Callie's Crunchy Strawberry Sprout Salad

Coming at you with the PREFECT SUMMER SALAD...a re-creation from South City Kitchen, a fabulous restaurant in the city of Atlanta!!! And before you read the ingredients and freak...yes there is dairy in one of my recipes! It is very intentional as I wanted to touch base on a topic I am currently learning about in nutrition school and it's called Bio-Individuality. "Its about recognizing that there is no one-size-fits-all diet. Each person is a unique individual with highly individualized nutritional requirements, based on factors that include personal taste and inclinations, natural shapes and sizes, blood types, metabolic rates and genetic backgrounds." Joshua Rosenthal, Founder and Director of The Institute of Integrative Nutrition. 

I love this concept and way of thinking when it comes to our health and diet. Yes, I personally do not eat dairy...BUT that is a individualized thing for me. I am dairy-intolerant, as my body doesn't handle it well so I choose to eat completely dairy-free. That does not mean that EVERYONE should eat dairy-free. Should we watch our dairy consumption? Absolutely! Too much of anything is not good and dairy does have some nutritional factors that aren't ideal for our health when consumed in mass quantities. But that does not mean you shouldn't have some yummy ricotta with your salad, especially if that ricotta is what gets you trying new things like sprouts or other veggies that are a more acquired taste. If putting some shaved parmesan on your broccoli gets you eating broccoli, then shave away!!!! Just make sure we are operating with some good quality ingredients here...you know I had to get that one in there! 

Also, the main reason I made this salad was because I had a wonderful friend reach out to me that is currently on a health journey and expanding her pallet for different foods, especially more green foods. She came to me, so proud that she ordered and LOVED a salad that consisted of mostly sprouts! We chatted about how nutrient dense they are and how major this is. Then I said, "I will re-create it and you can have it on the regular!" I think she was excited :) This is a huge deal and I am so proud of her for trying new things and expanding her food choices especially in the greens arena...it's not an easy one to tackle as I have been there, done that! So keep trying new things and find what works for YOU and YOUR health! It's a never ending journey but it can be fun and satifying for our taste buds and our health! 

Serving size: 2 salads 

Prep time: 5-7 minutes

Cook time: n/a

Total time: 7 minutes 

Ingredients: 

• 2 heaping cups of Sunflower Sprouts 
• 1 cup Organic, Grass-Fed Ricotta
• Zest of two Lemons 
• 1 cup of Spiced Sunflower Seeds (see below on how to make them spiced) 
• Spice Blend for Sunflower Seeds: 1/8 tsp. of each: Paprika, Chili Powder, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder and Ground Nutmeg
• Strawberries, how ever many you are feeling...you're the boss
• My Honey + Orange Vinaigrette (linked for dressing recipe)

Instructions

1. Make the spiced sunflower seeds by placing seeds in a warm skillet. Dry roast them for about 3-5 minutes stirring frequently. Add in spice blend above and stir until seeds are evenly coated. 
2. Place ricotta in a mixing bowl and zest two lemons. Mix very well! 
3. Plate lemon ricotta, diving between two plates, and top with sunflower sprouts, strawberries and spiced sunflower seeds. Drizzle the second star of the show, next to the sprouts...the perfect Honey - Orange Vinaigrette and enjoy!!! 

Peace and Clean Eats, 

Kaylee