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Recipe (Myth-free salad, filling and nutritious): Kale Cucumber Salad
 
Serves 2
 
Salad
 
4 cups kale, de-stemmed and torn into pieces
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup cooked beans of your choice (white beans, chickpeas, etc.)
1 cup cooked quinoa, divided
1 cucumber, sliced and divided

Cucumber Dill Dressing

½ cup tahini
½ lemon, juiced
2 tbsp dill
½ cup cucumber, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
½ tsp maple syrup
2 dashes salt
2 dashes black pepper
¼ tsp garlic, minced

Instructions
 
Add kale to a medium bowl along with the salt and lemon juice.  "Massage" the kale for five minutes until leaves are sweet, tender and bright green.  Add the olive oil and give it one more quick "massage."
 
Add all dressing ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until creamy. You may need to add water to thin. Add it slowly, a tbsp. at a time until desired thickness is reached.

Divide kale and remaining salad ingredients into two bowls.  Add dressing to salad and gently toss.
 
Serve & enjoy!

Tips:   For a bit of color, add red peppers or dried cranberries. Extra dressing can be stored in the fridge for a few days.  

Fresh Berry & Orange Salad (2 servings)
4 cups mixed salad greens
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup fresh strawberries
2 oranges sliced
1 avocado sliced
Sliced onions of your choice (green or red or both!)
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans or other nuts (sunflower seeds, almonds)
Orange Hemp Seed Dressing (see below)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper

​Directions:

1. Divide the lettuce into two large bowls.
2. Sprinkle the berries and sliced oranges between the two salad bowls.
3. Divide the chopped pecans between the two salad bowls.
4. Chop and divide avocado between the two bowls.
5. Drizzle each salad with the Orange Hemp Seed dressing.
6. Sprinkle the salt and pepper on and serve immediately.

Orange Hemp Seed Dressing
Makes about ¾ cup
 
½ cup hemp seeds
½ cup orange juice (fresh squeezed)
1 clove of garlic, peeled
dash salt and/or pepper
 
Blend all ingredients together until creamy.
 
Serve on top of your favorite salad and Enjoy!
 
Tip: You may substitute chopped walnuts or pine nuts for the hemp seeds for variety. 
May substitute mandarin oranges if you do not have access to fresh oranges.
 
Store extra in airtight container in the fridge.  Will keep for about a week.

With spring right around the corner, berries are starting to make their appearance in stores. While harvesting your own berries may still be a few months away, there are some great berries available now and you shouldn’t pass them up. Mangos are easy to find at this time of year too. A juicy mango that you can smell from across the room…that will get your mouth watering! Spring also means the arrival of fresh garden lettuce. Farmers markets and many grocery stores will be carrying some local greens to make your perfect salad and that is exactly what we will be making with this recipe. It is time for blueberries, it is time for mangos and it is always time for salad!


Goodbye to the citrus fruit of winter and welcome berries, one of the best signs of warm weather to come. Who doesn’t love the antioxidants that those little blueberries are packed with? In fact, blueberries are one of the highest antioxidant foods in the world, containing resveratrol, lutein, vitamin K, vitamin C, manganese…the list goes on! Rather than throwing a handful of berries onto the salad, this recipe utilizes the power packed fruit in an easy vinaigrette. You can make the vinaigrette a few days early and keep it for up to a week – it goes great on almost any salad!