Cool As A Cucumber SaladWith Garbanzos And Cherry Tomatoes

Beat the heat with this cucumber salad.

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We've had record breaking heat this last week. Sebastopol topped its record with 111 degrees. So needless to say, we've been eating a lot of raw foods and foods that are cooling. Cucumbers are very hydrating and I just happen to have a cucumber plant that is presenting me with 2 enormous and perfect cucumbers a day! 

Here's a quick salad that we made for lunch yesterday. It also uses our garden cherry tomatoes. With protein-packed garbanzo beans and good fats from the avocado, this is a perfectly balanced vegan and gluten-free meal for two hungry people or a side dish for 4 to 6. 

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Cucumber Salad with Garbanzos and Cherry Tomatoes

Vegan, Dairy and Gluten Free

[Serves 2 large meal-size salads or 4 to 6 sides]

Ingredients

Salad

1 long English cucumber or 2 smaller ones

2 dozen cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 avocado, diced

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 serrano pepper, minced (optional)

2 tablespoons red onion (optional)

Dressing

1 tablespoon EVOO or cold-pressed hemp oil

1 tablespoon lemon balsamic vinegar

1 large clove garlic, pressed

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon dried dill or 2 tablespoons fresh, chopped

Peel the cucumber and slice vertically. Then slice into half moons.

Place the cucumber in a medium bowl and add the tomatoes, avocado, garbanzo beans, pepper (if using), and red onion (if using). 

Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a cup or small bowl and stir with a fork until well incorporated. 

Pour over the cucumber salad and toss gently. Serve immediately.

And remember to stay cool!

Results Of This Year's Corn CropFresh Corn, Tomato And Cucumber Salad

Fresh corn makes a great salad topping.

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Corn
I love corn. I love everything about it. I love to eat it raw, right off the cob. I love throwing it into soups, salads, muffins, well - you name it. But the thing I love the most is growing it. This year was our second crop and we actually harvested it on time at the peak of its tenderness (lessons learned from last year!)

Having grown up in apartments in New York City, where one is lucky to have a flower pot of parsley on the fire escape, the very thought of having enough land to grow such an enormous vegetable still blows my mind. My corn stands proudly in the entry to our little farm - a monument to a more sane life. 

Me and my daughter, Linda, playing in the corn.

Last year we planted 35 seeds and got about 48 ears of corn. This year I planted 65 seeds which yielded about 85 ears (hard to keep track as I kept eating them before accurately counting.) It looks like for each seed planted, I have gotten 1.3 to 1.4 times the ears of corn. If you google "how many ears of corn do you get from a plant", most experts say 1 to 2 ears. So my yield might be on the low side, but since it's heirloom corn, not GMO, it's naturally bred for flavor and sweetness, not high production.

Extra tender, midseason bicolor corn from Johnny's seeds.
We planted the end of May and harvested the end of August.

With all of this corn, we obviously had to freeze most of it. To freeze corn, see last year's post on Freezing Summer Corn for Winter Pleasure.

Sometimes corn can get lost when tossed in a salad so I often like to use it in a layered salad where it happily sits on top. I brought this salad to a pot luck last week where I was able to use the cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, and basil from my garden. Corn goes incredibly well with tomatoes, so you will be seeing them together in future recipes - stay tuned!

Drizzle this salad with a simple vinaigrette or your favorite dressing.

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Fresh Corn, Tomato, and Cucumber Salad
Raw Vegan, Dairy and Gluten Free
[makes 6 servings]

Ingredients
For the salad:
1 large English or other cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 large yellow heirloom tomato
1 large red heirloom tomato
Kernels from 1 large ear of non-GMO corn
2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
Handfull chopped fresh basil, chopped
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the vinaigrette dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 large clove garlic, pressed
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Layer the bottom of a salad bowl with the sliced cucumbers.

Slice the tomatoes and place in a colander to drain. If they are particularly juicy, lay them on paper towels. Once they are fairly dry, place them over the cucumbers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and some of the basil.

Mix the corn kernels with the red onion and place over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with more basil and seasoning.

Cover and refrigerate until you serve. Right before serving, stir or shake the vinaigrette well and drizzle the amount desired evenly over the salad.

Enjoy!

Shaved Cucumber Salad with Lemon DillLess Than 50 Calories Per Serving

Use a mandoline to thinly slice cucumbers.

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How Slicing Makes a Difference
How a vegetable or fruit is sliced can make a big difference on its texture and even its flavor. My daughter was here this week and when I asked her to make a side dish with the garden cucumbers I just picked, she made this beautiful salad.

Although this recipe has few ingredients, the thinly shaved cucumber slices give it an elegant presentation. Its tangy lemon dill dressing coats every little slice and makes a great low-calorie summer side dish. If you are a fish eater, this lemon dill salad pairs perfectly with grilled wild salmon.

A mandoline is used to slice the cucumbers 

To cut the cucumbers this thin, you will need a mandoline slicer. Please be careful when using this tool and ALWAYS use the guard, although it's tough to do when cutting these thin cucumbers. This is what happened to me last year when I didn't take my own advice while making dehydrated apple slices!

Be super careful when using a mandoline

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Shaved Cucumber Salad with Lemon Dill
Raw Vegan, Gluten and Dairy Free
[makes 6 servings or more]

Ingredients
2 English or 8-inch, tender garden cucumbers, with skin
Juice of 1/2 lemon, or more to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried dill or 1 tablespoon fresh
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

Directions
Wash the cucumbers but leave the skin on. Carefully slice on a mandoline using a thin setting.

Be VERY careful not to cut your fingers.
My daughter is not using the guard in
this picture despite my pleas.

Mix up the lemon juice and oil and pour over the cucumbers. Season with the dill, salt, and pepper. Let the cucumbers sit in the dressing, in the refrigerator, for 30 minutes and then serve.

Nutrition
Per serving: 46 calories, 4 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 31 mg omega-3 and 358 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 1 g protein, 4 g dietary fiber, and 196 mg sodium.

10 Things To Do With Cucumbers

Raw Cucumber and Radish Salad with Lemon Dill Dressing.

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Preparing for my Cucumber Harvest

Yesterday I picked the first cucumber from my garden. I'm actually surprised that I got to eat it since my friend and neighbor, Pam, has been carefully monitoring and hovering over the plant for the last few weeks! But this is a very prolific plant so there will be lots more to come and  soon I'll be begging people to come get them.

Cucumbers are my "go to" diet food in the summer. When I need a snack, I just peel a cucumber and munch away. A small cucumber is only 16 calories and is a very good source of vitamin C and K and a good source of B vitamins such as B6, folate, and pantothenic acid as well as some important minerals like magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and manganese. It's also a good source of dietary fiber.

Here are 10 Things to do with Cucumbers

#1 Salad

The most common way to use a raw cucumber is in a salad. Here are a few recipes you can enjoy:

Italian Antipasto Salad

My daughter Linda's Raw Cucumber and Radish Salad with Lemon Dill Dressing

Yellow Pear Cherry Tomato Salad with Cucumbers, Avocado, and Jalapeño.

Summer Salad with Agave-Dijon Dressing.

Italian Vegan Antipasto Salad

Crunchy and cool summer salad

#2 Sushi

Cucumbers make a great ingredient in any kind of sushi, whether it be in traditional fish sushi or one that's vegan. For a Veggie Sushi Roll recipe with Ginger-Tahini Sauce, download my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen.

Veggie Sushi Roll from my eBook

#3 Smoothies

Raw cucumbers are great to put into a smoothie. It gives the smoothie a nice texture and provides all the dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals listed above. Try the recipe for Green Chia Seed Blast.

Green Chia Seed Blast, inspired by VegeNation

#4 Raw Soup

Cucumbers are a nice, crunchy ingredient for a raw gazpacho or Avospacho Soup. 

Avospacho Soup

You may also want to try this raw Creamy Vegan Garden Cucumber Soup.

Creamy Garden Cucumber Soup

#5 Pickles

I've often written about the importance of eating fermented foods. Here's a recipe for making Probiotic-Rich Fermented Pickles.

Fermented Pickles

# 6 Cucumber Tea Sandwich

Cucumber tea sandwiches are just a simple sandwich with thinly sliced English cucumbers with cream cheese and a sprinkle of fresh dill on white bread. A healthier version of this would be to use Kite Hill's Vegan Cream Cheese Style Spread made from a cultured almond milk. And you can also upgrade the bread to one with whole grain. 

Of course, thinly sliced cucumbers make a nice addition to any sandwich!

A great non-dairy substitute for cream cheese

#7 Base for Hors D'Oeuvres 

Making hors d'oeuvres? Instead of crackers, use slices of cucumber as the base. Your gluten-sensitive guests will appreciate it!

Cucumbers as a gluten-free base for hors d'oeuvres.

#8 On your Eyes

Cucumbers contain compounds that reduce the puffiness and lighten dark circles around the eyes. The classic picture of a person at the spa always includes someone relaxing with cucumber slices on their eyes.

Picture from LifeCell products

#9 Cucumber Water

For delicious, hydrating water, just throw a few slices of cucumber in your water. I drink a lot more water when it has a little flavor! And when you are serving guests, a few slices of cucumber in the water pitcher makes your water look a bit fancier.

# 10 Salsa

Cucumbers can provide a bit of crunch to your salsa. Make a simple mango salsa with 1 sliced Manila mango, a finely diced small, peeled cucumber, a diced avocado, 2 tablespoons of red onion, a chopped jalapeño, 2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro all tossed with a tablespoon of fresh lime juice. Salt to taste and serve with healthy chips.

Green Chia Seed BlastRaw Vegan Smoothie Packed With Healthy Fats

This rich and delicious smoothie blends
green veggies and fruits with healthy fats.

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Green Smoothie
This is one of the tastiest green smoothies I've ever made. It was inspired by the Green Machine that I had at VegeNation in Las Vegas last month. I started with their main ingredients of kale, parsley, cucumber, avocado and grapes, and added some healthy fats to provide omega-3 and omega-6, monosaturated fats, as well as medium chain triglycerides.

Do Not Fear Fat!
Fats are critical to your diet. For one, they help you absorb fat-soluble vitamins. A recent study showed that "the presence of fat in a meal with which a vitamin D-3 supplement is taken significantly enhances absorption of the supplement." That study showed an average increase of 32% absorption. Other fat-soluble vitamins, such as A, K and E, also benefit from the presence of fat in the diet.

Fat also improves carotenoid absorption and improves the conversion of beta-carotene into vitamin A. 

I added chia seeds, avocado, and coconut butter to this recipe. Chia seeds are a wonderful source of omega-3 essential fatty acids. Avocado contains healthy monosaturated fats, such as oleic acid. Coconut butter contains medium-chain triglycerides that are readily used as energy. Besides their health benefits, these foods provide a nice, thick texture for the smoothie and the coconut butter adds another level of deliciousness.

One serving of Green Chia Seed Blast smoothie provides approximately 1 entire gram of both omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids in a 1:1 ratio.

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Green Chia Seed Blast
Raw Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free
[makes 4 servings]

Requires a high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix or Blendtec.

Freeze the grapes the night before.
Allow 30 minutes to hydrate the chia seeds.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 cup room temperature water
1 cup loosely packed parsley
1 cup tightly packed kale, ribs removed
1 tablespoon raw coconut butter
1 cup cold water
1 large avocado, peeled, pit removed
1 large English cucumber, peeled and sliced
3 cups frozen grapes

Directions
Place the chia seeds in 1 cup of room temperature water. Stir vigorously and set aside until the chia seeds are completely hydrated, stirring occasionally - about 30 minutes.

Wait until the chia seeds are completely hydrated.

Place the parsley, kale, coconut butter, hydrated chia seeds, and cold water into the blender. Process until the greens are well chopped.

Add the avocado, cucumber, and frozen grapes to the blender and process until smooth. Serve immediately.

Nutrition
Per serving: 205 calories, 10 g total fat, 3 g saturated fat, 960 mg omega-3 and 996 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 4 g protein, 31 g carbohydrates, 7 g dietary fiber, and 24 mg sodium.

What To Do With Garden Cucumbers And Veggies Make Probiotic-Rich Fermented Pickles

Living, probiotic-rich pickles.

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My New Crock
I received a beautiful fermentation crock from Ogusky Ceramics for my birthday (thanks Matthew, Alina and Sammy!) and I couldn't wait to try it. I know I mention this ever chance I get but consuming lots of probiotic-rich fermented foods is one of the most important things you can do for your health. One of the many ways to do that is to make your own pickles. I don't mean the kind that you find on the store shelves pickled in vinegar. Those pickles do not have any probiotic value. I mean the kind that are made from the simple process of fermenting your veggies in brine and spices. You won't believe how easy it is!

And you don't need a fancy crock like this to ferment foods. You can use a big glass jar like I did when I shared the Curtido Kraut recipe in June. But I must say, I've been really enjoying this crock.

Fermentation crocks handcrafted by
Boston potter Jeremy Ogusky

Cucumbers plus....
Today I'm pickling cucumbers with some padron peppers (for some zing) since I have tons of them in my garden. But you can pickle any vegetable using this technique. You also don't have to use "picking cucumbers" and can use any cucumber you want. Just pick them early and don't let them get too fat and full of seeds. The dull skin varieties with thin skins are probably a better choice than those with shiny thick skins. Never use cucumbers that have been waxed.

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Spicy Fermented Cucumbers
Raw Vegan, Dairy and Gluten Free

Requires a glass or ceramic containment vessel

Ingredients
Brine (2 tablespoons of pickling salt to 4 cups water)
10 peppercorns
2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves, skin removed
Other pickling spices and herbs (optional)
2 fresh grape leaves or other tannin source
Enough cucumbers for your vessel
Handful padron peppers, several jalapeños cut in half, or small amount of crushed red pepper to taste (optional)

Directions
Make the brine by adding 2 tablespoons of pickling salt to a quart of spring, distilled, or filtered water. (Chlorinated water can inhibit fermentation). Stir until completely dissolved and set aside.

I learned the hard way that all salt is not equal when it comes to pickling. You can use other types of salt but make sure that they do not have anti-caking agents or your brine will end up cloudy. I also avoid iodized and sea salt. If you use kosher salt, you also may have to change the amount of salt you use per quart of water. 

A note about Kosher salt. Morton's uses anti-caking agents so avoid using that brand. Diamond Crystal is good but it's less dense than pickling salt so you have to use more of it. Some people weigh the various salts, but when I try to decide how much to use, I compare their sodium content. For example:

Table salt has 2,325 mg of sodium per teaspoon.
Pickling salt has 2,360 mg per teaspoon (about equal).
Diamond Crystal Kosher salt only has 1,120 mg per teaspoon.

So if you were using Diamond Crystal Kosher salt instead of pickling salt, you would need 4 tablespoons per quart of water versus 2 tablespoons of pickling salt.

Pickling salt is also very fine and it dissolves much more easily than Diamond Crystal kosher salt so from now on I'm just going to use pickling salt.

Once you've made the brine, place your spices in the bottom of the crock. Ironically my husband and I are not big pickle fans so we avoid the usual pickling spices like mustard, coriander, and dill. But we love the subtle taste of garlic, pepper, and bay leaves and the zing of spicy peppers so that's enough for us. So select the pickle spices that you enjoy.

Cover the spices with a fresh grape leave or another source of tannin like oak leaves. You can even add a teaspoon of loose tea to a half-gallon jar. See the Cultures for Health website for other tips to keep you pickles crunchy. Since we have a vineyard, we have plenty of fresh grape leaves so that's what we use.

Slice the cucumbers in half inch slices and cut the tops off of the padron peppers. If using jalapeños, slice them in half lengthwise. Now place your cut up veggies on top of the leaves. Leave 2 to 4 inches of headroom.

Pour enough brine to cover your veggies by at least 1 or 2 inches.

Place something over the veggies to keep them submerged in the brine during fermentation. My crock came with a top but you can use a small plate. If you are fermenting in a quart jar, you can weigh down the veggies with a smaller jar filled with water and capped (like I did in the Curtido Kraut recipe.)

Cover the fermentation crock with a small dish towel or dinner napkin and set in a quiet corner of your kitchen. Peek in once a day to see if it's bubbling. If mold forms, just scoop it out. It's best if the temperature is between 65 and 85 degrees. 

Let fermentation progress for one or two weeks. The best way to see if the pickles are done is to taste them. 

When completed, place the pickles and the juice in a Fido jar or a capped mason jar and store in the refrigerator. If you live in a cool climate, you can store them in a cool root cellar. They should stay crisp for several months. 

Enjoy!

Creamy Garden Cucumber Soup - Serve ChilledRaw Vegan, And Gluten Free

Raw almonds make this chilled cucumber soup creamy.

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Busy Week
Sorry it's taken me so long to post this month but we've been busy harvesting 3.7 tons of organic Pinot Noir grapes in our vineyard here in Sebastopol, California. Sudden hot weather caused the sugar in the grapes to quickly spike and we had to scramble to get the grapes harvested. The sugar level dictates the percent alcohol in the wine and since we like our Pinot to be around 14% alcohol or under, we pick our grapes when they are around 24% sugar (Brix) or less. 

Friends, family, and workers came to our rescue and we got it all done in three days. My brother and his wife happened to be visiting (thinking that they were here for a relaxing vacation) only to find themselves out in the field picking grapes. They enjoyed the experience and now have a story to tell back in Charleston, South Carolina.

Check out last year's post on how we make Pinot Noir.

My brother Peter, harvesting grapes.

My sister-in-law Dianne busy at work.

Back to Cucumber Soup
Before we roped Peter and Dianne into harvesting, we did some fun things. It was Sonoma Wine Country Weekend and we took them to a fabulous wine event at Fred MacMurry's Estate that featured 200 wineries and 60 local chefs. 

One of the chefs made a delicious chilled cucumber soup. Since it was creamy I assumed it was made with dairy. (I always have to ask since I'm allergic.) But to my surprise, the cucumbers were blended with almonds (my favorite source of vitamin E). I didn't get the recipe but I have attempted to recreate the dish, especially since my garden is packed with cucumbers right now. My version is a bit thicker and instead of drizzling olive oil over the soup, I use cold-pressed hemp oil since it has more omega-3. 

Cucumbers in my garden

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Creamy Garden Cucumber Soup
Raw Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes about 2 1/4 cups - 4 small servings]
Requires a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix 

3 cups diced, peeled cucumbers with large seeds removed
1/4 cups raw almonds, soaked over night
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill plus some for garnish
1 1/4 teaspoon cold-pressed hemp oil

To prepare the cucumbers, peel and quarter lengthwise. If you have large seeds, remove them. Dice and measure 3 cups and place them in a high-speed blender.

Add the soaked almonds, lemon peel, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and dill and blend until smooth. If it's too thick, add a tablespoon of water or non-dairy milk and blend until mixed. Chill until ready to serve. 

To serve, place the soup in 4 small teacups or bowls and drizzle 1/4 teaspoon of hemp or olive oil over each bowl. Take a demitasse spoon or a toothpick and stir the oil into the soup. Garnish with a small piece of dill and serve.

Per serving: 77 calories, 6 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 170 mg omega-3 and 1,749 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 3 g protein, 5 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 293 mg sodium.

What To Do With All Those Cherry Tomatoes?Make Yellow Pear Cherry Tomato Salad With Cucumbers, Avocado And Jalapeño

A delicious and simple way to use those cherry tomatoes
and other garden veggies. Only 53 calories per serving!

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My Garden Overfloweth
While my garden zucchini has taken much of my attention, these cute and very prolific yellow pear cherry tomatoes are gathering steam. My cucumbers and jalapeños are also holding there own so what better way to use them all up than in this simple raw salad! 

Raw yellow tomatoes are low in calories and are an excellent source of Vitamin C, niacin, folate, potassium, copper and manganese.

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Yellow Pear Cherry Tomato Salad
Raw Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 6 servings]

2 cups halved yellow pear cherry tomatoes
2 cups peeled and diced cucumbers
1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and diced
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 small jalapeño, thinly sliced (seeds optional)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, or more
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

Place the tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, red onion, and jalapeño in a bowl. Sprinkle with lime juice, salt, and pepper and toss gently until well coated.

Per serving: 53 calories, 4 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 29 mg omega-3 and 441 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 g protein, 5 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 207 mg sodium.

Vegan And Gluten-Free Antipasto Salad The Perfect Start To A Holiday Dinner

Everyone loves antipasto salad- A real holiday pleaser!

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Antipasto Salad
You know it's Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter when my cousin's all post pictures of their gorgeous antipastos. But this year, I'm leaning towards an antipasto salad. What's the difference you might ask? Well, an antipasto is usually a large platter with ingredients such as olives, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, etc., all laid out in a beautiful and creative fashion. If you're not vegan, you'll see provolone, bocconcini (small mozzarella balls) or chunks of salami on the platter as well. An antipasto salad has many of the same components but also has more raw salad ingredients such as cucumber, romaine lettuce, raw onions, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and more, in a Italian dressing. I find the antipasto salad a little easier to serve and you don't have your guests picking out their favorite ingredients :-)
So for those of you coming to my Thanksgiving feast this year, expect to see a huge platter of this delicious vegan and gluten free antipasto salad!

Feel free to substitute your favorite fresh salad or olive bar ingredients for the ones listed in this recipe. Or just add more ingredients. At dinner last night, while consuming (and testing!) an entire platter of this salad, my husband mentioned that I left out radishes, his favorite. So we quickly cut up a bunch of them and threw them on! So if I left out something you love, please don't hesitate to make modifications.

Box Beans - A Healthy Alternative to Most Canned Beans 
My father's favorite antipasto ingredient was garbanzo beans. Even though he is no longer with us, I always include garbanzos in my holiday salad to make me feel like he's at the table.

When shopping for garbanzos this week, I was very excited to discover that Whole Foods now sells them and other beans in little boxes that are BPA free! BPA, or bisphenol-A, is an industrial chemical that is commonly found in the lining of cans. Beans are one of the only things that I still buy in cans so it is worrisome. There are companies, like Eden Foods, that make cans without a BPA lining but these companies are few and far between. BPA is an endocrine disruptor because it mimics the body's hormones and is linked to an increased risk of infertility, obesity, breast and other cancers. So if you can find these cute boxes of BPA-free beans, they are a better choice than canned beans that have BPA linings.

Whole Foods sells beans in boxes.
A great option when trying to avoid
BPA linings in canned goods.

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Antipasto Salad
Vegan and Gluten Free
[makes 8 servings]

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive or cold-pressed hemp oil (or a mixture of both)
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 large clove pressed or finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup sliced red onions
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 cup peeled, halved and sliced English cucumbers
1 cup seeded and sliced red bell pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cup mixed, pitted marinated olives
1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts
1/2 cup marinated button mushrooms
1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (15 oz can or 13 oz box)
1 large head of romaine lettuce, cleaned and chopped

Mix the oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and whisk until combined. Stir in the onions and let them marinate while you are preparing the remaining ingredients.

Let the onions marinate in the dressing while
you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Add the remaining ingredients and toss until well combined.

Spoon onto a large, shallow platter and serve.

A large shallow platter makes a nicer presentation
than a tall salad bowl.

Check out other healthy and delicious vegan and gluten-free Thanksgiving and holiday favorites.