Colour is one of the best ways to spruce up your winter wardrobe and your winter plate. But colour aside, what speaks most on this harvest board is fibre, probiotic and prebiotic rich foods made to nourish your gut. Fibre is present in all fruits, vegetable and whole grains, but probiotic and prebiotic rich foods are slightly more unique, as they work together to nourish and stimulate the growth of good bacteria in the gut. With healthy gut bacteria or flora, our bodies are better prepared to digest food, absorb nutrients and ultimately fuel our bodies so we can thrive. Beetroot and garlic are our big prebiotic hitters in this ingredient list, while sauerkraut and yoghurt provide probiotics to the dish. You can serve this beautiful Harvest Board as is, or top it up with your favourite protein too. 

Winter Harvest Board
Serves 4
GF : DF : SF : Vegetarian

Ingredients

300g beetroot, heads only, scrubbed
1 bunch of dutch carrots, trimmed and scrubbed gently
2 tablespoons olive oil
200g cherry tomatoes, halved
½ bunch cavolo nero, trimmed
¼ cup broccoli sprouts
100g mung sprouts
100g quinoa
½ cup sauerkraut
¼ cup dill leaves
¼ cup parsley leaves
¼ cup mint leaves
¼ cup walnuts

Yoghurt dressing

3 tablespoons Greek natural yogurt
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch of sea salt
½ clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons whole grain or dijon mustard

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Wrap beetroot in foil and place in oven to cook 60-80 minutes or until soft.

Arrange carrots on a lined baking tray with two tablespoons of olive oil. Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes until soft. When the carrots are almost cooked, rub cavolo nero in remaining olive oil roast for 5-10 minutes.

While carrots and beetroot are roasting, cook quinoa and leave to cool. Toss shredded herbs through the quinoa.

Combine all ingredients for the yoghurt dressing in a bowl and whisk. Peel beetroot and cut into pieces.

Arrange all the other ingredients with the carrots and cavolo nero on the baking tray and serve.

Jacqueline Alwill is a qualified, practicing nutritionist, author of Seasons to Share and director at The Brown Paper Bag.