Outside In Salad

I am always on the hunt for creative salad inspiration. I totally buy into what Dr. Fuhrman says, "The salad is the meal."

You see, like my friend Quinn likes to say, "I'm an easy keeper."

I really need to watch what I eat or the pounds pack on. It's that simple.

And it has been brought to my attention that based on what I photograph and write about here on my blog, it might seem that I often eat what I like to call "Vegan Specialties." Chef Aj calls it "plant indulgent" food. It's a vegan enchilada casserole, an oil free vegan lasagna that contains nuts, or vegan wraps. It's a huge and growing world of oil free vegan recipes out there, all begging for me to try them.

But I save that kind of eating for once or twice a week, if I'm ON MY PLAN. The rest of the week it's pretty much soup and salad for me. I guess I just didn't realize the importance of posting more about what I eat on a regular night. It just seemed so, well, boring.

Or is it?

I call this the Outside In Salad because I get the herbs from my little herb garden in my back yard. If you haven't tried a green salad yet with fresh herbs mixed in, I'm just going to tell you that you are in for a whole new culinary experience. It's magnificent!

Outside In Salad
Inspired by Heather G. and Chris-Anna S., who introduced me to herby salads.

Printable Recipe

washed and chopped romaine lettuce
washed and chopped kale
spring lettuce mix
sliced red onion
washed and chopped cilantro
washed and chopped mint
washed and chopped basil
shredded carrot
garbanzo beans or bean of your choice
mandarin oranges and some of their juice (not the syrup packed kind) or fresh mango
dressing of your choice

Place everything, except dressing, in a large salad bowl and toss well. Drizzle dressing over salad-you won't need much-you don't want to lose the flavor of the herbs.

What's your recipe preference? What inspires you to be your best self? Do you want to see more of what I prepare on a day-to-day basis or do you want me to stick with the more plant-indulgent specialities??