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Boy the Hillcrest, San Diego Farmer’s Market has gotten better and better as more and more people are understanding the value of Organic, Locally Grown Produce.

In fact, anyone with four square feet of land, or even one or two wine barrels* and some decent sun can grow lots of “locally grown” organic vegetables. And greens like dandelion, arugla, sorrel, and purslane grow practically like weeds, are perennials, take very little space, are nearly impossible to kill, and require virtually no pest control. (In fact, today I noticed purslane growing int he cracks of the sidewalk).

Which leads to today’s salad, which incorporates some beautiful leafy greens from the market, and some from home, fava beans, and the next great miracle food: Sardines! Sardines are very high in calcium, magnesium and essential fatty acids, without the issue of mercury that the larger fish have.

This salad proved to be a whole meal, and low in carbs, as the beans give the satisfaction of bread, but with a much lower carb ratio. And the carrot and blueberry make it just a little sweet.

I like to make interesting salads like this and have them as a meal, whereas your typical restaurant salads with the same ingredients over and over are so boring.

*(purchase wine barrels in the winter from a garden supply for about $18…get good organic soil like Edna’s Best from City Nursery in City Heights…compost your kitchen scraps with red earthworms and make your own compost and mix in to fast start the bacterial break down of the soil)

Ingredients

Mixed dark leafy greens 1 cup
Mizuna greens 1/2 cup
Arugala 1/2 cup
Purslane 1/4 cup, chopped (very high in essential fatty acids)
Tomato from the garden, quartered, about 1 cup
Cucumber, half moon slices, about 1/2 cup or more
1 small carrot, shredded
1 can Sardines in olive oil, drained
1/2 cup cooked Fava Beans (could substitute with Garbonzo)
1 small clove purple garlic, crushed
1/4 cup Greek Feta, crumbled
1 tbsp liquid from the Feta
1 tbsp crumbled fresh Syrian Oregano from the garden
a handful of Kalamata Olives
a small handful fresh sweet blueberries
Greek Olive oil abut 2 tsp
Balsamic Vinegar ditto
Fresh ground Telicherry Black Pepper

Toss all the ingredients and chew slowly. Happiness!

Ayurveda

From the Ayurvedic view, this is a pretty tri-doshic salad, meaning kosher for all three doshas, especially in summer. Obviously in winter there are more restrictions on salad, especially for Vatta and Kapha dominants.

This salad is a bit creamy from the oil and feta, but not rich, so it pacifies Vatta without aggravating Kapha. It has some heaviness from the fish and olives and feta, which is also good for Vatta, but again, not so much to weight down heavy somnolent Kapha. It is crunchy and light which is good for Kapha, bitter, which is good for Kapha and Pitta, and a tad sweet, good for Vatta and Pitta. It also is a little pungent from the pepper and oregeno. In fact all 6 flavors are in this salad–sweet, sour, salt, pungent, bitter, astringent. This is why I call this tridoshic, in Summer. In winter, this could still be fine for a balanced Pitta type, especially in a mild climate. For Kapha and Vatta I would make it a side dish, not a whole meal, in Winter.

copyright eyton j. shalom, june 2010, all rights reserved, use with permission
thank you

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diegohttps://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

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