Sometimes I feel seasonally backwards in accordance with what I eat.
I tend to crave carbs in the summer and smoothies and salads in the winter. I eat them all year-round, but that favoritism is present.
Today on this chilly rainy Eastern Washington day the stark sepia of the Palouse is finally balanced by all of the developing colors. Verdure has left us until next spring. There are deep corals, burgundy reds, sunflower oranges and yellows popping up in every neighborhood.
Grey skies and colorful hillsides. Cool air and a cold salad. I’m having drinking chocolate too – maybe that’s my balance.
It’s important to have as much gratitude for what we eat as we do for the beauty in our line of sight.
Benefits of gratitude
“Emerging research suggests that daily gratitude practices may have some preventative benefits in warding of coronary artery disease.”
“Grateful people also report lower levels of depression and stress, although they do not deny or ignore the negative aspects of life.” [source]
How to practice gratitude with food
- Appreciate their color and vitality
- Think about how the fresh vegetables will nourish your body
- Internally or externally thank the people that helped get the food to your plate and table i.e. the farm, the workers, the equipment, the produce stockers, etc
- Imagine the food coursing through your veins and repairing or ‘hugging’ all the cells of your body
The next time you make a salad, grab a bigger bowl than you normally do.
Fill it with various greens like turnip tops, arugula, baby kale, cilantro or basil, and Swiss chard.
Accentuate it like the autumn trees are against stark and brown harvested fields by adding minced and shredded veggies.
A little bit of fresh sprouts. Alfalfa are my favorite followed by broccoli—though I don’t like to grow broccoli sprouts.
[ Learn how to grow your own sprouts ]
Diced red onion for pungency and color.
Sliced fermented pickles to help build and balance your healthy gut flora. (recipe coming soon!)
Finely grated carrots that are so soft and delicate.
An end of summer tomato that’s bright and juicy and better than any conventional tomato bought at the grocery store.
Top your larger than normal salad with an easy homemade salad dressing that’s oil-free and of course vegan.
Gratitude Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup white miso paste
- 3 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed butter
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 inch nob of ginger, peeled and minced
- a few leaves of basil, drop of basil oil, or a few shakes of dried basil
- 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1 teaspoon of sweetener (brown rice syrup, agave, maple syrup, etc)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Add ingredients to a small blender cup or mini food processor and process until liquified.
Notes
Will keep for a few days in the refrigerator.
If you’re hungry enough, I was, serve it with some reheated freezer beans topped with your favorite barbecue sauce.
This gratitude salad dressing is creamy from the quick emulsification and sticks to each ingredient like a dream.
If you’ve never added fresh herbs to a salad before, I highly recommend. The combination of cilantro and this dressing was pretty majestical.
Gratitude dressing also makes a great veggie dip. xx
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