salads « crunchy bits

Archive for the ‘salads’ Category

Sweet Rainbow Kale Salad

January 10th, 2011

MMmmmmm Mmmmmmm! I just can’t get enough of the stuff!!

I do love kale and have one recipe in particular that is my favorite kale salad recipe ever. This recipe is a well known one to any friends or family I know. I passed the recipe on to all that asked and I know they have said it is asked for in their families and circles of friends as well.

Hold on though, wait a minute, can it be true? Oh, sweet Rainbow Kale it is!! I have a new favorite that I just can’t get enough of. The first time I made it, I measured everything and was very pleased with the salad. Next time around I didn’t even need to measure because it is such a simple and quick salad to throw together. That is a high scorer in my book as well!

The recipe comes out of The 30 Minute Vegan cookbookby Mark Reinfeld and Jenifer Murray. Hats off to them both on a great book. It is true to it’s name and if a recipe requires more time for things like soaking ahead of time, it is clearly marked. It is not a raw book, but a lot of the recipes are live food recipes and marked right at the top as such. Also, in the variations sections directly under some of the recipes is a way to make the recipe a raw version. I love this!!

Rainbow Kale Salad
serves 4

6 cups lightly packed kale, stems removed
1/4 cup diced red pepper
1/4 cup diced yellow pepper
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup thinly sliced red cabbage

Dressing
2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
1 tsp pure maple syrup (not raw)
1 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne

cut or tear the kale into bite sized pieces.
mix all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a separate bowl.
Pour dressing over the salad and massage with your hands into the salad making sure it is evenly distributed.
Serve immediately or chill 10 minutes before serving.

One thing I love about this recipe is simply the name. Especially for a healthy way to approaching food preparation and getting kids involved. We are trying to accomplish a rainbow. So, you can really play with your food and ingredients here and substitute all sorts of rainbow colors in this salad.

I will be honest and the salad never gets the chill time in this house. It goes into the big bowl to serve and gobbled up soon afterward. If any is leftover, it will last a day or two in the fridge.

This is a lip smackin’ sweet and light kale salad that is easy to make even at the last minute and adds beautiful color to your day. Enjoy!

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Free Thanksgiving Ebook

November 21st, 2010

This is amazing!!

Heidi and Justin over at Raw Food Right Now sent a most gracious email with an offering you will truly be Thankful for this Thanksgiving!

I love that Heidi and Justin are truly real people trying to survive eating raw in a not so raw food society. They always have great tips and have the most delish recipes. Definately check out their site.

Now on to the good stuff. Here is the email I recieved and morning free to share!! Thank you Heidi and Justin!!

Please make sure to mention Crunchybits when you email Heidi to get your FREE Thanksgiving book. I already recieved mine and can’t wait to make the Cranberry Relish recipe. Christmas holds no worries either with their Christmas Ebook. I am most excited about drinking the ‘egg’nog and making sugar cookies for Santa with the kids and OOooo, don’t forget the chocolate coins which was always the best to get when I woke on Christmas Morning!!

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Raw Food Right Now
Thanksgiving 2010 Issue

Inside This Issue:
How to Get Your Own F’ree Raw Thanksgiving ebook!

Get More Holiday Recipes with Our RFRN Christmas eBook!

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Hellooo from snowy Minnesota! Justin and I are all curled up near the modern “fireplace” …our computers.

We had over 12 inches of snow…and more is on the way! We are looking forward to having some nice hot tea and warming soups this winter in addition to all our raw favorites.

I just can’t believe how fast this year has been – it will already be Thanksgiving in one week! Amazing!

Justin and I are working hard on a few upcoming “secret raw food projects”. I have been sworn to secrecy so I can’t say anything specific…but all I can say right now is be on the lookout in your inbox – I’ll email you with the news because we are going to tell you first!!!

I hope that no matter where you are right now in the world that as the end of the year…the end of a decade rolls near…that you are able to find time to take care of yourself!
XOXO,
~ Heidi & JS

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How to Get Your Own F’REE Copy of Our Insanely Popular Raw Thanksgiving eBook!

As much as we love all of our international friends reading this right now (from 37 countries!!!), our American holiday of Thanksgiving is upon us.

We love you Canadians too – hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving this year!

You may be a long time raw foodie, or this may be your first Thanksgiving raw.

But did you know that Justin and I wrote our first book, “Raw Thanksgiving ebook” over 4 years ago?!

We originally offered the ebook for f’ree in November 2006…and the response was so huge I couldn’t leave my computer for a week!!

Nowadays the ebook “Raw Thanksgiving Recipes” sells year-round for 12 dollars. Hundreds of people have purchased our Thanksgiving ebook, and we are thankful for their support to help keep RawFoodRightNow.com alive.

Keep in mind the f’ree ebook promotion expired over four years ago…but we have decided to offer one final special for the Thanksgiving ebook…

…we are offering YOU your own very f’ree copy of the book!

HOW TO GET YOUR F’REE RAW THANKSGIVING EBOOK

All you have to do…. is email us a quick nice little note to me before 11/25/2010 to:

rawfoodrightnow@gmail.com

Make sure to introduce yourself and ask nicely for the Thanksgiving book!

It’s that simple!

Keep in mind that we haven’t set up some crazy delivery system for doing this… so when you email me I will be emailing you personally!

Please be patient if I don’t email you immediately…but I promise if you email me I’ll send you the book for f’ree within 24-48 hours.

I’m so excited for you to try my Goji Berry Cranberry Sauce! And the Raw Stuffing — mmm!!

FYI my most popular recipe EVER is inside the Raw Thanksgiving ebook – for Raw Devilled “Egg-less” Egg Spread!

Get Your Copy Today – Email Heidi now!!

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Get More Recipes with Our Raw Christmas Ebook – ON SALE! One Week Only!!

And if you want extra holiday recipes…our second book, Raw Christmas, is going on sale today for one week only!

Normally we sell copies of this gem for $15 each, but we’ve slashed the price all the way down to less than 10 dollars…you can get 14 more holiday recipes for only 9.97!!

Just look at all the Yummy Christmas recipes:

Spiced Apple Cider
Instant Egg Nog
Christmas Wreath Salad
Red Berry Vinaigrette
Flax seed Crackers
Mango Cranberry Chutney
Macadamia White Cheddar Cheese Ball
Meaty Nut Loaf.
Marinara Sauce
Dark Chocolate Coins
Rich Chocolate Fudge
Creamy Rice Pudding
Raspberry Jam
Sugar Cookies

Just think: Two books filled with holiday recipes for 9.97 is a great deal – especially because hundreds of raw foodies know these recipes actually work!

You can see pictures of all the recipes on the official Christmas ebook web page:

http://www.rawfoodrightnow.com/rawchristmas.html

Grab your copy today and get ready for all the upcoming holiday parties!!

Buy Raw Christmas Right Now!!

And if you already have the books or don’t need them this year and still want to support us, feel free to send over a “donation” by buying a copy. We appreciate it!

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Heidi’s Famous Caramel Apple Dip

You may already have my secret recipe for Raw Carmel Apple Dip…but I have been getting many requests for it from people claiming they can’t find their copy of the recipe.
Raw Carmel Apple Dip is one of the recipes included in the Raw Thanksgiving ebook that I am sending out for F’ree – this week only!!! so if you haven’t already gotten a copy of the Thanksgiving ebook…email Heidi now!!
Raw Carmel Apple Dip
Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups Medjool dates, chopped and soaked for one hour in a mixture of water with the juice of one small lemon (drain the dates, and leave the soaking water aside)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
juice of one half small lemon
1 teaspoon salt

Blend in a high powered blender, and using the plunger tool, keep moving the mixture as the blender might struggle a bit. Blend until creamy. Serve the dip with apples or pears.

Tips:

1. The dates get a much better “bite” of flavor when soaked in the water/lemon juice mixture
2. Maple syrup gives a better caramel flavor than agave nectar. Or, if you are opposed to maple syrup, you can choose to use the clear agave nectar (the ONLY kind to use) instead.
3. the vanilla extract helps give the mixture the color and the flavor of caramel. Without the vanilla extract the dip has a much lighter brown color and the date flavor comes through.

Good news! If you store the dip in an airtight container, this caramel apple dip will last for approximately three days.

If you want more awesome recipes like this for the Holiday season, make sure to check out our Raw Christmas ebook!

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What is Raw Food Right Now?

Raw Food Right Now is a raw food company dedicated to helping you go raw in your world. We are here to help you learn about raw food and make the raw food diet work for you.

Raw Food Right Now is the creation of Heidi and JS Ohlander; a happy loving couple who went raw together back in 2004. Since that time they have studied every aspect of raw food, and are here to share their extensive knowledge with others.

Their popular blog, rawfoodrightnow.blogspot.com is revered as one of the best raw food blogs on the Internet. It’s frequent content is full of raw food news, articles, tips, tricks, recipes and inspiration on how to make raw food quick and easy and fun.

Raw Food Right Now means eating food that feels right to you, feels right for your body, and makes you feel good. Raw Food Right Now means making raw food preparation as quick and easy as possible so you can eat raw food and get on with the other important things in your life. And Raw Food Right Now means the latest news and information to keep you up to date in the raw food world!

For more information, check out the blog:
http://rawfoodrightnow.blogspot.com

To make sure you stay up to date on all the news and information we bring you on RFRN, make sure you are signed up to our RSS Feed and get our posts in your inbox using Feedburner!

Get RFRN blog posts in your inbox today!

That’s it for this issue!
Talk to you soon!

~ Heidi and JS

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Want to Share the Fun that we call Raw Food Right Now?

Go for it!! Feel free to forward any parts of this newsletter to whoever you think would benefit from our information…even someone who isn’t raw! Here’s how you can spread the word:

Heidi & JS Ohlander are the creators of Raw Food, Right Now!, a website dedicated to making the raw food diet fun and easy for everyone. Heidi & JS help bring raw food to your world by offering tips, news, and information on integrating raw foods into your daily life.

Visit their site athttp://www.RawFoodRightNow.com

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Fall Harvest Squash Rice

September 28th, 2010

Happy Autumn everyone!!
I love this time of year for so many reasons. I love the crisp fall air and the surprise flashback to summer warm days. The leaves change their colors to magnificent reds, yellows, oranges and even purples. Even though I grew up in New England and have seen many fall seasons, the changes that come with fall never cease to amaze me.

Apples, pumpkins and winter squash, oh my!! The food, oh the food of fall is not to be underestimated. The bounty that comes with this season is so different than summer and yet just as abundant!

My boys and I went to a dear friends house last night to celebrate the arrival of fall. Cornhusk dolls were part of the festivities and they were so much fun to make. A friends daughter came over to sit by me and helped teach me how to put angel wings on my doll and then she made a crown for my doll. So sweet!! Her doll still came out way better than mine, of course.

After the crafts and outside celebrations, we all went inside to share a meal together. I brought one of favorite recipes that really celebrates the fall harvest from Ani Phyo’s Ani’s Raw Food Kithcen recipe book. She titles it Walnut Cranberry Squash “Rice”. It is really yummy, but I was blown away by how well received this dish was by everyone including some who have dabbled in raw foods before and some like the “bat fairie” from My Everyday Magic that are a little more wary of raw foods. A couple people made sure I knew, several times, they want the recipe, like pronto! So, here’s to you!!!

Fall Harvest Squash Rice

1 small butternut squash, about 1 lb peeled, seeded and cut into 2 inch cubes
1/2 small yellow onion
1 TBS cumin seeds
1TBS corriander powder
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts, crushed
2 tsp salt

Put small batches of cubed butternut squash in a food processor and process into small pieces
Put procesed squash in a large bowl and add remaining ingredients
mix well
will keep in fridge for a couple days

Seriously, this recipe is so easy to make. I didn’t have cumin seeds on hand, so I just used poedered cumin. I also add a bit more cilantro as I just love it! This is definately a recipe to double! Also, it is the type of recipe that is very forgiving with measurements and lends well to adding in your own personal touch. Keep this one for your next harvest party or to liven up your Thanksgiving table. Enjoy!!

Comments ( 4 )

Power Slaw

June 13th, 2010

Wow! I am so impressed with the salad I am going to share with you today. It is called Wakame Hemp Power Slaw and it is a knockout! I am still on my kick of using my recipe books at home. I like to call my raw books recipe books because well, they aren’t really “cook”books. I have also changed my lingo in conversation to making or preparing food rather than cooking it since I am not applying heat to the dishes. Anyway, back to the point. This salad blew me away and is another new favorite. I am so grateful to Ani Phyo and her book Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen for all the new salads I have been exploring through her book. They are so varied and different than your typical salad so now I have almost enough salads in my repertoire for every mood I am in!

Wakame Hemp Power Slaw was so easy to prepare and will last 3-4 days in the fridge. Mine didn’t last but two. Proud to say, my hubby even took some to work the next day he liked it so much. I also brought some to share with Sioux to get her review. So, my kids didn’t like it so much but I think they would after a few exposures. I read the other day it can take 15 exposures to a new food before taking to it. So, one down, 14 to go because mamma will be making this one again with all it’s flavor and creamy goodness.

I think we have all heard of the wonderful benefits of kale but what about wakame? Sea veggies are powerhouses. Wakame is high in calcium, protein and chlorophyll. Sea vegetables add essential nutrients and minerals to our diets. They are very versatile and are great in salads and soups. Nori is a common seaweed used as the wrapper for sushi. Dulse is a great salt substitute as is kelp granules. Here is a yummy to add more of these treasures from the sea into your diet.

Wakame Hemp Power Slaw

slaw:

1/2 head kale, ribs removed and torn into bite sized pieces
1/4 head red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
2 scallions (I used chives from the garden)
1/2 c dry wakame
1/2 c hemp seeds

power dressing

3/4 c brazil nuts (I was out so I used some almonds and cashews)
2 cloves garlic
1 TBS grated ginger (I didn’t measure and just threw about a 1 inch hunk in)
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 c hemp oil (I used olive oil but hemp or flax would be delish!)
juice of 1 lime, about 2 TBS
1/4 c water

For slaw, tear kale into bite sized pieces and put in a bowl with the thinly sliced cabbage, scallions or chives and wakame.
To make the dressing, use food processor to process nuts, garlic, ginger and salt. Add remaining dressing ingredients and process until smooth. I just put it all in the Vitamix and whizzed it up until smooth.
Pour or scoop dressing into bowl with slaw and toss until well incorporated.
Top with hemp seeds

The slaw does have very interesting flavors. The lime and ginger in the dressing combined with the creaminess hold up very well to all the flavors of the kale cabbage and wakame. This salad doesn’t need to stand off to be labeled a side dish but is a perfect meal type salad and can hold it’s own in the spotlight. Enjoy!

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yard salad

June 10th, 2010

Thanks to our chickens, who managed to escape their large run frequently this spring, many of our greens got off to a slow start. Therefore, when I want a salad, I have to meander about the yard grabbing bits here and there to make up a salad. I take up a bushel or the salad spinner and head out into the yard to see what I can find. The flavor and freshness of yard salad bowl me over, and I love adding whatever edible flowers we have for both decoration and flavor, depending.

We just used a light homemade vinaigrette and made a salad bar, so everyone could choose the salad components they liked — yard salad with herbs and flowers, a spicy mix with cress and sliced radishes, and a not-exactly-from-our-yard mix that includes cucumber, romaine, celery and pea shoots. I wasn’t sure if they mesclun would be too spicy for the kids since some of it had bolted in the warm weather but it turned out to be tame enough for their palates.

The kids picked some small not-quite-ready-yet french breakfast radishes while I cut the mesclun mix and cress (cress, tiny radishes and mesclun in spinner acros the top of the picture). I also gathered (going clockwise for rest of picture) parsley (far left), lambs quarters (pick them young — you can eat the stems if they’re young enough, or just the leaves if they’re woodier), some merveille de quatre saisons lettuce and bronze arrowhead lettuce, two varieties of kale and just a pinch of basil.

These pictures are from a couple of weeks ago, and the rest of the radishes have poked their ruddy shoulders out of the ground and were eaten already. Our lambs quarters are at the point that I’m only picking leaves, and our parsley, which had overwintered, is starting to flower. The lettuces are offering up more than just a couple of small leaves, and the chard is also big enough to harvest so we’re still enjoying yard salad in all it’s seasonal variations. The chive flowers have passed, though i’m wondering if I’d chopped them all off and not allowed it to set seeds, if it would keep producing flowers — anyone have any experience with this? We’ve started adding rose petals and wood sorrel which are out now that earlier “weeds” like chickweed are also past their prime.

What do you scrounge from your yard for your salad?

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edible flowers, greens, salad, weeds, wild edibles

Pretty In Purple

June 6th, 2010

I love to get new raw books from the library! For a change, I decided to start making more recipes out of the many raw books on my own shelf. What a novel idea, eh? So, it was time to go grocery shopping again and I went to the shelf and picked Ani Phyo as my author of choice this time around. I bookmarked several recipes I want to make and am concentrating aon a couple a week.

I am always leery of kale salad recipes because I LOVE the one that I currently make and have tried many others and none have held up to the one tried and true recipe that makes everyone in my house go goo goo for kale and may I add, is the most passed on recipe I have. In her book Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen is one titled Cabbage Kale Slaw In Simple Greek Dressing. It is so simple and I really dig this way to use kale!

Pretty In Purple Salad

1/2 head kale, any type, destemmed (I used curly)
1/4 head red cabbage (Iused 1/2 a head)

simple Greek dressing

2 TBS apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp thyme

Thinly slice the kale and cabbage and place in a mixing bowl. Place the dressing ingredients in the bowl and toss well. Eat right away or set aside to marinate and soften.

I had also added a couple cloves of garlic to the dressing. I put the dressing ingredients in the Vitamix to blend and then poured it on the slaw and massaged it to aid in softening the veggies since the dinner bell was going to ring soon.

Fantastic and pretty! Just right and perfect for lunch the next day. I even sent some into to work with my hubby and he ate it all up, yum!

The dressing recipe is like an extra special bonus. It is so good and really tastes like Greek dressing. It calls out for further experimenting to make a big Greek salad with greens, olives, grape tomatoes and dare I say a raw feta to crumble on top!

Comments ( 3 )

Almond Pulp part 1

May 15th, 2010

We have been going through quite a bit of almond milk lately and so I have been looking for recipes to use the pulp. I will sometimes dehydrate it and store it in the fridge for later use but I notice, there it is, still in the back of the fridge and I don’t often find a use for it.

After making pulp today, I made a couple different recipes with the fresh pulp. The pulp was unflavored to start with. If I make cookies, I falvor the milk before blending and straining so they base of pulp already has a yummy flavor perfect for cookies. Since I was making cheese and crackers with this pulp, I wanted no flavor to start with. I blended my almonds and water, strained the pulp out and then added the milk back into the blender to add my honey, sea salt and vanilla just the way we like it.

Both of the recipes come from Sergi and Valya’s Eating Without Heating book.

Valya’s Spicy Almond Cheese:

Mix the following in a bowl
2 c. almond milk pulp
1/2 c. olive oil
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/2. tsp salt
1/2 bunch fresh or dried dill
1/2 c. diced onion
1/2 c. diced red pepper
Serves 4

This was a last minute endeavour so I had no fresh dill on hand. I also had no red pepper and didn’t feel like chopping onion. So, I used dried dill, dried onion, threw in some garlic powder, oregano and basil and mixed it up. It is yummy. I would like the addition of some diced red pepper or other veggies cut in would be tasty.

It would make a lovely addition to a raw sandwich or to add to top a salad. I also set some aside for a raw pizza in the making. The cheese with the red pepper and diced tomato can accompany crackers or make a nice pate. The way I made it makes a nice spread or to layer with other dips or as a cheese for a raw dish with tomato sauce.

It was super easy to make requiring no appliances and will last several days in the fridge. Adding some nutritional yeast would change the flavor slightly and make another great cheese topping. This is a versatile recipe and can take on any seasonings you are in the mood for!

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festive fajitas

May 12th, 2010

For this weekend’s raw potluck, I decided to try something I’ve been wanting to attempt for a while now but thought would be too much work. Boy was I wrong! Especially when you have an adorable, clever helper!

Lucia and I worked in the kitchen together — I read the recipe, and she carried out all the tasks to make the corn chowder from The Raw Transformation. We added a few personal touches — after blending the soup and adding the corn, we also put in some chopped red pepper, chunks of the other half of the avocado, and chives she picked in the garden. We used frozen corn, and the next time around I would probably add more raw garlic (surprise surprise) and maybe some more spices, but I really can’t wait to try making corn chowder with fresh corn. I liked the soup, but something was missing, and since there’s no comparison between fresh and frozen corn, I’m hoping that using corn just cut from the cob will do the trick.

Then we made the fajitas, based on a recipe posted by Joz on Raw Freedom Community. I changed it up a little bit, and have posted my recipe below. While she was waiting for me to rinse out the blender carafe and tidy the counter, Lucia grabbed the washed veggies and made Fajita man. Poor Fajita man. She snacked on some of the skin off his mushroom face. Maybe he’s sad due to his lack of arms. Who knows? Without a mouth, he’ll never be able to tell us.

Festive Fajitas

4 portobello mushrooms
2 red peppers
1 sweet onion
2 zucchini

Marinade

juice of 2 lemons
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup tamari
1/3 cup olive oil
4 Tbs chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup onion
Tbsp umeboshi plum vinegar

Thinly slice vegetables, place in bowl, set aside.
Blend all marinade ingredients together until smooth. Pour over veggies and toss to coat evenly.
Let sit at least 4 hours. Serve with collard, romaine, kale or cabbage leaves as a wrapper. Top with fresh salsa, cashew cream sauce, guacamole, etc.

The limes were a bit dry this week, otherwise I probably would have used more. But I have to say, this came out to be really tasty. Oh, and I would also add fresh cilantro in heavy doses if you have it. I used the leftovers on top of mesclun mix, and used the marinade to dress the salad. Delish! I served it cold, but would also try dehydrating it a bit for the warmth and to see the effect on the texture. This is a lovely party dish since it can be made ahead of time, as much as a day or two, leaving you free for more important day of party tasks that always seem to rear their ugly heads at the last minute.

Sorry for the soft focus on the pics — I touched the lens with an oily finger and need to get some lens cleaner paper but haven’t had the chance.

Happy dining!

Comment ( 1 )

cinco de mayo spanish rice

May 10th, 2010

At this weekend’s raw potluck, the theme was Cinco de Mayo and delicious dishes were everywhere, including (at the time I took the picture — a salad with sprouts and some desserts appeared later, but I was too busy eating and forgot to snap a picture):

* gazpacho — a creamy, blended version, with chopped tomato, cuke and cilantro for garnish

* corn chowder

* Ani Phy’s walnut cranberry butternut squash rice

* Spanish rice with mockamole

* chunky chili

* almond pulp cheese with crackers

* fajitas

* green salad with sprouts, pecans and mesclun mix

* mango pie

* chocolate coconut macaroons

One of the guests, who has a severe allergy to avocados, found a delicious alternative — peas! She recommends fresh if you can get them, but says you can use frozen. Measure the frozen peas out and let them sit in cold water until they’ve begun to thaw but are still slightly frozen. Drain and “blend the heck out of them” until they have a smooth, even consistency. She used about 1 cup of peas to replace 1 avocado in the Spanish rice recipe, and said that her avocado-loving husband was devouring the avocado mixture, surprised that it wasn’t made with avocados.

Spanish Rice

1 head shredded cauliflower
1 red peppers, chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped finely
5 green onions, sliced thinly
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 recipe of Spanish Avo Mix

Spanish Avo Mix

1 avocado, mashed
juice of 1 lime
1 Tbs basil
1 Tbs paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 Tbs sweetener
crushed red pepper, finely chopped, to taste
sea salt, to taste
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin

Mix Avo mixture in a separate bowl, the add it to bowl with veggies and stir to coat.

This was tasty and light, and I will definitely give the avo mix recipe a try with the peas as a dip, or try replacing avocados in a recipe when I don’t have a ripe one on hand. Thanks for the recipe and the idea for an avocado replacement!

Comment ( 1 )

dinner, potluck, salad, soup

wadorf salad

May 8th, 2010

For the workshop class on Holidays, I had planned to make the cranberry relish from Eating Without Heating: Favorite Recipes from Teens Who Love Raw Food by Sergei and Victoria Boutenko. However, finding fresh cranberries in the spring is a bit of a challenge, so I settled on a tasty Waldorf salad instead.

I discovered this gem of a cookbook at the Glastonbury Library: The Raw Transformation: Energizing Your Life with Living Foods. Nestled inside this book you will find a number of delicious recipes, including the following:

Apple Waldorf Salad

Salad:

4 apples, chopped into small pieces
4 stalks celery, minced
2 green onions, minced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup raisins, soaked 1 hour

Mayonnaise:

1/2 cups pine nuts, soak 6 hrs
1/4 cup water
2-3 Tbs olive oil
1-2 Tbs lemon juice
dash garlic powder
dash onion powder
sea salt to taste

Mix salad ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
To make mayonnaise, blend all ingredients until smooth. If too thick, add a little water.
Carefully fold into salad mixture. Serves 4.

Short on celery, I added some diced fennel as well. And because I couldn’t let go of the cranberry thing, I added raisins and dried cranberries. Since the chives in my yard are thick and luscious, I used those instead of green onions. I like apple skins so I left them on, tho both Oscar and the author recommend peeling the apples. In the fall, when organic grapes are more readily available I would definitely try replacing the dried fruit with them.

According to everything I read online (so we all know this means it must be true!) about the history of this dish, it started pleasing crowds more than one hundred years ago when it was developed by the maitre d’hotel of the Waldorf Hotel, Oscar Tschirky. His original recipe, published in The Cook Book by Oscar of the Waldorf, 1896, is as follows:

Peel two raw apples and cut them into small pieces, say about half and inch square, also cut some celery the same way, and mix it with the apple. Be very careful not to let any seeds of the apples be mixed with it. The salad must be dressed with a good mayonnaise.

The link to the cookbook allows you to thumb through the original book, a history lesson in itself. Ever wonder how to make Beef Tea or Beef Jelly? Just turn to the soups section to find out. The Preface and information at the beginning of the book are worth a look, and include a listing of seasons for many common foods. I found some of the granites ( italian ices) and the apple (and other flavors) water ices intriguing. And I’m struck by the unusual ingredients and flavors throughout the book — Brown Bread Ice Cream anyone?

Anyway, enjoy this raw vegan version of the classic Waldorf salad. It goes really well with the ever-scrumptious stuffing or can be tasty picnic fare for the summer.

Yum!