Vegetarian Power Salad

1.) The first step is to prep your ingredients! If you take the easy way out, like me, and buy cooked beets, all you need to do is slice them up along with your avocado.

2.) Throw all your ingredients in a bowl and crumble in your goat cheese. In a separate bowl, whisk together your olive oil and balsamic, then toss this in your salad and mix it around.

3.) Plate up your salad and add and some extra garnishes if you’re feeling fancy.

4.) Eat up!

Vegetarian Power Salad (Total Time: 5 minutes, Serves: 1)

This salad is a mix of a few of my favorite things. Together they happen to form a tasty, filling salad, that only takes minutes to prepare. Every ingredient in this salad brings something special to table, or should I say plate? The chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, and goat cheese provide a hefty amount of protein. (If you use 3/4 cup chickpeas, it has a total of 37g of protein!) The avocado and olive oil add healthy fats to keep you satisfied. The nitrates in beets can help improve your athletic endurance, and everyone knows that greens are good for you! This salad makes the perfect lunch to give you a boost for the rest of your day.

Ingredients

2 cups spinach/arugula/mixed greens (try to avoid iceberg or romaine lettuce)

1/2-3/4 cup canned chickpeas

1/2 avocado

2 small cooked beets*

1 tbsp goat cheese

2 tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds (If you don’t have them pre-roasted, turn a pan to low heat and roast them until they are golden.)

1 tbsp Trader Joes “Everything but the Bagel” Spice or salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

*If you don’t buy pre-cooked beets, it’s easy to roast them yourself. Just wash off your beets and stab them a few times, then wrap them individually in tin foil. Place them in the oven at 375 degrees for 40-60 minutes depending on the size. Once you can smoothly insert a fork in them, remove them and rinse the skin off in a sink.

Directions

1: Start by slicing your beets and avocado into evenly sized slices or chunks. Next, crumble up your goat cheese

2: Add all the ingredients (except the olive oil and balsamic) to a bowl and mix them together.

3: In a separate bowl, whisk together your olive oil and balsamic, drizzle it over your salad and mix your salad together so all the greens are evenly coated in dressing. (You can always add more dressing if you think it is too dry.)

4: Plate your salad and add any extra garnishes if you’d like. Enjoy!