Chicken, Kalette & Mushroom Salad
I stumbled across these little cruciferous beauties a few weeks ago. Kalettes are a combination of kale and brussel sprouts and are nutrient packed wee things.
Cruciferous vegetables contain of number of vitamins, minerals, fibre and phytochemicals, all of which are known to promote optimal health. In particular, cruciferous vegetables are thought to help lower cancer risk. In a review of research published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, an association was found between cruciferous vegetables and protection against cancer.
We could all benefit from increasing our intake of vegetables, particulay nutrient dense cruciferous greens. It's easy to eat more of these types of foods if you know what to do with them and how to make them as delicious as they are nutritious! Kalettes make a great addition to stir-fries, salads or even popped in a pan with a little oil and spices and eaten with a runny fried egg.
Enjoy this salad and all of it's health promoting goodness. I certainly did!
Chicken, Kalette & Mushroom Salad – serves 3-4
2 Tbspn Olive Oil
Coarse iodised sea salt
2-3 free-range chicken breasts, sliced
1 pack Kalettes, stalk ends trimmed and each Kalette sliced in half (use Brussel Sprouts if you can't find Kalettes)
Dash of water
Dash of smoked paprika
Dash chilli flakes
8 button mushrooms, peeled and sliced
100g of rocket or baby spinach (i.e. one bag or about 4-5 big handfuls!)
4 carrots, grated
1 large beetroot, grated
Dressing:
Juice of 1 lemon
3 Tbspn Olive Oil
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tsp pure maple syrup
Coarse iodised sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
To make the dressing, place all of the ingredients into a small jar and shake well.
Heat the olive oil in a pan. Season chicken with salt and cook the pieces in batches until golden and just cooked through. Set aside on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
To the same pan, add the Kalettes with the smoked paprika, chilli and a dash of water. Stir-fry for 2 minutes before adding the mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes until the Kalettes are just cooked but still tender and the mushrooms are golden and cooked through.
Place the rocket or spinach in to a large bowl. Top with the grated carrot and beetroot and then pour over the dressing and stir gently to combine. Place the dressed salad onto a large serving platter and top with the chicken, Kalettes and mushrooms.
Enjoy!
NB: If you want to save the leftovers, don’t add the dressing to the base. Simply spoon the amount of dressing you need over the top of the dish so your leftovers don’t go soggy!
