Mooli and dill salad

We’ve been banging on about cruciferous veg for quite a while now and for good reason. If there’s one nutritional ‘superfood’ on the supermarket shelves it has to be cruciferous vegetables. Rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre they are a beneficial addition to any diet. But there are also some amazing benefits that are exclusive to cruciferous veg. They contain compounds that can help to balance hormones, prevent DNA damage, boost our liver detoxification enzymes, protect against cancer, lower cholesterol and boost the immune system.

For this reason we often encourage people to eat at least one portion of cruciferous veg per day – whether due to genetics or for specific reasons such as hormone imbalances, digestive disturbance or to support detoxification. But it is important how we eat them. You can read more here but essentially it is better to eat them raw and combined with a little lemon juice. Sulforaphane is the compound that has amazing benefits. But it first needs to be converted by an enzyme before we can use it and this enzyme is deactivated by cooking and lemon juice helps the enzyme to work better.

We like a good side salad with a barbecue and this is definitely up there with the best (although it is one of our more unusual ones).  Spiralised mooli (it’s a radish but you can easily use shredded cabbage, or juliennes of celeriac or kohl rabi), dried cranberries, and lots of dill all mixed up with a very mustardy, lemon dressing. It’s a tasty way to add in more cruciferous veg – great for supporting detoxification pathways so the perfect antidote to any charred meats on the barbecue!

Do keep a lookout for mooli at supermarkets and Asian shops or markets. It is increasingly common now and is very versatile as it can be easily grated into any salad, soup, stir-fry or curry to add some cruciferous veg to any meal.