If you follow me on social media, you know that I’ve been struggling with COVID over the last couple of weeks. I experienced awful brain fog, significantly decreased energy, and more. One of the practices that helped me heal quickly was loading my daily diet with nutrient-dense meals like salads. There are a few summer salads that I have been addicted to lately, so it wasn’t hard to up my intake in an effort to boost my immunity. Check out these three recipes if you are hoping to strengthen your immune system or simply want to add some unique and easy-to-make summer salads to your weekly menu. I have also included my favorite healthy dressings to accompany each salad.
1. Greek Pumfu Salad
Recipe Courtesy of Chef Anne Thornton
This Greek Pumfu Salad is one of the most popular dishes on our delivered S.O.U.P. Cleanse. And I’ve been making this pumpkin tofu feta for myself non-stop because it’s out-of-this-world delicious and contains prebiotic compounds that help to feed our beneficial gut microbes. I love pairing it with any salad, but especially a delicious Greek option like this one, because it adds the ideal complimentary flavors and texture. The Citrus Vinaigrette pairs with it perfectly. I hope you love it as much as I do!
Ingredients:
Salad
3 cups butter lettuce
½ cup hearts of palm, sliced
½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup Persian cucumbers, diced
¾ cup of cooked chickpeas seasoned with garlic, cumin, and Herbamare
1/8 cup organic Kalamata olives, sliced
¼ cup of Pumfu
Garnish with Pumpkin seeds
Pumfu
1 8 oz package of pumpkin tofu
1 T white miso paste
2 T lemon juice
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 T olive oil
2 T of water
1 T nutritional yeast
½ tsp of dried oregano
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Directions:
Start by placing the pumfu on a paper towel with another paper towel on top, then put a heavy object on top to remove the excess water. Put the pumfu to the side and start preparing your marinade. Whisk together the miso, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, water, nutritional yeast, oregano, salt, and red pepper in a bowl.
Pour marinade over the pumfu, shake, and close the container. Shake the container so that the marinade can cover every piece. Place the pumfu feta in the fridge, and let marinate for a least 2 hours.
In a large bowl, combine the butter lettuce, hearts of palm, cherry tomatoes, olives, cucumber, olives, and seasoned chickpeas.
Once the salad is assembled top with pumfu, pumpkin seeds, and the citrus vinaigrette dressing.
Citrus Vinaigrette:
Ingredients:
zest and juice of two lemons
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/8 tsp Herbamare seasoning
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
Blend all ingredients together to emulsify. Season with salt to taste.
2. Summer Roasted Vegetable Lentil Salad
This Summer Roasted Vegetable Lentil Salad is exactly what they had in mind when they came up with the phrase, “eat the rainbow.” The arugula is green because of the chlorophyll and other phytonutrients. The carrots are orange because of the powerful antioxidant beta carotene. The bell peppers have a red pigment because of the antioxidant capsanthin. And the squash is yellow as a result of the potent carotenoids. It really does not get any healthier than that! Plus, the French Vinaigrette is absolutely mouth-watering.
Ingredients:
2 cups of arugula
¾ cup of lentils mixed with raw red onion and raw carrots
½ cup zucchini, diced
½ cup yellow squash, diced
½ cup bell peppers, diced
2 T toasted pine nuts
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then cook your lentils as the packaging says. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper, then put your zucchini, squash, and bell peppers in the oven. Roast the vegetables for 20-25 minutes until they’re tender.
Once the lentils and vegetables are done cooking, set to the side and cool down before assembling your salad. Then mix together the red onion and carrots with the lentils.
In a large bowl, mix the arugula, lentils, roasted zucchini, squash, and bell peppers. Top with the toasted pine nuts and French vinaigrette. Enjoy!
French Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
1/2 shallot, minced
1/2 T Dijon mustard
Generous pinch of herbamare
2 T lemon juice
1-2 T red-wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix together the shallots, dijon mustard, salt, lemon juice, and red-wine vinegar. Whisk together to combine well. Slowly whisk in the olive oil then season with herbamare and pepper to taste.
3. Spring Pea & Asparagus Salad
If you are anything like me, you need a little crunch in your salad for it to be truly satisfying. Between the asparagus and snap peas, this Spring Pea & Asparagus Salad has the perfect crunch level for optimal gratification. This is a great one to prep ahead in jars for an easy, healthy lunch on the go. And I promise you, once you try the Tahini Dressing, you will never want to try another one.
Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus, blanched and cut into coins
2 cups snap peas, sliced in half lengthwise
3 cups of butter lettuce
1 cup pea tendrils or pea shoots
3/4 cup golden beets, spiralized
1/4 cup unsalted cashews
flaky sea salt
fresh-cracked black pepper
Directions:
Start by bringing 6 cups of water to a boil. Season with 2 tablespoons of salt, and add asparagus; boil until tender for about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with tongs, or drain in a colander, and immediately transfer to ice water for 1 minute to stop the cooking process. Cut the asparagus into coins and set to the side.
Slice the snap peas lengthwise and use a spiralizer for your beets. Set the beets on a paper towel to remove the excess water. In a bowl mix the asparagus, snap peas, lettuce, pea tendrils, and beets. Top with cashews, seas salt, and fresh pepper. Enjoy!
Tahini Dressing
Ingredients:
2 T tahini
2 T apple cider vinegar
2 T olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
Directions:
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the tahini, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Season to taste. Enjoy!
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Are you excited at the thought of adding summer salads like these ones into your diet but don’t have the time to make them yourself? I’m here to help. My S.O.U.P. Cleanse is full of nutrient-dense salads, soups, bars, tonics, supplements, and more and is delivered right to your front door. You can sign up for summer cleanse weeks now.
