Malu’s Soul Food

Food is much more than fuel for our bodies. A balanced diet with nutrient-dense ingredients will help keep us healthy and maybe even happy. The right food can nourish the body and soul. What I like about vegetables and fruits next to the health benefits are the beautiful colors and amazing flavors. Another positive aspect is that once used to eating vegetables and fruits, a meal becomes incomplete without fresh greens. Even if I crave for something not so healthy, there has to be salad and vegetables on the plate. I made this colorful veggie-mix for my vegan teeny daughter that wanted to try vegan corn dogs. They were delicious side to this good mood composition.  I highly recommend getting used to quality food save containers for the fridge.

I save myself a lot of work in cleaning and cutting the veggies ahead and keeping them in containers in the fridge. I do the same with my homemade dressing. Whenever I need to make a salad it is just a matter of minutes. With a few simple tricks, you can make a salad something special. Some marinated olives, creamy dressing with fresh herbs, colorful ingredients, fruits, nuts, or herbed and fried bread as toppings. Also, beans, chickpeas, or other grains taste great in salads.

Preparing salad dressing ahead also saves a lot of time and is also convenient as you don’t have the work and dishes every day. Yes, I know… there is store-bought dressing that requires no work at all. There is a big BUT in here, the ingredients. I don’t want most of them on my plate and I never used store-bought dressing in my kitchen either. If I don’t feel like making a fancy dressing with herbs and spices, I will use olive oil and balsamic vinegar with salt and pepper, easy to make, and tastes with any green salad. But as I am used to my food-prep routine I do try a lot of new recipes and flavors. I prepare greens and dressing for the week on Sundays. For every meal, I will have a choice of dressing that I only need to place on the table, and everyone can choose their favorite. Try it if you haven’t already. You will see how easy it becomes once you are used to your new salad routine!

Yield: 4

Malu's Soul Food

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A colorful flavorful mix of veggies, legumes, and fruit. Great as a balanced full meal and as a side

Prep Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

• Salad:
• 1 bag of mixed greens
• 2 cups of red cabbage shreds
• 1 yellow beet cut in slices
• 1 can of pinto beans drained
• 1 cup of sautéed corn
• 1 apple sliced
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes cut in half
• 4 scallions chopped
• ½ cup of green olives
• 1/2 tsp roasted garlic and herbs seasoning
• 1 slice of bread, cut in small pieces
• Dressing:
• 1 cup tofu
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• ½ cup unsweetened soymilk
• 1 tsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp sweet mustard
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tsp roasted garlic & herb seasoning
• 1 tsp sweet relish
• ¼ cup of chopped cilantro

Instructions

1. Wash the fresh and cut the vegetables, chop the scallions, and set aside
2. Cut the bread in squares, use a pan and heat 1/2 tsp of olive oil on medium heat, add 1/2 tsp roasted garlic and herbs seasoning and the bread, and stir to evenly roast from all sides until the bread is crispy and brown. Set aside.
3. use the same or another pan and heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil on medium heat. Add the corn and saute for 2-3 minutes and set aside.
4. Cut the red cabbage.
5. Drain the pinto beans.
6. Slice the apple.
7. Arrange everything on the plates. Start with the greens, the cabbage, the beans, beets, tomatoes, and scallions, corn. Top with the bread and olives.

Prepare the dressing:

1. Chop the cilantro.
2. Mix all other ingredients in a blender and blend for a minute (not the cilantro).
3. Transfer the dressing into a container or dressing bottle, add the chopped cilantro and mix in or shake.
4. Add dressing to your plates.

Keep the rest of the dressing in your fridge for your next salad (up to 5 days).