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Sunday, October 21, 2012

Pomegranate and Cauliflower Salad/ Autumn Salad

Autumn offers many nutritious fruits and vegetables. we can get cauliflower throughout the year, but it's a cool weather crop and at it's best in fall and winter. Pomegranate is an autumn fruit, in the northern hemisphere. This is a fresh autumn salad, with lot of flovor and texture.
Fresh and bursting with flavor and texture!!!
  Cauliflower nutrition facts: A high intake of cauliflower has been associated with reduced risk of aggressive prostate cancer.  Cauliflower is low in fat, low in carbohydrates but high in dietary fiber, folate, water, and vitamin C, possessing a high nutritional density. It contains several phyto chemicals, common in the cabbage family, that may be beneficial to human health. Sulforaphane, a compound released when cauliflower is chopped or chewed, may protect against cancer. Other glucosinolates, carotenoids, indole-3-carbinol, a chemical that enhances DNA repair, and acts as an estrogen antagonist,  slowing the growth of cancer cells. Boiling reduces the levels of these compounds, with losses of 20–30% after five minutes, 40–50% after ten minutes, and 75% after thirty minutes. However, other preparation methods, such as steaming, microwaving, and stir frying, have no significant effect on the compounds - Wikipedia
Pomegranate nutrition facts: Pomegranate juice provides about 16% of an adults daily vitamin C requirement per 100 ml serving, and is a good source of vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), potassium and natural phenols, such as ellagitannins and flavonoids. Pomegranates are listed as high-fiber in some charts of nutritional value. That fiber, however, is entirely contained in the edible seeds which also supply unsaturated oils. People who choose to discard the seeds forfeit nutritional benefits conveyed by the seed fiber, oils and micro nutrients- Wikipedia
Adding orange juice and orange zest to this salad, knocks down the raw smell of the cauliflower.
Ingredients:
2 cups     scraped cauliflower
1/2 cup   canned garbanzo beans/ cooked channa
2 cup      pomegranate
15-20     baby spinach leaves
1             orange slices 
Dressing:  
1 tbs       olive oil
2 tbs       orange juice
1 tsp       orange zest
2 tbs       chopped nuts  
 Method:
1. Drain the liquid and wash the garbanzo beans.
2. Mix the shredded cauliflower, pomegranate, garbanzo beans and keep it aside.
3. Combine olive oil, orange juice, nuts and orange zest in a bowl, pour it over the shredded cauliflower mixture and mix it nicely.
4. Arrange the spinach leaves on the bottom of a serving bowl, layer the cauliflower salad over it. 
5. Place the orange slices around the salad, cover and  keep the salad for at least 2 hours before serving.


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