Skin Beauty Salad

Here's another recipe from the FMTV 21 day program.  I double the amount of salad vegetables.  Especially the greens, I use one small clam shell of organic mixed greens. There's enough dressing for a really big salad like the one pictured below. There's plenty for two people or it's a great salad to take to a party.  If you are going to make one portion for yourself, store half the dressing in a sealable glass container and keep the avocado pit to place in the center of the dressing to stop the dressing from going brown.

Ingredients
​(use organic ingredients where possible)
​2 handfuls of bitter greens (arugula, dandelion and endive)
1 carrot, grated
1 cucumber, sliced
​1/4 red onion, finely diced - the original recipe calls for 1/2 a red onion which I find too much.  (And so does everyone I talk to after lunch!)
Optional: 1 radish

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Dressing
​1 lime, juiced
1 avocado - I use a big one.
​1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar - Bragg's is the best.
Pinch of cayenne pepper
​1 tsp. raw honey - Fredrich's is the best. 
​1 handful fresh, soft herbs (works best with dill, cilantro or basil leaves)
​1/4 tsp. salt

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Method

1. ​To make the dressing, add to the blender lime juice, avocado, apple cider vinegar, cayenne pepper, honey, herbs and salt.
2. Blend until smooth, you may need to add a dash of water to facilitate blending.
3. Adjust seasoning to taste.
4. In a large bowl, arrange the leaves, cucumber, carrot, radish and onion.
5. Dollop dressing generously on your salad.  Mix through before eating.

Serve with
1 cup of cooked chickpeas for extra protein.  Soak chickpeas for 4 hours or overnight, strain, then cook in boiling water for 30 minutes or until soft and drain and serve.

Go here to print this recipe:  recipe_skin_beauty_salad.docx
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Nutritional Information
​Avocado is a great source of monounsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E, B-vitamins and fiber. Avocados have carotenoid lutein which is required for healthy eyes as we age.

• Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar is organic, unfiltered and unpasteurized.  It contains 'mother' which is important.  Expect the liquid to be cloudy at the bottom.  This stuff has a long list of health benefits. It's a detoxifier, it supports the immune system, it supports digestion and it aids in weight loss.
• Fredrich's unpasteurized/raw honey is your best choice of honey.  It's local, it's produced in Cedar (just outside of Nanaimo, BC). You can buy it in pretty much any supermarket on the island.  Here's a quote (which is referenced below) about the benefits of raw honey:

"Energetically, honey acts upon the stomach, spleen, and lungs.  It tones, soothes, and nourishes and has laxative properties.  It is also useful in cases of fluid retention.  Some health-care experts believe that consuming local honey may decrease the allergic response for people with pollen allergies."

References

• Rebecca Wood, The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia, ​Penguin Books, New York, New York, 2010.
• FMTV, ​The 21-Day Food Matters Program, ​website: www.fmtv.com/programs/21-day-program