Roasted Beet Salad Over Shredded Brussels Sprouts

This salad…oh let me tell you all about this salad and trust me you are going to want to try this one!  Every single component of this wonderfully healthy salad is packed full of nutrients.  If you, like a lot of people, are always striving to eat a little healthier then you probably find yourself trying to eat more salad.  Maybe you, like a lot of people, get bored of the same old tired, sad, and flavorless salad.  When you get bored of these healthy foods you probably find yourself trying to choke down a bowl of lettuce, give up, and then resort back to your old, unhealthy way of eating.  The trick is to find foods, recipes, and new ways to cook these healthy foods to make them more enjoyable.  If you love it then you will do it more often, right?  This roasted beet salad over shredded Brussels sprouts may not sound special, but let me tell you that it is super special.  Oven roasted red and gold beets, cherry tomatoes, sweet corn, creamy avocado, juicy pomegranate seeds over shredded Brussels sprouts sautéed in onion and garlic.  Topped off with a drizzle of herbed chimichurri sauce.  Is your mouth watering yet?  Sounds too hard…it isn’t.

This salad was inspired by one that I had out at a local restaurant.  I saw it on the menu, read the description, and knew immediately that it had my name written all over it.  I was really surprised by the ingredients and would have never thought to put all of these things together but they work so well!  One bite and I knew I would be making this at home ASAP and had to share it will all of you special people.

Food that works together in flavor and nutrition.  How perfect!

Beets are a unique source of phytonutriens known as betalains, which has been shown to provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detox support.  Beets also contain fiber, vitamin C, folate, magnesium, potassium, and manganese.  Beets, like potatoes are a root vegetable and contain higher amounts of carbohydrates then most vegetables.  I do recommend eating beets at least a couple of times per week.

Tomatoes are loaded with the antioxidant, lycopene.  Lycopene is a carotenoid found in tomatoes which gives them their red color.  They also contain Vitamin C, A, K, E, B6, potassium, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron.  Although their nutrients increase after cooking they still provide health benefits raw.

Corn is often associated with summer.  Nibbling corn on the cob outside in the summer sun. Ah!  These yellow kernels are great all year round for providing fiber, folate, thiamin, phosphorus, Vitamin C, and magnesium.

Avocado is one of those foods I used to never eat and now I eat avocado everyday!  The healthy fats found in avocado are great for your hair and skin.  Avocados also contain fiber, Vitamin C, E, K, B6, folate, magnesium, potassium, and even a couple grams of protein.

Pomegranates contain seeds that are sweet and tart.  These juicy little seeds contain fiber and Vitamin C.

Brussels sprouts are one of my households favorite vegetables.  I even have some growing in my garden right now which makes this recipe perfect timing.  Not just for Thanksgiving, these mini cabbages are an excellent source of Vitamin C and K.  They also contain folate, manganese, Vitamin B6, fiber, potassium, phosphorus and omega 3 fatty acids.

Onions are a great source of flavor for so many dishes  They are also a great source of nutrition including biotin, manganese, Vitamin B6, C, B1, fiber, folate, and more.

Garlic may leave your breath strong but it is a flavor component I use in so many dishes.  Health benefits of garlic includes antimicrobial, antibacterial, and antiviral properties.  These benefits are great for our stomachs and cardiovascular systems.

Even the cilantro and parsley in the chimichurri have great health benefits.  They are green after all.

So you see this salad is jam packed full of nutrients and has quickly become one of my favorite salad recipes EVER!  I bet it will become yours too.