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Beauty

The Ultimate Anti-Aging Salad: Lemon-Tahini Dressing Over Chicken and Kale

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We’re all looking for a natural way to keep the aging process at bay, but what if we told you that what you put in your salad could be the key to keeping yourself young, nourished, and detoxified? Liv Kaplan, the nutritionist behind Livinbondi, says that a great place to start eating for health and vitality is with your lunchtime meal.

“The simplest thing to start with is to base your meal with a heap of really good quality, colorful vegetables,” Kaplan says in an interview with Now to Love. “You want to choose those really deep dark greens, purples, and oranges. Color generally means lots of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, polyphenols — all those things that are really good for you.”

Protein as a Beauty Food

While we often think that protein is only used for gym go-ers and muscle-building, it is actually what nutritionists call a “beauty food.”

“Structurally, protein is used for our hair, skin, and nails,” Kaplan said. “It is required for your beauty, and that’s going to help with ensuring your body feels good as you age. It’s used to aid enzymes, hormones, and cell regeneration. They all use protein to multiply, and we need them for all of our bodily processes and to get our brain working in tip-top condition.”

Good Fats as a Friend

“The low-fat era is definitely over,” Kaplan says. “We know how important it is to have fat in our diet for our brains and our hormones. This includes olive oil, avocado, nuts, and seeds, which are all amazing and so good for you.”

Kaplan has teamed up with Chargrill Charlie’s to introduce three amazing anti-aging salads that are perfect for those who want to stay healthy, while sneaking in some easy takeout. They are packed with nutrient-dense, tasty ingredients, making them a meal in themselves. And the best thing is, you can make one yourself using the recipe below.

Smoked & Spiced Vitality Salad Recipe

You’ll absolutely love this spicy green mix, with chicken and chickpeas cooked in a smokey paprika and lime marinade on top of a tahini kale salad.

Ingredients

Paprika Chicken and Chickpeas

  • 500g chicken thigh
  • 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 cup chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Kale Salad

  • 1 bunch kale, roughly torn
  • 1 cucumber, chopped
  • Fresh chili, chopped

Tahini dressing

  • 2 Tbsp. tahini
  • Juice of 1 medium lemon
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1-2 Tbsp. warm water
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
  2. In a bowl, combine the chicken with the paprika, garlic, lime juice, olive oil and salt.
  3. Heat a medium pan to a high heat and sear the chicken thighs on each side, pouring the leftover marinade into the pan. Transfer to an oven safe dish and continue cooking in the oven for 20 minutes or until cooked.
  4. Remove from the oven and shred roughly. Pour the chickpeas into the dish and toss chicken and chickpeas together to coat in the juices.

Tahini Dressing

  1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together until smooth.

Kale Salad

  1. Place the roughly torn kale in a large bowl and pour over dressing. Using hands or tongs, massage the dressing into the kale until it breaks down and is coated in dressing. Toss in cucumber.
  2. To serve, use kale salad as a base, top with chicken and chickpea mixture, drizzle over extra tahini dressing and top with fresh chilli.

Notes

  1. The chicken must be roughly shredded using forks as opposed to sliced. It must also be done while still warm so it soaks up the juices.
  2. Kale is best massaged to break down the fibers and let it absorb the flavor of the dressing.

This article was originally written by Anita Lyons. For more, check out our sister site, Now to Love.

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