Do you have the Jaime Oliver app on your smartphone or tablet? I’ve had it for years, but hadn’t used it. He has these awesome tutorial videos on there that teach you basic cooking skills. I really liked the ones about how to pick fresh fish, how to make vegetables taste amazing, and how to make an incredible salad. The dressing recipe for my post today is based on his tips! The fresh baby kale and arugula in the salad are from The Gilcrease Orchard here in Las Vegas. If you live in the area, you should definitely check it out. You can pick your own fruits and vegetables from the orchard and buy them for around $1 per pound. It’s amazing how much produce can grow in the desert! 

Colby and I started an indoor herb garden with basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and sage. By started I mean we bought the potted herbs from Trader Joe’s and are trying not to kell them… I’d love to start a little herb and vegetable garden in our backyard this year. I am very inspired to start a garden after meeting with the executive director of Create a Change Now Foundation. The organization builds gardens in at-risk elementary schools in Southen Nevada and develops nutrition education programming centered around the garden in an effort to reduce childhood obesity rates here. 

My coworker and I attended a fundraising dinner for the organization a few weeks ago. The kids harvested 119 pounds of produce from their school garden and local chefs prepared a delicious meal using the vegetables grown there. It was very cool to see! I am hopeful that we will be able to put a garden in at my office, too. We work with overweight children and their families, so having a garden on site would be an amazing resource!

Anyway, here’s a sweet and citrusy salad recipe for you!

Ingredients:

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 tablespoon grapefruit juice

1-2 teaspoons honey

Salt & pepper to taste

For the salad:

2 cups baby kale

2 cups baby arugula

1 cup diced fresh fruit (I used oranges and raspberries)

1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves (optional)

Preparation:

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and drizzle over the salad ingredients. Toss together gently using your hands and top with freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy!