Carrot and Alfalfa Salad

When did winter zoom past? Nobody knows. Not only is summer on us but it is exam season too. That means two things – light refreshing meals and hydration. When spending time over the stove top is a agony, we must think smart and eat sensibly. Salads are great additions to a meal and good at quenching thirst also. Salads are great even for snacking in between meals.

Salads are mostly made of raw vegetables and fruits which have a higher moisture content. Since there is no cooking involved, the vegetables retain their juices and nourishing properties to the fullest. For more on how to make or when to not have salads, read through my article here.

So, are alfalfa sprouts good for you? Here is the lowdown on alfalfa sprouts.

These are a great source of protein, B complex vitamins, Vitamin K, Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Zinc, Copper. Also high in phytoestrogens. Traditionally used to treat  kidney ailments, diabetes, these wonder sprouts also mop up cholesterol from arteries. Great news for people with high cholesterol, or arterial plaques. While they are a wonder food for most people, some sets of population may have to proceed with caution.

Pregnant women or convalescent people are better off eating all foods that are cooked, avoiding any raw sprouts including alfalfa. Since the sprouts mimic estrogen, women with low progesterone may do well to avoid eating it daily. People who have auto immune disorders such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, or Lupus may find an increase in their symptoms with prolonged daily consumption of these sprouts.

It is also useful too remember that this caution is only necessary if you plan to eat raw alfalfa sprouts daily for several months. In an otherwise balanced diet that includes alfalfa sprouts once a week or thereabouts, in combination with a variety of other foods, the food only delivers its abundant vitamins and minerals with no significant damage due to its phytoestrogen, canavanine, or other components.

This is a salad I rustled up for lunch today. I feel it looks colourful, happy and enticing. I’ve even added a surprise ingredient to encourage the younger ones to reach out for it eagerly. Want to know more? Read on for the recipe….

ALLERGY INFORMATION

• Does not contain gluten, lactose, dairy, corn, soya, yeast, eggs.
• Suitable for gluten or lactose intolerant people.
• *Contains nuts. People with nut allergy can omit the nuts in this recipe.

Preparation time – 15 minutes + 30 minutes chilling time, Cooking Time – nil,  Serves – 2 main servings or 4 as accompaniment to meal

You Need -

Cookware – Peeler, Grater, Knife, Mixing Bowl, Mortar and pestle

Ingredients -

1. 1 cup grated red carrot (I used 1 long red carrot)
2. 1/4 cup thinly sliced onion
3. 1 fistful alfalfa sprouts
4. 1 cup chilled drinking water
5. 1 green chilli OR 1/2 tsp crushed black pepper
6. 1/4 tsp salt
7. 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
8. a 1” square of peanut brittle or any nut brittle* (optional)

Method -

1. Rinse the alfalfa sprouts in running water and steep in the chilled drinking water until needed.
2. Immerse the thinly sliced onion in the vinegar. Set aside.
3. Rinse, scrub, peel and grate the carrot. Slice the green chilli into thin slanting slivers.  Coarsely crush the peanut brittle in a mortar and pestle. Do not powder it. Leave behind some small bits for your kid to pick up and and bite into with glee!
4. Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, drain water from the sprouts, add to the bowl, and give them all a good toss with salt. You may need to separate the sprouts with fingers.
5. Chill before serving for flavours to marry each other well.

Black Eyed Bean Salad

A very Happy New Year to all readers of Healthy Slurps. There is something about the air during New Year which is very invigorating and refreshing. Goodwill, cheer, positivity abound in everyone’s heart during this season. Here is my first recipe for this year which has packed in it, all the love and cheer of this season.
To kick start this New Year with more healthy recipes, here is a salad that I assembled today. As I have mentioned earlier, salads are created with available produce at my home without sticking to any recipe. The reason I am documenting them here is to share the recipe with myself as much as with all of you. For I find myself at a loss to remember all ingredients when I want to recreate that last great salad.


You Need

1. Black eyed beans ( Lobia ) – 1 cup, soaked for at least an hour
2. Cucumber – 1
3. Red Onion – 1 medium
4. Roma Tomato – 2 medium
5. Iceberg Lettuce – Roughly torn and measure 2 cups

For Dressing

1. Red Wine Vinegar – 2 tbsp
2. Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 8 tbsp
3. Crushed Black Pepper – 1 tsp
4. Salt – 1 tsp
5. Granulated Sugar – 1 tsp

To Assemble

1. Whisk all ingredients for dressing together in a bowl.( I used a fork to whisk them,) quite simple really. Set aside.
2. Peel the lettuce leaves from the head and immerse in ice cold water.
3. Pressure cook the soaked beans until just done. I pressure cooked them by simmering the flame for 5 minutes after the cooker gave out the first whistle.
4. Peel and chop the other three salad ingredients in the same shapes – go with dice, slice or cubes. The only rule is to be uniform. That does give the salad a good appearance.
5. Drain the water from the cooked beans, if any. Do not discard but use in soup, sambar, or as cooking liquid for any vegetable too.
6. Toss all the ingredients and the dressing together in a suitable large bowl.
7. Chill for half an hour and serve.