This winter harvest salad contains the season’s best ingredients. We’ve also added edamame beans to the mix.
Research has shown that consuming minimally processed soya-based foods like tofu, tempeh and edamame beans (immature soya beans) can reduce the risk of developing breast cancer. Despite seemingly conflicting views on soya and its relation to breast cancer, recent epidemiological studies have shown that post-diagnosis soya consumption can improve one’s prognosis, making it safe to enjoy for women who currently suffer from breast cancer, as well as breast cancer survivors. If you are a breast cancer patient, always consult your doctor before making any dietary changes.
Recipe and styling by Claire Ferrandi
Photograph by Dylan Swart
Light and colourful winter harvest salad
Ingredients
ROASTED BUTTERNUT
- 1kg butternut, cut into cubes
- large handful fresh thyme sprigs
- olive/canola oil, to drizzle
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
PICKLED RED ONION
- ½ red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 60ml (1/4 cup) red wine vinegar
- 80ml (⅓ cup) olive oil
- 4g (1 tsp) Dijon mustard
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
EDAMAME BEANS
- 1 x 400g packet frozen edamame beans (find at woolworths.co.za or Asian supermarkets)
TO SERVE
- 100 – 200g baby spinach leaves
- 350g exotic tomatoes, cut in quarters and/or halves
- 100g roasted and salted almonds, roughly chopped
- edible flowers, to garnish (optional)
- fresh purple basil, to garnish (optional)
- lemon wedges, to serve
Instructions
For the roasted butternut, preheat the oven to 200˚C. Place the butternut cubes in a large roasting tray. Toss with the thyme sprigs and drizzle with olive/canola oil. Season to taste. Roast in the preheated oven until soft and charred in some places, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Discard the thyme sprigs and set aside until needed.
While the butternut is roasting, prepare the pickled red onion. Place the red onion slices in a medium bowl and add the red wine vinegar. Toss to coat thoroughly. Set aside to pickle, stirring the mixture occasionally, about 30 minutes. Add the 80ml (⅓ cup) olive oil and the remaining ingredients. Stir well to combine.
For the edamame beans, place the frozen beans in a steamer. If you don’t have a steamer, place the beans in a colander set over a pot of simmering water, covering the colander with a lid. Steam the beans until just cooked, about 5 – 7 minutes. Place the beans in a bowl of cold water to cool down. When cool to the touch, pop the beans out of the pods. Discard the pods and reserve the beans. Set aside until needed.
To serve, place the baby spinach leaves on a large serving platter. Arrange the exotic tomatoes, roasted butternut, edamame beans, chopped almonds and pickled onion slices on top. Drizzle with some leftover pickle juice. Garnish the salad with edible flowers and fresh purple basil, if desired. Serve with fresh lemon wedges alongside.
Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine. www.imkawebb.com
