Hooray for summer.

I love these long summer sunny days where it’s light until 9 PM and you feel like the days are so much longer. This is my favorite time of the year when I can toss on my flip-flops and go for a walk and soak up the fresh air and smell of the amazing flowers blossoming all over town.

This is such a happy time of year, isn’t it?

Today’s recipe is all about summer.

It’s loaded with fresh flavor and tastes incredible!

I tossed white onions in the oven and roasted them until they were super soft and tender- so they melt in your mouth. Then I tossed them with leafy greens, walnuts, red quinoa, dried cherries, a magnificent dairy-free ‘creamy’ dressing that is out-of-this-world and of course a boost of flavor from high quality sea salt and pepper.

You’re probably wondering what this ‘hummus’ dressing is all about, right?

Well, I love hummus and I enjoy making my own recipes (you’ll find a bunch of homemade hummus recipes in my COOKBOOK and they are oil-free too!) so I decided to thin out a new hummus recipe and use it as a dressing for this salad. I’ve used hummus as my ‘salad dressing’ for years because processed dressings just don’t agree with my body and they end up causing way too much inflammation for me to handle. So, instead of creating a new dressing for this lovely dish, I opted for making a thinned-out hummus ‘dressing’ recipe and drizzling it over the walnuts and quinoa and mixed greens for a fabulous recipe that will keep you satisfied and will make your tummy very, very happy.

I can certainly assure you of that.

So, toss those processed dressings that are lining your fridge door and jump on the bandwagon to create your own dressings–you’ll be saying good-bye to bloating and other belly issues too because many of those dressings are filled with refined sugar, refined salt and other binders and ingredients you probably can’t pronounce. Making your own dressing is one of the best parts about making salads. And this hummus dressing, folks, will rule your life this summer. You’ll be making it over and over again. I’m just warning you.

Enjoy!

ox

p.s. You can snap a picture of this recipe when you make it and post it to your facebook and instagram accounts using the hashtag #TheHealthyApple so I can see all of your creations!

And if you haven’t had a chance to check out my new cookbook, Eating Clean: The 21-Day Plan to Detox, Fight Inflammation and Reset Your Body, you can order it and you’ll get 6 Free Exclusive Recipes that are NOT in my cookbook!

For more of my favorites, follow me around my kitchen and Manhattan on facebook, pinterest, instagram, twitter and google plus.

Try to buy everything organic. Here’s why I eat organic: The Benefits of Eating Organic.

Roasted Onion Arugula Summer Salad with Creamy Hummus Dressing (Vegan, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Paleo)

Serves: 4

 

Print

Prep

5 minutes

Cook

45 minutes

Total

50 minutes

 

Free of Gluten, Dairy, Soy, Eggs, Corn and Refined Sugar. Vegetarian and Vegan.

Author: Amie Valpone

Recipe type: Entree

Ingredients

• 2 large white onions such as Vidalia onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup red quinoa
• 3 cups arugula
• 3 Tbsp. raw walnuts
• 2 Tbsp. dried cherries
• 1 cup BPA-free canned or fresh cooked chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 1 roasted bell pepper
• 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• Juice of 1/2 large lemon
• pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• Water as needed

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Place the onions on the prepared baking sheets. Drizzle the oil over the onions (1 Tbsp. per onion) and sprinkle oregano on top. Sprinkle the onions with sea salt and pepper. Bake the onions for 40-45 minutes or until very tender and golden brown on the edges.
3. Cook the quinoa according to the package directions then fluff with a fork and cover. Let sit for 5 minutes covered.
4. In a large bowl, combine the arugula, cooked quinoa, walnuts and cherries. Set aside.
5. In a food processor, puree the chickpeas, bell pepper, vinegar, lemon juice, sea salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Add water as needed (2 Tbsp. at a time) to reach your desired thin dressing consistency but be careful not to make the dressing to watery.
6. Remove the onions from the oven; add them to the arugula mixture. Drizzle the dressing over the arugula mixture and onions and serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts

Roasted Onion Arugula Summer Salad with Creamy Hummus Dressing (Vegan, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Paleo)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 308 Calories from Fat 153

% Daily Value*

Fat 17g26%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Sodium 831mg36%

Potassium 377mg11%

Carbohydrates 33g11%

Fiber 6g25%

Sugar 7g8%

Protein 8g16%

Vitamin A 666IU13%

Vitamin C 14mg17%

Calcium 92mg9%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.