Is salad your go-to meal option or do you avoid it because the word salad just screams “DIET FOOD” to you?

Does it satisfy your hunger and keep your energy levels steady all afternoon or are you hungry within two hours of your last bite?

Salads are a very convenient way to load up on nutrient-dense foods. However, don’t be mislead into thinking that all salads are healthy or that a small mound of mixed greens, some cherry tomatoes and little crumbled feta is going to help you power-through the afternoon. Negative.

Here’s the thing: depending on how you build it, your salad can either be bland, boring and nutritionally-void or it can be delicious, balanced and satisfying.

In today’s episode of Balanced Bowls, I’ll be showing you how to build a delicious kale and squash salad bowl with one of my favourite tahini-miso dressings. Plus, I’ll be sharing the best vegetables for health. Now don’t get me wrong, when it comes to vegetables, it really is all good. But if you’re interested in covering all your nutritional bases, there are a few favourites to focus on.

 

This recipe for Kale, Squash and Tahini Salad Bowl is raw and entirely plant-based but the great thing about bowl-building is that you can integrate the foods you love and feel great doing so. Here’s how to build your own:

How to build a power salad bowl

Start with a leafy green base:

• baby spinach
• romaine
• kale
• watercress
• arugula
• shredded green or purple cabbage
• dandelion greens

Add one or more colourful veggies :

• Cruciferous veggies, if you can, such as:
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Cabbage
  • Brussels sprouts (roasted or raw & shredded in a salad…divine!)
• Other colourful veggies:
  • Tomatoes
  • Carrots
  • Cucumber
  • Fennel
  • Bell pepper
  • Beets (and other that you love!)

Add some high-fibre starch

• Quinoa
• Chickpeas
• Beans
• Sweet potato
• Acorn squash
• Brown rice
• Farro
• Butternut squash
• Corn
• Baby potatoes

Add a protein-rich food (leftover proteins are great for this)

• Chicken
• Tuna
• Hard boiled eggs
• Chickpeas
• Beans
• Shrimp
• Salmon
• Hemp seeds

Add a fat

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Flax oil
• Tahini
• Goat cheese
• Avocado
• Nuts or seeds

Have fun

• Get creative building salads of your own by combining new ingredients or by chopping, slicing or dicing your vegetables in different ways (remember our zucchini spaghetti and cauliflower rice?).

Kale, Squash and Tahini Salad Bowl

 

Ingredients

For the miso tahini dressing (serves 4)

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon miso paste
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/3 cup water
• Kosher salt to taste

For the salad (for 1 bowl)

• 2 cups kale, chopped
• 1 cup purple cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 acorn squash, sliced, seeded and steamed
• 1 carrot, shaved
• 1 english cucumber, sliced
• 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
• 1 green onion, sliced

Method

1. For the salad dressing, process all ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Use immediately or keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
2. Place all salad ingredients in a bowl and drizzle with tahini dressing.

 

Now it’s your turn, Lifestyle Lover:

Are you a salad eater or avoider? What’s your go-to salad bowl?

Thanks for sharing your comments below!