Green Eats — Mega Life Salad

Vegetarian food doesn’t have to consist of unpronounceable meat substitutes and bunny chow. The modern take is to find protein and iron in accessible foods. While you’re at it, try including local, organic produce and sustainably raised animal proteins into the mix. We asked four restaurants from carnivorous coast to carnivorous coast to give your vegetarian reformation a kick-start or add a few exceptional dishes to your healthy leafy green repertoire.

Fresh, 326 Bloor St. West, 894 Queen St. West and 147 Spadina Ave., Toronto, freshrestaurants.ca

Fresh started in 1990 when Ruth Tal decided to use her student loan to buy two industrial juicers and tour the continent serving fresh juices at hippy hangouts like Lollapalooza. Now this vegetarian and vegan culinary campground has three bricks-and-mortar locations, a full menu and is a favourite among Torontonians, vegetarian or not. This main course salad is highly satisfying and has been one of Fresh’s top sellers for the past 15 years. It’s the steamed spinach and marinated tofu that clinch it.

Serves 1

INGREDIENTS

Toss lettuce with your choice of dressing and place in large bowl. Make a ring of grated carrot around the edge of the bowl. On top of the lettuce, in the centre of the ring, put the grated beets. On top of the grated beets, form a doughnut shape out of the alfalfa sprouts. In the centre of the doughnut, put tofu cubes, parsley, nuts and seeds.

Arrange steamed spinach in a pile on top of the nuts and seeds. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of dressing.

Garnish with sunflower sprouts and serve.

TOASTED NUTS AND SEEDS

INGREDIENTS

METHOD
Combine the nuts and seeds. Lay them on a baking tray and toast them in a 350 C oven until they are light brown.  


MARINATED TOFU

INGREDIENTS

Cut the tofu into medium-sized cubes. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl; then pour over the tofu cubes. Marinate for 1 hour. Store in a sealed container in the fridge. Keeps up to 5 days.