How is it possible that when you order a salad at many restaurants, you end up eating more fat, calories and preservatives than if you’d just ordered the hamburger? Think salad dressing from the grocery store are any better? No way! Most salad dressing are filled with nastiness – so let’s make our own!
But first, let’s talk about how to make a real salad as your whole meal. It’s not just a few sad pieces of romaine lettuce with some croutons anymore!
Rainbow Salad
Salads are all about colour. Throw as many colours in there as possible. Start with a huge bowl because you know it’s going to grow outta control! To learn more about why ‘eating colour’ is so important, click here to read “Are You Eating Enough Colour?”
1/2 head of Red Leaf Lettuce
2 handfuls spinach
1/2 of red, orange and yellow peppers
15 chopped purple grapes
1/3 chopped cucumber
10 chopped cherry tomatoes
and any other colourful ingredients you like! Raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, celery, broccoli, cauliflower and sprouts!
Chunky Mango-Avocado Dream
Into a bowl, chop…
2 roma tomatoes
1 soft, ripe mango
1 soft, ripe avocado
1/2 red onion
Add a few pinches of salt and the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Stir it up and pour over your salad. Mmm!! This recipe can also be used as a dip for your vegetables or eaten with a spoon. So delicious!
Caesar Dressing
Soak 1/3 cup raw cashews for 30 minutes
Then add to blender with…
1/4 cup water
juice from 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 pinches salt
4 shakes pepper
1 tsp dijon mustard.
Blend and enjoy!
Raspberry Basil Drizzle
To a high speed blender, add…
1/2 cup raspberries (or strawberries)
2 pitted dates
6 leaves fresh basil
splash of water for blending
Vegan Cheesey Sauce
Soak 10 raw cashews for 10 minutes
Then add to blender with…
1 pitted date
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 large red bell pepper
3 tbsp nutritional yeast (Bragg’s is a good brand – find it at Health Food Store)
6 shakes cayenne pepper (more or less if you like it spicy or not!)
pinch salt
Blend this up and pour over your salad. It’s also a delicious dip for your veggies or if you make kale chips.
Easy Fruit Dressing
To a blender, add…
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup strawberries
2 pitted dates
juice of 1/2 lemon
pinch salt
Blend and pour over your rainbow salad.
Sesame Salad Dressing
To a blender, add…
1 tsp extra virgin coconut oil
1 tbsp of organic peanut or almond butter
2 tbsp hulled sesame seeds
splash water
Blend together and then add 1 tbsp of hulled sesame seeds before drizzling over your salad.
Jo-Anne Richardson has almost a decade of experience managing a chiropractic office and educating patients on how chiropractic can allow your body to express optimal health. She is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and holds a Degree in Communications. She loves to experiment with raw vegan recipes, loves to salsa dance, travel and learn new holistic health information to share tips with everyone who visits the office.
Blend this up and pour into a tall mug. It will taste somewhat tropical with the pineapple, so maybe add a fancy toothpick umbrella for added fun!
Then add your rainbow colours…