My Effortless Formula For Eating Salad Every Single Day of The Week

I am becoming increasingly lazy with my cooking. There is something about summer that makes me not want to be in the kitchen. Once it gets colder, I’m game to tackle complicated, new recipes. Summer is for utilitarian cooking. 

Salads are the perfect summer food. Yet they also can feel really cumbersome. Most lettuce does not last long before wilting or turning brown and it can feel like you need to wash and dry greens every day if you want to salads to be a staple in your diet. 

I’ve figured out a much more efficient alternative. Most lettuce is not going to last you the week so I’ve been relying on two other types of salads to get me through the week. 

The best part about it is you can make them during a batch cook session, requiring you to only prep once, and then reap the benefits all week long.

You can always go back to your delicate greens for a meal or two but this ensures that you can have salad at most meals and only have to worry about making them once. 

Bonus: If you are also batch roasting veggies, you are well on your way to getting your veggie quota met in the most efficient way possible. For more on that batch roasting technique, read my previous article We All Know We Should Be Eating More Veggies..Here’s How To Actually Do It. For another salad-related resource check out my absolute favorite homemade salad dressing recipe in this article. 

Here are the two salad recipes that can get you through the whole week:

Massaged kale salad: This is the perfect base recipe.

You can then add other things to it depending on the meal. I often like to batch cook a bunch of tahini dressing and use it on top. To make it into a meal, add a bean or other protein / optional grain / nuts + seeds or just use it as a side. 

Vinegar-based coleslaw: 

I’m loving this red cabbage slaw recipe but you can endlessly vary it to match your tastes. Slaw is a great way to up your cruciferous vegetable intake and I like adding a large amount of parsley for even more phytonutrients. 

Do you have any beloved salad recipes that are sturdy enough to get you through the week?

The Easiest Coconut Turmeric Red Lentil Soup Ever

I make this soup every single week. It’s the laziest most delicious soup ever.

INGREDIENTS

1.5 cup rinsed dry red lentils 

3 cup water 

1 can coconut milk 

1 tblsp turmeric 

Salt and pepper to taste 

Juice of 1 whole lime (or apple cider vinegar in a pinch) 

Optional: add some kale or spinach if you want some additional nutritional density. You can add them to the pan in the last couple minutes of cooking. 

DIRECTIONS

Rinse the lentils. 

Add to a soup pan with the water, and a little bit of salt. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Continue to add water if necessary. 

Cook until the lentils soften and begin to fall apart. 

Add the coconut milk, turmeric, and lime. Cook for a few minutes until everything is at the desired temperature.

Adjust salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve with cilantro, an extra squeeze of lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste. 

ROSE PETAL, TOASTED COCONUT, SEA SALT VEGAN FUDGE

I recently stumbled upon coconut oil fudge at my local food coop and it was a revelation. The product immediately caught my attention. It was beautifully wrapped, mysteriously found in the refrigerator section, and used all the right locavore, foodie buzzwords. I knew I had to have it. 

Over the next few weeks I found myself splurging on this $8 chocolate bar way too often and realized I needed to find a way to make it myself. Luckily, Cassie over at the lovely Wholefully blog already figured out a really nice base recipe which I used to create this adaptation. I had some pretty rose petals around and knew they'd be the perfect topping. The toasted coconut, roses, and sea salt worked really well together. 

 Play around and let me know what variations you come up with!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil

• 1/4 -1/2 cup raw honey ( taste along the way to see if it suits your sweetness preference)

• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

• Unsweetened toasted coconut flakes, for garnish. 

• Dried rose petals (organically grown)

• Pinch of sea salt

Place parchment paper in the bottom of a square pan or tupperware. Set aside.

Melt coconut oil over low heat until it is completely liquid. Turn off heat. Add in raw honey and stir until it dissolves. Add the cocoa powder, vanilla and pinch of salt. Whisk until combined. Pour into the prepared pan. 

Refrigerate for about an hour (or until solid). Once solid, garnish the top with the additional sea salt, rose petals and toasted coconut flakes. Slice into pieces and enjoy!