Every Saturday, I spend the day with my daughter, Kaia, at our local farmer’s market. Although we have a few in our area, this one is my favorite. There are 2 wonderful organic farmers, raw cold pressed juice, an amazing organic food truck, young living essential oils, children’s books, and more! We always meet and hang out with friends, new and old. It’s become our favorite tradition together. Kaia usually picks out some flowers and hands them out to friends and strangers. This week, one of the local farmers and some beautiful strawberries, that really inspired me to make this salad! All of the ingredients, besides the nuts and seeds were grown and bought LOCALLY, and of course, organically! I love having that connection with my food, where I know exactly where it came from. It makes me feel so much more connected, and truly makes it taste better. Almost all of the ingredients for this salad were purchased from Inyoni Organic Farm, here in Naples, FL. They are at the Vanderbilt & Airport Farmers’ Market every saturday.
The first thing I always do, is wash my produce. I like to fill up the sink with water and all of my wonderful produce and use a little but of vinegar. You can also buy organic fruit and veggie wash. I always like to make my dressing first. For this salad, I decided to use my strawberries in 2 ways, so in addition to topping the salad with them, I made a delicious strawberry-oregano vinaigrette. I filled up my “bullet” attachment about half-way with strawberries, then added a good chunk of fresh oregano. Then I added about 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp of raw & local honey, and 2 tbsp olive oil, then a little pinch of salt and pepper. After blending, I added some water until it was the consitency that I wanted, about 2 tbsp. I blended again, until smooth, and put it aside in the fridge.
The most interesting item I came across this week was the kohlrabi (pictured below), which is a cruciferous veggie – closely related to broccoli.
I also decided to use the kohlrabi in two ways: I used the greens, in addition to arugula, escarole, and snap pea sprouts, as my “spring mix” salad base. I also used the root, by peeling it, then chopping it up into little matchsticks, and making it into a slaw, with celery, parsley, and the strawerry-oregano vinaigrette.
Now, that all the “hard” part was over, it was time to build my salad. I started with my greens mixture on the bottom, then added my kolhrabi slaw on top. On the sides, I alternated sliced strawberries and cucumbers to make a fun little design. Remember, to get creative, and always feel free to be artistic with food, because we really do eat with our eyes!
To really make this salad filling and have a full nutritional profile, I added pecans and hemp hearts on top. Pecans are a good source of good fat, protein, vitamin E, and so much more. Hemp hearts are a huge staple in my “almost vegan” household, because they provide a high amount of protein, and so much more. I sprinkle them on almost everything I eat!
Here is the full “recipe.” You’ll notice that I am not a traditional recipe writer. I don’t really like using too many exact measurements, because I like to inspire creative freedom, and honestly I don’t measure much of anything when I’m cooking. Be confident, and wing it!
Saturday Market Salad (makes about 5 salads)
For the Salad:
– Local/Seasonal Spring Mix (kohlrabi greens, arugula, snow pea sprouts, escarole – lightly chopped)
– 1 big handful of strawberries, sliced
– 1/2 of a cucumer, sliced
– 1/4 cup hemp hearts
– 1/4 cup pecans
For the dressing:
– 1 big handful of strawberries
– 4 sticks of oregano, leaves pulled from sticks
– 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
– 1 tbsp honey (raw& local)
– 2 tbsp olive oil
– about 2 tbsp water
– salt and pepper to taste
For the slaw:
– 3 kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and chopped into matchsticks
– 3 celery stalks, sliced into small strips
– 1 small bunch of parsley, loosely chopped
FIRST, wash all produce thoroughly.
For the dressing, combine all ingredients, besides the water in a blended or “bullet” attachment. After blending, add water until it reaches the desired consistency. I like to look for a smoothie-like texture. Then, set aside and make slaw, by combining kohlrabi, celery and parsley in a bowl. Then, toss in strawberry vinaigrette until fully coated, but not soupy. Then, build the salad starting with the mixed greens. Add the slaw, then top with sliced cucumbers and strawberries arranged together in a fun design. Then, add on the hemp hearts and pecans, and finish with a few drizzles of leftover strawberry vinaigrette. Enjoy!
Source: New feed
