Nutrient Packed Chopped Salad

Ingredients:
-2/3 a cup of quinoa
-1 large sweet potato
-2 large apples (honeycrisp, fuji, or granny smith)
-8 cups of greens (use a mixture like kale, spinach, arugula, red romaine)
-6 oz of Brussel sprouts trimmed and halved
-1/4 of a red onion thinly sliced
-2-3 TBSP of extra virgin olive oil
-1 tsp of lemon juice
-salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for dressing:
-1/4 cup of red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
-1 TBSP of Dijon mustard
-1/3 cup of olive oil
-1 tsp of lemon juice
-1 tsp of dried oregano
-salt and pepper to taste
-Optional crushed red pepper to give it a kick.

Combine all ingredients and whisk together.

Serves: ~ 6

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil. Peel and cut sweet potato in small cubes and toss with olive oil and salt and pepper and place on baking sheet. Trim and halve Brussel sprouts. Toss Brussel sprouts in olive oil and salt and pepper and place on baking sheet cut side down. Place in oven for approximately 30 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes to ensure even cooking. Veggies are done when sweet potatoes are tender and golden, Brussel sprouts should be lightly charred on the outside and fork tender in the middle.
• While vegetables are cooking prepare quinoa. Place quinoa in small pot and add about 1 and 1/3 cups of water and bring to boil. Once brought to a boil reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for about 15 minutes or until liquid has absorbed. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.
• Chop apples and put 1 tsp of lemon juice on to keep them from turning brown. Slice onion and set aside. Rinse greens and set aside.
• Once quinoa and veggies have cooled toss together, add greens, apples, and onion. Add the dressing and toss.

Dr. Schmidt tip: Quinoa provides some protein but I would personally add protein to this dish if eating as a full meal. I would use either hard boiled eggs, roasted chicken, chick peas, or have a yogurt on the side.

Health tip: Season the veggies with a little bit of turmeric seasoning, the taste is mild but the anti-inflammatory health benefits are potent.

Fun fact: According to tastemade.com quinoa may help your hair health!
“When you consume quinoa, you’re ‘cleaning’ hair follicles with vegetable protein. It’s nine amino acids protect hair shafts, strengthening and even repairing damaged hair. These ancient grains…err…seeds also help reduce dry scalp and dandruff. Thanks to those proteins, split ends are treated and balanced by natural oil production.”

Meal prepping lunches for the week is a great way to stick to healthy eating habits and save money by avoiding convenience foods. This nutrient dense dish is an excellent lunch that can be prepared for lunch at the start of the week, don’t let the time it takes to prepare and roast the vegetables scare you, I promise it is worth the effort! This salad is also a great dish to bring to a dinner party.

Resources:  https://www.tastemade.com/articles/7-morethings-you-probably-didnt-know-about-quinoa