Vegan veggie breakfast salad with avocado and pan fried portobello mushrooms
I recently had an extensive blood test beyond the realms of that which a doctor usually gives. In that blood test, I was found to be deficient in many things predominantly anti-oxidants, so things like Vitamin E and K, Selenium and other minerals such as magnesium, iron and zinc. So I am having to change my diet to include more red meat, green leafy veg, extra virgin olive oil, and of course colourful fruit and veg especially of the cruciferous kind along with things like dark chocolate (yay!) and green tea.
I will be writing lots of different recipes to help me rebalance the imbalance of oxidants in my body. The interesting thing with this is it is a very healthy way of eating anyway. Some might argue that we need to eat a lot less red meat, and some say we need to eat more. Between Paleo, the Zone diet, Atkins, the 5:2 and various other diets, I find it hard to know which is the best way of eating to follow. My plan is to eat in small portions, often with lots and lots of vegetables, a little meat and loads of fresh fish.
I came up with this dish this morning going through the bits and pieces left in the fridge. Cavolo nero to me has a better taste than the kale we get in the UK which is often very woody and tough to eat. Although more expensive, cavolo nero which means black cabbage in Italian has a richer taste, is easier to prepare, is less bitter and after massaging the leaves with a little oil, is much more tender and easier to eat. I will put up a post about how to prepare cavolo nero in the next few days. You can of course use Kale in its place in the recipes, or Spinach works well too. I hope you enjoy the recipe and do let me know how you get on with it.
Ingredients
4 cavolo nero leaves, woody stem removed and leaves finely shredded
3 tomatoes, halved and cut in to bite sized pieces
1/2 an avocado, cut in to cubes
1 handful of almonds, halved
1 tbsp of chopped coriander or basil leaves
1 portobello mushroom, finely sliced and sauted in a little oil
Dressing
3 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp of balsamic vinegar
1 pinch of chilli flakes
Oil
Salt and pepper
Method
Put the cavolo nero leave in a bowl and add 1/2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil. Get your hands in to the bowl and massage the leaves, for about 3 minutes making sure that they are all covered and well massaged in with the oil. This will tenderise the leaves and make them softer to eat.
Add the tomatoes, avocados, almonds, coriander or basil and mushrooms and set this aside.
Then whisk up the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad and gently toss. Season to taste with salt and (I used flaked chilli pepper) and then serve.
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