Roasted Carrot, Spelt, Fennel & Blood Orange Salad Recipe

The weather is warming up on and off…so salads are always nice to have for lunch or dinner on those warmer days and they are fun to throw together, with variations whenever you don’t have everything in the fridge that you need!

Did you know that spelt, also known as dinkel wheat or hulled wheat, is a species of wheat cultivated since approximately 5000 BC.  The benefits of this ancient food range from aiding blood circulation (with copper and iron present). Spelt builds strong bones, boosts immune system, aids digestive function, decreases cholesterol, reduces high blood pressure, lowers blood sugar levels and has a high source of manganese.

The blood oranges in this recipe which are thought of as the power house of nutrition, they have a great source of vitamin C, fiber and potassium.  Carrots provide a good source of beta-carotene, fiber, vitamin k, potassium and antioxidants.  Fennel bulbs are also included in this recipe which are excellent for vitamin C, it’s a very good dietary fiber, potassium, manganese, copper, phosphorus and folate, and has a good source of calcium, pantothenic acid, magnesium, iron and niacin.

Olives are high in vitamin E and other powerful antioxidants. Studies show that they are good for the heart, and may protect against osteoporosis and cancer.

Parsley is a good source of bone-protecting vitamin k. It provides high levels of vitamin k, and an essential nutrient for maintaining bone density, fighting bone breaks and fractures. It works together with the other bone-building nutrients in parsley — calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D and magnesium.  So help protect your bones!!!

Wow-what a list of incredible nutrients in one meal…for you and your family…

Roasted Carrot, Spelt, Fennel & Blood Orange Salad Recipe

Recipe by Julie Getty

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

35

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Here we are sharing a delicious, healthy grain salad, served with sliced roast chicken, crumbled with feta or goat’s cheese for lunch or for a light dinner and fulled with tons of nutrition…here’s a little bit about what foods will be nurturing your body in this recipe.

Here is what you will need…

Ingredients

• 400g spelt

• 1 vegetable stock cube

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 400g baby carrots, scrubbed

• 3 blood oranges, 2 zested and 1 juiced

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tsp clear honey

• 2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced

• 4 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 1 small red onion, finely chopped

• large bunch parsley, chopped

• 70g pack pitted, dry black olives or 85g couchillo (the very small black ones) or Kalamata olives

• Roast Chicken (pref. organic) or vegetarian only, exclude the chicken

• Goats cheese or Feta

• Optional: small pack parsley, chopped.

Notes

• Let’s put it all together and see how it turns out…yum!

Let’s get cooking…

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and cook the spelt with the stock cube following pack instructions – don’t overcook it, as it should still have a little nutty bite. When the spelt is done, drain it very well and toss on a platter with 1 tbsp of the extra virgin olive oil to stop it from sticking together too much.

In the meantime, toss the carrots with the olive oil, blood orange zest and some seasoning in a roasting tin, then roast for 15 mins. Carefully stir in half the honey with the fennel.

Continue roasting for another 10 mins, then cool for 5 mins. Cut away the pith and peel from the 2 zested oranges, then roughly chop or slice.

Whisk together the remaining extra virgin olive oil, 1 tsp honey, red wine vinegar and the blood orange juice with some seasoning. Scrape the roasted carrots and fennel plus any cooking juices on top of the spelt, along with the orange chunks, red onion, herbs, and olives. Drizzle over the dressing and toss everything together well.

Slice your roast chicken and arrange on top of the salad or sliced on the side and sprinkle goat or feta cheese to finish it off.

The salad will happily hold at room temperature for a few hours, but the spelt will soak up the dressing – so if you’re making it ahead, add half the dressing when assembling and stir through the rest just before you serve it. As you serve, stir in the parsley, if you fee like it.

We hope yours turns out as delicious as ours…any tweeks that made it even more amazing, let us know…happy salad making!

Enjoy!

Julie xO