Multi-colored Green Salad with Tortilla Strips and Avocado-Serrano Dressing

We are finally home after an extra few days in Texas. We returned to find all things where they should be along with some sad plants and herbs. I quickly watered them and waited for them to look happy. Evidently there had been some hot weather since there were some patches of scorched grass.

We settled in and started talking about how our exercise routine needed to be back in place. I wondered today why it tended to be so hard to exercise while visiting family. I know that while on a vacation, I like walking ALOT and forget using any form of transportation, so I know I will be getting lots of excerise, but while visiting family, well that is another thing. We are terribly disciplined at home and even work out twice in one day, but it amazes me that I can’t seem to fit in my exercise DVDs.

Does anyone else seem to have this problem?

Today I just eased into a gentle routine and planned to start my workout routine with a little Zumba. Little did I know that when I arrived the class had been cancelled! The gym is pretty good about sending emails communicating cancellations but it seemed to happen very last minute that there was no time. I returned home and decided to do a workout DVD for 30 minutes since I promised to visit the kickboxing class tomorrow. I kind of feel like I am going to be sorry about that. I am trying to stay positive.

Tomorrow I start back on my prescribed calorie intake of 1300 calories along with my protein supplement for my smoothies and all my vitamins and minerals. Today I was reminded of a verse in Matthew 4:4 “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ “

Even though I keep a food blog I tend to focus on food too much at times and am reminded that food is for nourishment. Even though I have some people tell me I must spend SO SO much preparing meals and planning such fancy dishes, I do not feel that I am cooking any differently than when I was preparing non-vegan meals. Ryan has even been told that he should look double his size with the foods I have been cooking. I know that sometimes people speak out of ignorance, but what people do not know is that this vegan lifestyle has been a personal conviction to focus on whole foods and to bring my physical lifestyle into check.

So what does all this mean? I hope that you continue enjoying the recipes that I keep posting because even though it is a recipe journal this is also a blog about my journey to regain control and discipline. Abusing this temporal body is not what I am called to do.

Moving right along…Today I made a delicious Berry Parfait Torte for dessert and an enormous dinner salad to cleanse my stomach. I started with picking some serrano peppers from my pots. I was happy to put them to good use.

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

I deveined these a bit and seeded them and set them aside for the dressing. The salad I envisioned was going to be a fusion of a Mexican and a Raw Green Salad that could be prepared in a salad bar. I added shredded carrots and beets for fiber along with some chickpeas for MORE fiber! Cilantro gave it it’s Mexican flair while the avocado-serrano dressing sealed all the flavors. Tortilla strips came in for the crunch.

Enjoy this salad since it is a hearty and healthy salad that has all the essentials.

I submitted this to My Kitchen Addiction Salad Challenge for Kitchen Bootcamp!

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

Multi-colored Green Salad with Tortilla Strips and Avocado-Serrano Dressing

serves 6

5 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 beet, spiralized or grated
2 carrots, spiralized or grated
1/2 English cucumber, peeled
1 1/2 cups chickpeas

Wash all the vegetables and peel the beets, carrots, and cucumbers. Add to a big salad bowl.

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

Baked Tortilla Strips
8 tortillas, cut in 1/4 inch strips lengthwise

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place tortilla strips on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

Avocado-Serrano Dressing
2 serrano peppers, deveined and seeded
1 tomato, quarted
1 avocado, seeded and peeled
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Prepare all the vegetables and place in a food processor and blend well. This dressing is going to be a bit thick but perfect as the dressing. Prepare first before the salad so that it can be refrigerated before preparations.

Assembly

Add dressing and tortilla strips to the salad bowl and toss with salad dressing.