Beat Salad Boredom: 3 Recipes to Make All Summer
By Jamie McKillop for Well+Good
You might know Sarah Britton from double-tapping her seriously beautiful food photos on Instagram.
Most of those shots come from her plant-based blog My New Roots, where the Copenhagen-based foodie shares recipes she designs using her training as a holistic nutritionist and certified nutritional practitioner. And her just-launched first cookbook, called My New Roots, while also packed with stunning photos, proves it’s actually pretty easy to get your veggies into this kind of photMy-New-Rootso-worthy—and delicious—condition for lunch.
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Of the book’s 100 or so vegetarian dishes, there’s an extensive salad recipe collection that got us thinking Britton could totally change the amount of takeout-food foraging we do over lunch hour during the week. “Salads are my favorite food to make because they are so easy and so versatile,” Britton says. Hear that readers who’re in a salad rut?
“I love being able to mix and match flavors, colors, and textures, and layer them all together for a truly surprising experience every time. A good dressing helps, but I find it’s the garnishes that very important for taking your salad to the next level: toasted nuts and seeds, fresh herbs and citrus zest are some of my favorites.”
Try these three salads from Britton’s book for lunch this week, and next week, and so on. And yeah, you’ll probably want to Instagram them.
Grain-Free Hemp Tabbouleh
(Makes four servings)
Salad
1 cup cooked chickpeas
½ packed cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
½ packed cup fresh mint leaves
1/3 cup raw pine nuts
1/3 cup hemp seeds
1 small red onion, diced
Grated zest of 1 organic lemon
4 to 5 medium heirloom tomatoes in different colors
Cold-pressed olive oil, for serving
Flaky sea salt, for serving
Dressing
2 Tbsp cold-pressed olive oil
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
½ tsp pure maple syrup or raw honey
Pinch of fine sea salt
In a food processor, pulse the chickpeas until grain-size. Put them in a large bowl. Finely chop the parsley and mint leaves, and add the herbs to the chickpeas.
Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Immediately remove the pine nuts from the pan and transfer them to a plate to cool completely.
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Add the cooled pine nuts, hemp seeds, sliced onion, and lemon zest to the chickpea mixture.
For the dressing, whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, maple syrup, and salt together in a small bowl. Pour this over the salad, tossing to combine.
Slice the tomatoes into thick steaks and arrange them on individual plates. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with flaky salt. Spoon the tabbouleh salad over the tomatoes, and serve.
Sprouted Wild Rice with Pistachios and Spring Vegetables
(Makes four servings; note that this recipe requires soaking the rice a few days ahead)
1 cup uncooked wild rice
2 Tbsp cold-pressed olive oil
2 Tbsp strong mustard
Grated zest of 1 organic lemon
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp pure maple syrup
Fine sea salt
2 cups shelled green peas
1 cup cooked chickpeas
4 spring carrots, julienned
1⁄3 cup chopped fresh chives
1⁄3 cup chopped fresh dill
1⁄3 cup raw pistachios, roughly chopped
Rinse the rice well, then put it in a glass jar or bowl, and cover with fresh water. Let soak on the counter top overnight.
In the morning, drain and rinse the rice, then cover it again with fresh water and put the jar in the fridge. Drain and rinse the rice at least twice per day for 2 to 3 days, until it’s “bloomed.” Some or all of the grains will have split open, and it should be tender enough to eat. Drain and rinse the sprouted rice and put it in a large bowl.
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Whisk the olive oil, mustard, lemon zest and juice, and maple syrup together in a small bowl, adding a few pinches of sea salt. Pour half of the dressing over the rice and fold to coat. Stir the peas, chickpeas, carrots, and herbs into the rice.
In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pistachios until golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes (be careful not to burn them). Add the toasted nuts to the salad. Pour the remaining dressing over and fold to combine. Serve.
The Best Lentil Salad Ever
(Makes six to eight servings)
2 ¼ cups du Puy lentils or black “beluga” lentils (do not use canned)
1/3 cup cold-pressed olive oil
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 medium red onion
1 cup dried currants or other dried fruit
1/3 cup capers
Rinse and drain the lentils. Put them in a pot, cover with 3 to 4 inches water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, checking for doneness after 15 minutes. They should take about 20 minutes total; you will know they are done if they’re al dente. Overcooking the lentils is the death of this dish, so be careful!
While the lentils are simmering, make the dressing by combining the olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, and spices in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Seal, and shake vigorously to combine.
Finely dice the red onion. Chop the currants to make them a bit smaller than the onion dice. Chop the capers to the same size as the currants.
When the lentils are cooked, remove them from the heat, and drain them under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Once they have cooled slightly but are still a little warm, put the lentils in a large serving bowl and toss with the dressing. Stir in the onion, capers, and currants. Store leftovers in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days.
More reading from Well+Good:
Make This Recipe: Watermelon, Lime, and Hibiscus Ice Pops
3 totally healthy desserts you should be eating tonight
How to make a perfect macrobiotic bowl
(Photos: My New Roots)
