Category Archives: Salads

Raw cashews have a subtler flavor than their roasted counterparts, so they’re great for adding creamy texture to your dishes without overpowering other flavors. Raw cashews provide beneficial iron, important for oxygen transport in your body. They are also rich in other minerals like zinc, copper, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, manganese and selenium. These little cashew nuts actually look like a big smile. In fact, they are potentially good for boosting your mood, helping with depression and stabilising your thoughts. Raw cashews are so versatile in raw/ vegan recipes – great for raw desserts, cheese, soup, dips, smoothies, etc. They are a staple in my pantry. This raw cashew cheese is a wonderful non-dairy vegan substitute if you have trouble consuming dairy. It does taste like a real cheese, thanks to my friend, nutritional yeast. Great for dips, snacks and appetiser!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight
1 cup almond milk or water
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
a pinch of salt
a squeeze of lemon

Drain the soaking water and place the cashews in a blender. Puree with just enough almond milk to help them puree. Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently and puree until smooth. Add salt and lemon. Blend one more and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve with raw veggies or crackers. To make a raw lasagna, I sliced cucumber lengthways and layered with cashew cheese. You can also add vanilla, maple syrup and cinnamon to this cashew cheese for a sweet flavour – great for a healthy icing on cake or muffins.

It is quite challenging to have raw food in chilly season and all you want is a bowl of soup. Both raw and cooked meals are good, but I think you have more options to make winter salads interesting with raw veggies and fruits in season. Not only that, more living enzymes, pectin and fibre from fresh raw salads are great help for your digestion. Adding satisfying sweet fruits also helps to cut down cravings for sweets, thanks to the natural sweetness. So how do I do it? I mix shredded raw winter greens with crispy apple and sweet persimmon. I used massaged kale today. All you have to do is wash, shred the kale leaves and give a little love with a sprinkle of salt and vinegar – massage gently until soft and tender. This fresh & nutritious bowl of delicious is jazzed up with a handful of toasted pepitas and sprouts and rounded with maple-mustard-maple dressing. Viola. Your newest favorite winter salad done!
Ingredients

1 cup of kale leaves
1 persimmon
1/2 granny smith apple
a handful of roasted pepitas
a handful of mixed sprouts
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Chop the kale leaves into bite sizes and gently massage with a sprinkle of salt and a dash of vinegar. Mix massaged kale with sliced apple and persimmon, pepitas and mixed sprouts. To make a dressing, whisk Dijon mustard, maple syrup, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Use half of the dressing to toss the salad and the rest to drizzle on top before serve.

Noodles are often extremely refined and stripped of nutrients compared to their whole-grain counterparts. Zucchini, carrot, sweet potato and squash can be transformed to noodles and can be eaten raw, steamed or lightly sautéed. By eating a diet that dominates in raw food you maximise the possible nutrients you absorb as heat can destroy many nutrients. Raw fruits and veggies also contain enzymes and helps to keep proper Ph level, giving you alkalising and detoxifying effect. Try to include more raw foods in your diet. It will give you more energy and clear mind 🙂 Here is some tips on what you need to focus on in your diet at different ages. Hope it helps x

• 20’s: Make sure you have some good quality protein such as fish, eggs, cheese, tofu or meat with each meal. Protein keeps your blood sugar levels stable and prevents dips in energy.
• 30’s: Eat more broccoli, cauliflower & kale. They contain constituents known as glucosinolates, which are a group a class of phytochemicals that many believe may reduce the risk of breast, lung and colorectal cancer.
• 40’s: Eat some fresh berries. Berries are rich in antioxidants that help to protect against the damaging effects of free radicals that accelerate ageing.
• 50’s and more: Pre & post menopause make sure you include lots of calcium rich foods in your diet to help prevent bone loss due to declining levels of oestrogen in the body. Make sure that as well as dairy you do include other calcium rich foods such as almonds, dark green leafy veggies, tinned salmon, sardines and tahini.

Ingredients

1 zucchini
1 cup of dried seaweed
a bunch of coriander

For dressing
1/2 tsp of turmeric
1 tsp of cardamom
1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper
1 tsp of apple cider vinegar
a squeeze of lemon
1 tsp of maple syrup
1 tsp of e.v.o.o
salt and pepper to taste

Wash the zucchini and make noodles with a vegetable peeler or spiraliser. Soak the dried seaweed in warm water for 30 minutes, rinse, drain and roughly chop. Wash the coriander and roughly chop. For dressing, mix all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and stir well. Add all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and toss in a dressing. I find it is best to make this salad an hour before serve so that the resting time allows to develop more flavour. I like my dressing to be refreshing and simple here, but if you feel like something creamy, you can use cashew cream, avocado or tahini dressing.

The aroma from the baby fennel coupled with the sweet acidity of the orange makes the perfect refreshing salad, a great accompaniment to fresh seafood. It is so elegant and fragrant yet you only need two main ingredients with a simple dressing to make. Feel free to use other wonderful variations like grapefruit, blood orange or tangerines. Or even add some toasted nuts or cheese would be nice. Not into raw fennel? Lightly grill or pan-fry them. It will cut down the aniseed flavour and enlighten the sweetness. Either raw, grilled, sauteed or braised, fennel is tasty and nutritious.

Fennel has a number of health benefits. It is an excellent source of vitamin C, which gives a strong antioxidant activity in your body. Iron and histidine found in fennel helps to relieve anemia. It is great for your indigestion and bad breath. Some of the components of the essential oils in fennel stimulate secretion of digestive and gastric juices, while reducing inflammation of the stomach and intestines and facilitating digestion. I like adding fennel seeds into my salads and having a fennel tea after dinner. Fibre in fennel helps to control your cholesterol level and blood pressure, help with constipation.

Ingredients

1 fennel bulb
1 orange
1 tsp of e.v.o.o
1/2 tsp of Dijon mustard
1 tsp of apple cider vinegar
1 tsp of orange juice
salt and pepper to taste

Finely shave the fennel and squeeze over a bit of lemon to stop it going brown. Peel your orange and either cut into small bite size pieces or segment your orange. Put all dressing ingredients in a small jar and shake until combined. Mix together your fennel, orange and parsley with dressing and serve immediately.