Katie's Dairy Free Greek Salad with Hummus Dressing

I have recently decided to serve a salad everyday for lunch, and was rewarded the other day when my husband said, "I love having this fresh food for lunch, I have so much more energy!" I felt like hearing these words from my husband's mouth was one of the best things that had ever happened to me. Raw food does give you more energy.
I often hear clients say that they do not really enjoy eating salads or any fresh veggies for that matter, but I believe that eating healthy can truly be delicious. I also don't think it has to be that hard, you don't have to decide to eat a salad everyday, but maybe try eating an extra salad every week.
The salad I want to share with you today is not only tasty, but also hearty and filling.

Katie's Dairy Free Greek Salad with Hummus Dressing

For the Salad:

Salad greens

Sliced Cucumber

Olives (Kalamata are delicious, but I only had black on hand)

Quartered Marinated Artichoke Hearts (These are one of my top picks for salad toppings)

Cherry Tomatoes Sliced Lengthwise

Red Onion

Fresh Parsley 

Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

What makes this salad wonderful is not just the great ingredients, but this fabulous dressing. My one issue with salads, especially if you go out to eat them, is that the dressing are usually full of sugar. According to Health-Alicious-Ness salad dressings ranked as the number eighth food to avoid because of the sugar content, which can be around 29% of the product.

Creamy Hummus Dressing

Why I love this dressing...

It is super easy and quick to make.
The dressing is made with yummy hummus and apple cider vinegar. (Yes, chickpeas are high in carbohydrates which break down into sugars in your body, but there are no nasty refined sugars in this dressing like in many packaged bottles.)
Chickpeas are a great source of protein, so this will give you some energy to keep you going the rest of the day.
Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar is amazing stuff, with tons of health benefits such as promoting digestions because of the high levels of enzymes.
Fresh garlic is great for the immune system.
Finally, this dressing is perfect for someone who is trying to cut back on dairy. It is so rich and creamy, the feta cheese that is normally in a Greek Salad is not even missed.

For the Dressing
2 pts. Hummus
1 pt. Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Clove Minced Garlic
Crushed Red Pepper and Oregano to taste

My Version of a Dairy Free Greek Salad with Hummus Dressing

Here are a few of my favorite tips for a delicious salad:

*Always add fresh herbs if you have them. They add so much flavor and health benefits as well!

*I hate buying prepackaged salad mixes. Sometimes they seem convenient, but I find that the greens always go bad because they are stored in plastic. Plus you do not get much for you money. I prefer buying an assortment of fresh greens and herbs, bringing them home to chop them up, and storing them in a cloth salad bag. This homemade version stays fresher longer and you get more bang for your buck.

*Try out different homemade salad dressing. They are usually easy to make, and so much better for you. Most dressing will store great in the fridge for a few days.