Mango & Grape Tomato Salad

When you eat like a nutritarian "salad is the main dish".  I eat salad at least once or twice every day, and I  have to keep coming up with new salad recipes, or I get bored! Here's another healthy, nutritarian-style salad I've been enjoying lately: Mango & Grape Tomato Salad.

The flavors here are bright and sweet, and the recipe is simple. For the dressing, whisk together 1/2 cup mango juice (I used a mango-peach blend with no added sugar, but I bet you could easily put chopped mango into a blender with water and strain to make your own mango juice), 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint, a pinch of clove and a pinch of coriander.

For the salad, cut a pint of grape tomatoes in half, dice two ripe mangoes (I like Ataulfo mangoes, they're so creamy), slice or dice 1/4 of a small red onion, and toss with the dressing. Serve on a bed of lettuce with black beans and diced avocado.

For my lunch I wrapped my avocado on the side to dice at lunchtime, so it stayed fresh.

Just a reminder that John Robbin’s Food Revolution Summit starts tomorrow (see my blog post below for more details).

Saturday starts out with interviews of Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, and Dr. Joel Fuhrman. The interviews are broadcast for free in the morning and again in the evening. Register to access the broadcasts and see the full schedule.

I’ll be tuning in at 10:00am my time for the interview with Dr. Fuhrman! foodrevolution.org.

Lentil Beet Orange Salad

This was a great salad! I was looking for something fun to do with leftover cooked lentils when I came up with the idea for a Lentil Beet Orange Salad.

I baked whole beets the night before: scrub whole beets without peeling, wrap them in foil, and bake at 400F for about 45 minutes, until easily pierced with a knife. After they cool down the skins slip off easily when rubbed with the back of a paring knife.

In the morning I tossed diced beets, orange segments, and lentils on a bed of lettuce and packed the salad with Orange Sesame Cashew Dressing. The combination of sweet beets, earthy lentils, and bright citrus was amazing!

Food Revolution Virtual Summit

John Robbins was one of the first inspirational figures in my young adult life. His book Diet for a New Americahelped shape me into a young vegetarian and environmental activist, and as I've continued on through my life, his light has continued to shine and point me towards a life of greater compassion and kindness. Most recently, his books Healthy at 100and The New Good Life, have helped me to believe that it is possible to live a life of simplicity, purpose, health, and joy well into your later years.

So I was excited to hear about the free Food Revolution Summit happening this month, where John Robbins will be personally interviewing 21 people who are "leaders in movements for healthy, sustainable, humane and delicious food". The guests include a bunch of names I'm sure you'll recognize if you're part of the vegan/plant-based movement: Dr. Joel Fuhrman (one of my heroes interviewing another one of my heroes, I can't wait!), Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Dean Ornish, Morgan Spurlock, Gene Baur, Rory Freedman, and more.

From April 28-May 6 there will be three interviews broadcast daily, and you can listen for free. You can get more info on the summit speakers and register at foodrevolution.org.

Here's some more info from their website:

The Summit offers training, inspiration and practical know-how from modern day heroes of health and sustainability. Participants are promised answers to burning questions, tools for dealing with family and peers, and practically useful insights, ideas, motivation and tips, all from the comfort and convenience of your phone and computer.

The summit will include focus on the latest thinking on preventing and reversing heart disease, cancer and diabetes; the truth about GMOs, soy, raw foods, and grass-fed beef; the social, ethical and environmental impact of what you eat; and how to inspire your family to join you in making healthy choices.

I'm going to go register!

Confetti Salad

Confetti Salads are the newest addition to my diet! They're a great way to get a higher volume of raw vegetables and fruits packed into a small serving that's easy to eat. They also travel well and make great lunches!

The idea is simple: pulse vegetables, fruits, and nuts/seeds together for a few seconds in a food processor. The softer fruits, like oranges, lemons, or pears, dissolve into the mix making a built-in dressing!

Confetti Salads are also called "microsalads", but that makes me think of microgreens. Also Confetti sounds cuter. I first heard about them at Dr. Fuhrman's Member Center forum. You can also read more about them and get lots of great ideas for them at Food = Health.

Today I made my current favorite: a few big handfuls of bagged coleslaw mix (shredded green and red cabbage and carrots), a handful of raisins, one apple peeled and chopped, one orange peeled and segmented, a handful of raw slivered almonds, a handful of raw sunflower seeds, 1/4 lemon peeled, and a big splash of Blood Orange Vinegar (you can leave this out if you don't have it). Pulse for just a few seconds to get to a coleslaw consistency.

I packed my Confetti on a bed of romaine and cucumber slices with a sprinkle of garbanzo beans.