Nutrient-Rich Salad with Homemade Greek Feta Dressing

No-guilt salad and dressing made with mostly organic ingredients that will surely meet your daily intake of vitamins and minerals. 

I know I have been posting sweets and hearty dishes lately, so it’s time for some serious healthy eats y’all. Thanksgiving is just around the corner. So, I want to eat lighter meals until then. It would be a good excuse to use the vegetables in the fridge while they are still fresh.

This is what I had for lunch yesterday.  This gorgeous salad is as good as it looks; not to mention packed with protein, iron, B vitamins, and rich source of dietary fiber, calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, vitamin K, folate, omega-3 fatty acid, phosphorus, niacin, chlorophyll, and enzymes.

It’s made with organic kale, organic microgreens, organic crisp apple, organic black beans, organic lentils, walnuts, dried cranberries, tri-color organic tomatoes and roasted garlic cloves to the side. A delicious way to get some greens that makes you feel good inside. It’s drizzled with my very own no-guilt, creamy, tangy and delicious Greek yogurt dressing also made with mostly organic ingredients.

The most interesting ingredient in this gorgeous salad is the microgreens.   Microgreens are young seedlings of green leafy vegetables or herbs that are harvested less than 2 weeks after germination. Others called them sprouts. They’re maybe tiny but they’re packed with health-promoting nutrients. Researchers concluded that sprouts are the richest sources of vitamins, minerals and trace minerals that are beneficial to our body, especially enzymes and chlorophyll.  Enzymes are known to help aid digestions and chlorophyll has beneficial effects towards various medical conditions such as cancer, insomnia, dental ailments, etc.  Pretty powerful little leafy greens, don’t you think?

Although, I used organic kale in this recipe, you can never know if you are ingesting bacteria when eating raw vegetables, especially leafy veggies. When it comes to consuming leafy green vegetables, I always choose organic as long as our budget allows.  Washing it in warm water is unsatisfactory, so I blanched the kale by immersing it in boiling water just until wilted (about 5 seconds) and immediately scooped the leaves out with slotted spatula and immersed them in cold water to prevent the leaves from cooking further. I do this just to ensure any microorganisms hiding in those curly leaves are  destroyed.  However, you can choose to eat it raw if you prefer.  Just wash well in warm water.

Be good to yourself. Make this salad and jazz it up with the delicious, creamy,tangy,  homemade, no-guilt dressing. 😀

For the salad:

• A handful of sliced organic kale (2 leaves), blanched or raw
• a handful of organic microgreens or sprouts
• 1/2 of organic mini (or bite-size) organic apple, diced
• 2 Tablespoonful cooked lentils (or as much as you want)
• 2 Tablespoonful cooked black beans (or as much as you want)
• 4-5 tri-color organic grape tomatoes, halves
• 2 Tablespoonful shelled roasted walnuts
• 1 Tablespoonful dried cherries
• 1-2 Tablespoons crumbled Feta cheese or goat cheese
• roasted garlic cloves (as much as you want)
• a pinch of organic  flax seeds
• a pinch of organic chia seeds

Layer and spread the blanched kale on a plate then add the beans, lentils, apples, tomatoes, roasted walnuts, and dried cherries on top (of the kale). You can put the roasted garlic cloves to the side if you prefer or add them in. Sprinkle with chia and flax seeds. Drizzle with the Greek yogurt feta dressing.

Greek Feta Dressing:

• 1 serving (5.3 oz./80 calories) organic plain non-fat or low-fat or regular Greek yogurt
• 1/3 teaspoonful Mrs. Dash Original spice
• 1/3 teaspoonful organic flax seeds
• 1/4 teaspoonful organic chia seeds
• 1 Tablespoonful crumbled Feta cheese or goat cheese
• Juice from 2-3 wedges of fresh orange*
• 1/2 teaspoonful honey
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk to incorporate.  Jazz up your salad by drizzling it on top.  Add more feta or goat cheese if you prefer.  Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time.  Have a blessed day! 🙂

~Anna

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