Farmer's Market Fruit Salad

One of my favorite parts of summer is the farmer's markets that pop up all over the city.  You can find a little street or parking lot blocked off and full of beautiful fruit almost any day of the week throughout the summer months.  One Sunday morning on our way home from yoga, my sister and I passed the West St. Farmer's Market and couldn't help but stop to browse.  Browsing, of course, led to purchasing and we came home with some lovely peaches and berries.  Almost immediately after walking in the door I was in the kitchen whipping up this super simple fruit salad.

Berry Salad with Orange Dressing

Make 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 4 oz package of raspberries

1 4 oz package of white raspberries

1 4 oz package of strawberries

1 orange

1 handful of fresh mint

1/2 teaspoon raw sugar

Preparation:

Rinse all berries and let dry a bit.  Slice the strawberries into bite size pieces so that they are roughly the size of the raspberries.  Place all berries in a bowl.

Take the orange and rub it between your hand and the counter a few times.  This helps to loosen the juices before slicing it open.  Squeeze half of the orange into a separate, smaller bowl. Roughly chop the mint.  Add the mint and sugar to the bowl and whisk to emulsify.  Add the orange dressing to the berries and toss to coat.

Avocado Pear Salad

Recently, I've had the opportunity to try out baking and cooking on a whole new level. My step-mom is allergic to gluten, soy, and dairy. I thought this would make cooking impossible, but really it's just a much welcome challenge. This recipe is one of her own creations and is a delicious, allergy friendly salad.

Jeaneen's Avocado and Pear Salad
Makes enough for 6 people
Ingredients:
2 bags of Trader Joe's Butter Lettuce with Radicchio
2 ripe pears
3 ripe large avocados
2 green onions
1-2 bags of Trader Joe's Candied Pecans
Salt and pepper to taste
Cindy's Kitchen All Natural Raspberry Nectar Vinaigrette
Preparation:
Chop all vegetables and toss in a large mixing/serving bowl. Lightly drizzle with vinaigrette and toss. So simple!
Tips:
This salad is gluten, dairy, and soy free because the ingredient labels on the pecans, lettuce and vinaigrette have all been carefully scoured for sources of bellyaches. There is a strong possibility that if you took the time to carefully read the ingredient labels you could find these items at any store. Also, if you don't have food allergies, you could get creative and use a variety of nuts and dressings.
I would suggest adding the vinaigrette right before serving. The salad tends to become a well coated mixture of avocado and lettuce which is delicious when it's fresh, but it can definitely get soggy if left to sit for too long.

Eating Less Meatier

I received the following question from a reader: "How can I eat greener and less meatier?" Since my answer ended up being the length of an epic novel, I figured I should just make it a post.
 
I think the first thing to embrace when trying to shift your diet is that you must have an open mind! You will need to eat things that you might not be used to, and at first they might taste strange or your body might have unexpected reactions, but if you give it time everything will begin to seem normal. I can tell you from experience that when I started eating greener initially the flavors seemed really earthy (too earthy almost), but by diligently forcing myself to eat veggies with every meal I eventually learned to love that earthy flavor. Now my body craves the veggies in an almost audible way.
 
I would say there are two main components to eating less meat and more vegetables - learning how to supplement the protein with other meat-free options and then consuming enough fats so that your body can break down the food it consumes.

Supplementing Protein:
Eating beans and rice is probably the best way to supplement regularly consuming meat. The two items together act as a complete protein. Some of my favorite types of beans are pinto, black, and garbanzo beans. They are ready to eat out of the can (always rinse first) or can be cooked with other ingredients. Adding beans (like garbanzos) to your salads is another great way to get some protein.
 
You can also use tofu and other soy based products as a supplement, but I would suggest using these less frequently as there are some studies linking soy to health problems.
 
Adding Enough Fats:
I was listening to NPR yesterday and there was a story about how cooking our food is really important. I think people assume that if they add "fats" to their salads in the form of dressing or sauté their food in butter or oil, they are taking away from the nutritional value of the meal. In fact, quite the opposite is true! Fats are necessary for our body to break down the foods we eat and absorb the nutrients. My friend and fellow blogger, Rachel, has a great article on her blog Find Your Core. Check it out for more information!
 
Other Tips:
Another good option for cutting back on meat is to make it a "side dish", meaning that the veggies take center stage in larger portions than the meat. This way you are still getting good, old fashion meat protein, but not consuming as much of it. Plus the veggies will help to move the negative things meat leaves behind through your body so it doesn't clog your arteries. (Personally, this is my favorite option. I love to eat meat!)
 
Finally, I'd say the best way to become a greener eater is to eat a home. While the food may be delicious, you have no idea what sort of ingredients go into your favorite restaurant meals. Even salads you get at restaurants can be low in nutrition (many use iceberg lettuce which is basically a "cop-out" lettuce). Going to the grocery store can be intimidating at first. It can be hard to judge how much food you actually need and what you will really eat. It takes some practice. I find going once every two weeks gives me enough time to consume most of what I buy before it goes bad, but doesn't leave me running low and scraping the cabinets for anything to eat, giving up, and going out for a burger.

Summer Salad

I don't suppose it's fair to say that I have a favorite season for produce. Every season is my favorite and as they turn over I get excited for the change in available produce and the seasonal recipes. Since it's summer, I'll say it's my favorite. I love the fresh lettuces, cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers. To bring some savory flavor to a salad I love to add a full-flavored cheese, like goat, blue or feta.

Summer Salad
Makes as much salad as you want

Ingredients:
Green leaf lettuce
Tomato
Cucumber
Red bell pepper
Goat cheese
Coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
Preparation:
Wash and dry all veggies. Rip lettuce in to reasonably sized bites. Chop tomato, cucumber and red bell pepper and add to lettuce. Top with goat cheese crumbles, salt and pepper. Top with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette and enjoy!
Tips:
For one serving of salad I use roughly three large leaves of lettuce, 1/2 of a tomato, 5 thin slices of cucumber (cut into quarters), and 1/4 of a red bell pepper. The nice thing about salads is you can make them as big or as small as you like.
I try and eat salads before my main course to fill up space so I don't eat as much of the heavier stuff.