SHAVED SUMMER SQUASH SALAD WITH LEMON AND NUTS

I enjoy salads no matter what time of year. This recipe gave me a reason to use pepitas plus any salad dressing with lemon juice and lemon zest is going to be a win in my book. To make it cheaper, I used nuts I had at home rather than spending $10 on a bag of macadamia nuts which the original recipe called for.

According to Dr. Fuhrman: "Eating one huge salad a day can literally change your life and make a huge difference in your overall health. Eating raw veggies does great things for your body, like helping out the digestive system, by providing tons of fiber, while nourishing your body with phytochemicals – which are those great antioxidants and other micronutrients that strengthen your immune system, fight cancer and just generally work to keep us in tip-top shape."

What I did differently for the ingredients:

-Used 2 TBSP water instead of oil (or can use aquafaba)

-In place of honey used maple syrup

-Used reduced sodium tamari instead of soy sauce

-Did not add salt

-Instead of baby sorrel leaves I used a bag of mixed baby greens

-Instead of macadamia nuts used 1/8th heaping cup each of chopped walnuts, pecans, and almonds for total of 3/8th cups (rather than chopping by hand, I used a food processor to coarsely chop the almonds, then added the other nuts and 1/4th cup pepitas and pulsed until desired size). Roasted the nuts and pepitas in 350 degree oven for 7 minutes.

-Did not use Parmesan cheese

What I did differently for the preparation:

-To thicken the dressing, I added the dressing, freshly ground black pepper, and about 1/8th cup of the nut/pepita mix to my high speed blender and blended until smooth

-Tossed remaining nut/pepita mixture into the salad

-Since I made a lot of salad (more than the recipe called for), I probably should have doubled the dressing