My Spinach Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing is just what we all need when the weather is nothing but cold and gloomy. While it’s not a trip to a warm tropical island, it is nutrient-dense, fueling the mind, body and spirit. This salad is not only good for you, but also great tasting too. Bright green baby spinach is topped with tart dried cherries, creamy chickpeas, punchy green onions and hemp hearts for extra fiber, protein and texture. Now we could stop there by simply tossing this salad in a little olive oil, salt and balsamic vinegar, but oh no…we’re going all out with my Carrot Ginger Salad Dressing, which is full of even more nutrition and deliciousness.
To start, let’s make the Carrot Ginger Salad Dressing. Wash, trim and coarsely chop three large carrots. Add them to a food processor along with two cloves of garlic, and ½ a thumb-sized piece of ginger (no need to peel it). Process the ingredients until finely chopped. Next, add 2½ teaspoons of miso paste, 3 tablespoons of water, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1½ tablespoons of rice wine vinegar and ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt. Puree the dressing until smooth. Set aside.
Next, grab a large bowl. Wash 5 ounces of fresh baby spinach and add it to the bowl along with 4 chopped green onions, a 15-ounce can of drained and rinsed chickpeas, 2 tablespoons of hemp hearts, 1 cup of dried cherries and the reserved Carrot Ginger Salad Dressing. Toss to combine, then serve the salad either out of the bowl or on a pretty platter if you have guests. This salad serves 4-6 people. Halve the recipe if feeding a smaller group. Enjoy!
Spinach Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
Ingredients
- 5 oz. baby spinach
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1, 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp hemp hearts
- 1 cup dried cherries
- Carrot-Ginger Dressing (see below)
Carrot Ginger Dressing
- 3 large carrots, washed, trimmed and coarsely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ thumb-sized piece of ginger
- 2½ tsp miso paste
- 3 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1½ tbsp rice wine vinegar
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Make the Carrot Ginger Salad Dressing. Wash, trim and coarsely chop three large carrots. Add the carrots to a food processor along with the garlic, and ginger (no need to peel it). Process the ingredients until finely chopped.
- Next, add the miso paste, water, olive oil, rice wine vinegar and salt to the food processor. Puree the dressing until smooth. Set aside.
- Wash 5 ounces of fresh baby spinach and add it to the bowl along with the chopped green onions, chickpeas, hemp hearts, cherries and the reserved Carrot Ginger Salad Dressing. Toss to combine. Serve immediately.
- This salad serves 4-6 people. Halve the recipe if feeding a smaller group. Enjoy!
