Old Man Winter is on his way back into the city, which means it’s the perfect time to start thinking about boosting your immune system and building a plan to keep your body and mind healthy. When it starts getting colder outside, it’s natural to fall back in love with comfort foods like hot soups, stews and chili, but balancing it with greens is essential for keeping you at your best.

With seasonal ingredients like heirloom tomatoes, fresh corn, golden beets, hearty greens and crunchy apples lining the rows of local farmer’s markets, it’s no wonder Vancouver salad queen Christine Culver (and my neighbor) has been bringing her work home more than usual. She surprised me with this salad last week and it knocked me right back into summer with its fresh flavors, while gently easing me into fall with its squashy goodness.

Get a healthy dose of delicious winter greens and spice up your salad routine with this recipe featuring seasonal goodies available on Culver City Salad’s new solar powered food truck.

Salad:
¼ cup lentils
¼ cup chopped broccoli
¼ cup shredded beets
¼ cup chopped, blanched and then grilled Brussels sprouts
1 handful of finely chopped Swiss chard
1 handful of mustard greens
¼ cup cooked, chopped winter squash
¼ cup corn
½ avocado
½ sliced apple
5+ grape heirloom tomatoes
2-3 tbsp sunflower, pumpkin seeds and your favorite crunchy nut (loving toasted hazelnuts right now)

Optional add-ons: candies salmon or hard-boiled eggs.

Dressing:
½ avocados
1 lemon, juiced
1 garlic clove
1 cup Italian parsley
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp maple syrup
5 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
fresh ground pepper to taste

Method: Toss salad ingredients together to a big bowl, blend dressing ingredients together in a food processor, drizzle on top and enjoy!

 

Christina has always followed her passions and her heart, and food has always played a powerful role in her life. As the oldest daughter in a tight-knit family of eight, satisfying the conflicting desires of a large family of athletes sparked in her the beginnings of the healthy and creative cooking that would eventually inspire the creation of Culver City Salads.