Broccoli Salad

This is nondairy for those who do without. I think this is best on day 3, yum.

4 cups small Broccoli Florets
2 stalks Celery, chopped
1 1/2 cups Grapes, halved
1 cup Raisins
1/4 cup raw Sunflower Seeds
1 tablespoon Shallots, minced
1/2 cup Veganaise
3 tablespoons Agave or Honey
1 tablespoon Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

In a large bowl combine first six ingredients.

In a small bowl combine veganaise, agave, and vinegar. Whisk until creamy. Pour over broccoli mixture and toss well. For best results chill overnight or for 6-8 hours.

Tabouli

This recipe is from my mom. It may not look it but it is addicting; very yummy and easy to eat. For me the millet really makes this dish.

1 cup Quinoa
1 cup Millet
1 cup Parsley, snipped
1/2 cup Scallions, chopped
1/4 cup Dill, snipped
1 Cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup Basil, snipped
1/2 cup Lemon juice
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Real Salt

Cook quinoa and millet in separate pans, as the millet takes longer to cook. Cook each according to package directions. In a large bowl combine cooked quinoa and millet. Add next five ingredients through basil and set aside. In a small bowl mix all other ingredients and pour over tabouli. Serve.

You can also add 1 large tomato chopped if you like.

Cauliflower Caviar Salad

You won't even know your eating cauliflower. I call it caviar because it is salty and uniquely good.

1 Cauliflower head
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 teaspoons Cumin
2 teaspoons Turmeric
1 small Yellow Onion, minced
1 cup Water
1/4 cup Parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh Dill, chopped
1-2 Garlic gloves, minced
1/2 cup Pine Nuts
7 tablespoons Sun-dried Julienne Sliced Tomatoes, chopped
Juice from 1 Lemon
Braggs Liquid Aminos to taste

Slice cauliflower head into small florets. In a food processor or Vita Mix Blender, process cauliflower into a couscous like texture. Set aside.

In a large saute pan warm oil, cumin, and turmeric for 2 minutes. Add onion and mix together. Add cauliflower and water; fold cauliflower, water, and onion together. Add remaining ingredients and fold until incorporated. Serve either warm or cold.

Apple Green Salad with Arugula and Lemon-Shallot Dressing

This makes for a nice lightly sweet salad

6-8 cups Lettuce ( I used romaine and heirloom lettuces)
1 cup Arugula, torn
1 medium Gala/Fuji Apple

Dressing:

1/2 cup shallots, minced
4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 tablespoons Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Real Salt
1/2 teaspoon White Pepper
1 tablespoon Agave

Wash and spin dry lettuce and arugula, set aside. Make dressing by combing all dressing ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Thinly slice apple and immediately place into the dressing. Coat all the apple slices in the dressing. Pour dressing mixture over the lettuce. Serve immediately.

Ray Salad

This is a recipe variation that my brother-in-law, Ray, gave to me. I couldn't call it anything other the Ray salad because that is what my family calls it.

Mixed Greens
Red and Yellow/Orange Bell Peppers, sliced thin and chopped
Avocado, sliced thin
Mango, sliced and peeled
Pine Nuts
Goat Cheese

Dressing:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Real Salt
Pepper

Build salad starting with the first ingredient from the bottom up. Drizzle olive oil and vinegar over the top and season to taste. This is also good with a poppy seed dressing.

Quinoa Salad

By Guest Blogger: Jena Demarco



Quinoa has become a favorite food to my family. You will not find our refrigerator without a bowl of cooked quinoa. In fact my husband just ordered us about 50 pounds for our food storage! I really don’t know how we will get through it all, but I think the way we are consuming our quinoa, it’s probably a good possibility that we will.

Some of the benefits of eating quinoa, besides the fact that we love the taste of it, is that it is a complete protein. Meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids! It is also a very good source of manganese, iron, copper and phosphorus. It is also low in gluten content, so it is one of the least allergenic grains.

There are many other benefits of this simple grain, for more information go to this site. They will give you the history and some other recipe ideas.

Here are some of the things we do with this grain that are simple and tasty.

First we cook the quinoa according to package directions so that we have it on hand for making these recipes. Like I said we usually keep a bowl of cooked quinoa for lunches and quick dinner preparations.

To cook the quinoa, add one part of the grain (make sure to rinse it well before cooking) to two parts liquid in a saucepan. After the mixture is brought to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer and cover. One cup of quinoa cooked in this method usually takes 15 minutes to prepare. We have enjoyed it warm and cold with the following recipe.

Quinoa Salad (pictured above)

We just eyeball the amounts, if you like lots of veggies do more, and if you want more grain do fewer veggies. All veggies are cut up. This is just what we had put in and found we like, so by all means add your favorite vegetables and take out what you don’t like.)

Cooked Quinoa
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Avocado
Basil or any other favorite fresh herb you have
Mung bean sprouts or Alfalfa sprouts
Juice of a Lemon (to taste)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (just enough to coat the grain)
Salt to taste

Quinoa Patties

Cooked Quinoa
Milled Flax seed
Egg
Shredded: carrots, zucchini, cucumber
Fresh cilantro and parsley
Salt and other seasonings you like

Make into patties and grill with a small amount of olive oil. We like putting avocado on the top.

Classic Green Salad

We had a few people wanting to know what we put in a typical family salad so here it is! We also love to put cucumbers and red pepper as well as sprouts when ever we can.

Favorite fresh Lettuces and or Spinach
Sliced Tomatoes
Sliced Avocado
Julienned sliced Zucchini
Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Pine nuts

To assemble salad you can layer each ingredient starting with the lettuces similar to how the picture looks. Or, you can toss all ingredients together. Top with favorite dressing. You can also make a simple dressing with extra virgin olive oil, flax oil, or Udo's oil and lemon juice with favorite seasonings including Real Salt and freshly ground pepper.

Lime Cilantro Black Beans

I love this in a "Mexican" salad similar to Cafe Rio's salads without the cheese and corn tortilla chips.

2 cups dry Black Beans, rinsed and sorted
1 yellow or white Onion, diced
2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tb Real Salt or Himilayan Salt
1 Tb fresh Lime Juice
2 Tb freshly chopped Cilantro

In a slow cooker cover rinsed beans with 6 cups water and cook on low setting for 8 or 9 hours. After they have cooked for 8 hours check beans by tasting to see if they are soft and done. If done, turn slow cooker to warm and cover beans with lid. If beans look cooked but dry, add more water.

In a skillet on medium heat cook onions with oil for 2 minutes. Add onions, salt, lim juice and cilantro to beans and stir. Serve immediately if you'd like it warm.

Seared Spinach

If you are in a pinch for a side salad, this takes only a few minutes to prepare and make. This also is a great addition to any sandwich too!

4-6 cups fresh Spinach, washed and dried
3-4 Tb Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1-2 Garlic Cloves, minced
Real Salt or Himalayan Salt
Lemon Juice

Place your fresh spinach in a medium sized bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan warm oil and garlic on medium heat. This will only take a minute or two. When garlic begins to be fragrant and makes a "crackle" sound, take off heat immediately. Pour oil over spinach and fold together until spinach is completely covered in the oil and garlic. Salt and lemon to taste. Serve immediately.

Arugula Fennel Salad with Choco Dressing

Arugula, fennel, and pine nuts are all considered aphrodisiacs. Arugula is often paired with pine nuts. Add apple or pear slices if arugula is too peppery for you. In the picture I used leeks because they were out of fennel bulbs.

2 bunches of Arugula
1 cup Fennel Bulb, sliced
4-5 sweet red Mini Peppers, sliced
Pine Nuts

Wash and dry the arugula. In a small skillet, lightly sauté fennel on medium low for five minutes. Add fennel and peppers to arugula. Top salad with pine nuts and serve.

Dressing:

Juice of one Lemon
1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Udo's Oil
1-3 Tb raw Carob Powder
¼ tsp Real Salt

The best way to make this is in a blender. Blend on high for a few minutes until slightly thick.