Diet: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Paleo, Pescatarian, Soy Free, Vegetarian
Serves: 1
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes

Description

The maple-candied crunch of pecans, the soft texture of fresh supple figs and the earthy yet slightly sweet taste of beetroot makes for a memorable salad…

Figs are a member of the mulberry family and can be consumed either raw, cooked or dried. An essential fruit of the Mediterranean diet, figs are not without their health benefits.

In fact, figs contain more polyphenols than red wine and tea (two very well-known sources of phenolic compounds) (Essa et al.2015). Polyphenols are chemicals in plants which act as antioxidants.

We have paired the figs with a good source of insoluble fibre that comes in the form of beetroot, which encourages normal bowel function.

To finish off the salad and satisfy any sweet-tooth cravings we complimented the dish with some maple-coated pecans and a light honey and olive oil dressing.

Ingredients

• 2 raw figs (cut into quarter)
• 150g candied beetroots
• 150g red beetroot
• 150g golden beetroot
• 2 large handfuls of baby salad leaves
• 1 handful pecans
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1 sprig of thyme

Dressing

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp honey
• Pinch of salt & pepper

Method

1. Boil the beetroots until soft. Or, if you prefer, wrap each beetroot in baking parchment and put in the oven at 180 degrees for 1 hour 45 minutes, until soft.
2. Once cooked, allow the beetroots to cool and then peel and slice.
3. Meanwhile, on a low heat, put the pecans in a frying pan and cook for a 2-3 minutes. Pour the maple syrup over the pecans, immediately turning the heat off so they do not burn. Mix well.
4. Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
5. Place all of the main ingredients including the figs, beetroots, maple-glazed pecans, salad leaves and thyme onto a plate and drizzle the dressing on top.

 

References:

Essa, M. Subashi, S. Akbar, M. et al. (2015). ‘Long-term Dietary Supplementation of Pomegranates, Figs and Dates Alleviate Neuroinflammation in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease’, PLOS ONE, 10 (3), pp. 1-17, NCBI [Online].  Available at: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/fileid=10.1371/journal.pone.0120964&type=printable [Accessed: 10 July 2018].