How to eat healthy meals in the winter:
Trust me, I understand the struggle of eating less healthy during the colder months, it's hard! I find it very easy to eat healthy in the summer, because the grocery stores are blooming with fresh summer produce. The winter is a little bit different of a story. You walk in and instead of seeing fresh tomatoes and zucchini you see cakes and pies.
Now don't get me wrong I love a good winter treat (vegan of course), but we can't forget about our vegetable friends during the cold months! There are a couple things I like to do during the winter to ensure that I am reaching all my health goals. The first is eat nutrient dense recipes like this winter dinner salad! The second is to eat seasonally, do some research online to see what fruits and vegetables are in season when. Lastly, go spend some time outside! If you follow me on my Instagram, then you know daily walks outside are a must for me, even in the cold!
How to make a nutrient dense salad:
It's no secret I love my salads. I have learned a lot over the years of creating salad recipes. First and foremost, make sure that the salad you are making is actually healthy, and not fried chicken and eggs on a bed of romaine claiming to be healthy, because let's be real you're not fooling anyone, it's still fried chicken. Second, make sure the recipe you are following is using seasonal produce. There are plenty of reasons to eat seasonally for both health and budget reasons. Lastly, make sure that the recipe will actually fill you up. Recipes like this winter dinner salad have high volume vegetables, and seeds and beans to keep you full and nourish your body. Thankfully every salad here at The All Natural Vegan was created with whole foods plant based ingredients so you can count on it being a nutrient dense option! Here are some of my go-to nutrient dense salads:
Ingredients for this Winter Dinner Salad:
- Butternut squash
- Kale
- Cannellini beans
- Hemp seeds
- Tahini
- Broccoli sprouts
- Onion powder
- White wine vinegar
- Miso paste
- Chives
- Nutritional yeast
- Italian seasoning
- Pepper
Winter Dinner Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash
- 1 bunch kale
- 1 cup broccoli sprouts
- 1 15.4oz can cannellini beans
- 2 tablespoon coconut aminos
- ā cup tahini
- 2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon miso paste
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon chives
- 2 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 3 tablespoon hemp seeds
- 3 tablespoon water
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Begin by preheating your oven to 400.
- Chop and peel (optional, you can actually eat the skin!) and scoop out the seeds of the butternut squash. Place on the baking sheet and top with coconut aminos. Make sure the squash is evenly coated. Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
- Massage your kale in a large bowl (if you're not oil-free you can add a little bit of olive oil to make this a little easier. If you are oil-free you can use a little extra water, or coconut aminos and get the same result).
- Add the broccoli sprouts, hemp seeds, and the strained and rinsed cannellini beans to the bowl of kale.
- Make the dressing by combining remaining ingredients and whisking together. When the butternut squash is finished remove from the oven and add to salad bowl. Mix in the dressing ensuring everything is evenly coated. Serve and enjoy!
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