This hearty organic vegetarian chef salad will have carnivores
looking over your shoulder, giving you puppy dog eyes for a
bite.
It will also
provide you with loads of fresh veggies to boost your daily
fresh fruit and vegetable intake. And that’s not to mention
being packed with protein, so it functions as a hearty meal that
will give you lots of mileage.
Plus, the tangy flavor of
organic produce, as compared to conventional produce, shines
through. Just ask any gourmet chef whether he or she prefers
conventional or organic produce--they say organic, for flavor,
every time.
Ingredients:
Two hard-boiled organic
or local eggs (optional if you’re vegan or too impatient)
Organic bacon bits alternative
2 organic hearts of romaine
Organic shredded cheese or cheese alternative (your choice;
either yellow or orange cheeses are great)
2 vegetarian
breaded chicken patties
2 organic tomatoes
1 organic red
pepper
Organic croutons
Bring a small saucepan of
water to a boil. Meanwhile, thoroughly rinse romaine hearts,
then pat them dry with a towel. Tear off any brown areas to
compost them, then bunch the romaine with your hand and cut it
into horizontal slices, working from the tip to the butt.
Repeat for second heart of romaine. Compost the butts. Dice
tomatoes and red peppers. Compost the tomato core and red pepper
cap and innards. While you’re chopping, reflect upon a quote
from Thich Nhat Hanh: “We have to eat happy eggs from happy
chickens.”
When the water boils, gently drop in eggs.
Boil for three minutes or until they’re hard-boiled. Meanwhile,
spread the sliced romaine hearts evenly between two plates.
(This serves two, in case you haven’t already guessed.)
Cook the vegetarian chicken patties according to package
directions, either in the microwave if you’re super hungry and
need to eat soon, or in the oven if you want them to be more
crunchy. (Of course, if you cook them in the oven, make that the
first step before boiling the eggs.) Cut the patties into slices
when they’re done, then arrange the slices on each plate of
romaine.
Rinse the eggs under cold water until they’re
cool enough to handle. Chop the eggs, or use an egg slicer and
pretend it’s your least favorite politician’s head.
Sprinkle organic bacon bits alternative, cheese or cheese
alternative, red peppers, tomatoes and croutons evenly onto each
salad. Actually, don’t do it evenly--sneak just a few more
goodies onto your salad.
You can use pre-packaged organic
croutons, or you may be able to find crunchy organic or local
baguette chips that you can crumble onto the salad. And if
you’re in a pinch, you can simply crumble some organic crackers
or tortilla chips that you may already have on hand.
The
organic produce you use in this hearty salad is as limitless as
your imagination. You can also try diced cucumber, shredded
carrots, sugar snap peas--the list goes on and on.
This organic
salad is really great with organic thousand island dressing. Or
try mixing organic ranch and organic French dressing! Chow down!
About the Author:
Virginia Louise runs an organic food site that offers free
information to visitors interested in discovering the advantages
of organic food at
http://www.organicfoodinfo.net
Visit the web site to get another seven free recipes as
mouthwatering as this one.
