Roasted Broccoli, pine nut and feta salad

I’m not quite sure where the inspiration for this recipe came from. It may be the tender steam broccoli, manchego cheese and pine nut pizza from Yard Sale pizza, it could be from one of the recipes in the four cook books I was flicking through the night before, or it could have been the feta I had for breakfast the day before. Anyway, some how I came up with this recipe and it was lovely! Super healthy, really filing and a taste sensation.

This recipe features a whole broccoli and a handful of pine nuts. Although broccoli is seen to be just another normal veg you eat all the time…its actually packed full of goodness.

• Broccoli has an unusually strong combination of vitamin A and vitamin K. This is particularly important for coeliacs and this combination can help keep out vitamin D metabolism in balance. As coeliacs may not be able to absorb as much vitamin D as other people, it’ important to eat foods with plenty of it, or that can help boost the absorption.
• Broccoli contains anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer phytonutrients such as sulforaphane which helps the body to get rid of potentially carcinogenic compounds. This is great for coeliacs – I try to fill my diet with as many anti-inflammatory foods as possible
• Broccoli can help lower your cholesterol

Pine nuts are also great for you. They have many of the same benefits as other nuts including:

•               Suppress your appetite due to the good fats and protein

•               Boost energy due to protein and iron content

•               Reduce risk of heart disease

•               Anti-aging oxidant

I would recommend trying this out, it’s not as simple as other salads, but its really delicious!

Ingredients:

2 hand fulls spinach

1 spring onion

1 yellow pepper

1 broccoli

1 inch square piece feta

1 large tomato

1 handful pine nuts

1 piece gf bread

Meathod:

1.     Place the spinach on the plate, chop the spring onion and the tomato and place on top

2.     Chop the broccoli and pepper, place onto a foil lined baking tray and brush olive oil over vegetables – roast in the oven for 20 mins on 200 oc

3.     In a pan, add 1 tbs olive oil

4.     Chop the gf bread into the pan and lightly fry

5.     Once golden brown place to one side

6.     Add the pine nuts into the pan, turn down onto a medium heat

7.     Keep moving the pine nut so they don’t burn

8.     Once golden brown, remove from heat

9.     Once the broccoli and pepper has been roasted, place on top of the spinach, then add the croutons, pine nuts and finally sprinkle the feta over the top

Enjoy!