'Hemp is Hip' Mixed Green Salad with Maple-Nut Clusters and Blueberry Dressing

Creative Commons Image. Credit: THC Finder.

There’s been a lot of talk about Colorado weed in the past year. One of two states in the U.S. that legalized recreational marijuana, this January recreational pot shops started popping up all over the city, peddling their wares to enthusiastic consumers. South Broadway, the major north-south artery through Denver, is now locally known as New Broadsterdam. Recreational marijuana is already a major tax revenue stream for the cities that allow shops, but beyond the stoned guy who often plops in the bus seat behind me during my commute to work, I’ve seen little difference between pre-legal pot and post-legal pot in Denver.

Like most non-pot smokers, I’ve tended to roll my eyes at the stoners who don tie-dye, fly their Bob Marley flags, and roll out djembes for impromptu drum circles. For me, cannabis equals goofy-grin friends scolding me–in a laid-back tone, of course–for being too uptight. Unfortunately, it’s hard to shake prejudice, but my friend Cara’s recent transition from editing to sales and marketing manager for Healthy Seeds and Nuts, LLC, a wholesale supplier and broker of industrial hemp products, has complicated my narrow view of cannabis by demonstrating that it can be a viable and valuable commodity for those who don’t, well, toke.

Industrial Hemp field in Cote d’Amor in Brittany, France. Creative Commons image. Credit: Barbetorte.

This month Cara traveled to Canada to meet with industrial hemp farmers to learn more about hemp’s potential in textiles, home products, and cuisine. For those not familiar with the differences between industrial hemp and cannabis, this website will help. Primarily, industrial hemp and marijuana are different varieties of cannabis and are cultivated according to their product needs. For example, in most cases industrial hemp is grown for its strong fiber and seeds and can reach heights of ten to fifteen feet, while recreational marijuana is grown out (rather than up) to focus cultivation on flower production and is much more persnickety about its growing conditions.

Creative Commons Image. Credit: Fenrisulfir.

I can get behind industrial hemp for clothing and other textiles, but as a food product? Not interested. Though hemp oil and hemp seeds have been hailed as great sources for Omega-3′s and Omega-6′s, two fatty acids that are good for your heart and brain, the idea of consuming hemp was far from appetizing. I wasn’t worried about getting high since industrial hemp’s THC is negligible. My issue was with flavor. “Stringy” and “Essence of Hemp Rope” are two descriptors that came to mind. Last week Cara offered me a chance to try out some organic Canadian hemp seed oil and raw, crushed hemp seeds in a recipe.

Below you’ll find that recipe, a summer starter salad that changed my mind about hemp as a food. The hemp oil was very mild and blended well with the blueberries for the dressing, but I was most sold on the hemp seeds that coated the salad topping walnut clusters. I’d eat those nut clusters as a snack. They were superb. The next time I make this recipe, I’ll double the nut cluster recipe for leftovers.

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Mixed Green Salad with Maple-Nut Clusters and Blueberry Dressing


(a Vegetarian Times recipe)


serves 6 as a starter salad

Ingredients
Maple-Nut Clusters


- ¼ cup hemp seeds (make sure they’re hulled!)

- ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

- 1 pinch salt

- ½ cup raw walnut halves

- 1 ½ Tbs. pure maple syrup (Grade B has healthful trace minerals.)

Salad


- 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries, divided

- 3 Tbs. hemp oil

- 3 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice

- 12 cups mixed baby salad greens

- ⅓ cup fresh mint leaves, minced

Directions


1. To make Maple-Nut Clusters: Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix hemp seeds with cinnamon and salt in small bowl, and set aside.

2. Heat small skillet over medium heat. Add walnuts, and toast 4 to 5 minutes, or until fragrant, shaking pan often. Add hemp seed mixture, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in maple syrup, and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Cool, then break apart into clusters.

3. To make Salad: Purée 1/2 cup blueberries, hemp oil, and lemon juice in blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

4. Toss salad greens and mint in large bowl with 1/4 cup dressing. (Serve remaining 1/4 cup dressing on the side, if desired.) Divide greens among serving plates, and top each with remaining blueberries and Maple-Nut Clusters.

Image by author.

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'Hemp is Hip' Mixed Green Salad with Maple-Nut Clusters and Blueberry Dressing