This SUPER Simple Carrot Salad Number – Takes Less than 5 minutes to prepare!
Welcome to the very first in a new series I’m calling add a vegetable.
The longer I follow my AIP way of life, the less interested I am in fussy recipes with a bazillion ingredients and the more focused I become on adding nutrient density. At least for my everyday eating. It seems a little counter-intuitive doesn’t it? It’s true, though.
When I was a child growing up in New Zealand, my mum would layer up these salad plates – a little taster of lots of bits and bobs on a plate. At the time, for her, I suspect it was a great way to use up leftovers. Now, I think a play on Mum’s salad plate is actually a genius way to increase the variety of nutrient-dense goodies in your diet.
So, in this new series, I share ways that you can easily add a vegetable to your meal. One of the best and simplest strategies for eating for health.
Over time, I hope to have a repertoire of add a vegetable recipes for you to draw on so that a play on the ‘Christa Salad Plate’ can be reimagined in an AIP-friendly kind of manner.
According to AUSVEG, the humble carrot is Australia’s most popular vegetable. That makes it the perfect vegetable to feature in my new series.
It even trumps potatoes, tomato, onions and broccoli – all of which I would have expected to come out ahead it the veggie stakes. It seems Aussies love their carrots.
Me, I’m. a bit fussy about my carrots. I have to think about adding them. They are never my instinctive veggie option.
But lately, I’ve been eating a carrot almost every day. I’ve been making my SUPER simple carrot salad because it really is a SUPER simple way to add a vegetable to help me get to my goal of at least 8 serves every day….
To be honest, this little number is so damn simple, it hardly merits being labelled a ‘recipe – but when I mentioned it in a recent Nutrient Density Nugget, I received a few requests to know more and here we are…
Check out THE Nutrient Density Nugget on why carrots are so good for you!
Just click on the pic’ to go to the video…
EVERYTHING about this 5-minute carrot number is good for you.
Let’s take each of the ingredients separately…
CARROTS
Carrots are a great source of important vitamins and minerals. They are particularly high in vitamin A, but are also sources of trace amounts of almost every other dietary vitamin and mineral.
In addition, and one of the reasons I’m playing with my carrots is that there is some evidence that raw carrots are a natural estrogen regulator. They have been found to help balance estrogen levels by preventing its reabsorption from the intestine, meaning the liver can more effectively regulate metabolism.
Of course, foods like carrots, that are high in fibre and protect the bowel, can have a huge impact on both hormones and immunity.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Cardioprotective extra virgin olive oil contains mostly monounsaturated fat. Just one tablespoon provides 10% of your of daily recommended vitamin E as well as smaller amounts of vitamin K1 (the plant-based form of vitamin K) and iron.
It’s widely recognised as one of the healthiest fats (just be sure to invest in the best quality EVOO you can)
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR (ACV)
Apple cider vinegar should be the staple vinegar in your pantry for two reasons – it’s beneficial qualities lie in the health properties of acetic acid (great for your immune system, blood sugar and blood pressure management and digestion) and for the probiotic goodness that is found in the Mother. ACV is a fermented food full of gut-healing good bacteria.
SALT
Despite being bombarded with messages in the media that we should be reducing our levels of salt, human beans need some salt for optimum health. Especially once you remove the processed and packaged foods that have been fortified with table salt.
And as with almost everything, quality matters. Regular table salt will do in a pinch (<– ha!) but unrefined salts give you more nutrients by way of trace minerals. I have a collection of salts, but the one I cook most with is a fine Himalayan pink salt which is known to contain minerals like magnesium, calcium, chromium, manganese, iron, potassium, copper, zinc, cobalt, selenium, bromine, strontium, molybdenum, iodine, sulphur, phosphorus, scandium, and much more.
VARIATIONS
I love this super simple carrot salad as is. If you’re in the mood for something a little sexier, why not try:
- adding some chopped pineapple for a sweet kick (kid love this)
- throwing in a tablespoon of raisins
- Chopping up your favourite fresh herbs (or whatever you have in the fridge) for an extra hit of nutrients=
- Exchanging the salt for some seaweed salt
- doubling down on the colour with some grated beets
This recipe makes a single-serve. If you’re cooking for more simply multiply by the number of people you’re cooking for. Simple!
- 1 x medium carrot, preferably organic
- 2 teaspoons best quality extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- If organic, wash and grate your carrot into a bowl. If not organic, peel it first.
- Drizzle over extra virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar.
- Sprinkle over salt.
- Toss and dig in!
