Easy Prebiotic Salad

For anyone who doesn’t already know, probiotics are good bacteria for your body. They help keep your gut nice and healthy. Some common vegan probiotic foods include kombucha, sauerkraut, miso, tempeh, and pickles. Probiotics are fantastic, but they wouldn’t exist without prebiotics. Lesser known than probiotics, prebiotics are indigestible fibers. They act as a food source for probiotics because the small intestine cannot digest them, so they move to the large intestine where the probiotics, in the form of bacteria, are located. This salad is so good, both taste-wise and health-wise. The sweet potatoes are full of resistant starch, the main prebiotic in this meal. Chickpeas are also a really good source of prebiotics, but what’s even more interesting is the fact that when the chickpeas are combined with vitamin C (in the lemon juice) your body will unlock the plant-based iron. It is well known that many plant-based individuals take iron supplements because it can be difficult to maintain a sufficient iron uptake, so this salad is a really great meal to help meet those requirements. I hope you enjoy this salad!

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RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

- 1 sweet potato

- 1/2 red onion, chopped

- 1 cup Israeli couscous, cooked

- 2 cups spinach

- 1/2 lemon

- Olive oil (no measurements, just estimate)

- Salt + pepper to taste

- Pine nuts

- Crispy chickpeas recipe (under the “Lunch” section)

METHOD

Chop the sweet potato and drizzle it with olive oil, and then add some salt and pepper. Prepare the chickpeas according to the instructions (you can find the recipe under the “Lunch” section). Roast the sweet potato and chickpeas together at 425° for 20-25 mins, or until slightly crispy on the outside. Cook the Israeli couscous according to instructions and then refrigerate. Put the sweet potato and chickpeas in the refrigerator to cool as well. Once everything in the fridge is cool (this helps to create those resistant starches), add to a bowl the spinach, red onion, and lemon juice. Drizzle on olive oil and add salt + pepper to taste. Top with pine nuts and enjoy!