Vegetables and Salads

Color of Nutrition...educating with whole foods,to support your body's health.

Delicious Nutritious Salad Dressing

1/8 cup Miso                            1/4 cup soaked cashews or favorite
1/2 cup olive or flax oil              2-3 cloves garlic
2 drops of plain stevia               Celtic salt
fresh parsley and cilantro           1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 onion                                 1/4 pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup water (more if needed)
Experiment with different spices such as tumeric, cinnamon, pepper, thyme,basil - all fresh of coarse.

Salads can be a glorious array of colors:
Organic mixed lettuces from the farmers market, tomatoes, carrots, golden beets, cucumber,watermelon radish, broccoli, spinach, olives, red onions, scallions, bell pepper.
*To make things fun buy a spiralizer and make fresh vegetable pasta.

Roasted Kale

Adapted from several recipes. This is close to the kale chips, but you don’t let it get as crispy. The sherry vinegar forms a slightly sweet sauce.

1 large bunch kale, any kind

3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

About 1 tablespoon coarse or flaky sea salt or kosher salt

1 to 2 tablespoons sherry, balsamic or red wine vinegar

PREHEAT oven to 425 degrees. Pull the kale leaves off the thick stems and discard the stems. Wash the leaves and spin or shake dry. Pile the leaves up and slice them into strips about 1 inch wide.

PLACE the kale in a large mixing or serving bowl. Drizzle with about 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt, then toss well to combine.

SPREAD the leaves on the lined baking sheets. Bake 7 to 10 minutes, until the edges of the leaves are browned but not burned and the leaf pieces are crispy.(The leaves should be beginning to brown around the edges).

Yield: 6 servings.

Basil Arugula Pesto
Yield: 1 cup sauce (Serves 4)

1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
1/2 cup arugula leaves, tightly packed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons flax oil
2 teaspoons light miso
2 cloves (1 teaspoon, pureed) garlic
1/2 teaspoon nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan crystal salt, or salt to taste
1/4 cup pine nuts

3 tablespoons Pine Nut Parmesan, optional garnish (see recipe, below)

For the Pesto Sauce: Combine all of the ingredients, except the pine nuts, in a food processor outfitted with the “S” blade, and pulse a few times to begin chopping the basil and arugula leaves. Add the pine nuts and process until the desired consistency is achieved. Do not over process the mixture, or the oil from the pine nuts will separate, and the mixture will become too oily. The texture should be creamy with tiny specks of pine nuts throughout. To serve, garnish with optional Pine Nut Parmesan.
Store the pesto in a sealed glass jar in the refrigerator for up to four days, or freeze for up to three months.

Creamy Alfredo with Mushrooms and Asparagus
Yield: 1 1/3 cup (Serves 4)

6-8 crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon tamari
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts, soaked 2 hours, rinsed, and drained
1/2 cup cashews, soaked 2 hours, rinsed, and drained
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoon agave nectar
2 teaspoon nutritional yeast
2 teaspoon light miso
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan crystal salt, or salt to taste
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of white pepper
4 stalks asparagus, sliced on the diagonal into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons Pine Nut Parmesan, optional garnish (see recipe, below)

For the Alfredo Sauce: Toss the mushrooms, tamari, and olive oil together and set aside. Put the pine nuts, cashews, water, lemon juice, and agave in a blender and blend until creamy. If the mixture is too thick for the blender, add a very small amount of water (by the teaspoon – just enough to blend). When the mixture is smooth and creamy, add the nutritional yeast, miso, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, nutmeg, and pepper and blend briefly to mix. To serve, squeeze out the excess liquid from the mushrooms. Toss the mushrooms, asparagus, and pasta together well. Garnish with optional Pine Nut Parmesan.
Store any leftover sauce in a sealed glass jar in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Pasta Antipasti
Serves 3-4

4 medium zucchini squash, transformed into pasta using a spiral slicer.

1 cup tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sun-dried olives, pitted and slivered
1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely julienned
1/4 cup cauliflower, cut into very small florets
1/4 cup carrots, finely julienned
2 tablespoons cup celery, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato powder
2 tablespoons oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, slivered
1 tablespoon onions, finely julienned
1 tablespoon capers
1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves, cut into fine threads
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cloves (1 teaspoon) pureed garlic
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, finely minced
1 teaspoon parsley, minced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan crystal salt, or salt to taste
1/2 cup Pine Nut Parmesan Cream, optional (see recipe, below)

Put pasta and other ingredients for the antipasti, except Pine Nut Parmesan, in a large bowl and toss thoroughly. Serve chilled, sprinkled generously with the optional Pine Nut Parmesan. Keeps for 2 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Pine Nut Cream or Pine Nut Parmesan
Yield: 3 cups cream or 1 1/2 cups parmesan

2 cups pine nuts, soaked in water for 4 hours
1 cup or more water
1 teaspoon Himalayan crystal salt
1/4 teaspoon probiotic powder

Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender, adding more water, if necessary, to achieve a smooth, creamy texture. For Pine Nut Cream, use as is; for Pine Nut Parmesan, spread 2 cups of the batter evenly on a dehydrator tray lined with a non-stick sheet and dehydrate at 105 degrees for 12 -18 hours, or until crisp. Scrape the dried batter off the sheet and refrigerate in a glass jar for up to 1 month. Use as a topping for pastas and salads.