The time had come to have one of my epic salad bar platters. What ever is available from my fridge and a few items from the local store is a full and complete dinner.
There is constant talk here and there about the coming food shortages and price increases. I have seen prices slowly going up and the odd thing not available. When I last went to my local super market, I was surprised to see plenty of salad greens and other vegetables fully stocked. The fruit is limited. They are also from far away like Chile, Spain and Israel.
I felt very thankful to be able to take advantage of the items that are still available despite the warnings. For now I'll indulge as much as I can. If things really end up the way they say, at least I won't be able to say I was deprived of food in my life. There are so many others worse off than I am.
I have recently been consuming a fair bit of starch and the wrong kind. I feel sluggish after too much so this salad bar is not only fun, but also nourishing.
For the dressing I utilized some soaked cashews that I usually have in my fridge. I didn't know where I was going with this so I brought out garlic, lemon juice and parsley. It may be strange but I thought I would add a chili to it. In the end it wasn't really spicy. I decided to go for a sweet and tangy so threw in some dates.
Sweet and tangy herb dressing
1 1/2 cup soaked cashews
Juice of 1 lemon
1/8 cup cider vinegar
1 chili (optional)
1 big handful of parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
5 or 6 dates, or sweetener
Blend until smooth. If you don't want any sweetness in the dressing just omit the dates or sweetener. I like it both ways.
I pan roasted some walnuts and sunflower seeds with salt then decided to add maple syrup.
I had raw and cooked items. For the cooked items I steamed some asparagus which seems to be in season somewhere. I also cooked some frozen organic corn. For a protein I sliced tofu and pan seared it with garlic and a dash of soy sauce. I covered it in a little vegetable broth then cooked out the liquid.
For the raw items there were cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, baby lettuce, green peppers, onions, and blueberries.
There are so many varieties of salad items, that you could do depending on what is available to you. It's a fun and easy way to eat. I realize i need to do this more often. Believe or not it's filling and satisfying.
Thanks for dropping by and have a lovely day.
