01 Apr The rainbow test
The rainbow test
Color your menu!
Does your meal pass the rainbow test? What’s the rainbow test, you ask? Check out the colors on your plate—when it comes to fruits and veggies, the brighter the colors, the more nutrient dense your meal is. Try out these recipes—and you’ll pass the rainbow test with flying colors!
Beautiful Rainbow Prawn Salad
Chock full of healthy ingredients, this salad is a bell ringer that’ll satisfy the fussiest of eaters. Heart-healthy antioxidants with enormous eye appeal and delicious flavor—what more do you need in a dish?
Ingredients
Salad
- 3 cups spring greens washed and spun dry
- 1 small, raw red beetroot peeled and spiralized
- 1 small carrot peeled and thinly shaved on the diagonal
- ½ cup sugar snap peas blanched in lightly salted water
- 4 large red radishes thinly shaved
- 2 Belgian endive separated into leaves
- 1 Persian cucumber cut into matchsticks
- ½ cup thinly shaved red onion
- ½ cup pea shoots
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 large prawns tail on, peeled, and deveined
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons toasted cashews chopped
- 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
Dressing
- ¼ cup tahini sauce
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 small garlic clove smashed and minced
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- On large serving platter, scatter spring greens. Top with beet, carrot, snap peas, radishes, endive, cucumber, red onion, and pea shoots. Lightly toss to mix. Set aside.
- In skillet, heat oil. In bowl, toss prawns with cumin and smoked paprika. Tumble into skillet and stir-fry over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until almost opaque. Transfer to plate and cool. Season with a little salt.
- In blender, combine dressing ingredients. Whirl until creamy. Add a splash or two of water, if necessary, to thin dressing as you like.
- Place prawns on rainbow salad. Drizzle with dressing and scatter chopped cashews and sesame seeds overtop.
Notes
Each main course serving contains: 254 calories; 10 g protein; 15 g total fat (2 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 24 g total carbohydrates (8 g sugars, 6 g fiber); 281 mg sodium
Delicious Vegetarian Spaghetti Squash Bake
This dish is a satisfying “bowl-in-one” supper. It’s low in calories, high in fiber, and a valuable source of vitamin C, manganese, and B6. You can even bake the squash ahead of time for an easy weekday meal.
Ingredients
- 2 medium spaghetti squash each cut in half horizontally
- 1 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 1 medium sweet onion finely diced
- 3 large garlic cloves smashed and minced
- 1 7-ounce package plain tempeh crumbled
- 2 large yellow or red bell peppers seeded and finely diced
- 8 inch long unpeeled zucchini finely diced
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 3 cups lightly packed baby spinach leaves chopped
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella divided
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Scrape seeds from cut squash and discard. Brush insides of squash halves with 1 tsp oil. Place cut side down on baking sheet. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until cut edges are turning golden. Baking time will depend on size of squash. You want the rind to give a bit when pressed with your finger. Remove and set aside until cool enough to handle.
- While squash bakes, in heavy saucepan, heat remaining 2 tsp oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft. Do not brown. Add garlic, crumbled tempeh, and finely diced pepper and zucchini. Continue to saute until tempeh is golden-tinged and vegetables are soft, about 7 minutes. Stir in coconut aminos (or a little less soy sauce, if using) and seasonings. Fold in chopped spinach, cover, and remove from heat.
- Scrape inside of baked squash with fork to remove spaghetti-like strands and place strands in clean dish towel, reserving squash boats. Squeeze strands until barely moist and place on cutting board. Coarsely chop. Add to tempeh/spinach mixture along with ricotta and half the mozzarella. Fold together until evenly mixed. Add more seasonings to taste, if you wish.
- Place squash boats, cut side up, on baking sheet. Spoon mixture evenly into boats. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan evenly over each.
- Increase oven temperature to 425°F. Bake for 20 minutes or until piping hot. Then turn oven to broil, and broil squash until cheese is bubbly and golden, about 30 seconds.
Notes
Each serving contains: 366 calories; 24 g protein; 18 g total fat (7 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 32 g total carbohydrates (12 g sugars, 5 g fiber); 440 mg sodium
Vegan Blueberry Crumble Top Tart
Eating a rainbow of colorful foods, including dark blue and purple, is essential to good health. Considered the king of antioxidant-rich foods, the rich blueberries in this delectable tart are especially amazing health givers.
Ingredients
- 1 cup oat flour
- ½ cup almond flour
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup coconut or raw sugar
- ⅓ cup coconut oil softened, plus extra for oiling tart pan
- 2 tablespoons plain coconut or tofu yogurt
- 2-3 tablespoons ice water
- 3 cups fresh blueberries
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons sliced natural almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. With coconut oil, grease 9 inch high-sided tart pan with removable bottom.
- In food processor, combine oat, almond, coconut flour, and coconut sugar. Pulse to blend. Add softened coconut oil and yogurt and pulse until crumbly. Add ice water, 1 Tbsp at a time, until mixture begins to stick together. Remove 1/4 of the mixture and place in small bowl. Refrigerate while preparing tart shell. Place remaining 3/4 of dough into oiled tart pan, pressing mixture into bottom and halfway up the sides.
- In another bowl, combine blueberries with cornstarch. Toss to evenly coat. Tumble into prepared tart pan. Remove remaining quarter of dough and add sliced almonds. Toss to mix. Sprinkle berries overtop. Place tart pan on baking sheet and bake in lower third of preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until crust is golden. Remove to rack to cool. Refrigerate.
- To serve, remove tart pan sides from chilled tart and cut tart into wedges. It’s delicious with coconut yogurt infused with lemon zest.
Notes
Each serving contains: 235 calories; 5 g protein; 12 g total fat (7 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 29 g total carbohydrates (11 g sugars, 6 g fiber); 4 mg sodium
By Irene McGuinness
Article Courtesy of Alive Magazine