Tagged with 'salad'

Planning and preparing your meals ahead of time is an important behavior for sticking to a healthy eating plan. Give this recipe a try!

Impress your family and guests with a delicious homemade salad and salad dressing you can feel really great about!

A crisp, crunchy salad that delivers a variety of flavors and textures. This one is satisfying for a light lunch or accompanying grilled eggplant and zucchinis as a delicious vegetarian dinner.

I LOVE this salad for so many reasons! Not only does a fresh, green salad always sound good this time of year, but preparation is quick, it doesn’t heat up the kitchen, it’s my quick “go-to” salad to keep in the refrigerator for busy days (hey, that’s every day!), the kale is so hearty it keeps for days in the fridge unlike lettuce based salads, it’s filling and satisfying, and the taste, of course, is delicious!

This salad is a unique blend of vegetables and is topped with roasted pumpkin seeds for a zesty crunch and cranberries for an added sweetness. It’s nutrient-dense (meaning, packed with vitamins and minerals) and contains several superfoods. You won’t be able to get enough.

Ingredients

• 10+ Kale leaves—I like making a big salad to have lots of leftovers, and I like to shred the kale in the food processor using the shredding disc blade. Any variety of kale tastes good. In fact, I often use 2-3 different types of kale when I make my salad. Choose organic kale if possible. It's #16 on the Environmental Working Group's guide to pesticides in produce.

• 4-5 large carrots, cut any way. I use the food processor's shredding disc blade.

• ¼ head red cabbage, cut into thin strips

• ¼ head green cabbage, cut into thin strips

• 5-6 Brussels sprouts, uncooked, cut crosswise into thin rounds

• Raw Sunflower Seeds (no shell) or Raw Pepitas (No shell pumpkin seeds), amount is to taste. Something like these Go Nuts Pistachios and Pepitas would also add a pop of flavor.

• Dried cranberries, amount is to taste

• Salad dressing of choice. I like to add a homemade balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing.

Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing—makes 1 pint

• 1 1/3 cup Live Superfoods organic raw extra virgin olive oil

• 1 cup Bariani balsamic vinegar

• 4 cloves garlic - minced

• 4 Tbsp. parsley, dried

• 4 tsp basil, dried

• 4 tsp minced onion, dried

• 2 tsp Live Superfoods Himalayan fine salt

Combine everything in a glass pint jar. Screw on lid and shake well. Stores at room temperature for up to one month. Shake before serving.

Instructions

Put all the salad ingredients in a bowl and toss. Add your favorite dressing and enjoy!

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist