Organic Dill Pickles
Basil, Goat’s Curd, and Pomegranate Salad
I wanted to lighten up this week. As the weather turned, I had a craving for a few carb-driven recipes in the last month. Undeniably, there shouldn’t be any guilt eating veggie meatballs with pasta, or healthy nachos, but we need to keep our ship on course. With this in mind, I always make a point to incorporate a salad or cooked vegetables at every meal. Even so, the world is our oyster, and we have to make decisions daily on what, or what not to eat. Speaking from experience, I had to turn it all around in my head. At the age of 18, I was 160 pounds, and the scale kept creeping upwards. It felt like everything I looked at packed on the pounds. What I came to realize is that it’s all about portion control. Oi, do not reach for a scale. I’m talking reality. All we have to do is chill out and get real with ourselves. The inconveninet, but perfectly acceptable truth is that chips, cake, ice cream, pizza, and soda are to be eaten on rare occasions. A few naughty and nice things, albeit ones that are natural, can be enjoyed without a heavy heart.
An example: I am not a huge fan of dairy, but there are those days when I can be roped into a slice of English mature cheddar, shavings of aged parmesan, a wadge of ripe brie, or a nutty comte. Continuing this trail of thought, I bring you a wonderful salad. The flavors are unbelievable. The soft, creaminess of the goat’s curd, matched with the sharp sweetness of pomegranate seeds, and finally met with a gentle twist of the basil hitting your tongue are a delight. Married to a healthy salad, a little bit of dairy never felt so good.
Basil, Goat’s Curd, and Pomegranate Salad
1/4 cup purple basil (including edible basil flowers)
7 oz soft goats curd at room temperature, torn into bite size pieces (available at Middle Eastern supermarkets)
5 oz baby leaf lettuce mix
1/4 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
fine sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Olive oil and Lemon vinaigrette
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of half a lemon
fine sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1. In a bowl, add the leaves. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette and toss lightly.
2. Dot the salad with goat’s curd, and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.
3. Season with salt, pepper, and a bit more vinaigrette.
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