Are you ready for simple?! How about delicious and healthy? It doesn’t get any simpler than this salad, and it is indeed quite delicious! It also makes a great healthy meal, which is perfect for The Resolution Files!
I saw a version of this parsley salad on the Food Network, and was instantly inspired. I mean with a website name “The Devil Wears Parsley,” how could I not be? I love herbaceous salads like Tabbouleh, and who doesn’t love a good pesto every now and then? I know it seems kind of weird to make a salad whose green is mostly an herb, but it totally works. If you serve this for your family or friends, I know they’ll be on board too – it is so off-the-wall and unique, they’ll be intrigued.
Here’s the preparation. You start by thinly slicing the celery on the bias, like so:
Did you know that celery can help prevent those unsightly dark under-eye circles? It’s true! It has the perfect balance of potassium and sodium that help flush excess body fluids, which in turn reduces the puffiness. I definitely suffer from those circles, so fitting celery into the diet is something I’ve been trying to do more often. I’ve never been much of a fan of celery, but it’s grown on me in the past few years. I love the tender, bright yellow inner parts with contain the leaves. It just so happens that they have a high concentration of vitamin A, so don’t toss any of the leaves out! Even the ones on the outer stalks. They’re great, just like the parsley leaves.
The next step is to, remove the stems from the parsley leaves. You can do a little rough chop on the leaves afterward if you like. Don’t throw away those stems either! Put them in a freezer bag and save for your next pot of home-made stock, or put them right into your morning green smoothie.
Parsley is a great leafy green that boasts all kinds of health benefits. It aids in digestion, removes toxins, and cleans and purifies the blood. Got cellulite? This powerful antioxidant being rich in vitamins A, C, and E, helps reduce and prevent cellulite. There will be no cottage cheese thighs in the building this time, babe! Parsley is great for your body, and gives your body a healthy glow because of the folate and iron it contains.1 Is this salad sounding any better now?
Ohhh chestnut! I haven’t had chestnuts in a very long while, and I had forgotten how surprisingly sweet and starchy they are. The chestnut is also packed full of vitamin C, potassium, copper, and magnesium, helping detoxify the body. It’s also the nut that is highest in fiber when compared to it’s other nutty counterparts. This makes it a low glycemic index food, meaning that it raises the blood sugar levels slowly, which is a good thing! There will be no crashing and burning here! So, I split the chestnuts in half here to make everything bite-sized, and a more even distribution of flavors. You still get a nice big bite,
Lemon is the main acid in the dressing. It is probably the most rock-tastic of all, aiding digestion, is high in vitamin C, and turns alkaline when digested. What does all this mean to you? Well, we know it’s good for you, but it will make your skin glow, and will work towards helping your skin become blemish free.
So, add the dressing ingredients in a very large bowl, and whisk everything together. Building the dressing in the bowl first makes it so much easier to dress the greens later, and you only mess up one bowl! Easier clean-up after being in the kitchen is always a bonus.
As far as rice goes, I love wild rice because of its texture, but it also contains many of the vitamins and minerals already discussed. Vitamin A, C, and E, phosphorus, zinc, and folate. It’s got a protein punch twice that of white rice, and is also high in fiber, aiding in digestion. I will make one or two batches every now and then, portion them into 1/2 cup sizes, and freeze them. That’s what you see here – two 1/2 cup rice balls from my freezer, thawed. It makes meals that much quicker and is a real time-saver. I suggest you give it a shot!
Now, the fun part! Toss the parsley, celery, chestnuts, rice in with the dressing until everything is well coated.
That’s it! Super easy, nutritious, delicious, and it will help you become more beautiful from the inside out! The general rule of thumb is to just stick with whole foods. Any whole vegetables, fruits, and grains will do you no wrong. They may even increase your inner glow, rock star!
This is great as a light salad all on it’s own. If you wanted to serve it as a side to a more protein-rich star, that would be perfectly fine too! You could also add some avocado and grilled chicken or salmon to create a marvelous lunch. The opportunities are endless, and your body will thank you. So good!
Cheers to beauty, inside and out!
P.S. I love knowing more about my food, and how it benefits the body, which is why I went into such depth on the benefits of the ingredients. Do you enjoy this too? Let me know, and I’ll include it in more future posts!
Rock out to The Devil Wears Prada while making this dish!
- For The Dressing
- 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoons Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
- 1 Teaspoon Fresh Lemon Zest
- 1 Teaspoon Whole Grain Mustard
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
- For The Salad
- 2 Cups Thinly Sliced Celery on a bias, about 3 ribs
- 4 Cups Fresh Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, Roughly Chopped, about 2 big bunches
- 1 Package Melissa’s Produce Freshly Steamed Chestnuts cut in half (about 1.5 Cups de-shelled and cooked)
- 1 Cup Cooked Wild Rice
- Add all the dressing ingredients to a large bowl, and whisk until incorporated
- Add the salad ingredients to the dressing, and toss well.
References What Are the Health Benefits of Chestnuts
The Beauty Detox Foods by Kimberly Snyder
10 Wonderful Health Benefits of Wild Rice
Disclaimer: Melissa’s Produce generously provided me with the chestnuts. All opinions included in this post are my own. I was not compensated in any other way.
That salad looks amazing. I knew how good parsley is for you, but I had no clue about the virtues of celery. Thank you for this very informative post.
This looks absolutely delicious! Such complimentary flavors, I wish that we could get chestnuts where I live.
Thanks!