Get Green with the OrganicGirl Flavor Craze

This is the time of year when our garden looks so sad. The tomato plants are shriveling and the peppers look like straggly weeds. The lettuces, kale and chard have been planted but it will be weeks (nay, months!) before they are ready to be eaten. Finding fresh, organic produce sounds simple, but is no easy feat. We have been buying OrganicGirl arugula and romaine hearts at our local Publix, so we were thrilled when they reached out to us and asked us to try their new salad mixes and dressings, we did not hesitate!
Our goodies arrived in a refrigerated box in which we were excited to find full-sized versions of their products. Their new “Peppergreens” has arugula (our favorite), baby mustards, cress, baby spinach, baby chard and other seasonal greens with a peppery kick. The “Sweet Pea” mix contains sweet pea shoots, baby green romaine, tango, baby oakleaf lettuces, baby green bok choy, lolla rosa (which may vary by season). All OrganicGirl greens are triple-washed and it is obvious. The greens were super clean, fresh and crisp and both had amazing flavor. The Peppergreens really do pack a spicy punch that was an excellent complement to a pre-game BLT. Conversely, the Sweat Pea mix has a great crunch and is indeed a bit sweet with the addition of the pea shoots.
OrganicGirl is a small group in California's fertile Salinas Valley who strive to offer the very best quality produce done the right way which means unique approaches to organic growing, triple washing their greens, and using earth-friendly 100% recycled plastic packaging. It also means no synthetic pesticides, growing and selecting only the very best quality produce, and getting products to the stores as quickly as possible to ensure ultimate freshness.
In addition to the gorgeous greens, we also received bottles of each of OrganicGirl’s new Salad Love Vinaigrettes: Fresh Tomato Italian, Kale Parmesan, Lemon Agave, and White Cheddar. Believe me when I say it was nearly impossible to decide which to try first! We went with the Lemon Agave (vegan) made with fresh lemons and lemon puree which originally we tried on the Peppergreens and WOW what a great combo! The contrast in flavors was absolutely perfect, spicy, tangy and a little sweet. We later served it over goat cheese for a healthy snack which was zesty and refreshing.
The vibrant green of the Kale Parmesan was so enticing, we opened that next. We had some leftover roasted cauliflower which rather than reheating, we tried cold with the vinaigrette drizzled on top. Again, WOW! With two of the top ingredients (kale and spinach) being #1 and #5 on the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI), we added extra nutrients to an already healthy vegetable dish.
The Tomato Italian made with Roma tomatoes, fresh basil and Parmesan, was wonderful over the Sweat Pea mix and was soon devoured on pizza night as a dipping sauce for leftover crusts. And, last but certainly not least (especially in the flavor department) was the White Cheddar. Initially we were hesitant to open this bottle, thinking it would be the least healthy (and most caloric), but with only 60 calories per serving and only five grams of fat, we used this in place of blue cheese dressing on a wedge salad. We may never go back to blue cheese dressing. Ever. And with Buffalo chicken wings – Awesome!

You don’t have to wait until next Spring to have fresh organic salad greens or fresh produce to make homemade dressings. You can head over to your local store (in Atlanta, head to Publix or Whole Foods) and pick up OrganicGirl products with the knowledge that they are produce-based, non-GMO, gluten free, contain no corn syrup, vegetarian and of course, organic. It doesn’t get much fresher than that!
While the products we sampled were complimentary, no additional remuneration was received. The opinions included herein are honest and unsolicited.