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.

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. :)

sprouts & kale salad (w/ creamy dressing)

i've only recently tried kale, and i wasn't sure i was going to like it. i don't know why, i just had a food prejudice. but lucky for me, i forged ahead and found out that it is a pretty tasty little green.

• 1 cup of sprouts (i used lentil, red & green pea)
• 2 cups kale
  
• salad fixins: tomatoes, cucumber, etc.

for the creamy tahini dressing:

• 1 tablespoon white miso
  
• 1 ½ tablespoons tahini
  
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  
• 1 ½ tablespoons sesame oil
  
• 1/2 tablespoon stoneground mustard
  
• water to thin
  

you can buy sprouts in most produce sections, or just sprout them yourself. i don't have a fancy method of doing this. i soak my uncooked beans in a quart mason jars for about 8 hours. then i lay a damp tea towel in a colander, and dump in the beans, seeds, etc. i use the edges of the towel to fold over the top, and rinse the sprouts every couple of hours. then they just sit on my kitchen counter and i re-rinse about every 3 hours or so, keeping them moist. i usually sprout for a couple days before eating, making sure to rinse regularly.

when you prepare your salad, you will want to massage the kale for about 5 minutes with olive oil and/or lemon juice. the first time i ate kale i didn't know to do this, and it was like trying to chew a porcupine made out of cardboard. (thanks for the tip, lauren!) the kale should retain its crunchiness, but lose some of the extra-stiffness. toss in the sprouts, and whatever veggies you want for your salad. whisk the dressing ingredients in a jar or bowl, using as much water as needed to thin.

enjoy!