Spicy Green Goddess Salad

Makes 4 servings.

6 cups mixed salad greens
1 red onion – thinly sliced

DRESSING
Makes 1 cup.

½ cup fresh arugula
½ cup fresh spinach
1 tsp anchovy paste
½ cup plain coconut yogurt
¼ avocado
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic – minced
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper


Add all dressing ingredients to a food processor. Pulse for three minutes until thoroughly combined.

Toss the dressing with the greens and onion. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Spicy Green Goddess Salad

Spicy Green Goddess Salad
Serves 4
Spicy arugula adds zip to this dairy-free green goddess dressing.
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
10 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. 6 cups mixed salad greens
  2. 1 red onion - thinly sliced
  3. DRESSING
  4. Makes 1 cup.
  5. ½ cup fresh arugula
  6. ½ cup fresh spinach
  7. 1 tsp anchovy paste
  8. ½ cup plain coconut yogurt
  9. ¼ avocado
1 tbsp lemon juice 
1 tsp garlic - minced 
¼ tsp salt
  10. ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
  1. Add all dressing ingredients to a food processor. Pulse for three minutes until thoroughly combined.
  2. Toss the dressing with the greens and onion. Serve immediately.
  3. Enjoy!
Sparkle Kitchen https://sparklekitchen.com/
Spicy Green Goddess Salad

Apple Fennel Salad

Potlucks are one of the great community builders. Never underestimate the power of food in drawing people together. This past Sunday the owners of my yoga studio hosted a potluck for all the volunteers. We sat around a long wood table in candlelight sharing stories, yoga experiences and food. Some of us had never met, yet by the end of the evening we were all good friends. There was a certain welcoming energy in the space that made everyone feel at ease.

The act of full participation, of the give and take exchange shows kindness and I think that’s the beauty of a potluck. Everyone feels included to partake on the same level. It’s also relatable. Food is the great commonality. We all have to eat and we all have opinions on food. The yoga studio is a place where health is valued and there is a general consensus of eating for nourishment. Our meal was abundantly green, with four different salads, three kinds of brussels sprouts and ample fresh fruit.

My contribution was this salad of baby kale, apple, carrot, fennel and golden raisins. I kept the dressing light and simple taking care not to overpower the natural flavors.

At the yoga studio, our community continues to grow. The studio owners plan to open the potlucks to all in the community later this summer and I’m looking forward to sharing more stories, making new friends and eating delicious food. 

Apple Fennel Salad

Apple Fennel Salad

Apple Fennel Salad

 

Apple Fennel Salad
Serves 6
Baby kale, apple, fennel and carrot with a lemon olive oil dressing.
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
15 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
15 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 Pink Lady apples - sliced
  2. 10 cups baby kale - loosely packed
  3. 3 cups carrots - chopped
  4. ½ cup fennel - thinly sliced or shaved with a peeler
  5. ½ cup golden raisins
  6. Lemon Dressing
  7. 4 tbsp lemon juice
  8. ½ tsp salt
  9. ¼ tsp onion powder
  10. ½ cup olive oil
Instructions
  1. Once everything is sliced and chopped, combine all in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle over the dressing and toss to coat evenly.
  2. For the dressing, combine the lemon, salt and onion then allow to sit a minute. Add in the oil, stirring to combine. I like to make my dressing in a mason jar so it’s easy to put a lid on it and save the extra.
Notes
  1. For shaved fennel, cut fennel bulb in half lengthwise. Beginning on the side of the fennel bulb, peel strips of fennel using a peeler.
Sparkle Kitchen https://sparklekitchen.com/
Apple Fennel Salad

Stacked Pear Salad

Stacked Pear Salad

Christmas came early this year. We had a pre-Christmas celebration with my family in south Florida last week. It was 75 degrees and clear, blue skies everyday. My body soaked up the sun, the humid sea salt air and the therapeutic beach sounds. The hubby and I were grateful to be out of the winter chill and have a peaceful place to relax.

I spent a few Christmases down there as a kid, yet it’s still odd to see palm trees decorated like candy canes. Going from the northeast to the tropics numbs the holiday spirit a bit. We managed to keep the Christmas music playing as a reminder that it’s still December. I was so disoriented until I heard “White Christmas” playing.

The highlight was our special Christmas dinner, surf and turf style. We stood in line for over an hour to buy the perfect lobster tails. The guy selling them had a solo operation in a parking lot. Fresh caught in the morning and selling it all by noon. Word spread fast that he had the freshest seafood in town and we were willing to wait.

It was just four of us for dinner so I wanted to make this Stacked Pear Salad for a showstopper dish. We needed a light salad to begin our heavy meal. The tangy dressing matches perfectly with the pear’s sweetness. I baked the pears slightly to soften them a bit. Otherwise, I think they’re too hard to enjoy. Everyone loved it and it may have stolen the spotlight from the lobsters.

Stacked Pear Salad
Stacked Pear Salad
Makes 4 servings.

4 ripe Bosc pears
2 cups arugula
½ cup sweet onion – thinly sliced
optional: ½ cup Maytag blue cheese or goat cheese

Red Wine Vinaigrette
3 tsp raw honey
2 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

►Combine all vinaigrette ingredients except the olive oil. Allow to sit for a minute. Then slowly drizzle in the olive oil and whisk together.

►Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
►Using a paring knife, core each pear from the bottom. Make sure to remove all seeds. You may need to cut a flat bottom to ensure the pear stands upright without falling. Slice each vertically into four sections. Then stack back together and place in a baking dish. Bake 7 minutes until just slightly soft.

►To assemble, place the bottom pear slice onto a salad plate. Top with arugula, onion and drizzle with dressing. Repeat until all sections are stacked. If you include cheese, you can use it like a glue to keep the sections together.
►Serve immediately.

Stacked Pear Salad