The weather’s warming up and pretty soon it’ll be too hot in Sacramento to even look at the stove, let alone fire up the burners. After a long winter of slow cooking and plenty of gooey casseroles, I’m ready for a change. With that in mind, I’m declaring May One More Taste’s Salad Month.
Here are a handful of reasons why now is as good a time as any for me to ingest a whole lotta lettuce:
1. I entered the lottery for the Nike Women’s Marathon a few weeks ago and (very exciting!) recently found out that I got in. I hit the brakes pretty hard after finishing the California International Marathon in December, and can basically count my post-CIM runs on one hand. I have until October to get my body back into marathon shape.
2. I’m headed to Palm Springs for my good friend Katie’s bachelorette party next month. Best start planning for some serious pool time. Too bad salads don’t give you a tan too…
3. I’m totally over bottled salad dressing and want to start making my own.
4. The produce section of the supermarket is becoming more fun to visit thanks to all kinds of seasonal goodies.
AND
5. Fresh fruits and veggies are delicious!
The self-imposed rules aren’t too strict — I aim to eat some sort of salad for one meal per day through the month of May. The majority of each salad’s ingredients must be vegetables and/or fruit. I will also make my own salad dressing as much as possible.
I’ll check in via blog post with notes, photos and recipes so readers can chart my progress throughout the month. I’d love some input too — tell me about your favorite salad dressings, which fresh produce you’re digging these days, and the like.
May 1 Salad
The goods:
Baby greens
Cooked shrimp (about eight shrimp per salad)
Diced red bell pepper
Corn kernels
Pinto beans, drained and rinsed
The dressing: Cilantro Vinaigrette (drizzled over ingredients to your liking)
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
½ cup cleaned chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons honey
½ cup fresh orange juice
1/3 cup olive oil
Put all ingredients in blender except olive oil. Puree ingredients and then, while blender is still on, slowly pour olive oil into blender.
I need to sign up for this challenge! Can I start next week though? No time for grocery shopping until the weekend!
ReplyDeleteJump on board any time you want, there's plenty of salad for everybody :)
ReplyDelete