Gut Healthy Rainbow Chickpea Salad

As I dive more and more into gut health and we establish its importance to your overall health I’ll take time to write out my own recipes and creations that I’ve come up with in order to combat an ever-changing gut microbes. I know that seems extreme and sounds like a long crazy word but as I dive into this you’ll begin to see the importance and what foods can not only heal the gut but along with it heal any ailments you may be dealing with currently.

I have many favorites and I continue to develop more and more recipes that help maintain and develop a healthy gut for me and my family along with all of you! This recipe has so much flavor and is so easy to prepare. 100% vegan. 100% Gluten Free. 100% whole food.

First, and foremost its important to know the gut is the epicenter of your body. Think of it as Grand Central Station as thing go in and out of the gut and we produce millions upon millions of good and bacteria a day depending on where we live, what products we use, what food we eat and how we take care of and maintain our physical health. Yes, all are highly contributing factors that we’ll begin to explore.

Now this may seem like a weird place to explore gut health on a food blog but it really goes hand in hand. I not only want to arm you with recipes, but also the knowledge to be able to make informed decisions about your overall health and wellness.

First this recipe and WHY is it healthy to the gut? Well, first it carries many gut-healthy properties that significantly contribute to the adage of GOOD and friendly bacteria to help fend of unwanted intruders which end up creating a whole host of other problems we can explore later.

What are gut-healthy food properties? Probiotic-rich foods greatly contribute to your overall gut health and clear inflammatory free digestive tract. WE all want these in our diet! For this particular recipe some of the ingredients I used are fermented like miso paste, apple cider vinegar & kimchi off of which support a happy gut.

Fiber is another product which creates and sustains and well balanced gut. This particular dish is packed with cabbage and chickpeas which are loaded with fiber! Cabbage also contains phytonutrients which are powerful antioxidants that protect the body from damage caused by free radicals.

Romaine, while its often overlooked does contain a great deal of nutrients and is a water vegetable which also supports a healthy diet and happy gut! Also loaded with Vitamin A, C, Folate and fiber!

Now, that we know all of the wonderful benefits, lets get to the recipe!

First, start with sauteing the chickpeas on the stove top along with avocado oil, rice vinegar, curry powder, black pepper, tahini, miso and garlic. Allow to simmer for about 5-7 minutes and remove from heat when chickpeas are tender and browning.

Second, prepare the cabbage. Mix sea salt, apple cider vinegar, avocado oil & tahini and massage into the cabbage until full moistened and broken down. Set aside.

Prepare your base. In this case I used romaine and chopped it up and put it in the bowl. I layered it with some chickpeas, cabbage and topped with kimchi that was pre-prepared and store bought from Whole Foods.

Top with more of your chickpea dressing or the cabbage dressing if you wish or top with avocado!

Ingredients:

Chickpeas

• 1 can organic chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans)

• 1 tsp curry powder

• 2 tbsp rice vinegar

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

• 1 tsp white miso paste

• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

• 2 tbsp water

• 1 tbsp grape seed oil

Shake and mix well and pour into chickpea mixture.

Cabbage Salad:

• 1 bag mixed shredded organic shredded green & red cabbage. I used Trader Joes mixture.

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 tbsp avocado oil

• 1 tbsp tahini

• 2 tbsp water

Directions:

1. For cabbage salad, Mix sea salt, ACV, Avocado oil, tahini and water together in a jar and shake well. pour into cabbage and massage.

2. Massage well into cabbage and let sit while you prepare the chickpeas

3. Set burner on stove to medium/low heat. Add 1 tbsp oil to the pan. Drain and rinse chickpeas. Add to warm pan. Mix curry powder, rice vinegar, black pepper, miso paste, garlic powder, water & grapseed oil in a jar and shake well.

4. Pour curry mixture over chickpeas and let simmer for approx 5-8 minutes or until chickpeas have softened and browned a bit.

5. Remove chickpeas from heat and set aside.

6. Prepare base salad mixture (I used Romaine) and add cabbage mixture, chickpeas and top with your favorite toppings like avocado, nuts, seeds & etc. For gut healthy toppings add kimchi!