Cauliflower Salad – Recipe with Health Benefits
Cauliflower is one of the healthiest vegetables, but it’s pretty “picky” when it comes to taste and cooking. Like cabbage and broccoli, cauliflower is part of the same family of cruciferous and it has proven anti-cancer and detoxifying properties.
Cauliflower Salad – Recipe
Those who don’t know how to cook this healthy vegetable can use this simple idea and recipe: vegetable salad. It’s extremely tasty and you will definitely want to prepare it many times after that. Those who are on a diet can use yogurt instead of sour cream, because it’s less fat. Also, if you are a vegetarian, you should eliminate the cream or yogurt completely.
Ingredients
– 1 small cauliflower
– 2 tomatoes
– 1 garlic clove
– A few sprigs of parsley and basil
– 3 tablespoons if sour cream or yogurt
– Salt and pepper
Preparation
Wash the cauliflower and grate it in a bowl. Wash the tomatoes and cut them in small pieces. Do the same with the parsley. Crush the garlic and add in the bowl with the other vegetables. If you use more garlic, you will see that the salad will have a too pungent taste.
At the end, add the sour cream or the yogurt, the salt and the pepper. You can also a little bit of lemon juice. Mix the salad well and serve it as it is or as a garnish. It can also be a separate dish that can be consumed in the evening, if you crave for something lighter.
If you don’t like the taste of raw cauliflower, you can steam the cauliflower pieces and then add them to the salad.
Benefits
The cauliflower, tomatoes and garlic salad is a diet salad, rich in nutrients and ideal for those who are on a diet. It is also recommended for those who have high blood pressure or cholesterol.
Cauliflower is a vegetable with anti-inflammatory, detoxifying, cardio-vascular and anti-cancer properties. It contains numerous B-complex vitamins (B9, B6, B5, B3, B2 and B1), vitamins K and C, omega-3 fatty acids, proteins, phosphorus, potassium and manganese.
Besides the increased amount of antioxidants, the cauliflower also contains beta-carotene and phytonutrients that protect us from the free radicals’ harmful effects. The cauliflower consumption reduces the risks of heart disease, cancer and other diseases caused by the oxidative stress.
Cauliflower also contains a couple of substances that increase liver’s capacity to neutralize the toxic substances that could lead to cancer. Numerous studies have proven that the diets rich in cruciferous vegetables play an important role in preventing cancer (especially when it comes to breast cancer, bladder cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer or ovarian cancer).
The regular consumption of cauliflower can also reduce the risk of diseases associated with inflammation such as arthritis, obesity, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease or ulcerative colitis.
Due to the high fiber content, cauliflower supports the digestive health. Cauliflower can cleanse the digestive system and eliminate the useless substances. At the same time, it protects the stomach lining from the bacteria that cause ulcer or cancer.
