Carrots and Sun-Dried Tomatoes Salad

I’ll be honest, after being diagnosed with IBS, carrots and zucchini have become my go-to veggies. I have discovered that they are incredibly versatile and low-FODMAP and as a result, I learned to use these veggies for cooking soups, side dishes, and even heartwarming cakes.

Today it happened to be one of those sad-empty-fridge days. Consequently, I had to use the limited amount of ingredients in my pantry to make up a dish that could make my gut and stomach happy.

After staring at the ingredients in my fridge...and the ingredients staring right back at me, I then ended up holding a bottle of air-tight sun-dried tomatoes, an amazing gift that came directly from Sicily. I have been saving this for a grand occasion, and I hence felt this was that moment. I finally began to envision my colorful salad as an easy side dish to my protein, adding carrots as a splash of color as a base. Besides, it’s perfect for the GRAM too!

Preparing it just takes a few minutes. Furthermore, the sun-dried tomatoes will add a taste of Sicilian summer that every guest will love (ergo, the idea of a sad diet that they think you have to follow will certainly be erased!).

Along with the seeds that will add some glorious texture and crunchiness, I also added some radicchio (red chicory) that primarily grows in wintertime. That is to say, I try to go as seasonal as I can, cheaper, tastier, and most importantly, environmentally friendly!

The specific one I used is called "Radicchio di Treviso," probably hard to find in the States. However, it can be substituted with any other kind of leafy vegetable that your gut can tolerate. Moreover, to add a bit of a kick to that whole party on your palate, I would add some red onion if it's tolerated.

My previous boss (a really cool celebrity chef!) gave me some precious advice: While you prepare the other ingredients, soak the raw onion in some iced water for about 10 minutes. Thus, this will remove the extra acidity and will leave it super crunchy!

Makes: 2 servings
Serving Size: Half mixture
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes

Ingredients for carrots and sun-dried tomato salad:

• 4 carrots
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes
• a cup of shredded radicchio
• 1 tbsp of pumpkin seeds
• 1 tbsp of sunflower seeds
• A pinch of salt
• A pinch of pepper
• 2 tbsp of olive oil

Optional: 1/8 of raw sliced red onion

Directions for carrots and sun-dried tomato salad:

1. Peel the carrots, then shred them and put them in your favorite bowl
2. Sun-dried tomatoes are a little harsh to bite, therefore it’s better to chop them in thin strips. Use a chopping board and a sharp knife.
3. Soak the radicchio in very cold water for some time (the leaves will revive), so dry it and chop it
4. Cut the onion in thin slices and add it to the bowl
5. Mix all the veggies together
6. Add the pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds
7. Finish with the dressing