There’s nothing like a refreshing salad on a hot day. Canada’s first-ever Salad Week couldn’t have come at a better time as the warm weather is finally here. From pasta salad to the classic Caesar, there are salad options for everyone. June 5th through the 11th is officially Salad Week so it’s time to get your green on. This initiative was brought forward by Maison Orphée in an effort to promote healthy, balanced meals.
About Salad Week
It seems every dish has a celebratory week these days so it may come as a surprise that Canada has been without a Salad Week until now!
“Recognizing the absence of a dedicated week or collective challenge to promote and discover healthy, palate-pleasing products akin to our own in Quebec, we engaged in conversations with fellow agri-foodenterprises,” explains Élisabeth Boulanger, co-owner of Maison Orphée. “This sparked the idea to launch Salad Week across Canada.”
The inaugural Salad Week by Maison Orphée has gained the support of several local Quebec companies such as GoGo Quinoa, Fruit d’Or, Natur Source, Les Belles récoltes de Charlevoix, Food Crayon by The Foodie Family, Must and Gen V. You can expect to find mouth-watering salad recipes, insider tips and over 50 influencers engaged on social media to promote the Salad Week festivities.
“We envision that Salad Week will serve as a catalyst for discovering top-tier local products, inspiring individuals to opt for local, healthier alternatives over popular commercial American brands of oils, condiments, and dressings,” explains Élaine Bélanger, co-owner of Maison Orphée.
You can take this week as an opportunity to incorporate more fresh, healthy ingredients into your life. Don’t forget to share your salads on social media with the hashtag #saladweek for all to see!
Here’s an easy Lemon & Chickpea Salad recipe
Thanks to Ainsley Smith, here’s a quick and easy summer salad to get you ready for Salad Week!
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3 mini cucumbers, sliced in half
- 4 celery sticks, chopped thinly
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup of red onion, finely chopped
- ¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh mint, finely chopped
METHOD:
- To get things started, we’re going to make the salad dressing first. Mix together the olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and several grinds of pepper in a bowl and set aside.
- Next, we’re going to open the can of chickpeas and rinse and strain them under cool water. Then it’s time to peel, chop, and dice all of the vegetable ingredients. Also, keep in mind that if you want to serve a larger group, you can double the ingredients.
- Once all of your ingredients are prepped and ready to go, add the chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, red onion, parsley, and mint into a large bowl and mix together. Once the ingredients are all mixed together, pour in the dressing and mix everything together.
- Once everything is mixed nicely together, serve the salad into bowls and garnish with extra mint and salt and pepper if needed. And finally, enjoy!
