Magenta Dream Salad

A delicious kale salad, plus an orange segmenting tutorial!

This is one of my all-time favourite salads (although I love all salads with fruit, avocado and nuts). It's sweet, slightly creamy, fresh, crunchy, contains jicama, and is an absolutely gorgeous shade of pink!

This also contains kale, which we should all know by know is a powerhouse of vegetable nutrition, and also tastes great in salads after a good massage.

This is my first dinner in my month-long raw food experiment, and it was delicious! I did have to eat about half of it before I was full, but I didn't mind one bit! I know tahini isn't raw (unless you specifically buy raw tahini), but I'm going to allow myself a few small cheats, as long as they're only condiments and I don't have them too often, or too much of them at once.

First of all, if you don't know how to segment an orange, here's how:

first, slice off the top an bottom

then cut off the rind with a knife, cutting in a bit of a curve to
get all the pith

your orange should know look like this

cut the orange out from between the membrane

 I usually like to cut the orange segments in half so more bites have orange in them, but this is optional.

Magenta Dream Salad

Ingredients

2 bunches kale, thinly sliced
1 fennel bulb, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 medium-smallish beets, grated
1/2 small jicama, cut however you want (I can never figure out the best way to cut jicama for salad, so just do whatever you think is best. I cut it into flat squares)

use about this much ginger, or more

3 oranges, 1 zested
1 tsp grated ginger
1 avocado, thinly sliced, slices cut into quarters, the riper it is the creamier the salad will be
2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
pinch of salt
pepper, to taste
1 tsp honey, optional
2 Tbsp tahini
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (toast them if you're not eating raw)

Directions

1. Whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, tahnini, salt, pepper, honey (if using), ginger, and orange zest.

2. Put the kale in a bowl or on a large cutting board. Pour the dressing over it.

3. Cut the segments out of the oranges over the kale, so the juice falls on it. Once all the segments are cut, squeeze the remaining pulpy stuff so the juice falls on the kale, then discard.

4. Using your hands, squeeze the kale and mix it up with dressing; "massage" it.

5. Toss the kale with the fennel, beets, jicama, orange segments, and walnuts.

6. Eat it right away, or allow to marinate for stronger flavours and softer kale. Kale salads keep well without turning limp and soggy like lettuce salads.

7. Enjoy!

before tossing

after tossing

This post has been shared with Healthy Vegan Fridays.

Chinese Beansprout Salad

There are often times, usually a few days before the next grocery shopping trip is planned, were I start running out of fresh vegetables. At these times, beansprouts can be a lifesaver. I sprout my own, so the bag of dried beans is always sitting ready for me in my cupboard. It takes a bit of pre-planning, but beansprouts really help to stretch the last bits of fresh produce in my fridge until more can be bought. Did I mention that beansprouts are really healthy? Yeah, they contain protein, they're low in calories, and they've got tons of enzymes. Raw foodists love them because they're the most "live" food you can eat. (Unless you eat a live bug, but I don't think anyone really wants to do that on a regular basis.)

This is one way I enjoy beansprouts. They're also really good with some leftover roasted winter squash and peas.

Chinese Beansprout Salad

1 cup mung beansprouts

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1 carrot, grated

1/2 cup sugar snap peas, chopped

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp organic tamari, nama shoyu, or coconut aminos

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger (or less, to taste)

pinch of red pepper flakes

optional: a few grinds of pepper (I like to put pepper in everything)

1. Whisk together the tamari, vinegar, oil, ginger, red pepper flakes, and optional pepper.

2. Combine the beansprouts, carrot, bell pepper, and sugar snap peas.

3. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.

Thai Peanut Slaw

I find most coleslaw pretty disgusting. It's just gloopy, way too sugary, and is made basically with equal parts cabbage and mayonnaise. And sugar. If you're lucky, there might be some carrots thrown in. This can be described in one word: ick. I also don't really care for the coleslaws made with an oil and vinegar dressing. I like my raw cabbage creamy. But not with mayo made from genetically modified rancid yellow seed oils. So there's a bit of a dilemma. Luckily, like all problems consisting of a yearning for creaminess and a refusal to achieve said creaminess with GMOs, this can be solved with coconut milk. I love coconut milk.

Best brand, thick and creamy
and only contains coconut milk

Like bacon, caramelized onions, and peanut butter, coconut milk makes everything better. :D And this recipe includes coconut milk, peanut butter, and onions! (well, the onions are fried, not caramelized, but close enough.) Sadly, no bacon. :( It probably wouldn't work with the other flavours. The other flavours, by the way, are Thai. Yes, I love Thai flavoured things. I wonder if it has something to do with my love of coconut milk and peanut butter? Especially since Thai food is one of the few ways of incorporating both those foods into vegetables, so it's healthier and it keeps you from eating an entire jar of peanut butter in one sitting. Anyway, this was delicious if I do say so myself. But really, how can you go wrong  with coconut milk and peanut butter? (By not adding enough, that's how!) :D So enjoy your coleslaw, because it can be much more interesting and delicious and healthy than cabbage and mayo.

One final note: while writing this, I suddenly thought, sprinkling of shredded coconut. And tamarind in the sauce. Why do I never get these ideas while I'm cooking? It was terrific without these additions, but it would be nice to add them. A fancy drizzle of tamarind puree would be really pretty.

Thai Peanut Slaw

Ingredients

1/2 head cabbage
2 carrots, grated
1 red bell pepper, very thinly sliced
1 onion, very thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, halved lengthwise and very thinly sliced
2-inch knob of ginger, half of it grated, half of it cut into very thin matchsticks
1-2 Tbsp coconut oil (enough to fry the onions, garlic and ginger)
salt
1 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup peanut butter
juice of 1 lime
2 tsp tamari or nama shoyu
red pepper flakes, to taste
1/2 english cucumber, very thinly sliced
cilantro sprig, tamarind puree, and/or shredded coconut to garnish

Directions

1. Lay the cucumbers in a ring around the edge of your serving dish (this is optional, it adds to the presentation. You could also just cut the cucumber into very thin noodle-type threads and add them in with the other vegetables).

2. Combine the cabbage, carrots, and peppers.

3. Heat the coconut oil over high heat.

4. Add the onions, garlic, and ginger matchsticks. Fry until crispy, stirring frequently. Remove to paper towels to drain and sprinkle with salt.

5. Whisk together the coconut milk, peanut butter, lime, tamari, red pepper flakes, and the grated ginger. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. 

6. Toss together the sauce, the vegetables, and the fried onion mixture.

7. Place in the serving bowl with the cucumbers, sprinkle with shredded coconut, drizzle with tamari puree, and garnish with cilantro, if using.

Spring Salad

A yummy, crunchy, fresh salad filled with springtime vegetables! Now, if only the weather would cooperate and realize that it really is spring! Anyway, even if the sunshine's running a bit late, this is a very enjoyable and filling salad that will make you dream of melting snow. Maybe it can even distract you long enough for spring to come. If only.

I find that the ripe avocado and lemon juice makes enough of a dressing to coat the vegetables and leave the salad with a light, mild, fresh taste, but if you like you can add some pepper and a drizzle of olive oil if you want it to be less light and mild. Just do so sparingly.

Black-Eyed Pea Chopped Spring Salad

Ingredients

1 stalk of celery, chopped

1/3 cup cooked black eyed peas

1/2 avocado, cut into a dice

1 large radish, chopped

1/2 cup or more sugar snap peas, coarsely chopped

2 inch chunk of cucumber, chopped

1 romaine heart, thinly sliced or chopped

1/4 large fennel bulb (or 1/2 a small one), chopped

fronds from the fennel bulb, chopped

1 green onion, thinly sliced

juice of 1/2 a small lemon

optional: other fresh herbs

Directions

1. Toss everything together.

2. If the black eyed peas you used weren't salted, add a bit of salt to the lemon juice before tossing with the rest of the salad.

Fennel-Tomato Ceviche Salad

Most raw foodists are vegan. If you buy industrialized meat, I can understand that. Personally, I think that if you get meat from a good source, it's fine to eat raw. Well, unless it's pork or poultry. If you're not vegan, things like ceviche and steak tartar are a great way to enjoy the benefits of raw foods. Raw meat is actually really good for you. This is a delicious way of consuming healthy raw fish! If you are vegan, or a raw vegan, you could probably just substitute some sliced mushrooms for the fish. This can be a light lunch or an appetizer.

Fennel-Tomato Ceviche Salad

Ingredients

1/2 fennel bulb, thinly sliced

1 tomato, cut into 16 wedges

1/2 radish, very thinly sliced

1 cup fresh raw fish, thinly sliced (I used salmon)

1 ancovy, minced

1/2 tsp green peppercorns, minced

1 tsp capers, minced

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 scallion, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

1/8 cup olives, chopped (I used kalamata)

pinch of salt

fennel fronds, chopped

balsamic vinegar 

olive oil

Directions

1. Combine the fish, anchovy, peppercorns, capers, lemon, scallion, garlic, olives, and salt in a bowl. Marinate in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

2. Arrange the fennel, tomato and radish on plates. It looks really pretty if you alternate the slices in a pinwheel formation.

3. Top the vegetables with the marinated fish.

4. Drizzle with a bit of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. 

5. Top with fennel fronds. Enjoy!

Rainbow Kale Salad

Not only is this salad yummy and amazingly healthy, but it's beautiful too! We all know that we're supposed to "eat the rainbow", and now you can eat the whole rainbow in one salad! This salad is fresh and vibrant and full of lots of healthy things.

Rainbow Kale Salad

Ingredients

1 bunch kale, thinly sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced, slices cut in half (or use a mix of yellow and red pepper for even more colour!)

1 carrot, shredded

1 cup sugar snap peas, chopped

1/2 cup or more lactofermented rutabaga

1 avocado, thinly sliced, slices cut into quarters crosswise

2 Tbsp sunflower seeds, sprouted or soaked about 8 hours

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp lime juice (or half a lime)

salt and pepper

optional: cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs, radishes

Directions

1. Pour the olive oil and lime juice on the kale. Add a pinch of salt and a few gratings of freshly ground pepper. Message the dressing into the kale.

2. Combine the kale with the rest of the ingredients. This salad is best if you leave it to sit for a while, so the kale has a chance to soften.

This is a great salad to take for lunch because you can put
the dressing on ahead of time and the greens won't wilt!

Ginger-Lemon Salmon Veggie Salad

This is a delicious, fresh tasting salad. It can be made all raw if you use raw (sushi-grade) salmon, or leave it out altogether. It's crunchy, yummy and healthy!

This was originally meant to be a seaweed salad, since I'm trying to get more seaweed into my diet, but I kept adding so many other ingredients that the seaweed went from being the star of the dish to just another vegetable in the salad. Personally, I think it's much better this way, because you're still consuming super healthy seaweed, but the taste (which many find disagreeable) is mostly covered up. Feel free to add more seaweed if you actually like the taste, and be grateful that you do. Not all of us are so lucky.

Seaweed Salmon and Vegetable Salad

Ingredients

213g can of wild salmon

1/2 up to 2 cups seaweed, any kind, soaked (soaking time will vary with seaweed variety)

1/2 cucumber, cut into thin matchsticks

1 bell pepper, yellow or red or a combination, sliced very thinly

1 carrot, cut into strips with a vegetable peeler (or cut into very fine julienne)

1 avocado, half of it cut into small chunks, other half reserved

3-5 leaves romaine, very thinly sliced

1-inch knob of ginger

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt and pepper, to taste

pinch of red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Drain the seaweed, flake the salmon with a fork. Combine salmon, seaweed, cucumber, bell pepper, carrot, the cut half of the avocado, and the romaine in a large bowl.

2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed.

3. Pour dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Enjoy!

Optional: top with toasted sesame or sunflower seeds