Name: Healthy Glow Broccoli & Lemon Winter Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 salads
Ingredients: 1 head broccoli (cut into florets); 1 head cauliflower (cut into florets); 1 cup kale (packed); 1 1/2 cups faro (cooked); 6 Tablespoons garlic olive oil (divided); 2 Tablespoons of za’atar (middle easter herb blend); 2 Tablespoon white balsamic vinegar; 1 lemon (zest only); 2 teaspoons honey; 1 teaspoon chilli pepper flakes; 2 Tablespoons flaked almonds (toasted); 2 Tablespoons Goat’s cheese; 2 Tablespoons pomegranate arils; 2 Tablespoons toasted almonds; 2 Tablespoons hemp seeds; 1 avocado; Microgreens.

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This healthy glow broccoli and lemon winter salad is the perfect mid winter vegetarian nourish bowl. Roasted broccoli and cauliflower drizzled with a lemon garlic dressing and topped with all the winter essentials. Pomegranate, toasted almonds and goat’s cheese.

Happy mid winter and happy Thursday! I’ve got nourishment on my mind today. I don’t know about you, but it’s this time of year that old man winter really starts to affect me. Dry skin, dull hair and a lack of sunshine. These are the symptoms. Usually tonnes of vegetables and salads are a great way to get extra nutrients into your system.

But, bowls of cold lettuce and out of season veg make me shudder. So, we’re going big with a warm winter salad. Because they are not just one thing. Salads don’t have to be relegated to summer and fair weather. Winter salads are such a great way to get a nutrition kick and to use up some veggies you probably already have in your crisper drawer anyway.

Because most of us are also just getting back into our rhythm after the holidays, I’ve made sure that our winter salad situation is super easy. Like… easy. So here it goes in step by step fashion…

Step by Step Healthy Glow Broccoli & Lemon Winter Salad

Roast that broccoli, cauliflower and kale until it’s starting to charr around the edges. That gives this winter salad a subtle smokey flavour, which is so perfect for this time of year. Add the kale towards the end of cooking so that it just starts to burn the edges and go crispy. If you’re one of the people who doesn’t love crispy kale, just skip it. It’s not integral to the recipe, but it does boost that iron intake.

Now let’s talk ancient grains. Says the food nerd pushing her glasses back up her nose… But seriously. Ancient grains are where it’s at for getting tons of slow release energy and protein that makes you feel nourished. For this winter salad I used faro, but please feel free to use anything that you love. Personally, I don’t eat quinoa very much because I kinda think it tastes like dirt. But freekeh, faro, and barley are all awesome choices. They tend to have a nutty, malted flavour which goes so well with the toasted cauliflower, the creamy goat’s cheese and the tart burst of pomegranate.

Can you tell this winter salad has me super excited? Yep. flavours and textures are my language.

Once you’ve cooked your faro, piled on all those smokey, crispy roasted veggies we can talk toppings. Everyone’s favourite part right? On this one I use pomegranate, goat’s cheese, toasted almonds and avocado. I also took the opportunity to toss on some hemp seeds and I used black lava sea salt on the avocado. But regular sea salt is just fine too. And that dressing… yeah. It’s 3 ingredients. Done. How’s that for simple?

And that’s it. Super simple winter salad nourish bowls are what this week and maybe even this month is about. I dunno, I think new year’s resolutions, especially around food, have kinda had their day. It’s not about cutting gluten( when you don’t need to), or giving up chocolate or coffee or any of the other things that humans derive joy from. Food is not and never has been an enemy.

With that being said, this salad proves that eating healthy is anything but strict, or boring, or just not delicious. It’a a bowl full of texture, colour and flavour that is gonna see you through the day. Healthy fats, proteins and vitamins is what this salad is about secondly. Firstly it’s about flavour. This winter salad just makes them the same thing.