Charred Winter Salad with Mindful Immunity™

This salad is a full-meal hybrid of four of my favorite recipes. It is a firework explosion of flavor and texture in the middle of winter, showcasing the depth and flavor of seasonal produce like pomelo, yuzu, little-known brassica spigariello, beets, and fennel. This is a complete meal that you can serve around the clock by switching up the proteins, and it can morph from a beautiful brunch dish with saffron-cured eggs to a lunch bowl with chicken or goat cheese or become an elevated dinner with grilled salmon. The possibilities are endless.For a quick, simple breakfast, prepare the charred fruit and have it alone with a spoonful of Mindful Immunity™ super protection syrup. Then, when spring comes and pineapple season arrives, try substituting the pomelo for grilled pineapple dressed with a shot of Mindful Immunity ™ and a dollop of labneh or coconut yogurt. This one is truly heaven on earth all year round. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic red rice, soaked overnight in the refrigerator
• 1 teaspoon organic ground coriander
• 1 large organic shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 organic fennel stalks, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch of organic spigariello or dino kale, washed and cut into bite-sized strips
• 1 organic pomelo, oro bianco grapefruit, or pineapple
• 3 tablespoons organic yuzu juice (or substitute a squeeze of your pomelo, grapefruit or pineapple)
• 3 inch piece of fresh organic ginger, peeled and finely grated
• ¼ cup organic olive oil
• 3 medium organic red beets, scrubbed, trimmed, peeled and quartered into bite-size pieces
• 3 tablespoons fresh organic cultured ghee
• Sea salt
• Cracked organic black peppercorn
• 1 tablespoon Mindful Immunity™ super protection syrup

Garnishes:

• Organic spearmint leaves
• Organic pistachios, coarsely chopped

Assembly:

Combine the red rice, 2 cups of filtered water, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil uncovered, then reduce heat to a low simmer, cover the pot and cook for 30-40 minutes, until grains are tender. Drain any water from the pan, then return the rice to the pan and let sit for five minutes, uncovered — fluff with a fork.Meanwhile, prepare the fruit. If using pomelo or grapefruit, use a vegetable peeler to cut a few wide strips of zest from the rind, taking care not to cut into the bitter white pith. Set aside. If using pineapple, skip this step. Cut the ends from the top and bottom of the fruit and stand it up on your cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut away the rind and peel, leaving just the flesh, then slice into thick rounds.Heat the grill or use a stovetop grill pan on high heat. Brush fruit with a bit of fresh cultured ghee on both sides, then place the rounds onto the hot grill or grill pan. Cook for about four minutes on each side until grill marks appear and the fruit juices caramelize. Transfer to a serving platter and drizzle each serving with a tablespoon of Mindful Immunity ™ syrup.Pour yuzu juice into a small bowl and set a fine mesh sieve over the top. Place the grated ginger into the sieve, and press down onto the ginger with the back of a spoon so that ginger juice drips into the bowl with the yuzu juice. Set aside.Prepare a large skillet over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of ghee or avocado oil and gently fry shallots until soft. Add the coriander powder, fennel stalks, spigariello, and a pinch of salt. Fry until the shallots are crispy and the fennel is golden brown in spots and flavorful. Season with pepper, then add the cooked rice and fry a bit longer until the grain is warmed through. Transfer the mixture to a serving platter and keep warm.Season the beets with sea salt, then heat olive or avocado oil in the saute pan over medium-high. Place the beets into the pan cut side down and cook for about 7 minutes, until the first side is browned and blistered — use tongs to turn each beet onto the second cut side and cook for another five minutes. Let the beets cool and taste them — they should still be firm in the middle but no longer raw. Add beets to your serving platter.To finish, wipe the pan clean and set the heat to medium. Pour in the yuzu ginger mixture and add the ghee and reserved zest. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the dressing is fragrant and infused with citrus and ginger. Spoon the warm dressing over the salad platter.Serve sprinkled with pistachios, mint, and a fresh crack of black pepper. Add any protein you like to make a complete meal. Some of my favorites are crispy chickpeas, saffron-cured eggs, goat or sheep cheese, or roasted salmon.Cottage Inside is a Doula Practice in Los Angeles. It is the dream and prayer of Morgan Lynn, a Zen student and certified Birth and Postpartum Doula trained in the Ayurvedic tradition. An avid home cook, Morgan grows much of the food for her kitchen in her Runyon Canyon garden, following the Biodynamic French Intensive Method principles.Picture credit: Morgan Lynn