Summer salads
Make these salads ahead of time for convenience. Bunch them together and you have an autoimmune-friendly mezze ready to go!
Summer salads
Salads can feel a little boring…. Not these ones; they have plenty of flavour, as well as being balanced in protein, fat and fibre to stabilise your metabolism.
Make them ahead of time, so that they are ready to go when those hunger cravings hit.
You can also use them as part of a mezze meal. Add humus and another dish, such as this tabouleh, and you have a lovely autoimmune-friendly meal ready to go.
Make large batches and store leftovers in the fridge so you can use them several times.
Both of these salads are adapted from recipes in Nistisima by Georgina Hayden, which is one of my favourite recipe books.
Sauerkraut and herb potato salad
Sauerkraut contains all sorts of wonderful nutrients (especially sulphur) to help your autoimmune condition. It also regulates the gut microbiota, which modulates the immune system to make it more tolerant.
Just a note though that, like any fermented food, it contains histamine. You can find out more about autoimmune conditions and histamine here.
We need fermented foods in our diet and histamine is not something to be avoided. However it may be worth checking that you are not inadvertently following a very high histamine diet!
Ingredients
1 pack sauerkraut (around 200g - ideally not pasteurised as this kills the beneficial bacteria)
400g new potatoes
1 garlic clove
1 red onion
2 tbsp red wine or apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey or agave syrup
1/2 bunch dill
a few mint leaves
Method
Quarter or halve the potatoes so they are in bite-sized chunks and bring to the boil in salted water. Simmer for around 15 minutes, until tender. Drain well and leave to dry for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the garlic and red onion. Place in a large mixing bowl with the vinegar and a little salt and pepper. Leave for 5 minutes, then whisk in the olive oil, mustard and honey.
Drain the sauerkraut and add to the bowl, along with the chopped dill and mint leaves.
Add the potatoes once cool and dry. Stir and serve.
Lentil, beetroot and walnut salad (with optional feta)
This salad contains a high amount of protein, which helps with metabolic health, detoxification and gut repair.
Pairing protein with acidic and flavourful foods helps us to stimulate stomach acid, which is vital to breaking down the protein so we can absorb it.
When we eat protein it’s always worth thinking about whether we are actually breaking it down and absorbing it. Undigested or partially digested protein will cause problems in the gut that contribute to inflammation, constipation and bloating. Stress inhibits stomach acid.
Ingredients
250g cooked beetroot (can be pickled)
1 red onion
1 garlic clove
20g walnuts (try to get these in their shells when available as this decreases mould and histamine levels)
2 tins or packets of cooked green or brown lentils
2 tbsp red wine or apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey or agave syrup
3 tbsp olive oil
½ bunch parsley, finely chopped
½ bunch mint, finely chopped
50 rocket or other salad leaves
100g feta (or plant-based feta such as GreenVie) - optional
Method
Finely chop the red onion and garlic, then add the vinegar and season. Stir and leave for 5 minutes to soften.
Toast the walnuts in a dry pan for a couple of minutes until they turn dark.
Add the olive oil, mustard and honey to the onion mixture.
Add all of the other ingredients to the bowl and stir gently.
Serve with feta cubes sprinkled on top, if using.