Salad Ideas

As a healthy eater, I get asked a lot, "Do you eat anything besides salads?" Yes, yes, I do. But I also DO eat A LOT of salads. I know they are very good for my skin, digestive system and overall health, but they can get very boring. So, here are a few samples of the salads that my family and I eat.

Raw walnut taco salad has become one of our new favorites. Just process 2 c walnuts until they are small pieces, add in 3 green onions, 3 cloves of garlic, 1/2 bell pepper, juice of 1 lime, 1 T chili powder, 1 T cumin and 1 t oregano. Pulse until combined. I serve it with guacamole or cashew ranch.

Leftover falafel is amazing on top of a salad. Served with cashew ranch and lemon marinated cucumbers and tomatoes.

    

Black beans, lime juice, tortilla chips and spicy cashew ranch give a regular salad some kick.

There is nothing wrong with some pretty greens, colorful veggies and your favorite dressing.

Italian Pasta Salad, my favorite to take to parties.

Red potato salad with Cashew Aioli, capers, white beans, spinach, arugula and red bell peppers is a family favorite. 

Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

My husband is in love with spicy food. He puts jalapenos on almost everything. So needless to say, he is always asking for dinners with a little more kick. These buffalo cauliflower bites are one of his favorite things, seriously, he asks me to make them daily weekly. I'd like to say these are healthy, but the cauliflower really doesn't rule out the high salt content, so we limit how many of these we eat. 

You could definitely lower the heat factor of the sauce by adding in some coconut oil or vegan margarine. I love serving the bites with some cashew ranch and organic celery.

After cutting up the cauliflower, you'll thoroughly cover them in a simple batter and then bake the pieces.

You'll need:

1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces
1 c flour (whole wheat, brown rice, chickpea, etc)
3/4 c nut milk or water (I use cashew milk)
2 t garlic powder
1 c cayenne based hot sauce

Let's get started!

Preheat your oven to 425F. In a medium sized bowl, mix the flour, nut milk and garlic powder together. Dredge each piece of cauliflower in the batter and lay on a sheet pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned, and let them cool for 5 minutes. Add all of the pieces to a large bowl and then pour hot sauce on top. Gently mix the cauliflower around until all are covered with sauce. Pour the cauliflower back onto the sheet pan and bake for an additional 5 minutes.