Mixed Greens with Healthy Hemp Seed Dressing

Don’t you just want to take a fork and dig into that salad? I mean look at all that color and texture. There’s roasted beets, hemp seeds, diced avocado, broccoli sprouts, sprouted sunflower seeds (good source of protein, magnesium & Omega 6) and sprouted pumpkin seeds (good source of protein, iron & Omega 6). Lot’s of good stuff going on! I’m totally craving this salad now as I write up this post, so I think I know what I’m having for dinner tomorrow night…

Lately, I’ve been eating salads like a madwoman. Not only are salads a great way to get our daily dose of “greens” in, but they’re super easy to whip up for that last-minute dinner side, or for lunch. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not just a plain mixed greens and dressing sort of gal, I love a salad that is full of depth, texture, crunch and jam-packed with nutrition, and this salad has all of that going on and then some.

This is one of my go-to salads, as the dressing is full of omega fatty acids and protein from the hemp oil and seeds, and literally takes just 3 minutes to whip up. I love adding in tons of nutritional toppings such as; roasted matchstick beets, broccoli and kale sprouts, diced avocado, sprouted sunflower and pumpkin seeds and additional hemp seeds, for that extra nutty flavor. The end result is a flavor filled, nutritional powerhouse salad that will make you feel amazing! Seriously, I feel amazing after eating this salad.

Nutritional benefits of hemp oil/ hemp seeds – 1 tablespoon of hemp oil fulfills the daily requirements for essential fatty acids. Hemp contains the ideal 3:1 omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, both which can help the body metabolize fat. Hemp is loaded with all 20 amino acids (including the 9 essential).  The protein found in hemp seed is very digestible, making it a great choice for sensitive diets. Hemp stimulates hair and nail growth, improves the health of the skin and can reduce inflammation.

Oh, by the way, this salad is kid approved my house, though my kids are not fans of the pumpkin or sunflower seeds, so I omit those from their plates.

mixed greens with healthy hemp seed dressing:

salad dressing adapted from At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen: Celebrating the Art of Eating WellAt Home in the Whole Foods Kitchen

serves 4 – feel free to cut the dressing in half if you’re just making a salad for yourself or 2 people

dressing:

• 2 tablespoons Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon celtic sea salt, plus more to taste – I love this sea salt, as it’s un-refined and is loaded with essential minerals our bodies need.
• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) cold pressed, unrefined hemp oil, or cold pressed flax oil or walnut oil – You can find hemp seed oil in the nutrition department’s refrigerated section of your grocery store, near the probiotics.
• 2 tablespoons hemp seeds

salad plus optional toppings:

• assorted mixed baby greens or arugula
• roasted matchstick beets – see my recipe here on how to make these
• broccoli or kale sprouts
• diced avocado
• roasted sweet potato
• hemp seeds
• sprouted pumpkin seeds – I love this brand Go Raw
• sprouted sunflower seeds – I love this brand Go Raw

I love this brand of hemp seeds and hemp oil from Nutiva!  Their hemp seeds are certified organic and non-GMO, are gently cold-processed, unrefined, never hexane-processed and chemical free. Their hemp seeds are grown on certified farms in Canada. You want to watch out for hemp oil or seeds that are produced in the United States because they must be made from sterilized or irradiated seeds, yuck!

 In a small bowl or small glass jar (I used a recycled glass jelly jar) whisk together the 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt.

Slowly add in ¼ cup hemp seed oil, whisking until emulsified.

Stir in the 2 tablespoons flax seeds.

Once the dressing is mixed, give it a taste and adjust the seasonings.

Tasting tip: For the most accurate idea of what the dressing will taste like on your salad, dip a leaf into the dressing, shake off the excess, and give it a try.

Put the mixed greens and broccoli or kale sprouts into a large salad bowl, lightly drizzle the dressing over the greens and toss gently to combine.

Now comes the fun part, adding in all those extra nutritional goodies that give this salad some added depth, texture and taste!

Add in some roasted matchstick beets (these only take 12-15 minutes to bake up, and add extra flavor, texture and tons of nutrition).

Add in some diced avocado, (healthy fat) sprouted sunflower (good source of protein, magnesium & Omega 6) and/or pumpkin seeds (good source of protein, iron and Omega 6), as well as additional hemp seeds.

Give the salad a final toss to combine all of the ingredients and dig in!

 This below arugula salad took me 5 minutes to whip up for lunch. I had prepped ahead all of my salad ingredients using my weekly salad prep 101 post, made a fresh half batch of the hemp seed dressing (which is perfect for 1 person). I tossed it with arugula, roasted sweet potatoes, kalamata olives, diced avocado, hemp seeds and raw sprouted pumpkin seeds!

I love pairing this salad with my oven roasted sweet potato halves!

You can also pair it with some avocado toast!

I tossed some arugula with this dressing and added in some heirloom tomatoes, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, roasted beets and sweet potatoes and paired it with a leftover cold oven baked crispy chicken leg! Leftovers rock! Amazing dinner!

I love this salad for lunch paired with some pasture raised fried eggs cooked in coconut oil!

If you want to incorporate the protein power of hemp into your diet, then try my vanilla hemp protein shake!  It’s loaded with protein and tastes great to boot!