Summer Salad Bowls

I bet you’ve seen these massive salad bowls going viral on social media lately. I have to admit, I wasn’t too sure what was the purpose of making SO, MUCH, SALAD at once. It took me one try to fall in love with the idea. It is easy, quick and healthy. You can change it up depending on the veggies you have on hand. It is great on it’s own or when used as a “vessel” for your barbecued chicken or steamed fish AND you have leftovers. I don’t know about you but I love me some leftovers. It’s always tastier on day two and you didn’t have to cook that day. Winning all around! This recipe is delicious, creamy and vegan!

THE SALAD

It’s simple. Here are some suggestions of what to put in it.

As the base of your salad, you can use :

• 4 cups of cooked quinoa (1 cup on uncooked quinoa will grow into 4 cooked cups)

• or 2 cups of cooked quinoa + 2 cups of chopped kale. Kale is perfect for these big salads since the leaves are thicker and won’t become wet and soggy.

• or 4 cups of chopped kale (Superfood that contains more vit C than oranges! Don’t forget to “massage” your kale as it is harder to digest raw)

Pick 4-5 ingredients and add them to your salad base!

• 1 cup of chopped raw broccoli

• 1 cup of roasted sweet potato cubes (Superfood!)

• 1 cup of legume of choice. I personally love to rehydrate dry legumes. It’s extra work, but that way, you know that your food has less preservatives and less salt.

• 1 cup of diced cucumber

• 1 cup of diced celery

• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes cut in half

• 1 cup of corn

• 1 cup of grated carrots

• 1 cup of fresh, cubed mango

• 1 cubed avocado

• 1 cup of roasted mushrooms

• 1 cup of purple cabbage

• 1/2 cup of minced raw red onion. Soaking the minced onion in cold water with a little bit of vinegar will take the “bite” out of the onion.

• 1/2 cup of feta cheese (dairy, would make the recipe vegetarian and not vegan)

• 1/2 cup of sliced almonds

• 1/2 cup of dried cranberries

• whatever you have in the fridge that needs to be eaten!

THE DRESSING

Now this is the best part! This is what makes this salad so darn delicious!

• 1/2 cup of raw, unsalted cashews. This is what makes your dressing '“creamy” and gives it some plant-based proteins.

• 1 full cup of fresh dill (the star of this dish!)

• 1/4 cup of lemon juice

• the zest of that lemon

• 1 tsp of dijon mustard

• 2-3 cloves of garlic

• 1/4 cup of avocado oil or olive oil

• 3 tbsp of water

• salt to taste

Put all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.

* You can switch things up and use cilantro and lime instead of dill and lemon. You’ll have yourself a completely different salad that is just as amazing!

In the biggest bowl you can find in your kitchen, mix the salad with the dressing and enjoy!

Kim

xoxo