Dijon Fruit Salad

I came up with this recipe while perusing The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook and came across a recipe for chicken salad sandwich. I used the idea for mixing mustard, yogurt and fruit together to make a main dish. It was necessary to toss in the seeds for the nutritional punch we all need, and it begged for the sweet/sour flavor of balsamic vinegar. The recipe as listed here will make one large salad (main dish) or two smaller salads (as a side dish), but can easily be doubled or tripled. It's surprisingly filling and packed with lots of good stuff.

3 T. plain soy yogurt
1 T. dijon mustard
1 t. olive oil
1 t. balsamic vinegar
1 t. raw sesame seeds
1 t. raw pumpkin seeds (hulled)
1 t. hemp seeds
2 t. flax seeds
1 medium apple, cored and diced
1 cup red grapes, sliced in halves
6 leaves Romaine hearts, sliced for salad

Combine yogurt, mustard, olive oil and vinegar in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Place seeds in a coffee grinder, blender or food processor and pulse into a powder. Add to yogurt mix and stir to combine. Fold apples and grapes into yogurt mix, stirring until all fruit is coated. Serve immediately on top of lettuce.

Note: It may seem like a giant pain to grind seeds every time you want to use them. However, this step is important. Resist the temptation to grind large batches of seeds at once. Nuts and seeds are tiny nutritional powerhouses. Once ground, the nutritional benefits are unlocked. If they are not used immediately, their nutritional value begins to dissipate. By grinding only enough seeds for what you are using, you ensure maximal nutritional benefits from nuts and seeds. Storing un-ground seeds for a long period of time? Pop them in the freezer next to your grains, nuts and beans (hint, hint).