There’s nothing like a refreshing salad on a hot summer’s day; this gluten free Arugula Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette hits the spot.  Finding gluten free salad is easy (arugula and raspberries don’t contain gluten).  Finding gluten free salad dressing is another story altogether.

Gluten lurks in the strangest places.  And salad dressing can contain various binders and flavorings (such as soy sauce) that are not gluten free.  That’s why I like to make my salad dressings from scratch –it’s a lot cheaper as well.

You can make this Raspberry Vinaigrette ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for up to a week.  And feel free to mix and match the dressing with other greens from your garden.

The flavors in this salad complement each other nicely –the sweet raspberries offset the sharp flavor of the savory (spicy) arugula.  This festive looking crowd pleaser is a great dish for potlucks, barbecues, or a simple everyday treat.  Adding fruit to a green salad is a little trick that I use to get my boys to eat more veggies.  This makes your salads visually appealing and just a bit more enticing as well.

Here are some of my other gluten free salads and vegetable based dishes that have a sweet element to them to lure your little ones into getting more greens:

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I’m slightly obsessed with coleslaw these days, especially any coleslaw made with purple cabbage which I find to be delectably sweet and crunchy.  I’m always craving a good crunch in my food.

I like to serve this spicy slaw with my Turkey Burgers from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook or my Grilled Chipotle Orange Chicken.

Spicy SlawNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
½ head purple cabbage, shredded
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1 carrot, grated
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2 limes, juiced
2 tablespoons olive oil
7 drops stevia
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt

1. Place the cabbage, cilantro, carrot, jalapeño and ginger in a large bowl
2. Toss veggies with lime, olive oil and stevia, then sprinkle with salt
3. Serve

Don’t forget the giveaway for a Ball Canning Discovery Kit ends this Wednesday. To be entered simply leave a comment on the Cherry Strawberry Ice Cream Post and let us know what kind of food you would be preserving, or if you’re not the preserving type, let us know what you would store in them.

UPDATE: this giveaway has ended and the winner was Tracy.

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This super healthy Asparagus Basil Salad is a not just nutritious, it’s a treat for the palate.  Trust me, it’s delectable, especially right now using wonderfully ripe vegetables at peak season. I found this recipe in Sunset Magazine.  Actually, I didn’t find it, our family friend Mrs. Rose found it and made it for Mr. Rose’s 75th birthday, a fabulous little gathering that the boys and I attended when we were in Davis, California visiting my folks a couple of weeks ago.

For those of you that commented on my last post, The Gluten Free Diet, about family and friends that don’t understand, accommodate or respect your dietary restrictions (or eating plan, as I prefer to say) Mrs. Rose made tons of gluten free food for us!  And so, a yummy dinner was enjoyed by all.

However, IMHO, it really is up to us to maintain our boundaries and not eat food that makes us feel awful, just to spare someone else’s feelings.  I would rather hurt their feelings than hurt my body; has anybody else been in a situation like that?

In any event, here’s a yummy salad that pretty much anyone can enjoy.  If you don’t do nightshades, it’s still delicious without the tomatoes!

Asparagus Basil SaladNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
1 lb asparagus, trimmed and halved
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 ripe avocado, cut into cubes
1 cup sliced basil leaves
¼ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon pepper

1. Steam asparagus for 5-7 minutes until fork tender
2. Place asparagus, tomatoes, avocado and basil in a large bowl
3. Stir in olive oil, lemon juice and mustard
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper
5. Serve

I actually made a huge batch of this last weekend and ate it for breakfast and then had the rest for dinner with Turkey Burgers from my book, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook.

I am LOVING Mark Sisson’s book The Primal Blueprint, the guy is a genius.  And I am waiting for his next book to come out, which is the called, The Primal Blueprint Cookbook. If you haven’t had a chance to look at Mark’s site, marksdailyapple.com, head on over there and check it out.  It is primal galore.

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The name of this cucumber salad really could be Bubby’s Cucumber Salad.  I learned to make it from my father’s mother, an immigrant to this country, and an amazing woman.  She helped my Dad’s father run their butcher shop and was quite the business woman from what I can gather.

She also was an amazing cook.  Her Matzo Ball Soup was incredible, as were so many of her other dishes.

We make Bubby’s Cucumber Salad in my home all the time, and when I say we, I am being literal, the boys can whip this salad up in a jiffy, it’s so easy.  We like it best in the summertime, when its impact is extra refreshing.  Go ahead, try some for yourself!

Cucumber SaladNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
2 cucumbers, peeled
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt

1. Cut the cucumber into ¼ inch slices
2. Place in a medium bowl
3. Cover with vinegar and sprinkle with salt
4. Serve

I’m really looking forward to my upcoming webinar with the editor of Allergic Living Magazine, Shelley Case, which will be on July 8th at 11am.  More details to come. Hope you can tune in.

Finally, I’ve been thinking lately about discussing the reasons I went gluten free and why that eating plan has helped me in my healing process.  I also may share some other strategies that I have used to rebuild my health.  Is there anything that would be of particular interest to you?  If so, leave a comment and I just might do a health related post in response to your question.

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The other night I went to a fabulous event in Boulder hosted by Bauman College. During this evening one of the graduates from Bauman’s chef program did a great cooking demo for a raw kale salad with shiitake mushrooms (it had a number of other ingredients as well).

The next day, I was determined to make my a version of my own. Before that evening, I had not thought of eating raw mushrooms, however, after tasting the Bauman salad, I was sold. So, I picked kale from our garden in the blistering heat –it’s growing so wildly I am having a challenging time keeping up with it– and began to concoct the dish above.

Raw Shiitake Kale SaladNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
4-6 cups kale, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons ume plum vinegar
dash toasted sesame oil
dash celtic sea salt
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

1. In a large bowl, combine kale and olive oil
2. Massage the kale for a couple of minutes until it looks slightly wilted
3. Add mushrooms, vinegar and sesame oil
4. Sprinkle with salt and sesame seeds
5. Serve

Serves 4

The evening with Bauman was filled with good food and information and I was very impressed with both the College and Dr. Bauman. He discussed food politics in America and so much more. His philosophy that “one size does not fit all” when it comes to eating is something with which I heartily agree.

Bauman College has an army of nutritionists, teachers and advisers and teaches classes in California (3 schools there), Boulder and also remotely. They also provide consultations with nutritionists and nutrition educators to people all over the world.

Recently, I’ve had quite a few people asking me for personalized dietary advice and consultations. This isn’t something I would feel comfortable doing over the internet. I can however, recommend the services of the people over at Bauman College. They are a highly qualified and sensitive group of people and I hope to be teaching community classes there in the near future.

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My children love to have fruit salad as an after school snack.  I often serve it to them with organic yogurt, adding a bit of vanilla and agave nectar to the yogurt.

It’s just about fruit season here in Colorado and everything is starting to look luscious.  We have strawberries ripening on the plants in the front yard and peaches (still green) on our peach tree in the back.  Right now however, even though I’m harvesting mountains of kale and various salad greens from our front and back yard, I am still relegated to purchasing my fruit at the grocery store.  We’re not quite there yet.  As in, summer.

To make your fruit salad more glamorous, splurge on fancy, expensive fruit, and use pineapple in place of the peaches for the recipe below.  You also might like to add a bit of unsweetened shredded coconut, if you go tropical with your fruit salad.

I like to keep my fruit salads simple with 3 or 4 different fruits so that I can really taste each of the distinct flavors.  Here’s one (well actually two) of my favorite fruit combos.

When I put together my post for a Mother’s Day Brunch, it was absolutely amazing to me, how dire the offerings were on the internet for a simple fruit salad.  First, it was terribly difficult to find a fruit salad that did not have sugar added to it.  I don’t know about you, however, I don’t actually eat a lot of fruit because it has so much sugar in it in the first place.  Adding more sugar to all that sugar?  Not a happy day for my body.

During my dissatisfying quest to find a simple fruit salad, I did find this simple fruit salad post on one of my favorite blogs, Mark’s Daily Apple.  Funny, he discussed the exact issue that I was running into.  It was nice to know I was not alone.

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This healthier gluten free potato salad is perfect for picnics and barbecues.  Replacing potato with cauliflower is a trick that I learned from the “low-carbers.”  And it is a good one!

In the winter, I often make mashed cauliflower in place of mashed potatoes.  Now, in spring, it is wonderful to have this no potato salad made from cauliflower.  We’ll be having it tonight with grilled turkey burgers and green salad from our garden.

No Potato SaladNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
1 head cauliflower
2 stalks celery, diced
1 small onion, finely chopped (about 3-4 tablespoons)
1 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
2 eggs, hard boiled and diced
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil grapeseed oil vegenaise
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt

1. Chop cauliflower into small florets (½ inch)
2. Steam cauliflower on the stove until fork-tender, not more or a stronger “cauliflower” smell develops
3. Allow cauliflower to cool then place in a large bowl
4. Add celery, onion, parsley and egg
5. Stir in Vegenaise, mustard and salt
6. Serve

Several people have contacted me recently about elana’s pantry shopping bags and other merchandise.  If that is something you are looking for you can purchase it at cafepress.com/elanaspantry.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day!

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This delicious salad is full of a variety of flavors.  The arugula is a buttery, bitter green and the oranges are sweet, sour and tangy.  Spiking dinner salads with fruit is a a great trick when it comes to getting children enthused about eating their greens.  Works pretty well on green-phobic adults as well.  My boys devoured this salad right alongside my husband and myself the other night at dinner.

This Orange Arugula Salad paired with Mustard Lime Chicken makes a delightful gluten-free (grain-free) spring dinner.

Speaking of which, we’ve had a gorgeous dose of warm weather this week and it sure is showing in my garden.  The parsley and cilantro are growing like weeds around the yard (fabulous for juicing and spring’s first green smoothies).  The rosemary is coming back too.  Not quite as vigorously; I haven’t had great luck with bountiful bushes of rosemary here in Colorado.  I suspect rosemary is happier in warmer climes.

Orange Arugula SaladNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
4 cups arugula
2 oranges, peeled and cut into segments
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
celtic sea salt to taste

1. Place arugula and oranges in a bowl
2. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar, then sprinkle with salt
3. Toss and serve

As some of you have figured out, I’m on Facebook.  Even though my heart is in blogging, I do enjoy connecting with people in that new (well, new to me) medium.  Sometimes I think Facebook is like having your life flashing before your eyes.  Past, present and future.  All wrapped up into one.

I’ve re-connected with so many old high school friends on Facebook (past).  Traded chit chat with people that are in my life at present.  And begun to make new connections (with many people from this blog!) over there as well.  It’s a bit of a trip.  And so far, I like it.

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Take a look at the picture above.  No, that’s not a floating grapefruit. If you look closely, you can see the tip of my younger son’s fingers lifting a grapefruit from the bowl of salad. This quick and easy (and of course gluten-free) salad is delicious anytime of year, though perfect right now as we approach the end of citrus season.

Raw Kale Salad with GrapefruitNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
1 bunch kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
⅛ teaspoon celtic sea salt
1 lime
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 grapefruit, sliced and chopped

1. Chop the kale into thin ribbons
2. Drizzle the olive oil onto the kale and then massage the kale with your hands
3. Sprinkle with salt, then add lime juice and vinegar
4. Add grapefruit to kale and toss salad
5. Allow to sit for 15 minutes so that kale softens and flavors integrate
6. Serve

Although I made this salad with what we call “curly kale,” I think it tastes a bit better with dino kale. I find that dino kale works better for raw salads as it seems to “soften” during the marination process more easily. The curly kale seems a bit tougher. My husband loves this salad, though my boys still prefer their kale cooked.

How do you do kale? Stay tuned in upcoming weeks for one of my family’s favorite side dishes, Sauted Kale.

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While the boys were on break during the holidays we got really into kale. My older one prefers his steamed and tops it with ume plum vinegar and toasted sesame oil. The little one, however, joins us in eating my raw kale concoctions.

These raw salads are super healthy, crunchy and quite delicious. We are hooked on them.

Kale Salad with OrangesNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
1 bunch kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon red onion, finely chopped
1 orange, peeled and sliced

1. Chop the kale into thin ribbons (almost like a chiffonade)
2. Drizzle the kale with olive oil and sprinkle with salt
3. Massage the kale with your hands to soften it, then allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes
4. Add the lime juice, vinegar, onion and orange
5. Allow to marinate for 10 minutes
6. Serve

Serves 4

I have made a different kale salad every night for a while now, so there could be a forthcoming kale salad series.  Stay tuned.

On another note, I’ve added a section to the bottom of my sidebar called “Elana Recommends”. It’s a collection of useful links to articles and websites that I would like to share with you. Enjoy!

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