raw matchstick salad

after the last couple of 'heavier' recipes, i decided to lighten up a little bit with a raw dish. one of my favourite offbeat flavor combinations is sauerkraut and avocados. i know it sounds a little questionable, but it's actually a party in your mouth. it must be something about the zing of kraut melded with the creaminess of avocado. i call this a matchstick salad because i julienned most of the veggies into small matchstick slivers. the recipe below yields one really filling salad.

• 3/4 cup raw sauerkraut, drained
• 1 carrot
• 1/3 red bell pepper
• 1/3 medium zucchini
• 2-3 medium button mushrooms
• handful of mung bean sprouts
• 1/3 avocado

julienne all your veggies (except kraut, sprouts and avocado) into small matchstick size pieces. cube your avocado. layer the drained sauerkraut first, then add each vegetable in subsequent layers. or, the wiser person would just dump everything in a bowl. as you can see, this was my realization after i took the first picture and tried to eat it.


i didn't use any dressing on this because the avocado and kraut were moist enough. however, feel free to use your favourite dressing - i bet one with ginger would pair especially well.

creamy avocado dressing (raw)

i'm always looking for healthy homemade salad dressing recipes - i'm sort of over the bottle stuff. a lot of the recipes that are non-oil based call for fruit juices like orange, but i'm just not a fruit-dressing kind of girl. i don't mind fresh squeezed lemon juice though. here is a raw creamy avocado dressing that i ad-libbed and really liked!

• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1/2 haas avocado
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon of bragg liquid aminos
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried kelp
• pinch of cayenne pepper

soak sunflower seeds in water for at least 4 hours. then just toss everything in a magic bullet and whir. seriously, i couldn't live without my bullet. thin with water if so desired. serve over your favourite bed of greens - here with kale, tomatoes and zucchini.

to keep it raw, make sure your kelp is sun-dried, not roasted or toasted!

spicy hummus sprout wrap

today is earth day! a veggie diet is one of the top ways to green up your life and reduce your carbon footprint. one person can make a difference! on earthsave.org, you can read:

+10 people could be fed with the grain used to feed 1 cow
+for every pound of beef you do not eat, you save 2,500-5,000 gallons of water
+over 280 gallons of oil are used to feed a cow before slaughter
+animal agriculture is the number one cause of methane and nitrous gas emissions


white bean hummus:

• 1 15oz. can white beans (drained & rinsed)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ tablespoons tahini
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• sriracha (optional)

wrap:

• 2 whole wheat wraps
• 2 cups sprouts
• 5 baby spinach leaves
  
• 1 avocado
• 5-6 roasted red pepper slices

to make the spicy hummus, put all the hummus ingredients in food processor or magic bullet and blend away. i prefer to add the sriracha last, adding until it meets my spice preference.

spread the hummus on wrap. this hummus recipe makes enough for about 4 wraps, so you can keep the extra refrigerated for a few days. you can buy sprouts, or make your own just as easily - read here for miss v's easy sprouting instructions. place sprouts (here with garbanzo, black-eyed peas and green lentils), avocado slices, spinach and roasted red pepper slices on each wrap. roll up and devour with an earth-friendly conscious. :)

sushi night

sushi. yum. i make sushi a couple times a month, with different ingredient combos each time. however, i can say that my favourite is a mixture of avocado, chopped peanuts, and sriracha sauce, seasoned with dulse, kelp and black sesame seeds. seriously, this sushi is what i would request on my death bed.


another favourite combo is avocado with shiitake mushrooms (you can see them in the back).


lately, i've been making cucumber rolls topped with a spicy mayo. one tablespoon of vegan mayo with as much sriracha as you like. the mayo is thick enough you can make... fun decorations. ;)