power up your lunch — with this colorful superfood salad

Too often, salads just don’t satisfy when served as a main dish. I love salads for lunch, or even a light supper, they can leave me hungry or looking to snack shortly thereafter. When I make an effort to include a good protein source, include a mixture of raw and cooked vegetables, as well as adding something crunchy to the mix — I’m totally satiated and content. This vibrant salad is not only rich in colors and textures, but also full of protein, fiber, and healthy fat that will fill you up and keep blood sugars stable.

I featured this recipe at a ‘Superfoods’ class – with the particular point of interest being the hemp tofu. This was a new food to most of the participants — and was generally well liked! Hemp is a really wonderful green protein source: meaning it’s alkaline and a great option for a plant-based diet.  Living Harvest makes the Hemp Tofu, and you can find it near the traditional tofu at natural foods stores. It has a nutty taste, and a denser texture than soy tofu. I like marinating it with coconut aminos , which is a soy sauce substitute. It’s sweeter than traditional soy sauce, and a great option for those reducing or eliminating soy. The recipe is included to add to the salad, but you can omit and it would still be great.

If you don’t already have roasted sweet potatoes, cut them into half moons, toss with oil (coconut or olive) and salt and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 for about 18-20 minutes, until potatoes are fully cooked.

Want to learn more green protein options? Join me April 7 for a cooking class at Whole Foods!