Pad Thai salad with fried tofu and locally brewed kombucha
Contributor: Jillian Morgan, RD, LD, CDE
Photograph by Sarah Alsati
Roper St. Francis Healthcare affiliated dietitian Jillian Morgan recently grabbed lunch from Gnome Café, a downtown diner that offers flavorful plant-based breakfast and lunch dishes for dine-in or to-go.
- “The pad Thai salad is an explosion of vegetables and flavors,” says Morgan. “It has a ton of veggies—which translates to a wide variety of nutrients—including red bell peppers, broccoli, carrots and spiralized zucchini.”
- More than three cups of kale form the base of this salad. “Kale is dense and high in fiber, with approximately 1.5g per cup,” she says, noting that the recommended daily intake of the micronutrient is between 25 and 30g.
- The salad is topped with slivered almonds, avocado and peanut dressing, each of which adds healthy unsaturated fats, helping to make the meal more satiating. “Fat is the most filling macronutrient because it takes the longest to digest,” Morgan explains.
- “I added fried tofu as I worried the meal wouldn’t be filling without an extra source of protein … but I was wrong! In fact, the salad was so large I saved half of it for later,” says Morgan.
- To sip, she ordered a bottle of kombucha by local biz One Love Kombucha. “Kombucha is a fermented beverage made with a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) and sweetened black or green tea. It’s often flavored with fruit and herbs, and it promotes good gut health,” Morgan explains.
Gnome Café
109 President St., Charleston
(843) 793-4931
gnomecafe.com
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