Curried Apple-Cucumber-Kale Salad
Meatless Monday Raw Vegan Brunch
I had some friends over for lunch the other day to introduce them to the raw foods lifestyle. This is a photo featuring a bowl of the Curried Apple-Cucumber-Kale-Cranberry Salad which I served with Sunflower Seed Pate, Onion Crisps and a really refreshing Green Tea with Apricots, sweetened with stevia.
Have to admit that I get such a kick out of serving raw foods to people who have never tried them before as the response is always favorable and rather astounded by the gourmet and sophisticated taste sensations.
Especially fun is finding fabulous ways to serve kale, a green that is probably one the most nutritious plants in the world, but not one that most people are accustomed to eating. After all, when you are served a plate of food at a restaurant garnished with some kale, how often have you actually munched down on that leafy green?
For this recipe, leaving the dressing for about 20-30 minutes on the salad and even massaging into the kale will actually soften the texture and make the kale much more delectable.
Curried Apple-Cucumber-Kale Salad
Ingredients: (Salad)
1 bunch of curly kale, washed and dried
1/2 cup cranberries (can replace with raisins or other dried berries)
1 large or 2 small apples of your choice (I prefer Fuji, Pink Lady or Gala)
1 cucumber, peeled
Optional: 2 stalks of celery, chopped
Directions: Tear kale into bite-sized pieces, discarding the stems (if you have furry friends in the house, they might enjoy chomping on them) Chop the cucumber and apple into pieces according to your taste. Place all ingredients in a salad bowl and toss in the cranberries.
Ingredients: (Dressing)
3 TB. sesame seeds or 2 TB. tahini
1 TB. red miso (you can replace with soy sauce or gluten-free Tamari)
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup water
2 garlic cloves
Juice from 1 or 2 limes
5 dates, pitted
1 tsp. curry powder
Directions: Blend all ingredients, adjusting taste by adding juice from the 2nd lime if necessary. Pour over the salad and massage into the kale.
You can replace the kale with any leafy green that you prefer. Another way I serve this dish is by chopping the kale into minuscule pieces by pulsing in the food processor and mixing in with larger chunks of apple, celery and cucumber (for this recipe add some celery to the above recipe) Serve on butter lettuce leaves, endive or romaine leaves and garnish with parsley or fresh jalapeno, as pictured below.
We ended our lovely luncheon with some Banana Nut Bread (see the blog directly after this one for the recipe) and my special Green Fusion Superfood Shake (recipe coming soon – so subscribe to updates or stay up to date by fanning our Raw Fusion Living Facebook Page.
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