In her book, the Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon, Sara Forte explains why she chose this name for this salad ~
“A last meal is composed of all your favorite things, right? This is a hodgepodge of some of my favorite things. The quality of the ingredients matters most. The avocado needs to be ripe, but not mushy, the leeks sauteed crispy but not oily, and the lettuce fresh and dried well so the dressing lightly coats each leaf. If it’s going to be my last, it’s going to be good.”
Serves 4 to 6
Gather
Salad
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large leek, halved and cleaned
Sea salt
4 cups (5 ounces) arugula
1 head (about 5 ounces) chopped red leaf lettuce
1 English cucumber, finely diced
1 cup pitted and halved cherries (or ⅓ cup dried, if out of season)
½ cup cooked black lentils
2 avocados, pitted and diced
½ cup Marcona almonds, coarsely chopped
½ cup crumbled sheep milk feta Method
Green Dressing
3 cloves garlic
3 green onions, white and green parts
2 tablespoons drained capers
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Zest and juice of 2 lemons, preferably Meyer
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 cup whole Greek yogurt (or Veganaise)
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups firmly packed basil leaves
1 cup flat-leaf parsley
1 cup cilantro (I like to do ½ cup fresh dill,½ cup fresh chives, chopped instead of cilantro)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Method
Salad
In a large pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Slice the leek into thin half circles and add them to the hot pan. Add a pinch of salt and cook, stirring infrequently so the edges get crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.
Wash and dry your greens well. Put them in a large salad bowl. Add the cucumber, cherries, lentils, half of the avocado, the almonds, and feta. Once cool, add all of the leeks. Toss everything with the dressing to taste. Top the salad with the remaining avocado, and serve immediately.
Green Dressing
In a food processor, pulse the garlic, green onions, capers, sea salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, zest and juice of the lemons, and honey to combine. Add the apple cider vinegar, yogurt, parmesan, basil, parsley, cilantro (or other green herbs), and with the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Taste and add more seasonings, vinegar, or oil, if desired. The dressing will keep, covered, in the fridge for up to one week.