Breakfast came late today as I foraged for goldenberries in Los Angeles health food shops to whip up this breakfast salad from the book Powerful Plant Based Superfoods.  Lauri Boone sent me a review copy ages ago and while I’ve devoured all of the information- there is a great depth of information on just about every superfood under the sun- I just finally got to cooking from it.  After this salad, I imagine I’ll quickly make half of everything in the book.  This salad…it is epic!

Having committed to doubling the nutrional value of my diet- I need far more energy than I did even three months ago to keep up with my life during the day!- it was time to start cooking.  The easy thing about stocking some superfoods is that many are either dried or powdered and they have a shelf life that justifies an online purchase when you just can’t find what you need locally.  Plus, most potent superfoods have a serving size of about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of fruit or a scoop or two of powder to get a significant dose.  That to me is a very practical equation if I select the superfoods that will help me the most. Goldenberries are right up my alley.

Goldenberries.  These tart berries are packed with vitamin A, protien, fiber and a rich amount of B vitamins that reduce your stress levels.  Dr. Oz apparently put them on a list of foods that help reduce your excess belly fat in 2011.  They may actually fight cancer with their potent anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory properties.  You can eat them by the handful, toss them in salads (as we are about to do) and garnish your cereal with them.  Lauri Boone doesn’t miss a beat in giving you a full picture of each superfood’s properties and potential to make its way to your own plate.

I got my goldenberies at Wholefoods.  They are Essential Living Foods brand. Incidentally, Essential Living Foods sells the best olives I’ve ever tasted- I can eat a full bag in minutes- so you may want to peek at them if you place an order.  No one is paying me to say this, but for all the icky superfood stuff I’ve tried I am thrilled to share the great stuff so you don;t waste your time and money.

Ok, let’s get to the salad!

Apple & Fennel Salad With Goldenberries, from Lauri Boone’s Powerful Plant-Based Superfoods book.  

2 apples cored and sliced

1 chopped bulb of fennel

1/4 cup raw almonds (note: I used raw pecans… if you don’t have raw nuts, I would use roasted ones!)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (this was 2 small lemons for me)

1 tablespoon flaxseeds whole (I omitted this from mine)

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup dried goldenberries

FYI: I added about 1 tbs of light vegetable oil over the top at the end.

Put everything but the goldenberries into a food processor and chop up until it is pretty well “grated”.  I did it in batches in a smaller chopper.

I used organic apples and washed but did not peel them.  Lori suggests not peeling apples so you get the maximum health benefits from the phytochemicals in the peel.

This is so refreshing, tart, sweet and somehow feels “cooked” even though it is all raw (*if you use raw nuts)…I ate in in seconds after I snapped a picture!  Off I go to pick out my next project from Powerful Plant-Based Superfoods.  (thank you Lauri!) If you try this breakfasty salad,  I hope you enjoy as much as I did!!!  xoxo Dana