Yummy Salad without Lettuce

Who says you must have lettuce to make salad?  I love making chopped salads with lots of flavorful ingredients and sometimes it’s nice to take a break from lettuce to concentrate on other veggies.  One of my favorite ingredients is cilantro. I LOVE cilantro. A few years ago I was in Morocco and in the markets there would be carts filled with cilantro…the aroma was intoxicating…okay, back to today’s salad…

Ingredients: avocado, cucumber, green onions, carrots, CILANTRO, black pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Simple and delicious.  Oh, I forgot that I added hemp seeds!  If you’ve never tried them, I highly recommend trying them out! I’ve never liked the smell of hemp-made products (you know, the clothes and random accessories) but last year I learned about the nutrients and health benefits of hemp seeds and I was sold to at least try them (I was a little nervous).  They are actually really good and so easy to add to any salad.  I also add them to my smoothies sometimes.

Take a chance and try something new!

Salad 101

I love salad and I never get bored with them.  I know I’m not normal when it comes to salad. I like to add all sorts of things in my salads and come up with different kinds of flavor combinations.  One of my favorite places to eat in NYC are the shops with “make your salad“. It’s not a buffet style.  Behind the counter they have all kinds of ingredients and you tell them what ones you want and they mix it up for you.  I think it’s better than a salad bar, maybe because they have more ingredients and they just seem more fresh and enticing.

I will share lots of different salad ideas with you and I hope you will be open to trying some of them on your own.

*It tasted better than it looks!

Yesterday I made a quick, simple and really healthy salad: arugula, walnuts, zucchini, cucumber, pumpkin seeds and a sprinkle of gorgonzola cheese (oil and balsamic vinegar). When you use high nutrient ingredients it’s easy for your body to feel satisfied and happy because it has what it needs to function well. Sure, a big bowl of pasta is filling but you don’t necessarily feel “good” after. 

I’ve been really tired lately and I realize that I need to focus more on highly nutrient foods.  Already I feel better and more energetic.  Yay!