Another Great Salad

This vegan salad is LOADED with cruciferous vegetables and tastes crunchy and satisfying. We all know broccoli is good for us but do you know exactly WHY? Dr. Neal Barnard explains in his 21 Day Kickstart book that "In the body, cruciferous vegetables stimulate your liver to make enzymes that detoxify and remove chemical pollutants. That's important because all of us are exposed to various chemical pollutants in the air, water and sometimes in foods. Some of these chemicals can damage your DNA, leading to cancer."

Here is my favorite salad for nutrition and health. It is amazing at BBQs and potlucks. Serve it year-round as  its colors are beautiful at Christmas!

Colorful Vegetable Salad

6 cups broccoli florets
6 cups cauliflower florets
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
1 small red onion, sliced into thin rings
1 small can sliced black olives, drained
1 envelope ranch dressing mix (McCormick's is vegan)
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup vinegar

Make the dressing with the dry mix, oil and vinegar in a cruet.  Toss with the veggies in a large bowl and refrigerate at least 3 hours. This makes a large amount but stays crunchy for days! (Notice you don't need to use mayo with ranch mix as suggested on the packet. You may like this combo on other salads too!)

Peace, Love & Veggies! Lor

The Royal Black Bean Salad

This recipe is perfect for summer! Very nutritious and colorful and not too heavy. I eat it as a main dish but it can be a beautiful side salad/vegetable as well. It fits in well as a healthy/vegan addition to a BBQ.

The Royal Black Bean Salad

1 (16 oz.) can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 (14.5 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, drained, maybe try fire roasted
1 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1/3 cup sweet red pepper, finely diced
3 TBS olive oil
1 TBS rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Combine everything in a large bowl and marinate in the refrigerator several hours to blend the flavors. I think this is best eaten within 24 hours as the veggies tend to lose their crunch beyond that. (The flavors still taste amazing.)

Peace, Love & Veggies! Lor

Desire Lines......

Up early this morning and plowing through my ritual - jasmine green tea and time with my pen and journal and favorite authors. Lately that has meant a daily verse of the Tao followed by a writing in 37 days: Life is a Verb by Patty Digh. Today's thoughts from Life is a Verb, written under the premise of having 37 days left to live and how you would spend them if you knew, spoke of desire lines - those paths we take that veer off of the sidewalks and lanes provided because human spirit knows a truer, surer way. Though not provided by architects and landscapers, they MAKE SENSE TO US. So little dirt paths emerge that connect us to where we are going that bypass concrete rules and directions.

So often I get negative feedback or commentary on my choice of diet/lifestyle. What I often hear is what I have come to see as a sad acceptance for an inherited way of viewing the world. This is the way it is, why be a weirdo and question it? Why deprive yourself when everyone else goes with the flow? Who are you to be different?

I'm me. That's who. I'm being Real and being Genuine. I am walking my Desire Line. And it feels amazing.And it makes sense TO ME.