes with sage and cumin. Mix beans and sweet potatoes with chopped cucumber, celery, parsley and coriander in a mixing bowl. Season with Himalayan salt and ground pepper. Dress with vinegar, a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of e.v.o.o.

Basil Pesto
Put a handful of basil leaves, a teaspoon of chopped garlic, 100g of cottage cheese, handful of pepitas, a squeeze of lemon into a food processor. Whiz up until all blended nicely. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Another antioxidant rich food – Pomegranate! It’s loaded with vitamins and potassium. Researches show this power fruit buffers the effects of free radical damage, increase oxygen levels to your heart and reduce the redness of arthritis. It also reduces risk of cancers, especially prostate and breast cancer.

These juicy little guys are a great snack as it is – so yummy popping in your mouth. You can also make juice. Pomegranates are one of the few fruits where juice is as beneficial as the fruit or seeds. I recommend using on salads like me, which not only gives a lovely presentation but also provides a beautiful sweet and acidic flavour. I warn you, though, when you cut open pomegranates and take all these seeds out it will stain your fingers, clothes and kitchen bench. I was so excited about cutting and squeezing the fruit, and next thing I realised was it’s a little late to wear my apron. Oh well.. it’s fun cleaning all up after cooking too, isn’t it? >.<  To prevent all this mess, you can soak pomegranates in the bowl of water and work in the bowl, removing seeds from the flesh. All seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl, so you need to drain well afterwards.

I used butternut pumpkin, quinoa, shredded green and purple cabbage, red onions and green salad today. It looks so vibrant and colourful!

Examples of other salads that go well with pomegranates? Think about 3 things – colours, flavour and texture.

I think it goes well with…
– roasted sweet potato, pine nuts and green salad
– prosciutto, caramelised pear, blue cheese, roasted pecan
– Mediterranean cous cous salad
– shaved fennel and orange salad
– wild rice, feta cheese and green salad
– apple, walnut and kale salad

Need protein? Try with…
– duck
– chicken
– prawns
– cheese, especially pan-fried halloumi cheese

There you are.. there is plenty to try if you didn’t know how to use pomegranates in your food. Personally I don’t think you need salad dressing here. Just season and drizzle a good quality of e.v.o.o. I’m going to add Moroccan spiced chicken breast to that salad for dinner tonight. What is your choice? x