I am writing this blog post with hands, stained from the beetroot , that I put in my salad this evening. I do not know what I would do without salad.Making a salad like cooking is an art. When you decide to become a vegan you realise, that you can make a salad practically every time you open the fridge. What I tend to do when I am hungry I tend to just see what I have and improvise. So far I hardly have made 2 same salads.The main reason for that is the fact that I like to experiment with herbs and spices and different oils. To add all those wonderful ingredients and season them is a real pleasure to me.
Growing up in Bulgaria salad had it’s special place. Every meal time regardless of the season we would make a salad of whatever was in season and in the winter of whatever we conserved as well. I love love salad. I can make a salad of anything.Sometimes I would have just raw vegetables and sometimes I would add some cooked vegetables.Coming to think about it when it’s raining I cook more, like today for example I made a salad with bolied potatoes, cooked beetroot and the rest was raw-onions, yellow pepper , lettice ans some onion.Then seasoned it with walnut oil, salt pepper and a bit of basil.
Very satisfying combination 🙂Very tasty as always. As I was eating it I felt inspired to share with you some information about the health benefits of beetroot, as some people believe, that the juice of that vegetable is actually a super food. I eat it nearly every other day .I also made a vegan chocolate cake with it. Here are some of the health benefits of beetroot and what is so good about it.
1.Beetroot is great for boosting stamina , it also contains potassium, magnesium and iron as well as vitamins A, B6 and C, and folic acid. Beetroots also contain carbohydrates, protein, powerful antioxidants and soluble fibre.
2.According to the British Heart Fondation beetroot can help reduce blood pressure as well as its associated risks such as heart attacks and strokes. This is because the high content of nitrates in beetroot produce a gas called nitric oxide in the blood which widens blood vessels and lowers blood pressure. A daily dose of 250ml of beetroot juice or 1 to 2 cooked beetroot (approx. 100g) can help dramatically reduce blood pressure and its associated risks.
3.Beetroot contains folic acid which is essential for normal tissue growth. Folic acid is crucial to the development of a baby’s spinal cord during the first three months of pregnancy and can help prevent spinal cord defects such as spina bifida.
4.Beetroot also contains iron so is a great source of energy for mums-to-be suffering from fatigue during pregnancy. Expectant mums must remember though that cooked beetroot has lower levels of folic acid than raw beetroot.
5.Beetroot Is Your Liver’s Friend The beta cyanin in beetroot can help detox your liver, having a knock-on effect for your bloodstream, by helping the body to eliminate toxins and potentially preventing the build-up of fatty deposits.
Overall Beetroot is a very versatile vegetable. Since I have it regularly in my vegan diet I feel great from it. It is also nice for breakfast as a energy boost with some hummus or rocket salad.
Salads are at the core of my easy vegan recipes. I am looking forward to share more with you.
Sending blessings and Love
P.S This is day 76 of Word press Challenge to make a post every day. There are 152 days left of 2012.
