The Life Force Salad

Don’t let the strong-flavoured ingredients fool you; this salad is amazing! It’s my favorite. Even if I’m not in the mood for salad, I can eat Life Force Salad. It earns the name because it is full of life force ingredients including greens, sprouts, garlic, ginger, citrus fruit juice, and more. Plus it is quick to whip up and enjoy.

Serves 2 to 4
½ onion, sliced finely (almost like shavings)
Juice of ½ lemon or lime
Dash Himalayan crystal or Celtic sea salt
2-inch piece fresh ginger, julienned
1 large or 2 small cloves fresh garlic, julienned
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small package mixed greens
Large handful or two of mung bean sprouts
1 package of alfalfa, clover, or other sprout of your choice (about 2 cups if you’re growing your own sprouts))

Place onion slices in a small bowl. Add the juice of ½ lemon or lime and sprinkle the salt over it. Let sit for at least 5 minutes. This mellows the flavours of the onion. Reserve the liquid for the dressing (recipe below).
Heat the oil in a frying pan on low (don't let it smoke). Add the julienned ginger and garlic and cook until browned. Remove from the heat.

Place mixed greens on serving plates as a salad base. Top with bean sprouts and other sprouts being used.

Top with the onion slices and salad dressing.

Top with garlic and ginger crisps. Serve immediately.

Options: Add blood orange, orange, or grapefruit slices to salad. Top with avocado slices.

Life Force Salad Dressing
Serves 2 to 4
Juice of ½ grapefruit
Juice of ½ lemon or lime
Juice of ½ orange or mandarin
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Himalayan crystal or Celtic sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

Add all ingredients to a jar (including reserved liquid from the onions) and shake until mixed. Toss over salad ingredients.

Michelle Schoffro Cook, DNM, DAc, CNC is a best-selling and six-time book author, whose works include: The Life Force Diet, The Ultimate pH Solution, The 4-Week Ultimate Body Detox Plan, The Brain Wash, and Healing Injuries the Natural Way. She is a doctor of natural medicine, doctor of acupuncture, holistic nutritionist, and energy medicine practitioner. Her work has been featured in/on: Woman's World, First for Women, Dr. Roizen's YOU: The Owner's Manual Radio Show, Gaiam Life, Yahoo! Shine, and The Huffington Post. www.TheLifeForceDiet.com.

Copyright 2008 Michelle Schoffro Cook, from The Life Force Diet (John Wiley & Sons, 2009).