Kale and Vegetable Salad

Usually when I have a kale salad I use vinaigrette dressings, sweet berries, and fruit. This weekend I switched it up and came out with a delicious Kale and Vegetable Salad. Even my husband couldn't believe it was an all-kale based salad that he really liked! Simple, delicious, and super healthy. What more could you want?

For the Salad
2 Bunches of Kale, wash and cut out the spines, then chop and slightly massage. *about 6 C.
Add:
1/4 C Red Bell Pepper, chopped small
1/4 C Carrots, chopped small
1/2 C Baby tomatoes, halved
1/4 C Diced, celery

1/2 Cucumber, Chopped. FIRST sliced in half, and seeded. (Slice length wise  then run your spoon down the middle to get the seeds out)
1/4 C Raisins
1/4 C Chopped Walnuts
1 T Hemp Seeds
1 Avocado, cubed

Add all the above and mix with 1/2 C thinned Veggie Dressing.
Sprinkle on 1 Tbsp. Nutritional Yeast and add extra Sea Salt as needed.

Mix together well.
As you stir in the dressings, the avocado and the dressing start to mix a create a creamier texture for the dressing.

You can eat it right away, or let it marinate in the fridge for 15 minutes or so. Even stays great through the night.
Enjoy!

Spinach Apple Salad with Raw Poppy Seed Dressing

 A festive red and green salad with the perfect blend of a sweet dressing with just the right zing to it. I have long missed the sweet white poppy seed dressing I use to enjoy until recently I was asked to make one. With the swap of only a few ingredients I ended up with a newly found love and stable for my fridge! Happy dance :)

For the Salad:
1 lb Fresh Baby Spinach
2 Gala Apples, cut or cubed
1/2 C Juice Sweetened Cranberries
1/4 C Chopped Pecans
~or use a Mock Feta Cheese
(1 C crushed macadamia nuts with a dash of sea salt and 1/2 tsp nutritional yeast)
Sliced Red Onion (opt.)

Raw Poppy Seed Dressing
In the blender
1 C Pure Olive Oil
3/4 C Agave
1/2 C Apple Cider Vinegar
1 T fresh white Onion, minced
1 T Mustard seed powder
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
Blend until smooth then stir in:
1 1/2 T Poppy Seeds
Shake together and store in the fridge. It thickens a bit more in the fridge then you can shake it up as needed.
Pour a little over your salad and toss together to your liking. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Fruit Salad

This simple fruit salad uses your basic fruits topped with a splash of orange, nuts,  and a little fall spice: Cinnamon.

For the Salad layer:
Chopped Apples
Chopped Bananas
Mix with 1/2 Orange, juiced
Top with:
Raisins
Almonds
Cashews
Sprinkle of Cinnamon.
Enjoy.

Raw Taco Salad

The great thing about Taco salads is they can be as simple or complex as you want them to be. We love all the spicy and freshness about them. This one is fairly simple yet has that Mexican zing you want in the nut taco "meat".

Romaine, chopped  (we use a 3 pk. for our family of 6 eaters)
 1 Bell Peppers, chopped (any kind, but we love red)
 1 Cucumber, seeded and cubed
 Spicy Tomatoes
 3 chopped vine-ripe tomatoes mixed with
1/4 white onion diced
one clove of garlic pressed
 Guacamole
2-3 Avocados, pitted
1 Tomato, chopped
Lime juice, 2-3 TBSP
1 tsp Sea Salt
Mix
 Nut Taco "Meat"
1 C Walnuts, best if soaked 15 min. or more, but I've rinsed them and called it good.
1/4 tsp. Sea Salt
1 tsp. Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp. Cumin
dash of garlic and onion powder (opt)
Pulse together in the blender until you have a a course crumbly mixture, but not so that it all starts to stick together.
 Drizzle with:
Cashew Dressing
2 1/2 C cashews (best if soaked)
1-2 lemons, juiced (abt. 1/4-1/3 C org. lemon juice)
1-2medium cloves of garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press
1 Tbsp E.V.O.O (optional)
1/2 Tbsp Sea Salt
1 ½ C cold water
In the blender add 1 C water with other ingredients. Blend until thick and creamy. If it is too thick, add the other ½ cup of water and blend.
*Add flax crackers if desired.

 Raw Taco Salad

Raw Broccoli Cabbage Salad

 I know when I am in an ALL raw foods stage because I think of idea after idea of different foods and combinations of foods, not to mention how amazing I feel! Energy, motivation, happiness, confidence...ok I won't bore you.
 Well, in the past 24 hours inspiration hit more than once, so you are in luck and get to try my new creations. I love when this happens because something yummy always comes out of it.
 This salad tasted cheesy to me so I was going to call it a Raw Cheesy Broccoli Cabbage Salad, but it was too long, plus my husband said to him it was almost a peanut sauce taste. So you can try it yourself and see what you think, for me I'll go with cheesy:)
 It was tasty and SO simple  to put together and great as a side salad for 4 or double or triple to make it the main dish, I know I will next time!

1 C Purple Cabbage, chopped
1 C Green Cabbage (for variety), chopped
1 C Broccoli, finely chopped
Put in a bowl and add:
1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 T Nutritional Yeast (this gives it the flavor you want!)
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1/8 C Crushed Walnuts
Toss together and Enjoy your super fast and healthy dinner!

Raw Raspberry Vinaigrette Salad

I love fresh salads in the spring time and have recently become a bigger fan of vinaigrette, especially fruit-sweetened ones. This salad combines sweet, sour, and slightly bitter from the greens, yet uses fresh berries to even it out. It was nice to sit outside in the sunshine and enjoy the tangy freshness of a salad.

Mixed Baby Greens
Topped with fresh
Raspberries
Blackberries
Strawberries
Cucumbers, sliced and cut in half
Juice sweetened cranberries
Chopped Pecans
Vinaigrette dressing.

Raw Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing:
1/2 Lemon, juiced
1/8 C Olive Oil
1-2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/8 C Agave
10-15 Fresh Raspberries
Blend or pulse until berries are mostly separated. Pour over salads and serve.
*Dressing makes enough for 2-3 Salads. Double if you are feeding more people.

Raw Teriyaki Vegetable Salad

 Lately I have been going through my old recipes that I tried when first going raw almost 4 years ago and trying them again. Some I think, "what was this suppose to be?" While others are pretty good, yet could be improved upon because of what I now know with flavors.
 So here is a much improved vegetable Teriyaki dish. It could be all shredded, but I went with spiralizing the noodles, with the other veggies on top. It was light and filling and so tasty. It is great to switch up flavors and this hit the spot for us tonight.

Vegetables:
1 Med. Yellow Squash, spiralized
2 Med. Zuchinni, spiralized
add:
1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 Orange Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
1-2 C Broccoli, chopped small
1/2 C Carrots, Shredded
1/2 C Sugar Snap Peas

Teriyaki Sauce
1/2 C Nama Shoyu
1/2 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 C Honey
1 Sm. Garlic, pressed
3 T Lemon, juiced
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Ginger
1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/4 C Walnuts (for thickening)
Blend until smooth.
Pulse in:1 T Sesame Seeds
Take a portion of the salad and drizzle on as much sauce as you want. Enjoy!

  *I added a skewer of pineapple dipped in the sauce and dehydrated about 20 minutes. Mmmm.

 Now mix around the sauce...

Tutti-Fruity Cutie Salad

This Salad is a great mix freshness with the tangy sweetness of our favorite winter fruit here: Cuties!

Arrange in order:
1 Bowl of Baby Spinach
Fresh chopped Strawberries
Fresh Rasperries
Green Grapes, chopped in half
Cutie pieces(the little mandarin oranges, mostly available in winter)
Top with Raw Almonds and Lemon-Agave Dressing if desired.

Italian Salad with Raw Italian Dressing

For almost 4 years I have wanted to make an Italian dressing that I liked, and for some reason this season my brain is just flowing with healthy food ideas. Today was my lucky day for the dressing, made one up, topped my salad and....delicious!

Italian Salad
2-3 heads of Romaine,chopped
1/2 Head Purple cabbage, chopped
3-4 Celery, cut lengthwise then chopped
1 Cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 C baby Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1 Red Bell Pepper, cored and chopped
1 T Purple Onion, minced
1 T Hemp Seeds

Layer the salad in this order. Top with the Onion and Hemp seeds.

Raw Italian Dressing

1/2 C Olive Oil
1 tsp Sea Salt
2 T ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar)
1 T Fresh Lime Juice
1 tsp Agave
1 tsp dried Oregano
1/8 tsp Thyme
1/2 tsp Rosemary
1 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
Fresh ground Black Pepper
Whisk together and put in a glass container to store. Shake well before using.

 

Cabbage and Kale Salad

Cabbage and Kale are a great combination in this light and tasty salad. I made it as an after thought for dinner and the whole big bowl was scraped clean. I just love when that happens! The lettuces take on a mild flavor that keeps you coming back for more of that tasty crunch.

For the Salad:
1/2 Head of Purple Cabbage, chopped
4 C lightly packed chopped Kale, massage the kale a little and it shrinks down some to about 2 packed C.
1 Gala Apple, chopped into small pieces
1/2 C Dried Cherries (dried cranberries would work too)
1/2 Chopped pecans
Mix together with your hands, then add

Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing
In a small bowl add:
1/4 C Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Sea Salt
3 T Apple Cider Vinegar
Mix well and pour over salad. Toss together with your hands until all is lightly coated.
Serve well.

Raw Linguini with Marinated Mushrooms

When I was throwing things together the other night I knew I wanted to use my squash and mushrooms, sort of an odd combo and I had never thought of mixing them in a raw pasta type of salad before. It turned out fresh and had a nice added texture and taste with the mushrooms. I know it could be prettier if I had red baby tomatoes, but it still tasted great.

In a  bowl add:
8oz. Sliced Mushrooms
2 T Nama Shoyu or Tamari
1 T Fresh Lemon Juice
1 T Olive Oil
Sprinkle of Sea Salt
Mix and spread out on a dehydrating tray. I let mine dehydrate about an hour, mixing them around about half way through and added them last.

In the mean time~
 In a medium bowl:
Cut 2 Med. Yellow Squash lengthwise (to get thinner noodles) and make into long strips with your potato peeler. Peel until you get to the seeds, then discard.
2 Long Carrots
peeled into long thing strips, do it until you are at the center, then either eat or chop up the rest and add to the bowl.  (My kids took mine to play swords with and eat :)
1/4 Cucumber, cut into small chunks
10 Suburst Tomatoes, cut in half
1 tsp. Lemon Juice
Toss together and add mushrooms. There will be leftover sauce from them, pour it over the whole dish and toss gently.

Honeydew, blueberry, apple Spinach Salad

One of the many new foods our family tried this week was a honeydew melon, it tasted a lot like a cantaloupe. Luckily we got a really ripe one and it was full of sweetness. Here we put it with blueberries and apples on a bed of spinach. No dressing needed because of all the sweet goodness.
Bed of baby spinach
Fresh Blueberries
Chopped Gala Apples
Chopped Honeydew

Big Mixed Veggie Salad

Here is a great and delicious salad.
2lb of Romaine, chopped
1/4 C Shredded Carrots
1/4 C Shredded Purple Cabbage
(Sometimes you can buy the first 3 in a package already together)
Add:
1/4 C Chopped Cauliflower
1/4 C Chopped Broccoli
1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced
1 Package of baby tomatoes (adds a yummy sweetness)
1 Cucumber, Sliced
1 T Raw Sunflower Seeds to top it
Serve with Veggie Dip/Dressing

This is a huge salad that would feed about 10-15 people, depending on serving size. Great for potlucks!

Peach, Pineapple, Spinach Salad

With the abundance of fall peaches a few weeks ago, we were eating peaches like crazy! We had them in granola, smoothies, plain-most of the time, and on salad. This was a nice simple fruity salad, that did not need dressing because the sweetness of the fruit.

1 C Spinnach
1 Peach Cut up
1/2 C Fresh Pineapple cut up
Top Spinnach with fruit.

Simple Spicy Salad

This was a more simple version of the Spicy Thai Salad. 
Still so yummy.
Serving size:1

1 C Chopped Romaine Lettuce
1/2 Avocado, cubed
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, sliced into strips
Cucumbers-Opt. (not shown)

Top with raw Sunflower Seeds and Spicy Thai Dressing.

Tomato Cucumber Salad

The garden is producing yummy food right now, and with an overabundance of tomatoes I wanted to try something new. I know other recipes for this have a lot more onions and seasonings, but I made mine simple.

8 Tomatoes, sliced and seeded
1 Cucumber sliced, then cut the slices in half
1/8 Purple Onion, minced
Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
(You could also add a little Olive Oil)

Gently Toss

Raw Broccoli Salad

If you like Broccoli Salad, this one's for you.

 Broccoli Mixture
5 C Shredded Broccoli
1/2-1 Red Onion
1 C Sunflower Seeds
1/2 C Raisins

Dressing:
1 C Cashews, soaked
3 T Agave
2 T Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1/4 C Water
Blend dressing well and mix with Broccoli mixture. Serve.

Strawberry-Apples n' Cream

This is a little twist and extra sweetness to the Apples n' Cream. I just added Strawberries in! I think next time I'd even add a few chopped nuts, like almonds, or a nuts and dates mixture.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

This salad is a definite summer-time favorite. You just add as many strawberries and other toppings as you like.

Spinach
Strawberries Cut up
1/4 C Raw Almonds
1/8 C Cranberries (dried)

Top with Lemon-Agave dressing.

It also made a pretty Valentines Salad.

Raw Apples n' Cream Salad

Apples n’ Cream

Around Holidays my Mom would make a Snickers Salad with green apples and snickers. This comes close to home.

4-5 Chopped Green Apples

Set aside in a salad bowl.

Cream (Raw)

1 C Cashews

(Best if soaked in water a few hours.)

Juice of one orange

1/2 C Agave

1 tsp. Vanilla

Water for thinness

Blend cream in a blender until smooth and creamy. Pour over apples. Mix and Serve, or chill in the fridge until ready to eat.

*This "whipped cream" is good over any fruit. Try making up your own fruit salad!