I love to adapt recipes whenever I can to fit our needs and taste buds. I absolutely LOVE it when I can easily change or adapt one to incorporate the use of Young Living’s essential oils. I recently saw a recipe for a Southwestern Chopped Salad and I knew immediately this recipe was a match made in heaven and that it would easily allow the use of essential oils.
Another benefit… this recipe adapts so easily to making mason jar salads, my new favorite for busy schedules. This salad, with its beautiful bursts of color, is not only very nutritious but also very appetizing and sure to make mouths water. The use of mason jar salads is another cool option to help you with your weight management goals as they are healthy, and quick and easy to prepare ahead a time.
Adding kefir to this recipe was the icing on the cake. Kefir is a cultured, enzyme-rich food that’s filled with friendly microorganisms. The addition of kefir helps give this salad a boost of digestive enzymes and probiotics along increasing vitamins and nutrient absorption. If you’re not familiar with kefir its a cultured or fermented probiotic beverage, similar to yogurt. Homemade kefir contains up to 50 different strains of beneficial bacteria and yeasts. Homemade kefir is like yogurt on steriods when it comes to the amount of beneficial bacteria that it provides. I believe that our pure, genuine, premium-grade essential oils, along with kefir, should be in the home of every single human being on the planet… that’s how good they are for us!
Mason jar salads… my new favorite is an easy way to prepare salads ahead of time, including the dressing without turning into a soggy mess. When prepared properly the leafy green part of the salad stays crisp and moist and doesn’t get water logged and soggy. It’s the perfect solution for busy schedules. Quick and easy to prepare and to use! Like I said, this recipe is a match made in heaven for for many different reasons and is a perfect fit for busy lifestyles.
Ultimate Southwestern Chopped Salad with Cilantro Dressing
(use organic ingredients)
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes- OG
1 large BELL PEPPER- red, yellow or green – OG
1/2 large handful cucumber – chopped
1 can black beans (rinsed & drained)
1 (15-ounce) can ORGANIC corn (or 2 cups fresh or frozen)
1 avocado cut into chunks- optional
4-5 green onions
1 large bunch romaine lettuce- OG
Thinly sliced hard boiled eggs optional (Garnish- after dumping salad onto plate or bowl)
DRESSING:
1 1/2 cup loosley packed fresh cilantro
1 avocado OR 1/2 cup plain or Greek yogurt
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 to 2 drop lime essential oil
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup flaxseed oil
1/4 cup EV olive oil (P3)
1/4 cup kefir (either milk or water)- optional
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar or raw red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
PREPARING THE DRESSING
Place all dressing ingredients in a food processor/blender and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. If too thick add more kefir to desired consistency.
PREPARING THE SALAD
Place the salad dressing into the bottom of the mason jars BEFORE adding the salad ingredients.
Place salad ingredients into mason jar one at a time in the order shown above, after chopping or slicing as needed.
Store in refrigerator. When ready to eat pour contents of jar onto salad plate or bowl and garnish with sliced hard boiled egg (optional).
Please Note: The ONLY essential oils that I would EVER consider ingesting are Young Living essential oils. With Young Living’s SEED-TO-SEAL process I’m assured that they do not contain any harmful additives or ingredients and have been grown and properly distilled in order to preserve the many delicate and beneficial constituents, at optimal levels. No two oils are alike and each have their own distilling time, temperature and pressure. To learn more on this topic click here!
