Holistically Katie

I feel like salads get a bad rep, since most people assume salads are only for people on diets or trying to lose weight. Despite popular belief, salads do not have to be rabbit food or taste bad. This salad is a perfect example. The dressing is so simple, but it really brings the flavors together and adds the perfect touch. This salad is also great for the winter months since not everyone wants to be chomping on raw, cold vegetables (I know I don’t!). I much prefer warm, comforting salads for the winter, and I’ve been loving this one lately for either lunch or dinner. This recipe I got from Maddie Lymburner’s book: What I Eat for Life, which I linked in my previous recipe post as well. This is an easy, downloadable E-book that contains tons of plant-based recipes.

With my diet recently, I’ve been really trying to focus on eating whole foods and doing the majority of my cooking from home. This is really important when trying to lose weight or get in better shape because you know exactly what is going into your food. This means that there is no added salt, sugars, or weird ingredients that you do not know about.

Another thing I love about this salad is that it is totally customizable! You can use whatever vegetables or lettuce that you like best. For example, instead of potatoes you could use pumpkin or zucchini. You can swap out whatever veggies you don’t like with the ones you do like. This salad is also vegan, so if you wanted to add extra protein that is totally possible. The hemp seeds on this salad give it a great dose of protein, however.

For this salad, I made some slight modifications. I used two sweet potatoes instead of 3 small yellow potatoes. I also did not use green beans or cherry tomatoes. She recommends adding vegan parmesan on top, but I didn’t have any. The salad still tasted great though!

Ingredients for the salad:

• 1 large red bell pepper (chopped)
• 2 small sweet potatoes (cut into even slices)
• 1/2 large red onion (chopped into chunks)
• 2 large carrots (chopped into even slices)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Salt and pepper
• Leafy greens for the salad base (I used chard and spinach)
• 2 Tbsp Hemp hearts

Ingredients for the dressing:

• 1 Tbsp mustard
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup

HERE’S HOW YOU MAKE IT…

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Spread out the potato and carrots onto one baking sheet. I coated them in avocado oil so they would not stick, but you could also use parchment paper. Toss with the cumin, paprika and garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 25 minutes total.
3. On a separate baking sheet, add the bell pepper and red onion.Toss with the same seasonings. Bake them for 15-20 minutes total. (Tip: Put them in the oven once the potatoes have been cooking for 5-10 minutes).
4. Prepare the greens in a large mixing bowl by washing and destemming them.
5. Prepare the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together.
6. Once the vegetables are done, add them on top of the salad as well as the hemp hearts.
7. Add the dressing, mix it up and enjoy!

I hope you guys like this salad as much as I did. The warm veggies makes the greens on top kind of wilted and warm, so it’s not like eating a cold, crunchy salad, but rather, it’s more comforting and hearty. It’s high in vitamin A from the sweet potatoes and carrots which supports glowing skin, minerals from the greens and protein from the hemp hearts. This salad pairs really well with a warm soup, particularly on a cold day. I highly recommend trying it out!