A Quick Summer Dish
This week’s seasonal beetroot recipe is ideal for making double portions to take for lunch. Courtesy of dietitian and personal trainer, Kerri Major - it’s light on effort, but heavy on flavour - just the way we like it.
“"Beetroot has a high content of nitrate, a useful compound which acts as a vasodilator, opening blood vessels and allowing more blood and oxygen to be delivered to the working muscles and the brain."
Why is it good for my brain?
Beets bring it with antioxidants up the wazoo, and help to increase blood flow to the brain. Asparagus is high in B vitamins, particularly folate - which tends to your brain’s white matter (the signalling part), and according to this study, can reverse the signs of aging. And iron-rich quinoa helps get oxygen to your brain and is important in neurotransmitter synthesis, regulation of body temperature, enzyme activity and metabolism. Not too shabby for one salad, hey?
The Recipe
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
Serves 1
2 baby corn, cut into slices
4 asparagus tips, woody ends removed
1 red pepper, core and seeds removed and diced
½ tbsp olive oil
150g sweet potato, chopped into small cubes
Sea salt and blackpepper, to season
75g quinoa, rinsed
150ml vegetable stock
80g pomegranate
1 large cooked beetroot, cut into wedges
Handful of rocket leaves
1 tbsp lemon juice
50g feta cheese, crumbled
½ tbsp pumpkin seeds
Method
1. Preheat oven grill to a medium heat.
2. Place the corn, asparagus and pepper on an oven proof dish and add a drizzle of olive oil. Cook underneath the grill until vegetables are lightly browned. Take off the heat and leave aside to cool.
3. Preheat oven to 180’C.
4. Line a roasting tin with baking paper and add the sweet potato. Drizzle sweet potato with a small amount of oil and season well with salt and black pepper. Put in the oven and roast for approx. 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, cook the quinoa as per packet instructions using the vegetable stock.
6. Chop the asparagus and red pepper into smaller slices if desired and add to
a large bowl.
7. Add the quinoa and pomegranate and combine.
8. Once the sweet potato has cooked, add this and the beetroot to the bowl and stir through.
9. Add lemon juice and rocket leaves and toss all the ingredients together.
10. Spoon the salad onto your serving dish and top with crumbled feta and pumpkin seeds.
You can see more great content from Kerri on her Instagram.
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About Kerri Major
Kerri Major is a Registered Dietitian (BSc (Hons)), Sports Dietitian (SENr) and Qualified Personal Trainer.