A Salad for Your Skin

Photo: Alex Thomopoulos

The ultimate beauty food salad would fill you up, make your skin glow, be easy to make, and not cost a fortune, much like the Citrus Roasted Carrot & Avocado Salad pictured above.

It’s full of the vitamins and healthy fats you need to maintain a clear complexion. Let’s break it down: carrots are high in beta-carotene, an antioxidant that is converted into Vitamin A, which helps repair skin tissue and even works as natural sun protection. (They also contain Vitamin C, which helps the body produce collagen.) Avocados are a great source of antioxidant carotenoids, they improve your skin’s density, thickness, tone, and general appearance; the fruit’s monounsaturated fatty acids help maintain moisture in the epidermal layer of your skin. Don’t be scared of the word fat! Good fats are your friends and an essential part of keeping firm, moisturized and happy skin.

Here’s how to make this miracle food:

Citrus Roasted Carrot Salad with Avocado Spicy Greens and Toasted Pine Nuts

1 orange, halved

1 lemon, halved

3 garlic cloves

1-teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound medium sized carrots, peeled

1 avocado, sliced

2 cups of spicy greens like arugula

¼ cup pine nuts or any type of nut or seed you would prefer

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a small food processor, pulse garlic, cumin, thyme, chili flakes, 1 ½ teaspoons salt and ¾ teaspoons black pepper. Then add vinegar and oil and mix until combined.

Put carrots on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour spice mixture on top. Place lemon and orange cut side down on top of carrots. Roast carrots until they are tender, about 45 minutes.

Pull out of oven and arrange carrots on a platter or divide on to serving plates. Carefully squeeze roasted lemon and orange wedge into a measuring cup. (This should yield ½ cup of juice.)

Whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Drizzle some of the sauce on top of carrots.

In a medium bowl place the arugula. Season with a touch of salt and pepper and drizzle one or two tablespoons of dressing on top. Mix gently.

Place arugula on top of carrots, and carefully tuck avocado slices in salad.

Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts. Serve.