Dharma Feast Cookbook (13 page)
Read Dharma Feast Cookbook Online
Authors: Theresa Rodgers
S
ALADS AND
D
RESSINGS
Salads are good all year, but especially in the spring and summer. As a meal unto themselves they’re a great way to get a fresh start after eating heavy meals or off-diet foods.
When making a salad, first choose which type of leafy green will form the base (romaine, spinach, mixed greens, etc.) before deciding which other ingredients to add. For example, it’s best not to put heavy chopped vegetables on delicate spring lettuce.
Salad-making provides an excellent opportunity to work with color and texture. Add cut fresh peppers, roasted sunflower seeds, and tomatoes to a mixed green salad, but keep it simple; we recommend using at most five ingredients. Pay attention that all ingredients are raw if your goal is to have a raw salad.
We usually tear lettuce by hand because it gives a different feel to the salad. But sometimes we chop everything, including the leafy greens, into approximately the same size as a way to balance different flavors.
Consider choosing one ingredient from each of the following five categories to make a good salad.
Sweet
—Tomatoes, red bell pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh corn, beets, carrots, jicama, apples, pears (sweet tree fruits are a good mix with greens) and sun-dried fruits. Sun-dried fruits and vegetables are raw. You can also make your own raw dried fruits if you have a dehydrator that allows you to keep the temperature below 110°F.
Spicy—
Green onion, garlic (chopped fine), regular or red onion (chopped fine). Pepper (the spice) is not raw unless the peppercorns were picked, dried naturally, and then ground.
Oily
—Avocado, nuts, oils, olives. They make a salad more filling as the fat content helps the body register “full.” Olives soaked in vinegar brine are not raw. The best raw olives are vacuum-sealed Peruvian olives. They can be ordered online through
www.livingtreecommunity.com,
which is a great source for many raw ingredients.
If using olive oil on a salad or in a dressing, the best choice is extra-virgin stone-crushed cold-pressed olive oil in dark green bottles. Sometimes even cold-pressed oils are exposed to temperatures above 160°F, so buy them from a trustworthy source.
Salty
—Celery, tomatoes, seaweed, sea salt, tamari. The only raw soy sauce currently available in the U.S. is Nama Soya, which is unpas-teurized. Braggs Liquid Aminos is a good raw, wheat-free alternative to soy sauce. It is not fermented or heated.
Tangy
—Lemon, lime, grapefruit or orange juice (in small quantities), tomatoes, vinegar. Vinegars labeled “naturally fermented, unpasteurized” are raw.
The point of a dressing is to complement a salad. If using delicate greens, choose a vinaigrette or an oil-based dressing. Heavier salads pair well with creamy dressings like the
Pine Nut/Cashew Dressing.
Be careful not to overdress—you should still be able to taste the greens and other ingredients.
Dress a small amount of salad immediately before serving a meal. Dress more only if it’s needed as dressed salad wilts quickly and sometimes ends up getting thrown away. If serving dressing on the side, make sure you have enough, as people tend to use more of it than if the entire salad is dressed ahead of time.
| A RUGULA S ALAD |  |
This is a clean and satisfying salad. Full of avocados, tomatoes, and scallions. It feels healthy—like a spring breeze. The taste of arugula is often described as peppery and pungent so it’s a nice complement to milder-tasting greens such as romaine and leaf lettuce. Don’t forget to top the salad with small pieces of dulse, a sea vegetable that adds a mildly spicy, salty sea flavor and contains lots of minerals, vitamins, and protein.
| S ERVES 12–14 | P REP TIME 45 MINUTES |
¼ cup lemon juice ¼ cup olive oil 1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces 1 head green leaf lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces 1 (5 ounce) box or 4 large handfuls arugula, chopped 6 Roma tomatoes, cut in large dice 4 avocadoes, diced 6 scallions, thinly sliced Dulse flakes to taste | Combine lemon juice and olive oil in small bowl. In large salad bowl, combine romaine and leaf lettuce, arugula, tomatoes, avocado, and scallions. Add lemon-juice / olive oil dressing and gently toss. Sprinkle dulse flakes on top. |
| R AW R ED B EET S ALAD |  |
One of our German friends created this salad, and it’s always a winner. This hearty salad comes alive through the combination of raw beets, apples, onions, and horseradish. This recipe proves that it is a good idea to eat beets raw. The grated beets soften in the balsamic vinaigrette. It’s a beautiful and tasty accompaniment to a simple green salad.
| S ERVES 4 | P REP TIME 50 MINUTES |
1 medium red beet, peeled and coarsely grated according to preference 1 medium apple, cored but not peeled, coarsely grated (see Notes below) ¼ cup very finely minced onion | Combine beets, apples, and onions in a bowl. Combine apple juice, vinegar, horseradish, salt, and olive oil for dressing. In a frying pan, dry roast the sesame seeds. Pour dressing over beet mixture. Add sesame seeds. Stir. Serve at room temperature. Notes |
D 5 tablespoons apple juice 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 heaping teaspoon horseradish, freshly grated or from jar (use more or less according to spiciness and taste) 1 teaspoon sea salt 2 tablespoons olive oil 5 heaping tablespoons sesame seeds |
| W ARM B ROCCOLI S ALAD | |
You might wonder how broccoli can be made intriguing. The secret is the garlic-balsamic vinaigrette that is drizzled over the top—it opens heaven’s doors. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
| S ERVES 4 | P REP TIME 25 MINUTES |
1 head of broccoli 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1–2 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed Sea salt Pepper 8 tablespoons olive oil | Cut florets off broccoli. Peel the stem (see Lightly steam broccoli, around 5 minutes. It should not be too raw but not cooked all the way. Remove from steamer and let water drain off. To make dressing, combine balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly pour in olive oil, whisking continuously until creamy. Arrange broccoli on a platter and pour dressing over it. Serve. |
| C ABBAGE S ALAD | |
This is the much-loved cabbage salad recipe we’ve been using for years. It is simple and hearty. Make it a few hours ahead of time so the flavors blend and the cabbage softens in the lemon juice and salt.
| S ERVES 6–8 | P REP TIME 1 HOUR 20 MINUTES |
1 medium white cabbage ¼ cup fresh lemon juice ½ cup olive oil 1 clove garlic, pressed Sea salt | Remove outer leaves from cabbage. Cut out stalk. Slice half the cabbage very thinly. Cut slices in half. Mix remaining ingredients together to make dressing. Pour over cabbage and stir. Let sit for ½ hour then stir and let sit another ½ hour. Can be served immediately, but tastes better when allowed to sit. |
| P URPLE C ABBAGE AND B ASIL S ALAD | |
