Native Food Ensalada Azteca

Native Foods is one of my all time favorite restaurants. We used to have to battle traffic to get to their location in Westwood. But the trek was well worth the yummy food! THEN they opened one up in Culver City. Although it was a bit of a longer drive, it was a more convenient location and great central meeting place for me & my friends. NOW there is one even CLOSER to me! Like less than a mile! I'm in trouble now. 

Native Foods is a vegan restaurant. Vegan doesn't always mean healthy! Everything at Native Foods is relatively healthy but it is easy to go overboard.... sweet potato fries, nachos, deep fried pickles, cupcakes..... mmmmmm. Anyways, my go-to is the Ensalada Azteca. It is so delicious and I actually feel better & energized when I'm finished. How often does that happen when you go out to eat? It's sweet and crispy and crunchy and citrus-y. Yum. I love it! And I just found the recipe online!

Native Foods is a great casual place to get your grub on. And I've never heard of a meat-eater being dissappointed 

Have you tried Native foods? What's your favorite dish?
 
From The Native Foods Restaurant Cookbook

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped tomato
• 1 cup peeled and chopped cucumbers
• 1 cup chopped jicama
• 1 cup chopped avocado
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 cups mixed salad greens
• 4 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 cup Mango Lime Vinaigrette
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 4 Tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds
• 4 Tbsp currants, raisins, or chopped dates
• 4 slices fresh mango
• 1 tsp chipotle powder or cayenne pepper (optional)

Mango Lime Vinaigrette

• 1 cup chopped fresh or frozen mango
• 1/2 cup sunflower oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1.5 tsp sea salt
• 1.5 tsp grated fresh ginger

To make Mango Lime Vinaigrette, place all ingredients in a blender and puree. In a bowl, combine tomato, cucumber, jicama, avocado, and red onion. Toss with lemon juice and sea salt. Divide salad greens on four plates or bowls. Top each with 1 cup of cooked quinoa. On each serving, drizzle quinoa with about 2 tablespoons of the Mango Lime Vinaigrette. On each serving, place one quarter of the tomato mixture on top of the tomato mixture on each serving. Garnish each serving with cilantro leaves, pumpkin seeds, currants, fresh mango slice, and chipotle powder.


Image courtesy Image Courtesy LA Weekly