Well, our family recently enjoyed an unexpected winter treat! 

After escaping to the family farm to see out what we hoped was the remaining week of ‘The Flu’, we found ourselves knee deep in a ‘once in 40 years’ snow event in the heart of beautiful Oberon, NSW.

2 of our 3 boys had never seen or been in snow before and so when we woke to see the farm covered in soft snow, 25cm deep, it was almost as good as Christmas morning!

A beautiful view across the farm.

Real Estate signs made the perfect toboggans for the big boys.

And yes, even Dad had to have a turn!

Sometimes life’s unplanned moments turn out to be some of the best. I celebrated my birthday as the snow was falling and it will definitely be a birthday I will remember for a long while yet.

How will we get out the driveway Mum? It ended up being Dad who shovelled us out.

Of course we had to build a snowman!

It might seem like a strange recipe to post after talking about the winter snow, but this beautiful salad is full of some of winters most wonderful produce and packs a huge nutritional punch in terms of goodness.

Let’s break it down;

Beetroots are high in fibre, have zero fat or cholesterol, are high in folic acid and help the liver in it’s detoxification process. The beautiful purple colour comes from a pigment known as betacyanin which helps to reduce the incidence of some forms of cancer. The leaves can be eaten too and are high in iron, calcium and Vitamins A and C.

Kale is high in fibre, water, calcium, iron, Vitamins C, A and K, many cancer preventing anti-oxidants, and potassium to help in managing blood pressure. It is best eaten very slightly steamed.

Oranges are a great immune boosting food due to their high Vitamin C content. They are also high in fibre, contain many anti-oxidants, some of which are essential for bone health and preventing osteoporosis. They are a source of carbohydrates and B Vitamins for energy.

Walnuts are full of omega-3 fatty acids which help lower bad cholesterol, help reduce the risk of breast cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes due to their high anti-oxidant levels. They contain melatonin which helps to improve sleep. They help lower blood pressure and contain lots of B vitamins.

Goats cheese is lower in fat and cholesterol than cheese made from cows milk and is more easily digested.

This salad takes minutes to throw together and can either be a meal on it’s own, or partner it with poached eggs, some chicken, beef or fish for a more complete meal.

These quantities will serve 2 as a meal in itself or 4 as an accompaniment.

Ingredients

1 orange, peeled and cut into thin segments

2 medium sized fresh beetroots (or a small tin of beetroot wedges if you are short on time)

2 stems of kale, leaves removed from stem and ripped into smaller pieces. Leave raw or lightly steam in the microwave for a minute or two.

a handful of lightly toasted walnuts

50gm goats cheese, crumbled

extra virgin olive oil to drizzle over the top

Method

If using fresh beetroots, preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius, wrap each beetroot in foil, place in oven and roast until soft when pierced with a fork. Cool slightly and using kitchen gloves (to keep your skin from turning purple!), peel skin away and cut beetroots into wedges.

Place all ingredients on a platter, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.