An October Blueberry-Spinach Salad

Spinach-Blueberry Salad

This salad makes full use of the early autumn harvest. The cooler weather produces wonderful fall greens, like  October baby spinach. This weekend the local farmer's market offered a lush selection of berries, and I've chosen to add the taste of late fall blueberries to this recipe. The spinach is marinaded in a tamari-ginger dressing which has been flavoured with cayenne and Asian 5-spice powder. Soaked sunflower seeds, plump blueberries, a generous amount of hemp hearts and a sprinkling of black sesame seeds finish this protein-rich dish to perfection.

Market-Fresh  Baby Fall Spinach Plants

You'll need:

For the salad: 
2 cups fresh spinach; 1 cup blueberries; 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds, soaked; 2 tablespoon hemp hearts; 1/2 teaspoon black sesame seeds.

For the dressing: 
1 tablespoon tamari; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger root; 1/2 teaspoon brown rice vinegar; 1/2 teaspoon Asian 5-spice powder; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder.

Tamari, Ginger Brown and Rice Vinegar Dressing

Method: 

Soak sunflower seeds in fresh water for 2 hours. Drain.

Marinade/dressing: 

In a large bowl, whisk tamari, brown rice vinegar, cayenne and 5-spice powder together. Chop ginger root into fine pieces and add to marinade.

For the Salad:   
Wash spinach and pat dry. Coarsely chop. Add spinach to marinade one handful at a time. Tenderize the spinach by massaging the marinade into it. Using your hands, squeeze spinach into marinade, coating it well to soften leaves. (You can do this with a large spoon, pressing marinade into spinach with the back of the spoon) Cover and marinade for at least 1 hour.

Flavourful Seeds Makes A Protein-Rich Salad

Wash blueberries and pat dry. Add blueberries, hemp hearts and soaked sunflower seeds to spinach mixture and gently combine ingredients. Place salad in serving dish. Sprinkle with a generous amount of black sesame seeds.

A Perfect Nutritious October Lunch

To Serve: 
Serve with chilled herb-rice, or crusty rolls for a delicious autumn lunch. Serve as a side-kick to a more elaborate supper. This recipe also makes an interesting dish for a holiday buffet

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