First things first, happy summer solstice! Today is officially the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. It's a time for celebrating life and embracing not only the sun that gives us warmth but the one that lights our souls. We often forget what fuels us and gives us inspiration. It is often easy to stray from your dreams and become lazy and sedentary in the day to day. I've been trying to hold on to that fire lately and rediscover what my passions in life are. What better day to do this than today?
From time to time I lose sight of why I write this blog. The posts can be labor intensive and it always seems like a constant battle to find a good source of abundant natural light in my house. I always end up lying on the floor in some sort of contorted position just to make it work. In the end though, it's all worth it if I can inspire someone in the kitchen or get them excited about a new recipe or their health. I love showing how amazing and unrestrictive a healthy plant-based diet is. And I love food. Bottom line, this blog is the culmination of those loves. As I work through my other goals and dreams, throughout the past and present, this blog has always been a constant. For that I'm quite grateful. And I'm eternally grateful for all of you that continue to visit this little corner of the internet that I call my own.
I decided to post a solstice inspired salad today full of summer vibes. Like many of the things I post, this beauty has been swimming around in my head for a couple of weeks. I wanted to create a watermelon wedge salad with a tangle of sprouts on top. Throughout this week various other salad add-ins popped into my head. The result is what you'll find below. It always amazes me how my posts come together. You would think I've always got food on the brain. And actually, you would be right ;)
I'm really digging this salad. It is one of the best I've ever had, and that's saying a lot because I've eaten tons of salads. The flavors all play off each other really well. I'm a little bummed I didn't think to get a fresh coconut at the store because this would have been killer with fresh coconut meat instead of dried. Perhaps next time.
Due to the fragility of the sprouts, I would wait to dress the salad until right before you serve it. The acid in the lime juice tends to wilt the sprouts rather quickly. I used buckwheat sprouts because it is what I had on hand, but feel free to experiment. I added a bit of fresh mint to the salad because I love it with watermelon and I have a giant pot of it growing outside. If you can't get your hands on any, basil, tarragon, or lemon thyme would be absolutely delicious.
Watermelon Wedge Salad
8 small/medium wedges of watermelon
zest of 1 small lime
juice of 1/2 a lime
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
1/4 tsp pure maple syrup (or honey or agave)
1/4 cup raw pistachios
1/4 cup flaked unsweetened coconut
1 tbsp hulled hemp seeds
1 tbsp julienned fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish
2 cups sprouts/microgreens of your choosing
smoked sea salt or other flaky sea salt to serve
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the lime zest, juice, olive oil, and maple syrup. Add in the pistachios, coconut, hemp seeds, and mint and toss to coat in the dressing. Add the sprouts last, carefully tossing to combine everything. Serve a tangle of the sprout salad on top of each watermelon wedge. Garnish with a pinch of flaky sea salt and a bit of mint. Makes 8 wedges.
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