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SUPERFOOD SPINACH & CITRUS SALAD

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I developed this delicious spinach salad in collaboration with my Instagram-turned-real-life-gal-pal Teri-Ann Carty (@terianncarty). We made sure to load our colourful creation with a variety of flavours and textures as well as healthy fats and plant-based protein. And I must say, it was a total hit with my family!

Photo Credit @terianncarty

Photo Credit @terianncarty

Photo credit Pexels.com

Photo credit Pexels.com

Dark leafy greens like spinach are incredibly nutrient-dense and chock-full of vitamins, minerals, anti-inflammatory antioxidants, and insoluble fibre.  One cup of raw spinach contains only 7 calories but is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, folate, and iron.

The grapefruit was a last minute addition on our part but it really makes this salad sing (plus the vitamin C helps the body absorb the plant-based iron from the spinach!). If you’re not a fan of grapefruit, it also works well with diced oranges or baby tomatoes and fresh figs. We added nuts, seeds and spicy roasted chickpeas for both protein and crunch, and tossed it all in a simple homemade apple cider vinegar dressing (below). Deeeeelish!

Maple Dijon Apple Cider Vinaigrette

MAPLE DIJON APPLE CIDER VINAIGRETTE.jpg

Ingredients for approximately 1 cup dressing:

  • 1/2 cup organic extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1/4 cup organic apple cider vinegar

  • juice from 1/2 lemon

  • 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

  • 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup (or raw honey)

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • pinch or two of sea salt

Directions: Put all of the ingredients in a small bowl or mason jar. Whisk or cover and shake well to combine. Leftover dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Superfood Spinach & Citrus Salad

SUPERFOOD SPINACH & CITRUS SALAD.jpg

Ingredients for 4 servings:

  • 6 cups fresh baby spinach

  • 1 cup diced peeled ruby red grapefruit, divided

  • 1/2 cup cooked quinoa, divided

  • 1/2 cup spicy roasted chickpeas (we used avocado oil, cumin, garlic powder, and cayenne for this batch, see recipe here), divided

  • 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, divided

  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped raw walnuts, divided

  • 1/4 cup roasted unsalted pumpkin seeds, divided

  • 1 Tbsp shelled gluten-free hemp seeds, divided

  • 2 Tbsp Maple Dijon Apple Cider Vinaigrette (above)

Directions:

  1. Put spinach in a large bowl. Add half of the salad toppings, not including vinaigrette.

  2. Drizzle dressing over the salad and toss well to combine. Top with remaining ingredients.

Serve with additional vinaigrette as desired. Enjoy!

photo credit @terianncarty

photo credit @terianncarty