The summer farmer’s market bounty is here! Although we are lucky in the Bay Area to have an excellent variety of produce available all year long, some options are especially best this time of year like berries, cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans, eggplant, and summer squashes. We hope you enjoy these nutritious and delicious salad and smoothie recipes. If you have a favorite summer recipe, please share with us on our Facebook page – we’d love to hear from you!

SALADS

Spinach, Fennel, & Mint Salad (4 servings)

2 cups spinach

1 bulb fennel, sliced thin

12 strawberries, sliced

½ cup mint

½ cup slivered almonds

Optional: add chicken or salmon as a protein

Toss together and dress with Healthy Italian Dressing (recipe below) or simply olive oil, lemon juice and sea salt.

 

Tomato & Cucumber Salad (4 servings)

1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved

1 large cucumber, diced (peeled if desired)

Toss together with Heathy Italian Dressing (makes 2 cups so you will have extra):

½ cup flax oil

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ cup lemon juice

½ cup raw apple cider vinegar

1 garlic clove, crushed

¼ teaspoon honey

1 pinch of sea salt, more to taste

½ teaspoon each of dried basil and oregano

 

Green Bean, Walnut, & Feta Salad

1 1/2 lbs. fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into about 2-inch pieces

1 cup chopped walnuts

3/4 cup diced shallot

1 cup crumbled Feta cheese

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add green beans and cook for only 3 minutes. Drain well and immediately plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain again and pat dry with paper towels.
• Place green beans in a large bowl. Add walnuts, red onion, and Feta; gently stir to combine.
• Combine olive oil, white wine vinegar, mint, garlic, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor; pulse a few times to blend. Pour dressing over the bean mixture and toss.
• Chill for about an hour before serving.

Zucchini Noodles with Dairy Free Pesto

2 – 3 zucchini

2 cups, loosely packed basil leaves

1/2 cup pine nuts (or pecans or walnuts)

1 clove fresh garlic

1/4 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, as needed

Sea salt, to taste

• To make pesto, combine basil, nuts, and garlic in a food processor and process the mixture until it turns into a coarse meal. Slowly add extra virgin olive oil in a steady drizzle as you pulse the processor on and off. Process until it becomes a smooth, light paste. Add enough olive oil to keep it moist and spreadable. Season with sea salt, to taste.
• Chop off ends of zucchini and use vegetable peeler or spiralizer to create zucchini noodles, place “noodles” in a steamer basket and steam for about 5 minutes, until tender, but still crisp.
• Toss noodles with pesto. Can be enjoyed hot, room temperature or chilled.
• Make it a meal: add cooked shrimp or salmon or chicken

SMOOTHIES

Smoothies are an excellent way to get extra vegetables and superfoods into your diet. Here are some unique and delicious combos:

Cucumber, Parsley, Pineapple Smoothie (2 servings)

3/4 cup water or coconut water (more for a thinner smoothie)

1 large cucumber (1/2 of an English cucumber)

1 bunch flat leaf parsley, leaves only

2 lemons, peeled and seeded

2 cups pineapple, fresh or frozen

Optional: 2 scoops Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides protein powder

 

Blueberry Cauliflower Smoothie (2 servings)

3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup frozen riced cauliflower

1/2 cup loosely packed spinach

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger

2 tablespoon hemp hearts

Generous pinch salt

Splash vanilla extract

1 ripe banana

Water – more for thin, less for thick

 

Ruby Smoothie (1 serving)

1 ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk (or other liquid of your choice)

½ cup raspberries, fresh or frozen

3 strawberries

2 Tablespoons ground flaxseeds

1 Tablespoon chia seeds

2 Tablespoons almond butter