LAFFlines #18: Brunch—Behold the Bagel Salad
The name is Salad. Bagel Salad.
On Tuesday, just after 6 am, I found myself running on a treadmill at 8.5 miles per hour and 7.5% incline. I was in a research study in the Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism Lab at Virginia Tech. And I was—by the researchers’ firm instructions—running fasted. Last meal was 13 hours ago. And my body was, shall we say, beyond indignant about the lack of fuel. My quads and brain have not been the same since. That might explain why I’m sending you three bagel salads. Let there be glycogen! Long live croutons…for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner!
First up is the Everything Bagel Salad with Creamy Dressing. So. Much. Umami. Next, we’ve got the Cinnamon-Raisin Bagel Salad with Apple Butter Cashew Dressing. It’s a master class in checks-and-balances. Finally, there’s the Blueberry Bagel Salad with Chocolate Vinaigrette. If Willy Wonka and James Bond made a salad together, this would be it.
Each salad takes about 20 minutes to make and is a flavor adventure packed with nutrients. The full recipes on the blog include suggestions for customizing the salads (e.g., nut-free options), but here are the basics:
This salad is, well, everything: delicious, nutritious, fast, filling, and oh-so-pretty.
Everything bagel + tender greens + creamy everything dressing + LAFF + sundried tomatoes + avocado
A master class of flavor checks-and-balances.
Cinnamon-raisin bagel + dark leafy greens + apple butter cashew dressing + LAFF + apple + carrots + broccoli
If Willy Wonka and James Bond made a salad together, this would be it.
Blueberry bagel + spring mix or red leaf lettuce + chocolate vinaigrette + LAFF + pear + dried apricots + avocado + hazelnuts toasted with cocoa
Where to Purchase LAFF
Roanoke Co+op (Grandin location)
Eats (Blacksburg) - restocked on Friday, February 21!
Online store: Delivery is free in the New River Valley.
Email: Email me at hello@laffkitchen.com if you prefer to pay by check or cash, OR if you have any trouble with the online store.
Last Note:
I’m in the throes of developing a new product! The LAFF protein crumbles have maximum versatility and convenience, but they’re not shelf stable and they’ve prohibitively expensive to ship. So, I’m working on a new plant-based, high-protein seitan product that is shelf stable. It’ll be free of garbanzo beans, easy to ship, more affordable, and come in creative flavors inspired by this (wonderful) part of Virginia. In the next two weeks, I’ll finalize the recipes. Then, food scientists at Virginia Tech will analyze samples and generate the nutrition fact panels. Finally, I’ll submit the new product to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences for approval.
The classic LAFF protein crumbles will still be available for purchase, pick-up, and delivery in the New River Valley. And, for those of you asking for LAFF that can be shipped: This new product will be my answer. Of course, it’ll also be available for pick-up and delivery here in the Blacksburg area. For now, I’ll keep working to get it right. Forward march!
(and) Happy March,
Abby
P.S. Questions, suggestions, connection…email me at hello@laffkitchen.com