Super Foods Salad with Cilantro-Avocado Dressing
Believe it or not, this recipe was inspired by a salad from LAX airport. This salad is not only super nourishing but also bursting with flavor - so much so that we scraped the salad bowl clean. Scramble recipe tester Debbie Falkow said, “The textures were great together, and I loved the creaminess of the dressing. Each bite had a different mix of flavors and crunch.”
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 6 oz. frozen shelled edamame 1 cup (make the whole 12 oz. package if you want a healthy snack tomorrow, and measure out 1 cup of cooked edamame to use in the salad)
- 1 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 lemon juice only, about 2 Tbsp.
- 1/2 orange juice only, about 2 Tbsp., or use pomegranate juice
- 1 in avocado use ¼ the dressing and dice the remaining ¾
- 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro coarsely chopped, or use parsley
- 1 clove garlic halved
- 1 head (6 oz.) Boston, butter, or bibb lettuce, or use chopped kale, baby arugula, or spring mix
- 1/2 orange bell pepper diced, or use 2 diced carrots
- 2 Tbsp. sunflower seeds, shelled, or use pecans or pistachios or nuts of your choice
Instructions
- Simmer the quinoa in 1 cup of water for about 10 minutes or until the water is just absorbed. Remove it from the heat and fluff it.
- Meanwhile, cook the edamame for 5 minutes in about 4 cups of boiling water, adding 1 tsp. of salt to the water to flavor the beans.
- In a small food processor, standing blender, or using an immersion blender, puree the oil, lemon juice, orange juice, 1/4 avocado, cilantro, 1/4 tsp. salt, and the garlic.
- In a large salad bowl, combine the lettuce, peppers, quinoa, edamame, remaining avocado, and sunflower seeds.
- Pour the dressing over everything and toss gently. Serve it immediately.
Notes
Do Ahead or Delegate: Cook the quinoa and the edamame, juice the lemon and orange, chop the cilantro, peel the garlic, prepare and refrigerate the dressing, dice the bell pepper.
Scramble Flavor Booster: Add 4 tsp. of dried cranberries, 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds, or a diced orange, use the kale or baby arugula for the greens.
Tip: "Super Foods” is a term to define a category of foods that are dense in nutrients, vitamins, and minerals and have been found to be very beneficial for health and well-being. Check out this list of super foods and try to find ways to incorporate them into your meals and snacks as often as possible.
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Nutritional Information Per Serving (% based upon daily values): Calories 355, Total Fat: 25g, 38.5%; Saturated Fat: 4g, 16.5%; Cholesterol: 0mg, 0%; Sodium: 159mg, 6.5%; Total Carbohydrate: 26g, 8.5%; Dietary Fiber: 7g, 26.5%; Sugar: 2g; Protein: 13g
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