Salad: It's what's for lunch

SALAD

(photo source)

Is this what comes to mind??

Iceburg lettuce?

Guess what? Salad doesn't have to be boring! We eat salad everyday for lunch at home. Look at some of ours:

(Topped with salsa, avocado, and corn!)

(fire roasted corn and fennel!)

(watermelon radish!)

(topped with hummus!)

(marinated tempeh, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds!)

(lots of sprouts!)

Pretty colorful, no? I'm going to list suggestions of what you can put in your salad and what kinds of toppings to add, as well as where to find some great salad dressings!

HOW TO MAKE A DELICIOUS AND HEALTHY SALAD:

First, get out a BIG bowl!

Salad greens (don't just use one!):

Romaine lettuce

Arugula (a bit spicy)

Swiss Chard (try rainbow for color)

Kale-all kinds (can be a bit bitter or tough, depending on the type)

Any other lettuce types (find different types here)

Mizuna (a bit spicy)

Additional vegetables:

Carrots

Celery

Cucumber

Tomatoes

Bell peppers (all colors)

Radish (I love watermelon radish! Try Daikon radish for a milder flavor)

Onions

More unusual additions:

Cooked OR raw beets (adds sweetness)

Corn (I like fire-roasted, but raw is delicious too)

Sprouts (any kind, you can grow your own)

Fennel (has a licorice flavor)

Roasted red peppers

Broccoli florets (bite sized)

Cauliflower (try purple cauliflower for color!)

Olives

Capers

Hearts of Palm (sliced)

Toppings for additional flavor/protein/crunch:

Cubed tempeh (I like to marinate mine in a chili sauce overnight)

Cubed tofu

Black beans

Garbanzo beans
Edamame (soybeans)

Pumpkin seeds

Sunflower seeds (I use raw)

Avocado

Grains (add a scoop)-

     Brown rice

     Quinoa

     Millet (nutty flavor)

My favorite dressing: A big scoop of hummus on top of the salad, topped with red wine vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Mix it all into your salad!

Other "dressings":

One scoop of hummus mixed with one scoop of guacamole or mashed avocado

For a Mexican style salad, top with salsa, black beans, and corn, with chopped raw hot pepper!

Massage some avocado and lemon juice into your salad, add cayenne for a kick

Try a new vinegar: fig, balsamic, red wine, apple cider, raspberry!!!

A few places to find tasty dressing recipes:

Healthy.Happy.Life.

Raw Vegan Power

Choosing Raw

Healthy Girl's Kitchen

Forks Over Knives book has great dressings

Here's a super easy salad recipe for you:

Quinoa Salad

3-4 cups cooked quinoa (I used red, but any will do)
1/2 avocado
1/2 cucumber, chopped
2 small tomatoes, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
Juice from 1 lemon (or to taste)
Salt/Pepper to taste
Garnish with fresh parsley (optional)

Mix quinoa with vegetables. Add avocado and lemon juice and stir it in well, so the avocado is mashed up. Add salt/pepper. Top with parsley, if using. 

Now go make an amazing salad!! What do you love to put in YOUR salads??

Eat smart,

T.

Avocado dressing

AVOCADO!!! It's a good fat!

Are you bored with your salads? I admit that sometimes I just don't want a salad.....same thing every time. But it doesn't have to be. These days I eat a salad for lunch almost everyday. Here are a few awesome ingredient ideas for your salads:

Replace your lettuce with arugula, kale, spinach, or a nice red leaf lettuce.

Add raw beets or roasted red peppers for sweetness and color.

Add avocado!

Orange/tangerine/grapefruit wedges? (not my thing, but a lot of people like it)

Beans....garbanzo (chickpeas), black beans, lima beans.

Corn, tomatoes, and black beans added make for a nice Mexican style salad!

Sprinkle hemp seeds or raw sunflower seeds on top.

Sprouts....go crazy! Lentil sprouts, broccoli sprouts, clover sprouts...or just plain alfalfa.

and of course.....chopped broccoli, celery, and cucumbers :)

Salad doesn't need to be plain. And to top it off, try a fresh new dressing! Some of my favorites are in the original Forks Over Knives book. My favorite is the OJ Hummus dressing.

Or just top your salad with hummus....or guacamole! Delicious and good for you.

Try this one:

Fresh Avocado Dressing:

1 Hass Avocado

juice of 1/2-1 lemon (depending how lemony you like it)

1 tbsp Creole seasoning (or salt and cayenne pepper)

1/2 cup+  water

optional: handful of basil leaves

Scoop out the avocado and put it in a blender or food processor. Add juice from 1/2 the lemon (to start) and the seasoning. Blend. Add the rest of the lemon juice if you want it more lemony. Add a little water at a time until you get your desired consistency. I like mine on the thick, yet pourable side. 

I've previously posted a slightly different version (but close!). You can find it on the recipes tab.

Coming up: More hummus ideas

                  Vegg reviews (a vegan egg yolk??)

You still have a few days to enter to win a FREE subscription to a magazine of your choice. Spread the word for extra entries (see post).

What are your favorite salad ingredients?

Eat smart,

T.

Good stuff I've been eating

Here are some of the items I've been eating this past week-

Roasted tomatoes....turned into a sauce (puree the roasted tomatoes, add minced garlic, basil or oregano  and onion powder...salt to taste, that's it!):

(served on spaghetti squash)

Barley "risotto" with spinach and tomatoes:

Steamed potatoes, mashed up. Mixed with steamed veggies (carrots, zucchini, peppers) with Sass Tex Mex Undressed dressing on top:

Whole wheat calzone filled with roasted tomatoes and spinach:

What have YOU been eating?

Eat smart,

T.

Robert Cheeke stuff

I recently ordered a t-shirt from Robert Cheeke while he was doing his "Black Friday" discounts and look at all the other free goodies he threw in! Besides the shirt, I got a grocery bag, a tank top, some Vega samples, and some cool brochures and stickers. That's just the cover of his book on the left (though I do have the actual book...see my post about it here). 

I'm not a bodybuilder, but I have been using the p90x workout program, so that's about as close as I'm going to get! I started round 2 of p90x about a week ago. The Classic version this time and plyo is killing me. Anyone have suggestions for good shoes to get for that? Lots of cushioning is needed. Right now I'm just using really old sneakers for my indoor workouts and they're pretty worn down on the bottom.

Onto other things....have you seen these salad dressings (Sass)? I found them at Whole Foods...plant based, low calorie, low fat....and tasty! Though I do need to pour a lot on......I guess it's ok though, because it's mostly vegetables :)

And how about this soup (Pacific)? I liked it a lot!

What awesome foods have you tried lately??

Eat smart, 

T.