Vegetables—we all know that we have to eat them. But for those who really don’t like them, it can be difficult to get your daily servings in. We’ve all heard it before, “eat your greens because they’re good for you” (thanks, mom – this roasted butternut salad might help!).
But how exactly are they good for us? Vegetables are excellent sources of various vitamins and nutrients that the body needs. Many have actually been labelled as super foods. Examples are carotenoids and folates. But, that’s not all that they’re important for. Vegetables are a rich source of fibre which is extremely important for gut health and the gastrointestinal tract as well as promoting the growth of good gut bacteria in our bodies.
To help make sure that you hit your veggie intake, culinary artist Theo Mannie of Granny Mouse Country House and Spa shares this tasty Roasted Butternut Salad recipe. Even if you profess to be a carnivore who hates “rabbit food”, we are certain that you will be converted and most certainly come back for more!
Ingredients
- 300g butternut, peeled and chopped into bite sizes
- 20g pumpkin seeds lightly toasted
- 2 large sticks of cinnamon
- 10g pistachio nuts
- 100g cream cheese
- 20g mixed micro herbs
- 20ml Italian salad dressing
Method
Place the pistachio nuts in in a food processor until the end result resembles dust. Pour in the cream cheese and blend for another 30 seconds. Place in a piping bag then chill.
Place the butternut into a roasting tray together with the cinnamon, cover with foil and bake at 180ºC for 21 min.
In the meantime, lay the micro herbs in the centre of the plate. Sprinkle on the toasted pumpkin seeds. Pipe scatted dots of the cream cheese. Do the same with the salad dressing. Randomly place the butternut over the salad.
Serves 2
ENJOY!
