For raw vegans, being inventive with salads is essential. Even raw foodists don't want to sit down to a big pile of leaves at every meal. Take a break from the usual raw lettuce-based salads by using other raw veggies such as bell peppers and zucchini as the base for a divinely nutritive experience, topped with a raw food ranch dressing. Chop salads can be a medley of anything you like. The idea is to cut everything into thin, easily munchable strips (aka julienne) and then toss with your favorite raw food dressing.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 large carrot
- 1 small zucchini
- 1 small jicama, or substitute apple
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced, green part only
- Handful sunflower or buckwheat sprouts
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
- Raw Ranch Dressing
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup macadamia nuts
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon nama shoyu
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch of cayenne, optional
- Pinch of sea salt, or to taste
Preparation:
1. Cut the bell peppers, carrot, zucchini, and jicama into thin julienned strips and place them in a bowl with the green onion, sprouts and cilantro. (For harder veggies like carrots, you can also use your vegetable peeler to make thin strips.)
2. Blend all of the Raw Ranch Dressing ingredients together on high speed until smooth and creamy, getting out as much of the lumps as your blender is capable of. You may want the dressing to sit in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before serving in order to thicken it up a bit.
3. Toss the veggies in the salad immediately before serving and enjoy!