Story: Cooking With Leafy Greens
Episode: 4
Presenter: Julie Meek
Air Date: 2 May 2021

Turns out your parents wanted you to eat your greens for good reason! Julie highlights the health benefits of green vegetables and shows you how to incorporate them into your diet.

• The RPH Research Foundation has found that dark green leafy vegetables contain various compounds that have a beneficial impact on our health.
• These compounds include nitrate and vitamin K1, which are thought to be effective at increasing the strength of muscles and the skeletal system.
• Leafy green vegetables, like spinach, silverbeet, kale and beetroot, can be easily incorporated into salads, stir-fries, and even smoothies.
• One of Julie’s favourite recipes using these vegetables is her green salad with roasted beetroot, sweet potato, toasted pine nuts and fetta.

Green Salad With Roasted Beetroot & Sweet Potato

Ingredients

1 cup baby spinach
1 cup baby kale
1 cup rocket leaves
1 bunch baby beetroot, peeled and halved
1 small red onion, peeled and sliced lengthways into 8 pieces
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped into small chunks
¼ cup pine nuts
80g Danish feta

Method

• Wash and pat dry all of the leaves. Place into a large bowl or onto a platter and toss gently to combine
• Arrange the sweet potato, beetroot and onion onto a lined baking tray and bake in an oven for approximately 30-40 mins or until soft
• Once cooked, tip into a bowl and cover with foil for 10 mins
• Place pine nuts onto a separate tray and toast for 5 mins. Make sure you keep an eye on these as nut easily burn in the oven
• To serve, arrange the cooled roasted vegetables on the leaves and top with the toasted pine nuts and crumbled feta
• Serves two as a meal or four as a side dish