Greek Salad with Avocado

Ingredient
– 1 avocado diced
– 2 tomatoes diced
– 1 lemon
– 1/2 small red onion sliced
– 1 tsp oregano
– 1 handful black olives sliced
– 1 heart romaine lettuce
– 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
– sea salt and black pepper to taste
– red wine vinegar

Directions
1. Add zest of one lemon to a bowl
2. Squeeze the juice of half of the lemon
3. Add oregano to this bowl and extra virgin olive oil
4. In a separate bowl add onions with a splash of red wine vinegar and a small pinch of sea salt and black pepper
5. Chop lettuce and add to another bowl with avocado and tomato
6. Add dressing and marinated onion to the bowl with the lettuce
7. Toss well and serve.

Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 1 package tofu – diced in 1 cm cubes
• 1 cup water chestnuts diced
• 1 cup mushrooms finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 red onion finely chopped
• 3 tbsp chopped peanuts
• romaine lettuce leaves
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder

Directions

• Make the sauce first by dissolving the honey in water in a small bowl.  Then add 2 tbsp soy sauce, rice vinegar, lemon juice, sesame oil, mustard, 1 clove garlic minced, and red chili powder
• Mix well and store in fridge
• Heat coconut oil in a wok
• Saute tofu until browned, then add water chestnuts, mushrooms, garlic and onions and chopped peanuts
• Then add 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tsp rice vinegar to the wok and saute for a couple of minutes
• Put about 2 tbsp of mixture from wok into romaine lettuce leave and then top with sauce from the fridge

Mexican Salad

Ingredients

• 6 leaves romaine lettuce chopped
• 1 – 15 oz can black beans rinsed and drained
• 1 avocado cubed
• 1 tomato diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
• Salsa to taste (we use Jack’s salsa from Costco)
• Juice from lime to taste
• Organic corn tortilla chips crumbled (we use eatsmart snyders brand available at costco -see pic)

Directions

• Chop lettuce and place in bowl
• Add beans, tomatoes, red onion, avocado  and cilantro on top of lettuce
• Add lime juice
• Top with your favorite salsa

Prep Time: 15 min

Serves: 4

Food of the Week – Lettuce

Description

• Different Types: Romaine, Crisphead, Butterhead, Leaf
• Romaine – Also known as Cos, this variety of head forming lettuce has deep green, long leaves with a crisp texture and deep taste.
• Crisphead – With green leaves on the outside and whitish ones on the inside, this variety of head lettuce has a crisp texture and a watery, mild taste. The best known variety of crisphead lettuce is iceberg.
• Butterhead – These types of lettuce feature tender large leaves that form a loosely arranged head that is easily separated from the stem, a sweet flavor and a soft texture. The best known varieties of Butterhead lettuce include Boston and Bibb.
• Leaf – Featuring broad, curly leaf varieties that are green and/or red, the leaf lettuces offer a delicate taste and a mildly crispy texture. Best known varieties of leaf lettuce include green leaf and red leaf.

Health Benefits

• Very high in Vitamin K and Vitamin A
• Also a good source of folate and vitamin C
• Prevents the oxidation of cholesterol (therefore prevents arterial plaque from forming)
• Good source of potassium, which has been shown in numerous studies to be useful in lowering high blood pressure

How to Select and Store

• All lettuces should feature crisp looking, unwilted leaves that are free of dark or slimy spots
• Leaves’ edges should be free of brown or yellow discoloration.
• Romaine and Boston should have compact heads and stem ends that are not too brown
• Lettuces should be either stored in a plastic bag or wrapped in a damp cloth and stored in the refrigerator crisper
• Romaine lettuce will keep for five to seven days, Boston and leaf lettuce for two to three days, while fragile greens such as arugula and watercress ideally should be prepared the day of purchase

How to Prepare

• To clean lettuce, first remove the outer leaves and with one slice cut off the tips of the lettuce since they tend to be bitter
• Chop the remaining lettuce to the desired size and discard the bottom root portion
• Rinse and pat dry or use a salad spinner if you have one available to remove the excess water

Content courtesy of whfoods.org

The “Dipotle” – Homemade Burrito Bowl!

Ingredients (refer to picture above)

• Top Left – Cilantro Lime Brown Rice Quinoa: We used a prepackaged brown rice and quinoa made by a brand called Seeds of Change (available at Costco).  I just heated it on the stove and added some fresh lime juice and cilantro to it.  You can also make your own brown rice or quinoa or combination and add the cilantro, lime juice (2 tsp), sea salt and garlic powder to it.
• Top Right – Black Beans: Take 1 can black beans, heat in a small sauce pan add some garlic powder, ground cumin (1/4 tsp), ground red chili powder (1/4 tsp) and sea salt
• Bottom Left – Guacamole (click here to see my recipe)
• Bottom Right – 4-5 chopped romaine lettuce leaves
• Center – Fresh Salsa (click here to see my recipe).  We just used Jacks’s Fresh Salsa from Costco since I was pressed for time last night.

Directions

• Take a cereal bowl – Add rice, black beans, guacamole, salsa and then top with romaine lettuce
• Enjoy!