This salad is called the Gypsy salad because it is a melange of flavors, textures and ideas from around the world.  Blood orange, arugula, and fennel from Europe mix with jalapeno and avocado from Mexico.  Cumin, mint, and dates from the Middle East come into play as well.  Many of these ingredients, like dates, have traveled from their origin, and are now part of new cultures.  It is like us, a gypsy that never stops traveling.  The measurements are not exact, we trust that you add how much you want of each ingredient, and enjoy the journey that it takes you on.

Ingredients

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and outer layer removed (if bruised)

1 handful of baby arugula

1 handful of dates, pitted and sliced in quarters

a few kalamata or Moroccan black olives, pitted and sliced

1/4 of a jalapeno pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1 avocado, halved and pitted

1 sprig of mint

Small handful of parsley

a handful of fresh walnuts, roughly chopped

2 blood oranges (you can substitute regular oranges or cara caras here also)

1 lime (kaffir limes welcome!)

1-2 Tablespoons sherry or rice wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Pinch of cumin and salt

Slice the fennel in half lengthwise, and then thinly slice each half horizontally.  Transfer to a bowl and combine with the arugula.

Add the sliced dates and olives. 

Thinly slice the jalapeno.  If you are sensitive to heat, finely mince it, but if you like more of a bite, slice it in small horizontal strips.  You only need a 1/4 of the pepper or so.

Roughly chop or tear the herbs and add to the bowl. 

Keep the avocado meat in the skin and score with a knife in long vertical slices.  Use a spoon to get under the meat and scoop out the slices over the salad bowl. 

For the dressing, zest the oranges and the limes with a zester or microplane over the salad bowl.  You will only need a little bit of the lime zest and about 1/2 of one of the orange's zest.  Slice off the top and bottom of the oranges, removing the skin and pith.  Next place the oranges, one at a time, on the cutting board and slice off the skin and pith (without going to deep!) to reveal each segment.  Working over another small bowl, slice out each orange segment carefully, allowing the juices to fall into the small bowl, and then add the segments to the larger salad bowl.  When you have finished slicing the oranges, squeeze out any excess juice into the small bowl.  Juice the lime into the bowl as well.  Stir in the cumin, vinegar, and olive oil and whisk to combine (you can just do this with a fork). 

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. 

Add the crumbled walnuts. 

Serves 2. 

This salad works as an appetizer, but it also goes beautifully on top of grilled fish like tuna or mahi mahi, or atop a grilled chicken breast. 

The point of a recipe like panzanella is to put to use stale bread that has gotten hard. The juice from the tomatoes softens the bread and gives it a delicious flavor. If you want to use fresh bread, simply toast it until it is hard. There are no exact quantities for this recipe, we leave it up to you and how much stale bread you have in your kitchen.

Stale bread, cut into cubes
Tomatoes, quartered
Red onion, a few thin slices
A few leaves of basil
Raw cacao nuts (otherwise known as cocoa nibs)
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
About 4 white anchovies, chopped
Sprinkle chile ancho powder
Salt and Pepper
Olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar

Toss together the tomatoes and bread.
Set the red onion in a bowl of water for about 10 minutes.
Add the onion to the bowl, along with a few torn leaves of basil, the raw chocolate, avocado, anchovies, and chile ancho powder.
Drizzle over a couple tablespoons of olive oil and vinegar and toss again.

This salad is super healthy and nutritious. Not only is it vegetarian/vegan, but it is also gluten-free and high fiber. You will love the combination of sweet husk cherries (also known as Cape Gooseberries) with the slightly sour tomatillos. Cilantro and jalapeno round this out, and the black beans keep it grounded and substantial. The colors are amazing, and you will feel so good about eating it! Eat it with Ezekiel sprouted tortillas.

4 tomatillos, husked
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup cape gooseberries, husked and halved
1 ear of corn, husked
¼ jalapeño pepper, sliced thinly
¼ red onion, medium dice
¼ cup packed cilantro, rinsed and roughly chopped
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Boil the tomatillos for about 10 minutes and drain.
Slice 2 of the tomatillos into thin wedges, about 6 pieces each.
Set the onion in a small bowl covered with water for about 10 minutes and drain.
Slice the corn kernels off the cob and then reverse the blade of the knife to get out the milk.
In a medium bowl toss together the black beans, cape gooseberries, corn kernels and juice, jalapeño, and red onion.
Quarter the remaining 2 tomatillos and blend with the olive oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper. Add the cilantro and keep blending.
Pour the tomatillo sauce over the rest of the ingredients and toss.
Serve with sprouted corn tortillas.
Serves 4.

This is a light tuna salad that omits mayonnaise, but brings in a ton of flavors from the brine of capers and preserved lemon. The trio of coriander, cumin, and paprika make it magical. Use it to stuff avocado halves, in sandwiches, or as a topping for salads.

2 cans of water-packed albacore tuna, drained
1 tablespoon capers + 1 teaspoon brine
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 small preserved lemon, finely minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon preserved lemon brine
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup cucumber, small dice
small handful loose parsley, finely chopped
Large pinch ground cumin
Large pinch ground smoked paprika
Large pinch ground coriander

Stir together the capers (bruising them lightly), mustard, preserved lemon, brine juices, and olive oil in a medium sized bowl. Stir in the tuna, cucumbers and parsley, and then mix in the spices.
Makes about 2 cups.