(This salad is adapted from Mimi Kirk’s recipe book, Living Raw.)
Salad Ingredients
- zucchini
- string beans
- carrot
- red cabbage
- fennel bulb
- butter lettuce
- fresh herbs: mint and dill, for garnish
NOTE: You can use any amount or combination of vegetables. Mimi Kirk’s recipe also recommends additional vegetables. I used 3 zucchini, a bag of fresh string beans, 4 carrots, 1/3 of a medium cabbage, and approximately 1/5 of a medium fennel bulb. This served 4 people with a large amount of leftovers. This is a superb salad to make and store in the fridge for quick leftovers.
Dressing Ingredients
- 1 C extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 C tahini
- 1/2 bunch of fresh Italian parsley
- 2/3 C cashews (I soaked my cashews for 2-4 hrs. to neutralize enzyme inhibitors and unlock the nutrients.)
- 6-8 T lemon juice
- 4 cloves garlic
- Himalayan salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 1.5 C water, added slowly while blending
NOTE: The finished dressing should be smooth, creamy, and thick.
Preparation Steps
Chop all the salad ingredients into small pieces.
Place dressing ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
Combine all the chopped salad ingredients in a large bowl and pour dressing over them. Mix gently, yet thoroughly.
TIP FOR PRESENTATION: You can serve this salad right from the bowl, but if you would like to add some “pizzazz” you can plate it on a couple leaves of butter lettuce. Mimi Kirk recommends using an 8 oz. food can (I used a 15 oz.) by removing the top and bottom. Place it on the butter lettuce. Place the salad into the can until about 1/2 -3/4 full, pressing down lightly to pack it in. Slowly remove the can while pressing on the top of the salad with a spoon. Voila~ Garnish with a few sprigs of mint or dill.
This salad takes a bit of time to chop all the ingredients. It takes me approximately an hour. The time is WORTH IT!
(Watch for a blog post specifically about the benefits of slowing down in the kitchen with informative tips on how you can use food preparation as a time to refresh your senses and rejuvenate your stressed-out body and mind. COMING SOON!)
If you are less than confident of your cutting skills, you are not alone. I’ve been to the emergency room as a result of my less than stellar knife skills. Watch for a blog post specifically about knife skills in the kitchen. We will give you some quick, easy pointers and recommend some great learning tools and kitchen tools to increase your comfort level with the knives in the kitchen. You CAN do it!