Essential Salad

Salad doesn't have to be a boring pile of lettuce and vegetables that you drown in dressing to make it edible. It can be a flavorful, delicious, and lightly filling meal that you actually find yourself craving. Sound too good to be true? Today I'm sharing how I make my simply delicious, essential vegan salad that I eat several times a week. This recipe is quick and easy, because anything that takes too long to prepare is a nightmare for me, especially when I'm already hungry. It's also highly customizable depending on your taste preferences at any time. Come find out how to get your vegetables in and enjoy it...

You can top your salad with as few...

or as many toppings as you want...

​There's so many possibilities! Any leftover cooked vegetables, grains, and proteins from the week can be easily used up by adding it to this salad as well. Give this recipe a try and see if you don't love how quickly you can whip it up.

Single-Serving Essential Salad

Ingredients:
-2-3 cups leafy green lettuce of choice (I like kale, romaine, or a mix of both)
-1 chopped medium size tomato or 5-10 chopped cherry or grape tomatoes
-half of 1 avocado, chopped
-2 tablespoons lemon juice
-pinch of salt
-pepper to taste (I like a lot)

Optional Topping Boosts: 
-2 tablespoons sunflower seeds (optional, I love the crunch and added iron)
-1 chopped Quorn vegan spicy chicken patty or 2 chopped Gardein 7 grain crispy chicken tenders
-1/4 cup quinoa
-lentil walnut taco "meat"
-vegan Mexican cheese sauce
-1/3 can (drained and rinsed) black beans, chickpeas or beans of choice, or 1/2 cup lentils
-small chopped piece of chicken or other lean meat (for non vegans/vegetarians)
-additional sprinkle of seasonings like garlic powder (not garlic salt), oregano, basil, or other spices of choice

These really turn the salad into a fully satiating meal.

Directions:
-Tear lettuce off stems and rip up into bite size pieces. Place in colander or salad spinner and rinse thoroughly or soak for a minute or 2. Pat lettuce dry with towel or paper towel, or spin dry if using salad spinner.

-Wash and chop tomato(es) and avocado, set aside. 

-Place lettuce in bowl, add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and massage into lettuce until wilted and decreased in size. The goal is for the lettuce not to be bushy anymore.

-Add chopped tomato(es) and avocado to lettuce. Add optional sunflower seeds and chopped Quorn, beans or other protein. Sprinkle pinch of salt, and add pepper to taste. Add any other desired seasonings. Lightly mix with fork, you don't want to mix too much or the heavier toppings will all fall to the bottom of the bowl. Enjoy!

I know some may cringe that this doesn't have the traditional, creamy dressing that you might be so accustomed to, but don't knock this 'til you try it. Give it a shot, I bet you'll be surprised by how good this is with just a few simple ingredients. Let me know what you think!