Walnut Salad with Fig Balsamic Dressing Recipe

One thing that often comes as a surprise to many is that I really don’t like cooking. I cook because I have to and so I guess I try to make the best out of it. But, I’m not one of those people that you will find leisurely hanging out in their kitchen, listening to their favorite music while stirring something in a pan on the stove top while holding a glass of wine in the other hand. For now, it’s just not me. Although, one day, I do hope to aspire to enjoy cooking like that, it’s one of my #lifegoals.

At this point in my life, I try to spend as little time as I can in my kitchen. I’m in and out. I constantly challenge myself to race against the clock to see how fast can I prepare meals, (and with the least amount of mess in my kitchen!)

That’s why lately, salads are my thing. I love making salads, I love eating salads and I love sharing salads. I can make them super quickly, with little, to no mess in my kitchen, minus a dirty knife here and there. They can be chock-full of awesome nutrition and super easy to change up the flavors, so salad eating doesn’t get boring.

There is something about creating a salad that brings out the graphic designer in me. Instead of working in my office, on my computer, I now work in my kitchen to create my art. The colors, the textures, the visual impact. I love watching it all blend together to create a visual, edible masterpiece.  It gets my creative energy flowing. I love being able to create something that not only looks beautiful, but is delicious, good for your body and makes you feel healthy and vibrant.

The other week I delivered this Walnut Feta Salad with a Fig Balsamic Dressing to my www.salads2yourdoor.com customers. I got so many texts and messages telling me how delicious it was and asking for the recipe. The problem that I have with not following recipes and creating salads as I go along is that it’s challenging to recreate it the next time around. Oops. Well, I tried my best to recreate the recipe for you!

This salad has that perfect balance of sweet and tangy, juicy and crunchy and chock-full of nutritional benefits!

Walnuts reduce cholesterol, controls, diabetes, and can improve the bodies metabolism. They also reduce inflammation while being full of all sorts of nutritional content. Besides being completely delicious, figs are a great source of fiber and other minerals. Interestingly enough, dried figs have more nutritional value than in its fresh form. The apples in the salad are going to provide Cancer-fighting antioxidants and high fiber. Using mixed greens gives you a low-calorie count base that has vitamin C, vitamin A, beta-carotene and more fiber. The mixed greens neutralize free radicals that cause chronic disease. So to sum it all up, the ingredients in this salad will have you feeling full and provide awesome nutrition.

Walnut Feta Salad with a Fig Balsamic Dressing Servings 4 Ingredients 6 cups Spring Mix

1 Apple

1/3 cup Feta crumbles

1 cup Walnuts

1 cup Dried cranberries

1/2 cup Sunflower seeds 1/4 cup Dried figs

Dressing

3 Garlic cloves

1/4 cup avocado oil or olive oli

1/8 cup balsamic vinegar

1 Tbpn honey

salt to taste

water to thin out to your desired consistency Instructions 1. Mix all dressing ingredients in a blender such as a vitamix. (any blender will do) 2. Prepare all salad ingredients in a large bowl. 3. Drizzle dressing over salad.

4. Toss well. Enjoy!

Most of these ingredients you can purchase at Trader Joes or your local grocery store.

Happy salad making – and if you’re local to St. Louis and don’t want to bother making it but you really want to eat it (don’t worry I feel ‘ya!) you can have it delivered straight to your door, check out www.salads2yourdoor.com. Salads are made using all organic, fresh, gluten-free, non-GMO ingredients so you get the healthiest, heartiest kosher meals at your doorstep for less than what you’d pay at a restaurant!

xxx