Springtime Vibes Salad+Cilantro Almond Butter Dressing - FOOD PHOTO SHOOT

in #photography6 years ago (edited)

You guys, this salad!

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Omg, in case the name didn’t give it away, this salad is inspired by both my trip to California (which as I write this I’m about to pack but if your reading it I’m probably chilling in San Diego by now) and all things Springtime as well. It’s basically a little celebration in a bowl about the approach of warm weather and longer daylight hours. I can’t wait to share my trip with you later this week. I can guarantee I’ll have way too many pictures.

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I’ve heard a lot of you guys saying that it’s been really cold where you live in different places across the US and even Europe, so obviously this doesn’t apply to everyone, but up here in the Northwest the groundhog must not have seen his shadow because the weather has been really unusually warm. After a few months of pretty cold weather and snow, I’m pretty okay with this. As you can see I’m totally gearing up for Spring.

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So I have this really big problem when I start to plan out a salad, there are no rules. Now I can see how this would be a problem in an opposite way for many people because they don’t even know where to start. For me though, I can hardly find where to stop because when I start on all the colorful veggies and toppings I just get too inspired and want to add literally EVERYTHING!

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It’s alright, I just make it a rule for myself to not put more than with fit into a large bowl. good news for you because that means if there’s an ingredient you don’t have or don’t like it can be easily left out and you’ll still have plenty of flavors going on.

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The key player on this salad is definitely the dressing. I know it’s not completely an original idea to use nut butter as the creamy factor in a sauce (hello Thai Peanut sauce) or dressing but almond butter was a first for me, and wow, YUM! The cliantro with the citrus adds a ton of deliciousness too, so the final dressing is one you’ll be going back to over and over.

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The rest of the ingredients were partly just what I had in my fridge that I wanted to add. Because if that I honestly had the hardest time choosing a name for it. I think that, other than the dressing of course, the best part might have to be the roasted asparagus and chickpeas. Oh, and if you’re ever think that somehow my kitchen is perfect, well just know that I have real life moments too. For example, I’d planned to have a beautiful sliced avocado for the photos, but you know, sometimes avos decide to ripen faster than you use them. Hence the choice to go with guacamole.

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I also love these type of salads because they can be made into a meal by adding some extra protein and even cheese if you like, or served as a side as is. The recipe as it is is vegan and gluten free, so that’s a plus.

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Springtime Vibes Salad+Cilantro Almond Butter Dressing


Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 4 - 6 servings

A fresh and fruity filled salad topped with a dressing that's super creamy without any dairy. This is a great one for Spring and Summer!

Ingredients

Roasted Chickpeas & Asparagus:


1 bunch asparagus, woody stems cut off and chopped
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
salt & pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil

Salad:


1 cup strawberries, stemmed and sliced
2 nectarines, sliced
4 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 cup miniature sweet peppers (or bell pepper), seeded and sliced
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup guacamole (optional)

Cilantro Almond Butter Dressing:


1/4 cup fresh cilantro
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup raw almond butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons honey (or maple syrup)
2 teaspoons sriracha (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Roasted Chickpeas & Asparagus:


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200C) and toss the asparagus and chickpeas with olive oil, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 - 45 minutes until the chickpeas are golden brown and the asparagus tender.

Salad:


Toss together the spinach, cilantro, onion, peppers, strawberries, and nectarines in a large salad bowl. Top with guacamole, slivered almonds, dressing, and roasted chickpeas and asparagus.

Cilantro Almond Butter Dressing:


Combine the ingredients for the dressing in a small food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. Store in an airtight container until ready to store.

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ALL CONTENT IS MINE AND ORIGINAL! All of these food photos were taken with my Nikon D5300 and my favorite Lens, the Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G. You can find out more in my INTRO POST.

And, by the way, to all the minnows out there, my intro post did a huge $0.21. The key to success on Steemit is to be consistent and persistent. Click on the link below for some great tutorials on how you can also succeed on the steem blockchain:

Master Toolkit: Steemit Resource Guide Illustrated by @sndbox


Also, a huge shoutout to @rigaronib for designing my logo!

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For more great food ideas, please do not forget to look at my other recent food posts

  1. Chocolate Dipped Frosting Filled Doughnuts
  2. Sweet and Spicy Honey Bourbon Chicken
  3. Strawberries+Cream Fudge Brownie Trifle
  4. Tropical Bay Breakfast Jars (Vegan)
  5. Veggies + Lemongrass Wild Rice Stuffed Peppers - FOOD PHOTO SHOOT
  6. National Nutella Day Chocolate Mousse Moose Cake
  7. Chocolate Minty Swirl Brownies with a Secre
  8. 4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Chocolate Cereal Bars
  9. Floral White Vanilla Birthday Cake
  10. Spicy Cajun Shrimp Crunchy Tacos

Do you want to learn more about me? Click here to see a recent @wadepaterson interview with me - 20 questions with @gringalicious

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My Current Stats: 60,854 Steem Power | 11,000 Followers | 26,800 Posts

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Beautiful .. well done
Healthy food . Good for you .. But mixing fruits and vegetables seems strange to me
Thank you for sharing your recipe with us

Your food look delicious. These winters are going too long. I am glad to read spring food recipe.

I am glad I was able to provide some light to the end of your winter tunnel @introvert-dime

This is really delicious, you are soo creative. spring food is really appetizing.i really enjoy spicy food

I am glad to find your profile. Really great recipes!

I am glad you found me to @darlene.kitchen. I hope my work inspires.

That looks very healthy!

I am so glad you liked it @yummyrum!

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I know what you mean in regards to having a hard time choosing a name for a dish. I never use a recipe...almost never. I end calling it in Spanish....the main ingedient a la qualquier. Like pasta qualquier, or pollo qualquier. Which mean as you know chicken-whatever!

But seriously, you really caught that spring time essence in this dish. Well done! As always!

Funny how you are getting ready for the spring. I'm technically south of the Equator and soon will be heading further south into Peru. So I'll literally be traveling into autumn!

Bit strange especially being from Albany New York. Anyway Gringa! You know how I have a tendency to write long Email style messages....so we'll leave it that!

Wishing you an excellent and safe trip to Cali! Have a great time! -Dan

Thanks so much Dan. So, whey Peru? And, what's after Peru?

My goodness you're popular. What a ton of responses you've got here!

A true "Budget Travel Pro" always travels regions and neighboring countries at a time. It makes the most budget sense. So from where I am now I'll just hop on a bus and 6 hours south and maybe 20 dollars I'll be in Mancora Peru. So that the main reason Peru is next, beside I want to see the people, food, culture and so on....

To zig zag all over the world with expensive flights is only for the big players like the one and only Gringalicious! But I'm hoping to be somewhere close to your level soon, and I won't have to be so "budget minded". After Peru, I'll just keep heading south or east into neighboring Bolivia or Chili. But I have to get back to Florida in early may as I promised my dad I would visit around that time. So we'll see how far I get before I'm forced to hop a plane back to the states. Then to Europe for the Summer! At least that's the plan.

How is California? Or I'll just wait for your post. I know how busy you are. No need to reply after seeing this huge list of comments at the end of this post....and every post! Talk about an All Star Steemer! You Rock! Take care and be safe on your travels! -Dan

the commenting phenom strikes again, we'll chat later

That looks full of goodness. You must feel amazing after eating that.

thanks so much for the kind words @unclehermit

You are such an inspiration for the steemit comunity. When I visit your blog I see quality, passion and the most tasty food. Thank you for being on steemit.

thank you for the kind words

Wow it simply looks soo delicious and yummy......it must be very healthy tooo

glad I caught this one, thanks so much for commenting @universalpro, and yes, I'd like to think it is healthy too

so when can you invite me to your place to taste the typical cuisine from you

Hehe, well maybe someday @naymar!

i like vegetables and salad , thanks for sharing , you did really great job .

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