There’s something about salads and spring that just go hand in hand. As the weather warms up, the layers upon layers of clothes start to shed. As you start to feel lighter without all the bulk of down jackets, eating habits tend to change a bit. In winter, soups and heavier stews just seem to warm your insides and help you trudge through the extreme weather, but in spring, lighter fare goes with all of the airy clothes and sunshine. I created this recipe with all you Brandeis students in mind who do not have the luxury of stoves and ovens in your dorms, because you won’t need them! More importantly, you can find all the ingredients for the main version of the salad at the C-Store!
Ingredients:
- One container of arugula
- One container of sprouts
- One package of shredded carrots (if the C-Store does not have shredded, you can do it yourself or just cut bite-sized cubes from the carrots they do have)
- One container of dried cranberries
- One apple (Figi works best)
- A package of walnuts
- Lemon
- Salt
- Pepper
- Dressing
Directions:
Depending on how many people you are cooking for, you can use the whole container of arugula or just the amount you wish to eat. Place the desired amount of arugula into a bowl. Add as many sprouts as you prefer; make sure to break the clumps apart so that you won’t get a mouthful. Cut up the apple into bite-sized chunks and add them atop the salad. Sprinkle carrots, dried cranberries and nuts. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Cut a lemon in half and squeeze the desired amount. If you are making the entire salad, use the juice of half a lemon; if it is only for one person, a light drizzle is all that is necessary to bring out the brightness of the salad and to help ensure the apples to not turn brown if you won’t be eating it right away. Dress the salad with your favorite dressing, or you can just use extra virgin olive oil. I tend to think raspberry vinaigrettes go well with this fruity salad.
I recently made this salad for friends, and they called it a “dessert salad.” The above recipe is vegan. However, if you want to add more protein to your salad and are able to go to the grocery store, you can add crumbled chèvre (goat cheese) and/or grilled chicken breast. If you use both the goat cheese and chicken, the hot chicken will melt the cheese and it will be delicious. I usually prepare chicken in a sauté pan with just a little olive oil, salt, pepper and freshly chopped herbs. The boneless, skinless chicken breasts pre-cut for stir-frying are perfect for salads. While it takes a little more effort than just picking up a package of Pop-Tarts from the C-Store, it surely tastes more delicious and will leave you feeling healthy and satisfied. Bon appetit!