It’s summer and I could eat salad every day…wait I probably do.  But my taste in salads has definitely changed over the years.  As a kid salad was the thing Momma made you eat before dinner.  In college it was the “healthy” option loaded with some veggies but lots of pasta salad, sunflower seeds, croutons, bacon bits and my favorite, peppercorn ranch dressing.

I still love salads and took them to regularly when teaching and they make the perfect hot weather lunch or dinner.  Adding different ingredients keeps the salads interesting because I get distracted.  If you are one of the kids I work with my salads are STRANGE!!!

With ripe summer berries I love adding them to salads and pulling a few other things from my pantry I made my favorite salad yet.

Strawberry Hemp Seed Salad

 

A simple salad is flared with a sweet and salty and a surprising crunch. A grown up fun summer salad.

Ingredients

• 2 cups spinach, torn into smaller pieces
• 1/4 grated carrots
• 1 small tomato, sliced and quartered
• 1/2 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 1/3 cup garbanzo beans (chick peas)
• 12 kalamata olives, pitted
• 1/8 cup pistachios
• 3 tablespoons hemp seeds

Instructions

Layer all ingredients in the bowl and add your favorite dressing.  I made my own vinaigrette using rice vinegar and olive oil.  A light dressing is perfect.

*I love using hemp seeds because they are high in easily digestible protein, have a nice amount of omega 3 and good amount of fiber.  It’s a great combination for me with all my allergies but for anyone.

Salads are no longer limited to veggies and dressing.  The sky’s the limit for toppings.