Something that is really convenient when you are transitioning to excellent health is staying a few nights with friends that are vegetarian :) Convenient, inspiring and I-don’t-feel-like-an-idiot-around-these-people-for-wanting-to-eventually-become-vegan. So, to pay the rent, so to speak, Glen cooked and I ‘uncooked’ a nutrient dense, fibrous, delish couple of dishes for our animal loving, dreadlock wearing buddies. Glen’s was a glorious Middle Eastern inspired hot salad of cumin roasted pumpkin, lentils, mint, coriander, dates, red onion and the most amazing goat’s fetta: Meredith’s.
Mine was a raw superfood concoction with lots of texture and lots of sweet and sour flavors.
Antioxidant Overdose Salad (raw, vegan, gluten free)
- 1/2 Chinese cabbage
- 1 handful thinly sliced fennel
- 1 carrot- spiralized
- 1 cup chopped silver beet or whatever leafy green you like
- 1/4 cup goji berries
- 1/2 packet kelp noodles
- 1 red chili
- 1 red onion
- A good 20ish shakes of dulse flakes
- 1/2 punnet of strawberries, chopped
Obviously, you can add whatever the hell you like to your salad, but with mine I like to follow a few key rules. There needs to be chew (dates, goji’s, cashews), there needs to be crunch (almonds, kelp noodles, fennel, greens), there needs to be a little fresh fruit for sweetness (apple, pear, strawberries, grapes) and last but not least, a kick arse dressing:
Sour Avocado Miso Dressing
- 1-2 avocados
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp miso paste
- freshly ground pepper and sea salt
Blend it all up, mix it into your salad, boom!
Have you ever used kelp noodles or dulse flakes or miso paste? You can buy kelp noodles at your health food store, they don’t taste like much, but they have an incredible crunchy texture and, like dulse flakes, are an excellent way to get the all important sea minerals in your diet. My love affair with miso began when I lived in Japan for four months. Even though it’s cooked during the first processes (not a big deal to me), the fact that it’s a fermented food brings it back to life. It’s excellent for your digestion :)
Right, it’s definitely time for me to get back in the sunshine. I love daylight savings!
