Fight the cold season by increasing your ginger intake. Here’s a great salad with lots of antioxidants for immune boosting power!
Autumn Spinach Salad with Ginger Pear Vinaigrette
Buy organic, local, and fresh whenever possible.
Salad ingredients:
- 1/2 cup garbanzo beans
- 1/8-1/4 tsp ground tumeric (fresh works too – grate using a microplane)
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp olive oil
- 1 cup spinach
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 red pear diced (Anjou, Bartlett, or whatever variety that’s in season in your area). Save a one quarter slice for dressing.
Dressing ingredients:
- 1 slice pear (grate using a microplane)
- 1/2 inch ginger (grate using a microplane)
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Juice of slice of lemon
- Salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
- Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat.
- Place garbanzo beans in pan and season with tumeric, salt, & pepper and heat thoroughly (about 10 minutes). Shake pan to move beans every so often. Note: Be careful. If pan is too hot, beans may pop like popcorn.
- While beans are heating up, place remainder of salad ingredients on your plate.
- Whisk all dressing ingredients together thoroughly for about 30 seconds. Add water if you would like more dressing.
- Remove beans and let cool slightly, before topping on your salad.
- Drizzle dressing over salad & enjoy!
Nutrition Facts:
- Servings: 1
- Calories: 448
- Total Fat: 23g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 8.1g
- Total Carbs: 49g
- Fiber: 12.9g
- Protein: 15g
- Calcium: 35.6%
- Iron: 23%
- Potassium: 813mg
- Vitamin A: 140.7%
- Vitamin C: 41.2%
*Health Benefits:
- Pear: The skin of a pear has 3-4x the phytonutrients than that of the flesh, so keep skins on whenever possible. Phytonutrients provide antioxidant & anti inflammatory benefits and decrease risk of developing certain diseases and cancers.
- Ginger: has been used for 1000’s of years as an ailment against things such as colds, cancers, disease, arthritis, nausea, and more. Note: more studies are needed on the effects of continuous consumption of ginger over a long period of time.
- Spinach: rich sources of Vitamin A, K, B2, B6, E, C, folate, calcium, iron, and much more.
- Tumeric: Reduces risk of heart attacks, reduces inflammation, helps control osteoarthritis pain, reduces skin irritations, and more.
- Walnuts: rich in omega-3 fats for heart health and has anti-cancer benefits from various antioxidant properties.
- Pumpkin Seeds: rich in fiber (for heart health & weight control), magnesium (for bone & heart health), zinc (for metabolic processes), and more.
- Garbanzo beans (chickpeas): rich in protein, iron, and zinc.
*Note: I get most my research from WHfoods, PubMed (National Library of Medicine), Nutrition Facts, and Harvard Health Publishing websites. Please consult your physician or registered dietitian to make sure you can incorporate these foods into your diet.
Uplift With Joy 