Superfood Salad
Superfood salad with black rice, butternut squash, sweet potato, cranberries, goji berries, sunflower and pumpkin seeds
Over the past few months, I have met so many people on different restrictive diets. I know there are many people out there who cannot eat wheat, gluten, dairy, meat, yeast or sugar and others who simply choose not to eat any of those foods. I know that many individuals who eat this way know how to cook their favorite recipes with replacement ingredients. However, I decided to do some research and found this fun recipe.
After searching the internet for a recipe to try, I came across a blogger who had been experimenting with different foods in order to avoid wheat, gluten, dairy, meat, yeast and sugar. This blogger decided to combine a bunch of different ingredients together in order to see how they worked with each other. She finally found a combination that worked for her and it truly sounded delicious, so I thought I would share it with all of you!
Ingredients (serves 2):
- 1 butternut squash, preferably organic, cored and chopped into chunks
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into chunks
- 150g of black or wild rice
- 100g of mixed pumpkin seeds, sunflowers seeds, golden and normal flaxseeds
- a bunch of small basil leaves
- 50ml of maple syrup
- 50ml of extra virgin olive oil plus 4 extra tablespoons
- 50g of dried cranberries
- 50g of goji berries
- 1 cup of hot water
- salt and pepper
- freshly-grated nutmeg
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Cook the rice in salty, boiling water, making sure not to overcook it.
- Drain, mix with a couple of tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, set aside and keep warm.
- Mix the chopped butternut squash with 2 tablespoons of oil, add salt and pepper and a quarter of a teaspoon of nutmeg.
- Pour the squash into an oven dish and roast in the oven for 20/25 minutes or until golden. Set aside and keep warm.
- Combine 50ml of olive oil with the maple syrup. Mix well with the sweet potatoes, add salt and a quarter of a teaspoon of nutmeg.
- Pour the mixture into a baking dish and roast in the oven for 20/25 minutes or until golden. Check the potatoes while cooking to ensure they are cooked evenly, gently stirring them a couple of times.
- Soak the goji berries in the cup of hot water for 5 minutes, then drain.
- Mix the rice in a bowl with the mixed seeds, goji berries, cranberries, roasted squash and sweet potatoes. Make sure you include the juices of the butternut and sweet potatoes to enhance the richness of the flavour.
- Serve with basil leaves scattered on top and a pinch of freshly-grated nutmeg.
Now enjoy a truly delicious and guilt-free meal!
