Fruits & Veggies Monday {A Dreary Market Leads to a Sunny Salad!}

Told you I would be back soon. 😉 I couldn't miss out on my dear friend @lenasveganliving's #fruitsandveggiesmonday challenge! 66 weeks and counting for this wonderful weekly contest. Just think about how many stunning fruit and veggie-packed dishes have been shared over the course of this time?! It makes my heart and belly happy to recall some of my favorites. I've got a nice warm salad to share with you for my offering today.

This week I braved the Saturday morning storms to still make it out to support my farmers. They put on the farmers market rain or shine, so I feel it is important to support them regardless. I know many people don't want to make it out when it is nasty, but a little (or a lot of) rain couldn't keep me away from all the goodies. There was really no way to stay dry this week out there, despite my vibrant rain slicker and yellow boots. Luckily it wasn't too cold, but still not fun I'm sure for them to set up the booths. Of course I ended up buying way more than I needed since I wanted to do my part to make it worth their while to come out! No veggie will go to waste, though.

I got a beautiful bunch of mixed mustard greens from one of my favorite vendors this week. She had some stunning bibb lettuce that I shared in my @cookwithus entry this morning, too. A lot of veggies are on the end of their run, but the leafy greens usually thrive pretty well in these cooler temperatures.

Everyone has been posting such beautiful salads the last few weeks, so I'm jumping on the bandwagon. @rawadventuress posted a yummy-looking one earlier today, and @buckaroo and @puravidaville rocked it out with some totally scrumptious creations last week! Yeah, I just called a salad scrumptious. I don't always like cold salads this time of year, so I love making options that can go cold or warm depending upon the temperature. Yesterday was warm and sunny, but the cooler weather is heading back in this week and I will be happy to have a warm, filling salad to eat for lunches!

I started out by cooking up a cup each of brown rice and French lentils as the hearty base. Then I popped my asparagus and cherry tomatoes into the oven to cook. I love how the cherry tomatoes get all blistered and juicy after being roasted! Luckily the hoop house kept the tomato plants from this farmer safe for this week's harvest.

Once the veggies were cooked through, I tossed on the whole batch of mustard greens that I had rinsed and roughly chopped. I turned the oven off but put the whole pan back in while it was still warm to let the greens wilt down.

Once everything was cooked I tossed it all together with some hemp hearts and kalamata olives. The dressing was a mix of herbed balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, lemon juice and zest, and a little bit of miso. Easy, but so bright and vibrant!

Of course you guys know by now how much I love making a big batch of something like this to eat throughout the week. This made a large bowl, so we should have enough for four lunches each I think. It has everything I need to keep me going on busy days--fiber, protein, complex carbs, leafy greens and great flavor to bring it all together! Totally worth some soggy feet to procure such yummy veggies.

I wish you all a happy and healthy start to your week!

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