EASY TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE PASTA SALAD WITH BEETS, GREENS, EGGS, TOMATOES, OLIVES AND ITALIAN DRESSING

Serves 1-2

1 cup brown rice pasta

2 yellow beets, peeled and cubed into bite size pieces

3-4 eggs

3 cups of greens, I used beets tops, dino kale and green kale

2 tomatoes, chopped small

1/2 cup antipasto (olives, bocconcini cheese, roasted red pepper)

1 shot glass of raw sunflower seeds

2 tablespoon lemon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra Virgin olive oil

1 large clove garlic or 2 small chopped small

Italian herb seasoning, salt, pepper

Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Salt the water and add pasta. Bring water back up to a boil and time the pasta. When the pasta is three minutes from being done add the beets and cook for three minutes. Take off the heat and use a slotted spoon to remove pasta and beets into a colander and keep the water. Let pasta and beets cool and return water to medium heat. Add eggs and bring back up to a boil. When water starts to boil again remove from heat, add greens, cover and let it sit, time 7-8 minutes. While the eggs are cooking put pasta and beet mixture in to a big bowl and put in the fridge to cool. After the time is up strain green and eggs into the colander. Run cold water over the eggs. Let cool for a few minutes. Remove the eggs, peel them, chop them and put them into the pasta salad. Now pick up the greens and give them a squeeze to remove excess water. Add the greens to pasta bowl with antipasto, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. Add fresh italian herbs or a couple big piches of dried seasoning, salt and fresh cracked pepper. I ate half and put the rest in the fridge for lunch tomorrow.

** I like my eggs boiled medium so that the yolk is still a bit soft and makes a nice and light creamy egg yolk sauce over the pasta. Add eggs, bring water to a boil, remove from heat and cover. Do not boil the eggs, this will over cook them and cause them to be rubbery. For large eggs let sit in hot water for 7-8 minutes, that will get them medium. For a firm center leave them in for 10 mins. Always run cool water over them to stop the cooking.

• Garden beet is very low in calories (provide only 45 kcal/100 g), and contain zero cholesterol and small amount of fat. Its nutrition benefits come particularly from fiber, vitamins, minerals, and unique plant derived anti-oxidants.

• The root is rich source of phytochemical compound, glycine betaine. Betaine has the property of lowering homocysteine levels within the blood. Homocysteine, one of highly toxic metabolite, promotes platelet clot as well as atherosclerotic-plaque formation, which, otherwise, can be harmful to blood vessels. High levels of homocysteine in the blood result in the development of coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and peripheral vascular diseases.
• Raw beets are an excellent source of folates. It contains about 109 µg/100 g of this vitamin(Provides 27% of RDA). However, extensive cooking may significantly deplete its level in food. Folates are necessary for DNA synthesis within the cells. 
• Fresh tubers contain small amounts of vitamin-C; however, its top greens are rather excellent sources of this vitamin. 100 g of beet greens provide 30 mg or 50% of RDA. Vitamin C is one of the powerful natural antioxidants, which helps the human body scavenge deleterious free radicals one of the reasons for cancer development.
• Additionally, the top greens are an excellent source of carotenoids, flavonoid anti-oxidants, and vitamin A; contain these compounds several times more than that of in the roots. Vitamin A is required maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin and is essential for vision. Consumption of natural vegetables rich in flavonoids helps to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.
• The root is also rich source of B-complex vitamins such as niacin (B-3), pantothenic acid (B-5), pyridoxine (B-6) and minerals such as iron, manganese, copper, and magnesium.
• Further, the root indeed has very good levels of potassium. 100 g fresh root has 325 mg of potassium or 7% of daily requirements. Potassium lowers heart rate and regulates metabolism inside the cells by countering detrimental effects of sodium.