some of you may know, as i've written before, i've had a few struggles with food on both ends of the spectrum: from not liking it at all, to over-consuming it at times. i thought i could solve this food problem on my own. first i went on a raw diet, then a juice/smoothie/diet/cleanse thing, and lastly, a quasi gluten free diet. not one of these ways of life proved to serve my physical or mental well-being in any significant way. so my quest for answers continued... a few months had gone by, and by that time i had kind of given up on "curing" myself, by myself.

i made an appointment with a nutritionist who had been recommended to my mom and off i went. among many other things (giving up bread included), she and i had a conversation about well-being; about treating our bodies the best we can. that visit not only changed my life, but it altered my outlook on REAL FOOD accessibility and wanting something more from those whose authority lies in the food industry. i thought about times i was at a concert, or a movie or a public space, there was no real food; items that had substantive ingredients, not just empty calories that offered stomachaches, a cloudy brain and bad skin. we, as a community of food-consuming people deserve better. to have access to wholesome food, to be able to afford it, to want something more for ourselves; not just what big agriculture or food corporations make the most money on, that we are worth of being well-nourished, not profited from.

i'm teaming up with two lovely ladies, Jody and Ashley for their Feel Something More Campaign - energizing people to feel, choose, be, something more than the status quo. They have a series of bloggers talking about their want for something more in life as well. next up is "The JUGs for Something More" by Just Us Gals (meredith, cameron and suzanne).

now about this salad! fattoush salads are a favorite of mine, seasonal veggies paired with torn flatbread, drenched in a creamy sauce/dressing kind of a deal - yes! all day. everyday. however, this fattoush salad has a bit more green - thanks spianch! you'll find a recipe for socca below, mainly because i chose to use it in the bread-y portion of the dish - it lends a similar texture as any other flatbread, plus it's super easy to throw together and bake up. lastly, the sumac-spiked pine nut sauce. i know people can be wary of nut-based things, but the nuts, vinegar and sumac all come together in such a considerable way; add that to this herby, crunchy, spring-green fattoush salad and it's all majorly satisfying. cheers, and all good things, friends!

spring fattoush salad w/ a creamy, sumac-pine nut sauce | gf + v

| serves 4 |

if you're going to skip the nut-based sauce, i would nudge you in the direction of this tahini sauce or even this yogurt-tahini sauce, both for their creaminess and pungent flavor.

ingredients

2 cups spinach, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh parsley, minced
2 sprigs mint (roughly 8-10 leaves), minced
1 bunch ramps, cleaned and white parts sliced thin (or spring onions)
1 small cucumber, quartered into 1/2" chunks
4-5 radishes, sliced thin by hand or mandolin
1/4 cup chives, minced
8" round of socca (recipe below), torn into large pieces (or gluten-free flatbread of choice)

sumac-pine nut sauce

1/3 cup pine nuts, soaked for 2 hours
1 small shallot, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons filtered water
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground sumac, plus more for garnish

garlicky socca

scant 1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour
1/2 cup warm filtered water
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
a couple grinds of fresh pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

instructions

sumac-pine nut sauce

drain the pine nuts and transfer them to a high-speed blender (a food processor will do, but consistency won't be as creamy). add the shallot, vinegar, olive oil, salt and sumac; with the motor running, pour the water through the spout, 1 tablespoon at a time, to get desired consistency. scoop into lidded jar and transfer to refrigerator until ready to use

garlicky socca

place an 8" cast iron pan inside your oven and preheat to 450°
combine the garbanzo bean flour, salt + pepper with a whisk. drizzle in water while whisking to incorporate; add the olive oil and minced garlic and whisk again. set aside
gently remove preheated pan from oven, pour the remaining tablespoon of olive oil into the pan, give it a swirl to ensure even coverage. pour socca batter into pan and gently place back into the center of your oven. cook for 12 minutes, edges should be pulled away from sides and lightly browned; remove from oven and flip the socca over. return back to the oven and cook for another 3-4 minutes. remove from heat and let cool completely
once cooled, tear into large chunks. leave the flatbread out for about 20 minutes while you prepare the salad

assemble salad

remove sauce from refrigerator and allow to come to room temp. add a teaspoon or two of water to get sauce nice and creamy
in a large serving bowl, combine all of the salad items. pour half the sauce over the salad and combine, depending on your preference, add more sauce.
garnish with some added sumac (optional)

enjoy!