The Down-to-Earth Bowl

 

The down-to earth bowl is an explosion of flavors and textures that make up an incredibly balanced salad. Each bite provides a happy and wholesome combination of flavors married together by an irresistible, fresh dressing.The concept behind the down-to-earth bowl, is that  firstly, it is 100% customizable and secondly that it has at least one ingredient from each of the following categories:

• Green, leafy vegetables (lettuce, spinach, kale…)
• Beans, legumes or pulses (Garbanzo, black beans, lentils)
• Root vegetables (Raw carrot, beets…)
• Nuts
• Seeds

For my favorite combination: Makes 1 large salad bowl

• 1 cup of organic, baby romaine lettuce
• A bunch of pea shoots
• 1 carrot, sliced into rounds
• 1/2 an apple, cut into small cubes
• 1/4 of a cup of marinated garbanzo beans
• 1 tbsp of raisins
• 1 tbsp flaked almonds
• 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 1 tbsp of flax seeds

For the dressing:

• Extra virgin olive oil/apple cider vinegar in the ratio of 2:1
• 1 clove of garlic (crushed)
• 1/2 tsp of orange zest
• 1 tsp of honey
• A pinch of salt/ground black pepper

The only real preparation here is the very quick marinade for the garbanzo beans. I didn’t write down the ingredients but they are ingredients most people have on hand. Pour desired amount of beans into a bowl. Cover with a little extra virgin olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, 1 clove of garlic (crushed), a pinch of salt and dried thyme. Let this sit for at least half an hour, or int he fridge over night.

I make all of my dressings in jars. It’s a great way to mix all of the ingredients and store the dressing also. Add all of the ingredients to a jar with a screw lid. Shake well, taste and season to taste.

To construct the salad simply toss all of the prepared ingredients together. Sprinkle seeds on top and add dressing. Sit in a quiet place, with a good book and a cup of steaming hot herbal tea. Enjoy

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