Insanely-Tasty Magic Salad For Flat Bellies!

/ Friday, July 24, 2015

Don't you wish there was a reset button for your stomach? As someone who "accidentally" eats a whole pizza once every few weeks, I sure do! That's how I started making this salad. I don't believe in deprivation. I do believe in the power of healthy, clean eating, especially after you over do it a tad. Get your "Pin It!" button ready, this flat-stomach salad is about to change everything...
What exactly makes a salad a flat-belly salad? Great question! I'm not a diet expert, so I asked my friend who's a nutritionist and she gave me a whole list of awesome ingredients that help trim tummies: 

- Kale: Low-calorie and loaded with fiber!  
- Asparagus: Zinc and potassium for zapping excess fluid (read: belly bloat)
- Almonds: Pretty-skin vitamin E and protein. Lots of keep-you-full fiber, too! 

- Chilies: Metabolism booster!
- Garlic: Packed with allicin that kills off bad bacteria in your digestive tract.
- Olive Oil: Oleic acid for breaking down excess fats in your beautiful body!
- Peppermint: Calms your digestive tract! 

 

No playing around, I put ALL of those ingredients into my salad—not really thinking it would be delicious. What an awesome surprise that not only is this salad a super-slimmer, it's frickin' delicious, too! #winning
To give this salad as much flavor and texture as possible, I mix up raw and roasted ingredients. It really helps with the heartiness factor, since the roasted veggies take on a super-savory, meaty quality. My favorite part: Chopped raw kale AND kale chips. They're like the healthiest croutons ever. Combined with the almonds? You're in crunch-city USA.

FLAT BELLY SALAD
SERVES: 2 to 4

1 bunch kale, ribs removed
1 lemon
1 large clove garlic
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and halved lengthwise
1 to 2 pinches cayenne
1 bunch fresh mint, torn
1 handful roasted almonds, roughly choppers
PANTRY STAPLES: Extra-virgin olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 475˚F. Tear half of the kale into pieces. Roll and chop the other half into this ribbons.

2. Squeeze the juice of the lemon into a bowl. Smash the garlic so it's all broken up and bruised; add to the lemon juice and set aside.

3. Toss the asparagus, drizzle olive oil and a pinch of salt on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast until tender and slightly crisp, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

4. On the same baking sheet, toss the torn kale pieces with olive oil and salt and roast until crisp, about 5 minutes.

5. Strain the lemon juice into a small bowl; discard any seeds and the garlic clove. Slowly whisk about 1/4 cup olive oil into the lemon juice until combined. Whisk in the cayenne and a pinch of salt and pepper.

6. Toss the raw kale, toasted kale, asparagus, mint, almonds and dressing in a large bowl.


Which recipes do you turn to when you're feeling in a little puffy? Share it with the group, girl! Leave a link or an idea in the comments, below. xo Erin

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