You can keep a broccoli & carrot salad simple with just those two ingredients and add some salad dressing. However, I like to add in a few more colours (i.e. nutrients). So, this is an example of one which I made for lunch, based on what I had in the fridge. The other consideration of course is protein, so I have included some chickpeas and roasted nuts.
Benefits of Broccoli & Carrots
Broccoli is a superfood and great to include in your diet as often as possible, if of course it does not cause you any issues. It is a cruciferous vegetable, loved by the liver, and is high in disease-fighting anti-oxidants, including sulforaphane. Another hugely beneficial compound in broccoli is indole-3-carbinol. Research from 2019 suggests that this compound may have powerful antitumor properties. In addition, broccoli contains calcium (bone & muscle health) vitamin C (immune system and supports production of collagen), vitamin K (blood coagulation, bone health) and fibre.
I have yet to meet a client who won’t eat carrots and they are great sources of nutrients including potassium, antioxidants, and vitamin A. Beta-carotene, which is a type of carotenoid, is the reason why carrots are orange and is beneficial to our health. It converts to vitamin A when eaten and also gives other fruits and vegetables their yellow or orange color. Carrots are also a good source of fibre.
This salad just involves some chopping and so was very easy and fast to make. It makes 2 portions so you can play around with the quantities to suit your needs.
Ingredients
- Broccoli Chopped 2 cups
- Carrots Grated 1 large
- 1/2 Red Onion sliced
- Red Cabbage sliced 1 cup
- Roasted Walnuts chopped 1/2 cup
- Chickpeas 1 cup
- Balsamic Salad Dressing 2-4 tablespoons Balsamic Salad Dressing – Lyn Sharkey Nutrition
- Rocket 2 big handfuls
- Tomato Sliced 1
- Cucumber 8 Slices
- Lemon Slice
Method
- Add the broccoli, carrots, red onion, red cabbage, walnuts and chickpeas into a bowl
- Mix well and drizzle over the salad dressing
- Set aside two containers (preferably glass)
- Place a handful of rocket in one side of each container
- Place the sliced tomato and cucumber on top of the rocket
- Fill the other side of the container with the mixed salad
- Place the lemon slice on top and close the lid tightly
- Make sure your container size is suitable so that there is very little air inside
- Store in the fridge for 1-2 days
This salad includes cruciferous vegetables, mixed colours, digestion aids (rocket and lemon) protein and lots of fibre. It is really tasty and crunchy too. I hope you like it! If you enjoy a laugh this is a link to a video of Dana Carvey singing Choppin Broccoli – it’s absolutely brilliant!