Roasted Carrot, Celery, Black Beans, Tomato & Quinoa Salad
Serves 4 to 6
I love working with simple, whole foods that blend really well together. Take carrots and celery, both are underrated for the super stars that they are. Carrots are the second most popular vegetable in America after the potato. Apart from adding celery to soups and salads, we don’t really incorporate celery much into our everyday array of staples. Yet both carrots and celery are crunchy, tasty, and highly nutritious.
Carrots
Carrots are a good source of several vitamins and minerals, especially:
• Vitamin A: Carrots are rich in beta carotene, which your body converts into vitamin A. This nutrient promotes good vision and is important for growth, development, and immune function.
• Biotin: A B vitamin formerly known as vitamin H, biotin plays an important role in fat and protein metabolism.
• Vitamin K1: Also known as phylloquinone, vitamin K1 is important for blood coagulation and can promote bone health.
• Potassium: An essential mineral, potassium is important for blood pressure control.
• Vitamin B6: A group of related vitamins, B6 is involved in the conversion of food into energy.
Fun facts about carrots from Care2.com:
• Rabbits love to eat carrots, but they shouldn’t eat too many. A rabbit eating a single carrot is like us eating over 20.
• The biggest carrot recorded is more than 19 pounds, and the longest is over 19 feet.
• There are more than 100 species of carrots. Some are big. Some are small, and they come in a variety of colors including orange, purple, white, yellow, and red.
• English women in the 1600s often wore carrot leaves in their hats in place of flowers or feathers.
• The name carrot comes from the Greek word karoton.
• The beta-carotene that is found in carrots was actually named for the carrot itself.
• The average American eats about 12 pounds of carrots a year. That’s only one cup per week. We could easily triple that while also eating a variety of other vegetables.
Celery
Every part of celery, including the stalks, seeds, and leaves, are edible and rich in nutrients. Celery leaves are often added to soups and stir fries. Celery seeds can be found whole, ground and as an extract. Every form has health benefits. Crushed celery seeds can be used as a spice. Apiol, an oily compound in celery seeds, contributes a distinctive flavor and is medicinally. Celery is loaded with vitamin B6, calcium, vitamin C, potassium, vitamin A, folate, vitamin K, fiber, and protein.
Fun facts about celery from Servingjoy.com:
• The importance of celery is not only due to its value as a food source but also because of the medicinal and cosmetic benefits that it provides.
• Weight watchers love munching on celery stalks. Aside from being extremely low-calorie (10 calories per stalk), it is low in sodium and high in fiber and water content.
• A type of celery that has a reputation of its own is the celeriac. Unlike celery that is grown for its stalks, the celeriac is primarily grown for its root. Celeriac root is used as an ingredient in stews and soups, but can also be eaten raw.
• Hippocrates, the famous Greek physician who is known as the “Father of Western Medicine,” recognized the nerve-soothing capabilities of celery. Modern research proves that the doctor was right. Celery is found to contain magnesium and essential oils that help regulate the nervous system and have a calming effect.
• The crunchiness of celery comes from its tough cell walls that help keep the herb upright. Soaking the stalks in ice water is a very effective way of maintaining crispness.
• Celery seeds are used as a spice.
• The ancient Romans used to wear celery wreaths during a night of drinking to avoid experiencing the effects of a hangover the next morning.
• There is a rule of thumb to follow when buying celery. The darker the color of the stalks, the stronger the flavor.
• In ancient Greece, an athlete who won in a competition was presented with bunches of celery.
• Celery has androsterone, a hormone that is released via the sweat gland of males and is part of attracting females. This gives credence to the belief of the ancient Romans that the celery was an aphrodisiac.
• It is said that Casanova, the legendary Italian lover, ate lots of celery to maintain his stamina.
• Italians were the first to use celery as food. The vegetable was one of the ingredients in an old dessert recipe that was unearthed in the island of Pompeii. The recipe outlined instructions on how to roast chopped celery in an oven and mix it with honey and ground pepper.
• Celery seeds are so small that only one ounce is needed to plant a whole acre.
Ingredients:
8 carrots, medium sized, washed, cut in half lengthways, reserve half the carrot tops
8 celery sticks, washed and cut into 4-inch pieces, reserve a few celery leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil for roasting
1½ cups quinoa
3 cups low sodium vegetable stock or water
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 15 oz can of black beans, low sodium, washed and drained
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 green onions, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3 tablespoon sesame oil
1 lime, juice of
1 tablespoon of sesame seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon curry powder
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon chili flakes
How to Make:
Preheat oven to 400◦F. Place the carrots and celery sticks into a small bowl and coat with olive oil before placing on a sheet pan to roast in the oven until charred and tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Place a medium size saucepan with 3 cups of stock add the quinoa, turmeric, paprika and place on the stove. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Cook about 15 minutes or until the quinoa is tender. Remove the saucepan from the stove and allow to cool.
When the quinoa is cold, finely chop the carrot tops, and celery leaves. Combine with the tomatoes, green onions, the minced garlic, black beans, carrots, and celery.
To make the dressing, whisk together the sesame oil, cumin seeds, lime juice, sesame seeds, curry powder, ground coriander, cumin, and chili flakes. Pour over the salad and lightly toss together. Serve.