My Favorite Salad

Meet my favorite salad.

The salad I could eat every day for the rest of my life, and never get sick of it.

The salad I do eat most nights of the week.

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The secret to this delectable dish?

It satisfies all of the 6 tastes of food–> sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent.

According to Ayurvedic principles:

The 6 Tastes naturally guide us towards our body’s nutritional needs. Each taste feeds our mind, body, senses, and spirit in its own unique way. From a modern nutritional perspective, the 6 Tastes satisfy each of the major dietary building blocks. Sweet foods, for example, are rich in fats, proteins, carbohydrates, and water, whereas Bitter and Astringent foods are high in vitamins and minerals.

The brain sends the body signals when it requires energy in the form of food. By incorporating all 6 Tastes into each meal, we ensure that these signals are adequately met, thus avoiding food cravings or the over-consumption of certain foods. [source]

Pretty cool, huh?

It also happens to taste fantastic.

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Megan’s Favorite Salad
serves 1

Ingredients:

For the salad:

5 oz. assorted leafy greens (I like a mix of crunchy romaine and tender baby greens)
2 handfuls cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
roasted red pepper slices, as desired
2-3 oz. goat cheese (shredded raw goat cheddar, or soft chevre)

For the dressing:

Juice of one large lemon
1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
1 clove raw garlic
fresh ginger, minced (to taste)
NuNaturals liquid stevia, or honey, to taste

Directions:

In a large bowl, assemble your salad ingredients.

I like to chop up my greens into teeny-tiny bits, so that I can get a little taste of everything in each forkful.

Then pile on your veggies!

Feel free to use any veggies you like. My favorites happen to be cherry tomatoes, roasted red peppers and steamed beets at the moment.

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Now it’s time to whip up the dressing!

In a small bowl, combine the fresh lemon juice with a spoonful of Stone Ground mustard.

At this point, you could add a few drops of liquid stevia, or a touch of honey, and be done–> but, this next step takes the dressing over the top.

I keep this little container of raw garlic cloves and fresh ginger in my fridge at all times, so it’s ready to grab when I need a punch of flavor! Using a microplane, grate a clove of garlic and a bit of fresh ginger into the lemon/dijon mixture, and stir well to combine.

Pour over your salad, and devour!

All 6 flavors, covered.

• Sweet: roasted bell peppers, plus sweetness in the dressing
• Sour: fresh lemon juice
• Salty: goat cheese
• Bitter: leafy greens
• Pungent: garlic, ginger
• Astringent: raw vegetables and greens

Not a goat cheese fan? Try using avocado instead, for a creamy alternative! (Add a dash of Nama Shoyu to be sure your salty flavor is covered, too.)

Enjoy!

Hope this salad becomes a new favorite for you, too!

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Reader Feedback: What are your favorite salad toppings? Any go-to dressings that you want to share? My family went out for salads last night, and now I need a copy-cat recipe from California Pizza Kitchen–> their “Thai Crunch” salad actually had my dad raving about a salad! Must re-create, ASAP.