Summertime Salads.

Salads are possibly the easiest, freshest meal you can make in the summertime. 

I like to break down my salads into 5 main sections to ensure a good nutritional balance:

1) Greens: I like to use either spring mix, spinach or kale... I stay away from iceberg lettuce because I like to boost up the nutrition content in my meals (Vitamins, YAY)

2) Protein/Grain: Quinoa, brown rice or any kind of bean (black, white, chickpea) are all good options for this part.

3) Healthy Fats/Oils: To make sure I have a balance I always make sure to either add half an avocado or 1 tbsp of olive oil (usually included in the salad dressing)

5) Fruit/Veg: I find that adding some sort of fruit really balances out the taste of the salad. If you don't like the salty and sweet mix, that is fine too. Some good options are strawberries, blue berries, figs, cucumber, bell peppers or chopped apple/pear.

6) Seeds: I will always top my salads with some sort of seed. Usually I pick between flax seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and hemp hearts. 

For Dressings, I like to make my own dressings. Partly because I am obsessed with my blender and partly because I like to know what ingredients go into my meals. Below are some of my die hard favourites.

Creamy Garlic

• 1/2 cup cashews (soaked over night, or for a few hours until soft)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 1/2-3/4 cup of water
• 1 tbsp agave
• 1 1/2 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp onion powder

* to make this dressing just blend all the ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth *

Raw Vegan Caesar (nut free)

• 2 cloves of garlic crushed or minced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp of dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt and pepper

* to make this dressing simply add all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until combined *

 MY FAVOURITE DRESSING

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp tamari *gluten free soy sauce, can be found in health food stores/bulk barn*
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1tbsp tahini (ground sesame seed)

* this dressing is for kale salad, massage the olive oil into the kale for 2 minutes, add the rest on top and then toss the salad *

ENJOY YOUR SALAD MAKING :)

Nicolina.