Your new go to salad when you're not too sure what you want for dinner at night, or if you need a make ahead lunch for a work or school day. A tip I want to share with you is that you can actually make double or triple the amounts of quinoa and lentils and freeze the extra. They honestly don't take long to make at all, but I have found that at times a frozen stash comes in handy. Plus, when you thaw them, you can add them to practically anything, and season them differently each time as well. These two ingredients are extremely versatile. I have even seen them in breakfasts, sweets, baked goods and breads, etc.
Quinoa / Did you know that it is actually a seed? But even though not technically a grain, it is still considered a “whole grain” food. There are several varieties of quinoa {red, black, and white}, and you can sometimes buy a "mixed" bag at the market, which gets you a mixture of the varying nutrient values in each. White is the most popular and commonly found variety found in stores. It is gluten-free, low on the glycemic index, high in fiber, antioxidants, and protein, containing all of the essential amino acids that we need. Click
here for more recipes with quinoa.
Lentils / Nutty and earthy in flavor, lentils are a great addition of nutrition into your diet. There are several varieties of lentils {green, red and brown}, with brown being the most commonly used. Lentils are low in cholesterol, are good source of protein, folate, and iron, and promote digestive health with their fiber content. Enjoy them in soups, salad, spreads, dips for vegetables, or even baked into sweet or savory goodies.
Arugula / Also known as Salad Rocket, arugula and its peppery-kick are the perfect flavor to fulfill that "umph" I am sometimes missing in my meals. Arugula is a rich source of phytochemicals, a great source of folic acid and Vitamins A and C, and is one of the best vegetable sources of Vitamin K. Arugula is great both raw and cooked. Plop it atop {vegan} pizzas, mix it into your salads, create an
arugula pesto with it, or even add it into your next soup.
I have been slacking on my greens lately, not going to lie! School has started, and adding this on top of my internship has caused me to have long days, away from the beloved kitchen. It has been lots of bananas, dates and dried figs for me, as these are most convenient for both calories and transportation. I finally had some time yesterday after work to whip up a salad, and this is what I came up with.
The star of this salad is the Tomato Jalapeño vinaigrette I used! It is raw, vegan, oil-free and salt-free! I sweetened it with a medjool date, used water instead of oil, and made sure I used a Raw & Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar.
Yay for vegan ceviche! I love love loved ceviche growing up, and it was actually always so tempting when my mom served it at family gatherings after going vegan. Ceviche is always a staple dish at our summer potlucks in my family, especially at our days by the pool. I honestly have no idea what the reason for this is, as my mom's side of the family is from the Philippines and it is not a dish traditional to their country, but everyone seems to now think of it as one. They make it with crab, fish, and sometimes even salmon. Every auntie of mine has a signature ceviche style that they alternate bringing. but my favorite was my mom's shrimp ceviche.
When I was at the 