Going Bananas!

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One of my favorite salads in the world has one of the strangest ingredients I've ever put in a salad: bananas. I know not everyone is a fan of fruit in their salad, but I see nothing wrong with mixing my fruits and veggies. I love pears, strawberries, cranberries, and figs in my salads. The idea of a banana in my salad had never crossed my mind, until I came across a version of this salad at a vegetarian cafe in Orlando. I was in love with their salad, but not the ten dollar price tag. 

After having a particularly strong craving for this salad one evening, I decided I was going to try recreate this gourmet salad in my own kitchen. After a few experiments, I came up with something just as delicious as the ten dollar salad I had been craving. In fact, I like it even better! My version is a marriage of bananas, bitter spring greens, carrots, raisins and walnuts all in an amazingly flavorful curry dressing. I think the balance of sweet and bitter works really nicely in this recipe; and it's pretty much loaded with cancer-fighting antioxidants. It's a win-win for those trying to get their five to seven servings of fruit and veggies. 

The dressing for this salad is absolutely divine. I never measure when I make salad dressing; I just taste and add more ingredients accordingly. I feel that the acid/oil ratio in dressings is a pretty personal thing, so feel free to play around with the measurements and trust your taste buds!

 

Curry Banana Salad

Serves 2 as a main course

4 cups of mesclun greens

1 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup whole walnuts

2 bananas, peeled and sliced

Curry Vinaigrette (recipe below)

 Toss first four ingredients together and plate. Arrange banana slices on top of salad. Pour vinaigrette over salad. Devour immediately. 

 

Curry Vinaigrette 

1/8 cup olive oil (or grape-seed oil)

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/8 cup tahini paste

2 tbs maple syrup or honey

1-2 tbs curry powder

salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Adjust ingredients to taste. 

 

This is one of those foods I crave that I simply don't feel guilty about indulging in. It's packed with veggies, fruits, and healthy fats. It's vegan, it's easy to make, it looks pretty, and it's delicious.  Try it, tweak it, add grilled tofu... any way you toss it, this salad is seriously bananas.