For week #50 of my 2018 challenge to try one new whole-food plant-based (WFPB) recipe each week, I tried this delicious salad. A friend and I recently met for lunch at Monarch Brewing Company in Monticello, Illinois. She recommended the Super Salad. It was really good. I knew I needed to recreate this one at home!

Monarch’s version contains baby kale mix, quinoa, peas, roasted beets, avocado, slivered almonds, dried cranberries, and goat cheese. It was served with white balsamic vinaigrette.

To keep this recipe WFPB, I omitted the goat cheese and instead added a bit of salt to the avocado, which gives the salad a creamy/salty taste (kinda like cheese!). For the dressing, I ended up adding some fresh-squeezed orange and a splash of balsamic vinegar (because that’s what I had on hand). I didn’t have any dried cranberries on hand, so I left this out. To save time, I used canned beets. They weren’t as good the roasted beets, but the convenience was worth it for the quick at-home version. :)

What I like about this recipe (besides the fact that it’s super-healthy):

• Simple ingredients

• Quick and easy to make at home

• Love the combination of colors, textures, and flavors

Ingredients:

• Baby kale salad mix (or whatever mix you like)

• Red quinoa, cooked according to package instructions

• Canned beets, drained and sliced

• Frozen peas, thawed

• Avocado, sliced and sprinkled with a little salt

• Slivered almonds

• Dried cranberries or raisins (optional)

• Fresh orange

• Balsamic vinegar

• Salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Layer the first 7 ingredients in a salad bowl. Proportion according to taste preference.

2. For the dressing, squeeze a little juice from a fresh orange, and add a splash of balsamic vinegar.

3. Toss. Add a little pepper and/or salt, if desired.

4. Enjoy!