Salad Recipe: Mareya Ibrahim’s Zucchini Carpaccio & Arugula Stack

Apparently, there are two types of people in this Quarantine/Pandemic world: the one who is keeping their healthy eating & fitness goals vs. the couch potato. 

Food expert and founder of EatCleaner.com, Mareya Ibrahim is helping everyone to be a Fit Foodie.

The author of  "Eat Like You Give a Fork: The Real Dish on Eating to Thrive," Ibrahim highlights the beauty of the Salad. May is #nationalsaladmonth, so here's some Salad 101 and a delicious recipe to get your fit journey started (if you're not already there!):

Salad Rules:

1. Have fun with the rainbow and indulge in color; you feast with your eyes first
2. Eat fresh and focus on what's in season for the most flavor and nutrition power
3. Forget the salad saboteurs that can hijack health, like drenching your greens in heavy bottled dressings, fried toppings and inflammatory oils.
4. Indulge in as many greens as your heart desires; they're the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet and help you feel fuller, faster with all that fiber Vary the texture of your ingredients by shape.  
5. Use a ribbon peeler to make gorgeous, melt-in-your-mouth pieces. Finely chop harder ingredients and unruly greens to make eating them less of a fight.
6. Add fresh berries to greens and pair them with a fruity balsamic vinaigrette to give them a playful, sweet punch
7. Top salads with superfoods for crunch and texture – unsweetened shredded coconut, goji berries, toasted walnuts or macadamia nuts, dried dates and crispy edamame or my Crunchy, Flamin' Chickpeas, to name a few.  Store these superfood ingredients in reusable containers so they're easy to reach for.
8. Make salads a real meal with prepared proteins that you can make in advance, like my Curry Cashew Chicken Salad, Seafood Salad and Broiled Tempeh.  
9. You can also add single ingredient superfood grains like quinoa, millet and black rice to add color, texture and heartiness Leave the peel on your veggies, where you get the added benefit of color, texture, fiber and vitamins Good fat is your friend, and helps you feel fuller longer.
10. Top a healthy pizza with a soft cooked egg and a crown of arugula. Yes… pizza! 
11. Finish a Cobb salad with an avocado rose.
12.  Sprinkle sunflower seeds over a fruit salad.
13. Stock up on fun, fruity vinegars including raspberry, pear and apricot for and mix with walnut, pumpkin seed and macadamia nut oil for new twists on the classic recipe.
14. And of course, wash all your produce with Eat Cleaner Fruit & Vegetable Wash first to remove unwanted residue, bacteria, pesticides, virus and place your washed produce in clear containers in the fridge to turn it into a salad bar.  It will also help them last up to 5x longer.
15. Meatless salads still feel substantial when you add beans, nuts, seeds and a sprinkle of goat or feta cheese
16. Serve your salad in an avocado half, cabbage cup or wrapped in a rice paper wrapper for a new twist

RECIPE: ZUCCHINI CARPACCIO AND ARUGULA STACK 

(MAKES 2 TO 4 SERVINGS)

WHAT YOU NEED: 

4 zucchini, sliced into thin sheets with a mandoline or veggie peeler

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons The Real Dish Dressing (page 26)

1 cup arugula

¼ cup grape tomatoes, sliced

¼ cup grated Pecorino cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

WHAT TO DO: 

1. Put the zucchini slices in a shallow dish and pour over ¼ cup of the dressing. Marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
2. On a large plate, arrange a layer of the zucchini strips, then add a layer of strips perpendicular to the first, for a fun grid pattern.
3. In a small bowl, toss the arugula and tomatoes with the remaining 2 tablespoons dressing.
4. Arrange the arugula and tomatoes over the zucchini carpaccio and finish with the pecorino and some freshly ground black pepper.

From EAT LIKE YOU GIVE A FORK: The Real Dish on Eating to Thrive. 

Copyright © 2019 by Mareya Ibrahim and reprinted with permission from St. Martin’s Griffin.