KITCHEN QUICKIE: STRAWBERRY AND WATERCRESS SALAD

There's nothing like Baguio to inspire a carnivore like me to eat veggies.

Was recently there and got the chance to buy a few veggies for a fab looking salad you can make in a jiffy.

STRAWBERRY & WATERCRESS SALAD

Ingredients:
Lettuce
Watercress
Strawberries
Beetroot
Cherry Tomatoes

To make:
Prepare the beetroot first.
Cut off the stems and boil in water for 10-15 minutes or until tender.
Put in cold water to cool it down. When it's not hot to the touch anymore, pull (or slice the skin off) and then dice.

The beetroot might look nasty and will "bleed" a little but it tastes good and is a good source of folate and manganese. The red colour from its betanin compound is not broken down by human digestive system so if you eat too much of this, you might experience beeturia.

Wash the strawberries and cherry tomatoes. Slice off the bottom end of the strawberries and slice into thin vertical pieces (so they still retain the heart shape).

Wash the lettuce and watercress.  Soak  both in ice cold water to make it crispier.  Before serving the salad, drain and dry with a paper towel.

Tear the lettuce into bite size pieces with your hands. 

Select the nice leaves and stems of the watercress and add on top of the lettuce.

I like adding the watercress to the salad because it has a bite, similar to but less mustardy than arugula. It's a semi-aquatic plant that humans have been consuming since we discovered that no one died from eating plants. It's rich in vitamin C and also contains a good amount of iron, calcium, iodine, folic acid, manganese and vitamins A, B and K. Yes, you get all of that from a small leaf.

Add everything else and pour the roasted sesame dressing.

Serve and enjoy!