In the warmer months, our bodies crave for lighter foods . This is not accidental as nature has its way of resetting our bodies according to the season. In Ayurveda, Spring is the start of the ‘detox season.’ In contrast, we eat high fat and high protein foods in the winter to keep ourselves warm and nurtured. Fast forward to spring and summer and it’s clean up time. Ever wonder why Spring’s harvest brings us greens, sprouts, microgreens, berries and cherries? Read this article here by one of my favourite teachers at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Dr. John Douillard.
This is a Spring salad that my family has been enjoying recently. It consists of fruits and vegetables of the season which I find very refreshing. At this time, I’ve been trying to get away by not using oil in our dressings. The good fats from the avocado and walnuts are enough. Trust me, you will definitely not miss the olive oil that’s present in the dressings that we’re so accustomed to. I highly suggest organic strawberries as the conventional ones are on the dirty dozen+ list of produce high in pesticides. You can check the full list here. And by the way, this is also salt-free!
Spring Salad With Strawberry and Orange Dressing
Ingredients (Preferably Organic)
6-8 Romaine lettuce leaves, torn to bite-size pieces
2 handfuls of baby arugula or other greens of choice
1 handful of mixed microgreens (pea, sunflower, daikon radish and corn)
3-4 red radish, thinly sliced
20 organic strawberries
1/3 c. raw walnuts
1 avocado, sliced
2 tbsp. red onions, minced
Optional add-ins:
sulphite-free cranberries or
sulphite-free dried cherries or
dried golden berries
Dressing:
10-12 organic strawberries
juice of 1 medium orange
2 tbsp. lemon juice
a pinch of grated ginger (optional)
Method:
1. Wash the lettuce, spin dry and tear them into bite-size pieces. Also wash and prep the rest of the ingredients and place them in a salad bowl.
2. Juice the orange and lemon then put them with the strawberries in a blender and process until it becomes thick and smooth.
3. Mix the dressing into the salad just before serving. Enjoy!
Suggestions:
1. Feel free to substitute the lettuce, greens, sprouts and the berries with fresh produce available in your own area. I sometimes add mangoes in.
2. Another option for the dressing is using just oranges which you may have to increase accordingly so approximately 1 - 1 1/2 depending on their size. You also have the option of blending the oranges instead of juicing them. I sometimes do that if I happen not to have any fresh strawberries.