It is summer and the vegetables at the farmers market are plentiful. I’ve tried to get more creative with my salads. I know I post a lot of salads on my blog, but living alkaline, salads are a mainstay of our diet. We should be eating them every day. So try this one. I hope you like it.

Summer salad
A combination of red leaf lettuce, and fresh spinach.
Watermelon radish
Garbanzo beans, fresh or canned
Carrots, using a vegetable peeler to make the ribbons.

For the dressing,
Mix together,
1 Tbsp. Apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp of mustard

To make your own garbanzo beans,
Place 2 cups of dried garbanzo beans in a large bowl. Pour a generous amount of water over the beans. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 6 to 12 hours. Drain the beans and place in a pot. Add fresh water to cover, 1 carrot, 2 stocks of celery, ½ of a onion. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 50 minutes - 1hour. Taste to determine doneness. Drain the beans. They are now ready to use. I always keep a container in my freezer.

Note: Do not salt the garbanzo beans until they have finished cooking. If you add salt during the cooking the beans will harden.