Sorghum • Tomatoes • Bell Pepper • Cucumber • Apple • Snap Peas • Celery
Salad recipe by Appetite for Change youth and chef coach Lachelle Cunningham from Healthy Roots Institute & Chelles’ Kitchen.
Zest Fest Salad by Appetite for Change Youth
A Sprite Salad? Solved like magic.
The challenge: Take a favorite beverage (Sprite) and turn it into a tasty salad mix. Is that even possible? Team Leo, Will, Godwin, Khiemonte, Andy, Montrell, Princess Ann and Aaliyah from Appetite for Change and Chef Lachelle Cunningham dove in to make the transformation. Round pearls of sorghum are the bubbles, green and yellow veggies mirror the Sprite brand colors and the lemon-lime dressing is straight-up genius. And just because “Why not?”, they seal the brilliance with a candied nut topper. One word for this team — “magicians.”
Zest Fest Salad
With Lemon-Lime Dressing
Makes 8 (generous 1-cup) servings
Salad Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked sorghum
- 1 cup yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped cucumber
- 1 cup chopped Granny Smith apple
- ½ cup chopped sugar snap peas
- ½ cup thinly sliced celery
- 8 cups mixed salad greens
Dressing Ingredients
- 1 cup canned crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp grated ginger
- 1 to 2 Tbsp chopped jalapeño chile (depending on desired heat level)
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp lime zest
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- Coarse salt to taste
- ½ cup vegetable oil
Topper
- Purchased Honey Roasted Nuts or Candied Nuts and Seeds (see below)
Directions
- Cook sorghum according to package directions. Let cool.
- Meanwhile, mix remaining salad ingredients (except the greens) in a large bowl. Add cooked sorghum once cooled.
- To make dressing, place all dressing ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. With the blender running, slowly pour in oil, processing until thick and smooth.
- Stir half the dressing into the salad mixture; toss to coat well. Arrange salad greens on plates. Spoon salad mixture on top; drizzle with remaining dressing and garnish with candied nuts.
Candied Nuts and Seeds
Heat oven to 400˚F. Mix 1 cup broken walnuts, 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas), ¼ cup maple syrup, 2 tsp coarse salt, ½ tsp lime zest, ½ tsp lemon zest, and ½ tsp red chile flakes; stir to coat well. Spread evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet; roast 5 to 7 minutes or until crisp (watch carefully so they don’t burn). Let cool; break into pieces.
Future and Career Planning
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