Carrot, Garbanzo, Basmati Rice Salad

2 cups grated carrots
1 cup canned or cooked or sprouted garbanzo beans
1/2 cup cooked basmati rice

toss together with the following for dressing
1-2 T lemon juice
1-2 T olive oil
Parsley, dried or fresh to add a bit of green
Cayenne pepper, pinch or more to taste
Salt to taste

Alternative: if you love fresh garlic add it to this salad!

Toss this all together and serve. This salad will travel well--if I go on a day trip, it's one of my favorites to take. The carrots stay crisp and the garbanzo beans and rice feel very substantial.  I have even frozen leftover salad because I didn't want to throw it away and I was traveling. It was still good thawed a couple of weeks later.

Veggie Salad Slaw

I don't really use so much lettuce but I do love salads and this has become a staple at my house. It is really just a mix of any veggies you love and have redly available and fresh. The dressing is super simple.

White cabbage, chopped or grated

Red, yellow, orange peppers (what ever shape and size you like)

Purple cabbage, chopped or grated

Add any of the following as you like:

Cucumbers, small cubes

Kohlrabi, small cubes

Garbanzo beans

Tomato, chopped OR cherry tomatoes

Olives

Hearts of palm

Pumpkin or sunflower seeds

Fresh frozen peas (they will thaw if you put them in the bowl first and then cut the veggies for the rest of the salad

Dressing:

2-3 T Lemon juice (I use the juice of one average size lemon to a serving bowl of salad)

2-3 T Olive oil, cold pressed is always the best

Grey salt to taste

Toss it all together, no need to make the dressing first.

Tip: The timing of when to dress this salad is something to consider. I usually dress salads at the last possible minute so that they don't wilt. This one needs a bit more time (not much) so that the larger salt crystals have a chance to dissolve.

If you are not used to grey salt, it's a wonderful flavor that is most satisfying. The salt is grey because it still has all the minerals so I'm told it's so much better for you! You can find it easily at the health food store.

Alternative

You can add some prepared tahini to this salad, on the side, drizzle on top of individual servings, or toss right in. YUM!

Aunt Laya's Purple Salad Delight

This is a completely unique salad that I haven't seen anywhere else. It adds color to the presentation of your meal and table. I love a blend of flavors and this one is really delicious.

Ingredients
5 cups shredded or chopped purple cabbage
2 small red apples, cored and cut into bite sized pieces, I think Gala are best but any kind is fine
1/8 cup dried cranberries
1/8 cup almonds OR pecan pieces (or chopped)

Dressing
2 T cold pressed oil of choice (sesame, olive, or even coconut)
1 T apple cider vinegar
1T lemon juice
2 T honey
pinch of salt

All in one bowl and toss so the ingredients of the salad and dressing are a nice blend.

Substitutions: of course you know you can play with this. If you really like sweet you can try candied pecans.  I have also used selon (date honey) in place of the bee honey--a great alternative if you want it vegan (it will make the salad darker).

Asian Salad Recipe

This is my version of an Asian salad and what makes it unique is the combination of sweet and salty dressing. It's a somewhat healthy version using no sugar, no msg, and good oils. Play with the veggies and amounts of things you add to make it the way you like it or follow my ingredients for a no brainer.

The base (this does not have to be exact):
1 cup purple cabbage
4 cups white cabbage
     the cabbage can be from a bag or  you can chop or grate it to your desired look

Add any combination of the following as you like depending on what you have and like:
1/3 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup raw (or roasted) cashews (or peanuts)
1/3 cup thinly sliced red (or yellow or orange) peppers

The dressing:
2 T of cold pressed sesame oil (you can also used roasted sesame oil or olive oil)
2-3 T balsamic vinegar
3-4 T selon (date honey, be sure it is pure without added sugar if that matters to you)
salt to taste
   (this is an important part of the taste of this dressing. You can use tamari or soy sauce if you use it)

Toss it all together and serve!

Here's a photo from my friend Sarah Leah who had the salad at my house and wanted the recipe (which is why you're reading it here now!). She prepared it in advance with the "Salad in a Jar" method. That means you put the dressing in first, then layer the ingredients (start with the crunchiest so the softer veggies don't get soggy). She said it was a hit at her table. I hope you love it too!

Travel Comfort Bag Ideas

On one leg of my last flight I sat next to a wonderful and friendly woman and we gabbed and shared with each other for most of the flight. I pulled out my "comfort bag" and she commented about what a good idea it was. It occurred to me it's time to share this idea too. So here's something that has evolved for me over the years.

My Comfort Bag
I currently use a mesh bag that was a gift from a friend. You can use a cosmetic bag or anything else that is the right size for you and fits what you want to bring. You could even use a clean fabric shoe bag. Here's what I always have ready for lengthy travel:

Tissues
Lip balm
Hand cream
Face oil
Eye drops
Wipees
Panty liners (for refreshening during a marathon trip with layovers)
Reading glasses
Flossers
Toothbrush
Ear phones
Nail file
Feminine hygiene products
Make up essentials (for me that's eye brow pencil, eye shadow with skinny brush for eye liner, and colored lip balk)
Antiacid (Tums or whatever you like)
Sleep mask (to cover eyes and block light)
Herbal tea bags and packets of honey and/or stevia
Vitamins
Inflatable neck pillow
Rescue Remedy (Bach Flower drops to calm nerves)
Headache pills (acetaminophen or ibuprofen etc)
Herbal sleep help (I found a valerian root based product; you can take this for a long flight.)
Pen (for filing out forms on the plane)

I know this sounds like a lot but I have small sizes of everything and it all fits in a cosmetic pouch. I actually have a smaller bag inside the bigger for the feminine hygiene stuff, flossers and make up that I would take into the restroom. I keep my tea and honey in a ziplock. And I keep the little earphones in a small jewelry pouch so the wires are not a tangle.

When traveling domestically within the US, airlines will not usually give you blankets or pillows which you usually do  get transatlantic. So for flights within the US I keep my coat or sweater with me in the seat for temperature changes. Otherwise you can put them in your carryon or overhead storage.

I also never travel without food. Check out my suggestions for travel food.

Happy trails!

Ordering Health Food Store Stuff Online

This is worth checking out people.

My latest find. http://www.iherb.com. You can order from them online (and the shipping to Israel is only $4 flat rate if the package is under four pounds!).

If you haven't ordered from them before, 

you can use this code: 

NDL355 

to get $10 off on your first order!!!

How great is that?

I am very pleased with my order from them and will order again. I love that they have customer reviews for each item as well. I'll add my product reviews to the mix at some point.

If you're in the US, you can get free shipping. Be sure to look at the top of the page to see what they have on sale. They have some products that are drastically reduced so you can try something new. (I did of course!) Enjoy.

(PS This coupon code gets me some goody discount or something so please do use it.)