For the dried melon and the lemon chips Cut the melon and lemon into thin slices and dry in the dehydrator at a temperature of 38 °C for about 5 hours.
Since both melon and lemon consist of about 90% water and the dried version usually has a residual water content of 15-20%, the dry weight of the two ingredients is about 1/5 of the weight of the fresh ingredients. This corresponds to the author's information of 150g dried melon and 10g dried lemon for one portion.
The author leaves it open which melon she uses. Since you are using the lemon peel, it is best to use an organic lemon and wash it well before use.
For the spinach-melon salad Once the melon slices and lemon chips have dried, you can continue preparing the salad. Wash the spinach leaves, drain and roughly chop them. Roughly chop the peeled hazelnuts. Cut the coconut flesh into medium-sized slices.
A medium-sized hazelnut without shell weighs on average about 1 gram.
Place dried melon, spinach, hazelnuts, coconut flesh and coconut flakes into a bowl.
For the coconut-almond sauce Mix the coconut oil, almond milk, lemon juice and coconut flakes well. Season with black pepper and salt.
One tablespoon of lemon juice is approximately 20 ml.
It is up to you to halve the oil content for health reasons.
Arranging and Serving Add coconut-almond sauce to the bowl with the salad mixture, season with salt and pepper and mix well.
Garnish with lemon chips and chia seeds and serve.
Detailed Nutritional Information per Person for this Recipe
The majority of the nutritional information comes from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). This means that the information for natural products is often incomplete or only given within broader categories, whereas in most cases products made from these have more complete information displayed.
If we take flaxseed, for example, the important essential amino acid ALA (omega-3) is only included in an overarching category whereas for flaxseed oil ALA is listed specifically. In time, we will be able to change this, but it will require a lot of work. An “i” appears behind ingredients that have been adjusted and an explanation appears when you hover over this symbol.
For Erb Muesli, the original calculations resulted in 48 % of the daily requirement of ALA — but with the correction, we see that the muesli actually covers >100 % of the necessary recommendation for the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Our goal is to eventually be able to compare the nutritional value of our recipes with those that are used in conventional western lifestyles.
The spinach and melon salad with coconut and almond sauce and hazelnuts is very nutritious and filling. The dried melon gives it a sweet note.
Spinach: Spinach is rich in vitamins (especially β-carotene, vitamin C), protein and minerals. Although spinach has a high iron content among vegetables, the iron content is not exceptionally high. Despite the high oxalic acid content, consuming raw spinach in reasonable amounts is not harmful to health.
Hazelnuts: The hazelnuts that are commercially available are usually the fruits of the Lambert hazel ( Corylus maxima), although the name hazelnut is also used for the fruits of the common hazel ( Corylus avellana). The hazelnut has a high fat content (over 60%), 75% of which consists of the monounsaturated fatty acid oleic acid. This is also clearly evident in hazelnut oil, which, along with olive oil, has one of the highest oleic acid contents.
Almond milk: Almond milk is a plant-based drink made from almonds and water. It is used as an alternative to cow's milk. You can use commercial almond milk or make your own. See the link under "Alternative preparation". You can dilute homemade almond milk to suit your taste, but store-bought almond milk usually contains less than 10% almonds. Almonds (like parsley) are very rich in iron.
Chia seeds: Chia seeds, which come from Mexico, are particularly characterized by their high content of calcium, iron, soluble fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. Our body can benefit from the effects of these substances, especially when eating ground seeds, since the seeds in unground form are mainly used as fiber. The iron content is about twice as high as in grains. Furthermore, the human organism can use the proportion of the amino acid tryptophan to convert it into the messenger substance serotonin via the enzymes tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) and aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC). The latter is generally considered to be a mood enhancer by conveying feelings of serenity and inner satisfaction. Around 95% of our serotonin content is stored in the gastrointestinal tract!
Tips
Buying and storing honeydew melon: When fully ripe, the elongated honeydew melon has a bright yellow skin all around and gives off a pleasant, sweet scent. If you press lightly on the outer skin of a ripe honeydew melon, it should give way very easily. Since honeydew melons hardly ripen after ripening, you should pay attention to the desired degree of ripeness when buying. Use cut melon pieces as soon as possible. Covering the cut areas prevents them from drying out.
Recommended consumption of spinach: Spinach should be consumed as fresh as possible and not stored for long. Spinach contains a lot of nitrate, which bacteria convert into harmful nitrite. This can cause problems, especially in children, as it impairs the transport of oxygen in the body and the effects depend on both the amount consumed and body weight. There are also" freshness ",Spinach leaves packed in plastic bags. However, the industry has to treat them heavily to ensure they last longer, as germs multiply quickly under the plastic. Vitamins also last less than in really fresh spinach.
Alternate preparation
Use your own almond milk: The following link takes you to a refreshing recipe for making your own almond milk: Raw almond milk
Nut variations: Hazelnuts can be replaced with almonds or walnuts depending on taste and availability.
