Cooling Spring Super Salad with Avocado Dressing

Cooling Spring Super Salad

Makes 2 servings

Salads, and what you dress them with, are full of wonderful, nutritional ingredients that are vital to a healthy body. This recipe is a template, so feel free to be creative. It's also a chance to use up any leftover veggies you have in your fridge. If you don’t have exactly what’s on the list, improvise! You can also add some hard-boiled eggs, tuna, chicken, or tofu for an extra protein-kick! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

•   4-6 cups fresh salad greens like chard, red-leaf lettuce, spinach or romaine, mix it up!

•   1 small to medium handful of arugula or kale

•   1/2 avocado, peeled and diced (or use the whole avocado if you like!)

•   1/2 (or more) tomato, diced OR hand full chopped cherry tomatoes

•   1/2 medium cucumber, chopped into bite-size pieces

•   4 dandelion greens (optional)

•   handful of shredded red/green cabbage (about 1/2 cup)

•   1/2 carrot, chopped or grated

•   3-4 chopped fresh basil sprigs

•   4-5 chopped fresh cilantro sprigs

•   1 teaspoon hemp seeds (optional)

•   2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and/or almonds (eat the seeds and nuts raw or spread on a baking sheet and roast at 300 for just a few minutes, they toast fast so keep an eye on them)!

To Prepare:

Get a big salad bowl with lots of room. Add the lettuce, arugula, kale, avocado, tomato, and cucumber and whatever other veggies you’re playing with. Top with the dandelion greens, carrot shavings, and herbs. Sprinkle with the seeds and nuts. Lightly salt & pepper if you like.

Drizzle the dressing (ideas below) directly onto the salad and toss. And voila! Your super salad is ready for you.

Avocado dressing

•   1 large ripe avocado

•   1 garlic clove

•   1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes

•   2 tablespoon lime juice

•   2 teaspoon olive oil

•   1/2 cup water 

Place all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Adjust the amount of liquid to obtain nice creamy dressing. Enjoy!