Salads don’t need to be just lettuce and tomato- Here are some recipes to make you realize that salads can be the most exciting part of your meal.

Miso Plum Spinach Salad

2      bunch of Chinese spinach or baby spinach

1      large piece of wakame seaweed, soaked in a little water, then sliced

1      diced apple

1      diced pear

2      carrot shredded

1      broccoli stalk cut in small shoestring strips (julienne)

1      small daikon radish cut the same as the broccoli

Mix all ingredients in a serving bowl.

Miso Plum Dressing

1/4   teaspoon of umeboshi plum paste

1      teaspoon of miso

3      tablespoons of olive oil

1      diced apple

Sea salt to taste

Dash of cayenne pepper

Blend in a blender then mix thoroughly in the salad and serve.

Caesar Salad

1 1/4 cup of olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons of garlic

1      tablespoon of chopped shallots

1/4   cup of lemon juice

1/3   cup of nutritional yeast

1/4   cup of dulse

1      tablespoon of capers

1      teaspoon of oregano

1      tablespoon of Bragg’s Liquid Aminos

Dash of sea salt

Place all ingredients in the blender and purée.

Serve over big pieces of romaine, chunky tomatoes, raw croutons or halved macadamia nuts

Avocado Spinach Caesar

1      avocado

1      tablespoon of dulse seaweed

1                   garlic cloves

1      tablespoon of olive oil

1                   teaspoon of Bragg’s or shoyu sauce

Juice of half of a lemon

Place everything in the blender, liquefy and serve.

Serve over baby spinach, sliced or cubed avocado, cherry tomatoes, marinated onions,

raw croutons or chopped Jerusalem artichokes

Grain Salad

3      cups of sprouted grain: kamut, wheat, quinoa, buckwheat, etc.

1/4   cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes (soaked and drained)

2      tablespoons of pitted and chopped black olives

1                   tablespoons of chopped red onion

3      cloves of garlic

1      scallion chopped

1      tomato chopped

1      cup of romaine lettuce shredded

1/2   red or yellow bell pepper, chopped

1/4   cup of mixed herbs: basil, parsley, dill, etc.

1/4   cup of flax oil or olive oil

Shoyu sauce or Bragg’s to taste

Juice of one lemon

Minced garlic and one chopped avocado (optional)

Toss everything in a bowl and serve.

Japanese Seaweed Salad

1      large piece of Kombu soaked in water then sliced

3      tablespoons of soaked wakame

2      tablespoons of soaked arame

1      large avocado, diced

1      large tomato diced or a handful of cherry tomatoes

1/4   cup of sliced and chopped red onion

1/4   cup of diced red bell pepper

1/4   cup of marinated shitake mushrooms

Place all seaweed in a bowl and cover with three times the amount in purified water.

Allow to sit for 15 minutes, making sure all seaweed is covered.

Drain the water into your houseplants

In a serving dish slice the Kombu seaweed and add the seaweed.

Hold the rest of the ingredients until after you have mixed the dressing in the salad.

Japanese Seaweed Dressing

1/4   cup of olive or flax seed oil

2      tablespoons of peeled and smashed ginger

2      cloves of garlic

1/8   cup raw apple cider vinegar

Braggs or Sea salt to taste

Place all ingredients in the blender and cream.

Pour dressing over the freshly soaked seaweed.

Fold in the rest of the salad ingredients and serve.

Date Mustard Spinach Salad

1      head of spinach

1      apple diced

1/4   cup of walnuts, chopped

1      small red onion, sliced and marinated

1/4   cup of sweet red bell pepper

Pinch off the spinach stems

Place all ingredients into a serving bowl and slowly add a little dressing and mix.

If you wish to keep the salad fresh, wait and add the dressing to individual bowls.

Date Mustard Dressing (for four)

2      cups of olive oil

1      tablespoon of mustard seed

1      cup of dates

3      cloves of garlic

5      tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar

1      teaspoon of sea salt

Place half the oil and all of the mustard seed in the blender and cream until

thoroughly blended.

Now place the rest of the ingredients and blend.

This dressing can be served slightly warmed

Hemp Salad

4      cups of mixed salad greens

1/2   cup of cherry tomatoes or diced tomatoes

1      diced avocado

1/4   cup of hemp seeds or chopped macadamia nuts

Hemp Beet Dressing

1/2   cup of hemp oil

1 1/2 cup of olive oil

1/2   small beet

3/8   cup of raw apple cider vinegar

1/2   teaspoon of fennel seed

1      date

1      tablespoon of fresh, smashed and peeled ginger

6      cloves of garlic

1/2   teaspoon of salt

Dash of cayenne

Blend everything in the blender.

Toss everything in a bowl and drizzle some dressing over and serve.

Hardcore Sprout Salad

Sunflower greens

Clover sprouts

Lentil sprouts

Mung bean sprouts

Marinated red onion (see recipe)

Red pepper

Mixed greens

Hardcore Sunflower Seed Dressing

1                   cup soaked  and rinsed sunflower seeds

2                   garlic cloves

2                   tablespoon apple cider vinegar

3                   dates

Dash of cayenne

Seasalt or Braggs to taste

Blend with 1/2-cup water. Should be thick and smooth.

Spinach Arugula Almond Salad

3                   cups spinach

1      cup arugula

1      small basket of cherry tomatoes (if they are large cut in half)

1      handful of black olives, (to pit easily place a knife over the olive and smash and the seed will pop out)

1/2   small yellow onion or red sliced thinly in ringlets and tossed with olive oil and a dash of soy sauce.

1      diced avocado

Spinach Almond Dressing

2      cups soaked almonds

1                   tablespoon of miso

2                   teaspoon of raw apple cider vinegar

3      cups of water

4      cloves of garlic

1      teaspoon (small chunk) of peeled and smashed ginger

Dash of sea salt

Dash of cayenne pepper

Blend almonds, avocado, miso, water, garlic, ginger and salt and pepper until slightly chunky.

In a bowl dump the spinach and arugula and mix in the cherry tomatoes, avocado,

black pitted olives and marinated onions.

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Cauliflower Confetti Salad

1      head of cauliflower, finely chopped

1                   red bell pepper, finely chopped

1      yellow bell pepper, finely chopped

1      small red onion, finely chopped and marinated

1/4   cup cilantro or parsley

1/4   cup chopped dill

1/4   cup chopped soaked seaweed

2      cloves of minced garlic

1/2   cup of chopped soaked sunflower seeds, almonds or pumpkinseeds

1      tablespoon poppy seeds

1      lemon, squeezed over mix

Bragg’s to taste

Olive oil

Mix everything in a bowl and add Bragg’s, lemon and olive oil to taste.

Ginger Miso Cabbage Salad

1/2   head of shredded green or purple cabbage

2      carrots grated

1/2   cup of grated broccoli stem

1/4   cup of red bell pepper, chopped

1/4   cup of soaked seaweed of your choice, drained and chopped

Ginger Miso Dressing

1/8   cup of fresh, peeled and smashed ginger

1/8   cup of fresh garlic

1      cup of sesame oil

1/4   cup of olive oil

1/4   cup of sesame seeds

1/3   cup of dates

1/2   cup of miso

1      teaspoon of red pepper flakes

1      cup of water

Sea salt to taste

Mix everything in the blender until creamy and serve with the cabbage salad.

Broccoli Salad

1      head of broccoli finely chopped, with stem

1      carrot, grated

1/2   cup of walnuts, chopped

1      beet, grated

1      tablespoon of dulse

1      medium red onion, marinated

1      red pepper, sliced

3      tablespoons of tahini

3      cloves of garlic, minced

Squeeze of half a lemon

Sea salt to taste

Thoroughly mix everything in a bowl and serve.