Once my friend from China shared her secret behind her zero size figure – ‘Jīng jìjié xìng chī’ That means ‘Eat Seasonally’, a basic mantra of Chinese Medicine. What could be a better season to enjoy salads other than Spring? The vegetables at farmer’s market looked so fresh and luscious, even I was tempted to try my hands on salad. I am not a salad person but I am proud of my creation 🙂 So simple and so yummy!
Ingredients –
a bunch of your favorite greens - lettuce, spinach, arugula 2-3 tangerines 1 medium cucumber 1 small avocado 1 medium beet - boiled, peeled and sliced (optional) 1/2 cup boiled red beans handful of chopped roasted walnuts handful of dried cranberries For Dressing - 1/4 cup fresh orange juice 3-4 springs of fresh cilantro or your fav herb black pepper a pinch of salt olive oil (optional)
Arugula and baby spinach are my favorites in salads. As you can notice, this is a salad with bold flavors; peppery and slightly bitter arugula, tangy and sweet tangerines, sweet beet roots, smooth avocado, creamy goat cheese and crunchy walnuts; all add a different dimension to the big bowl.
The amount of ingredients depend on how much salad you intent to prepare.
Wash the greens and chop roughly if necessary. Slice tangerines into pieces, dice cucumber and avocado into small pieces. Don’t forget to dress avocado with some lemon juice or orange juice immediately. Beet is optional and can be replace with carrots to balance the sweetness. Beans are also optional but they add protein boost to any salad. Mix all ingredients together except for cheese and walnuts.
In a separate bowl, prepare the dressings. I like to use juice from tangerines but fresh orange juice works equally well. Add some salt and black pepper and finely chopped cilantro or mint or any other mildly flavored herb. Add some olive oil, if you like. Toss it with the salad and garnish it with crumbled feta / goat cheese and some walnuts.
Sit back, relax and enjoy your hard work!