When cauliflower is back in season, prices drop, so it’s time to make the most of this super healthy vegetable! 😉
A low-fat, balanced and yummy bowl is exactly what we need for a balanced and nutritious lunch that will keep us going throughout the afternoon.
Ingredients (serves 2 people):
– 160 g of steamed kumala (sweet potato), preferably orange
– 1 cup of cooked chickpeas
– 1 medium cauliflower
– 1 tbsp. of sesame paste / tahini
– ½ tsp. of vegetable oil
– the juice of 2 kumquats or ½ lemon
– 1 pinch of salt
Directions:
1) Soak the chickpeas overnight. Rinse well and cook them until soft (it should take around 60-75 minutes).
2) Rinse well the cauliflower and cook it in the oven at 180 °C for 30 minutes. Stir once or twice.
3) Rinse well the kumala and steam it with the skin until soft (for around 30 minutes). Let it cool down, then peel and chop it.
4) In a bowl, combine 1 tbsp. of sesame paste, 2 tbsp. of water, 1 pinch of salt and the juice of 2 kumquats. As an alternative to sesame paste, you can use 1 tbsp. of vegetable oil with ground sesame seeds.
5) Combine all the ingredients together.
This is a very balanced meal as you’ll get your carbs from the kumala, your protein from the chickpeas and your vitamins and antioxidants from the cauliflower.
Also, kumquats, kumala and cauliflower will give you all the vitamin C you need to absorb the iron from chickpeas.
Cauliflowers are a very good source of potassium, magnesium, dietary fiber, vitamin C and other antioxidants.
What makes cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflowers so special is that they contain powerful antioxidants that are thought to play a protective role against cancer and heart disease. The cruciferous family also includes broccoli, all types of cabbage, mustard greens, watercress, choy sum and bok choy… 🥦🌱
So, great to know that we can find all of them very easily at the Suva market. We’re lucky, aren’t we 😉