Isn’t nature beautiful?

One of the amazing things about the connection between humans and nature is that human beings have color vision, so we’re able to see the range of beautiful colors of ripe fruits and vegetables. Not only does this help us pick out foods that are ripe, but choose things high in various phytonutrients and that help keep us healthy. Each of these colors comes from plant pigments which are potent antioxidants. Here’s the run down on many of the major plant pigments:

Red

Lycopene reduces the risk for breast and prostate cancers and boosts heart, brain, eye, and bone health.

Orange

Beta-carotene fights cancer, reduces inflammation, supports the immune system, and boosts vision.

Yellow

Vitamin C and flavonoids boost the immune system, reduce inflammation, inhibit tumor cell growth, and detoxify harmful substances.

Light Green

Indoles and lutein eliminate excess estrogen and carcinogens and support eye health.

Dark Green

Calcium strengthens the bones and muscles and boosts heart health.

Blue & Purple

Anthocyanins destroy free radicals, reduce inflammation, and boost brain health. Resveratrol boosts heart and brain health and may decrease estrogen production.

Eat the Rainbow

So these pigments, these powerful antioxidants, are why we hear, “Eat the Rainbow.” By eating at least one serving of each color every day, we’re filling our bodies with nature’s goodness, from a farmacy rather than a pharmacy!

Ingredients for Rainbow Salad Rolls: Spring Greens, Arugula, Spinach, Red Cabbage, Red Bell Pepper, Carrots, Parsnips/Rutabaga and Green Zucchini

Not only does a rainbow of fruits and vegetables give you antioxidants and phytonutrients, but all of these foods are full of fiber. We should eat at least 40 grams a fiber per day…most Americans consume only 10-15 grams. Meat, dairy, seafood, and eggs don’t contain ANY fiber at all, and most processed foods have been stripped of beneficial fiber. A serving of fruit (like an average apple or banana) gives 3 grams, a cup of veggies 4 grams (except lettuce, which is only 2 grams). Adding a big salad, fruit as snacks or dessert, make a big, delicious impact on fiber and antioxidants. Fiber makes our gut microbiome happy, makes us feel full with less calories, and pulls fat and cholesterol out of our bodies as it moves through the intestinal tract so it can be, um, eliminated!

Sometimes All you Need is a Little Special Sauce…

My Peanut Sauce goes great with Rainbow Salad Rolls!

I find that many people will eat a lot more veggies, without even realizing it, if there’s a delicious sauce or dip. One of my favorites is a very versatile Thai-inspired peanut sauce. It’s super easy to make and you can use other types of nut or seed butters if you don’t want to use peanut butter. It’s delicious with sunflower seed and cashew butters! And kids love this sauce.

The recipe is below, but here are a couple of our favorite ways to use this sauce.

Rainbow Salad Rolls

Rainbow Salad Rolls

You can use any vegetable you love in these. Here’s the link to the Rainbow Salad Roll recipe. I like to pick a full spectrum of colors for ours. In these rolls I used:

• Purple: Shaved Red Cabbage
• Red: Julienne Red Bell Pepper
• Orange: Julienne Carrots
• Yellow: Spiralized Parsnips and Rutabaga
• Green: Flat Spiralized Zucchini, Spring Greens, Arugula, Spinach, Basil, Cilantro, and Mint

I use my Spirulizer to cut the parsnips, rutabaga, and zucchini, the Titan peeler Julienne Tool for the long julienne of carrot, and the Borner V Slicer/Mandolin to cut the cabbage and red bell pepper. These tools make fast work of cutting the vegetables and make them beautiful to eat!

I love these Brown Rice Wrappers from StarAniseFoods. They have a little green tea in them too.

These are my favorite wrappers.

You just dunk the individual wrapper in warm water until it softens, remove to a plate, fill, and roll!

Dunk the hard wrapper in warm water for a few seconds until soft.

Layer on your veggies and roll like a burrito!

Don’t worry if your wrapper tears, you can simply wrap again with another prepared wrapper.

Grain and Veggie Crunchy Thai Rainbow Salad

Add some cooled cooked grains, like this quinoa, to your prepared veggies.

If you don’t want to go to all the trouble of wrapping into a salad roll, just make a beautiful Crunchy Thai Rainbow Salad! Dump all those gloriously prepared veggies into a big bowl, add some cooked grains of your choosing, and toss. Pour out onto a platter, sprinkle with sesame seeds (I love black sesame seeds) and drizzle with dressing. This is a big crowd pleaser! It’s perfect for parties and picnics.

Who wouldn’t want to dig in to this Crunchy Thai Rainbow Salad?

So try this sauce and see if it helps you and your family eat the rainbow! You don’t have to make salad rolls or a big salad, you can simply use it to dip and dunk your favorite vegetables in.

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5 from 5 votes

Trimazing Peanut Sauce

This sauce is easy and so delicious! Plus it's extremely versatile. Use it as a dipping sauce for crudités veggies or Salad Rolls, on a Thai-inspired Salad, on Pasta full of colorful veggies, or turn plain tofu, tempeh, or wedges of Jackfruit into Peanut Satay.

Course Spreads, Dips, Sauces, and Dressings

Cuisine Asian, Gluten-Free, Kids

Keyword dates, Peanut, Rice Vinegar, Sriracha

Servings 8

Calories 220.8kcal

Author Cindy Thompson, MS, NBC-HWC | Trimazing! Health & Lifestyle Coaching

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp grated fresh ginger or ½ tsp dried ginger
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or 1 tsp garlic granules
• 1 cup peanut butter, creamy or chunky or other nut or seed butter of choice
• ¾ cup tamari or soy sauce
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• ¼ cup date paste or maple syrup
• ½ cup water
• 2 tsp chili-garlic sauce or Sriracha sauce optional

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat until combined and thickened and use as desired. Add more water if sauce gets too thick.

Notes

This sauce freezes beautifully! Make extra and store in the freezer for a fast, flavorful meal anytime.

Yields: 2½ cups.

Nutrition

Calories: 220.8kcal | Carbohydrates: 11.8g | Protein: 10.6g | Fat: 16.3g | Saturated Fat: 3.4g | Sodium: 1390.9mg | Potassium: 300.4mg | Fiber: 2.5g | Sugar: 6.3g | Vitamin A: 2.2IU | Vitamin C: 1.3mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1.2mg