Sensational Salads

Vegans sometimes get teased for eating so-called "rabbit-food."  I'll admit that before I adopted the veg-lifestyle, I did not view salads as a complete meal option.  But these days I've seen the error of my ways, and I eat a giant, sensational salad almost every day.  In order to have a great salad you have to get creative, mix it up, and include everything you love.  Don't settle for some iceberg lettuce and a few tomato slices when you could be eating an awesome salad including some of the following ingredients:

• Lettuce/spinach/kale/and so forth - at any decent grocery store there will be a delightful assortment of greens to serve as the foundation for your salad.  I enjoy baby spinach and kale.  I'm not a fan of arugula or romaine.  Whatever floats your boat.
• Tomatoes - grape, cherry, heirloom, Roma - if you are a fan of tomatoes, there are a bunch to choose from, and you can mix it up from time to time.  I'm currently on a grape tomato kick.  Delish.
• Cucumbers.  No salad is complete without cucumbers.  Period.
• Red bell peppers - so tasty.
• Avocado - I chop up half an avocado and throw it into every salad.  There's your Omega-3 and healthy fat.  You can't go wrong with avocado.
• Nuts and seeds.  I lovelovelove lightly salted sunflower seeds or chopped cashews in a salad.
• Steamed edamame.  I noticed it in the produce section one day.  Score.
• Roasted vegetables - if I roast bell peppers, zucchini, and onion for a pasta dish or pizza, I'll serve it over greens as leftovers another night.
• Your favorite salad dressing.  This really can make or break a salad.  And you must toss it in a colander or an official salad spinner so the dressing is evenly distributed. I typically go with an organic oil and vinegar dressing of some variety.  Simple yet flavorful.

 What I'm getting at here is that, in case you hadn't figured it out yet, salads are wonderful.  Those salad-in-a-mason-jar things are the rage right now, too, so if you want to be trendy, go for it.  Salads are meant to be individualized.  You do you.

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