The Most Colourful Salad

I look forward to my weekly excursions to 4 Life Natural Foods in Kensington Market.  After much shopping around, I have come to realize that this place has the best tasting greens in the city.  And, of course, everything is organic.

After I came home from buying it, I couldn't remember the name of Radicchio at first but thanks to this incredible post on Epicurious, I was able to identify it!

Colourful Salad

• radicchio
• romain lettuce
• cucumber
• grape tomatoes
• hemp seeds
• dulse flakes
• a sweet vinaigrette to balance out  the bitter, salty flavours of the salad

Thai Carrot Coconut Soup (from Uncooking with Raw Rose)

I found that this soup actually tastes a bit better after sitting in the fridge for 24 hours.  I think it has to do with all the flavours being allowed to mingle together.

• 1 cup water (can be warm or cold)
• 1 1/2 cups carrots (cut in 2" chunks)
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley 
• 1 green onion
• 1/4 of a lemon (peeled)
• 3 tablespoons dried, unsweetened, shredded coconut
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, diced
• 1/2 tsp himalayan salt
• 1 avocado (diced, for topping)
• 1 tsp hemp seeds (for topping)

Blend all the ingredients, except avocado, in a high speed blender.  Pour into a bowl.  Top with hemp seeds and avocado.  Enjoy!

Nuit Blanche Exhibit

Yesterday was Nuit Blanche in Toronto.  Nuit Blanche is an incredible event where the entire city becomes an outdoor gallery from 7 pm to about 4 am.  Various artists are stationed in and around downtown and display performances, audiovisual art, or sculpture and literally everyone in Toronto walks around to see them all.

Although I really enjoyed it last year, this year I opted to stay in and hang curtains with M.  M joked that we might be mistaken for an installation piece by art watchers and that we would look up from our work to see a small crowd gathered outside the condo, trying to decipher the meaning of the piece.

The curtains were quite a lot of work (we ended up hanging 10 of them!), but they look phenomenal.  I thought I'd multitask and bake an acorn squash for dinner so that by the time we were done, the whole condo smelt  deliciously of autumn and it was the perfect accompaniment to my "Curtain Hanging Salad" (recipe follows).  The salad is topped with Terra Stix, which give it a nice crunchy element.  I got this idea while perusing Pusateri Market for inspiration.

Curtain-Hanging Salad
1 head romain lettuce, chopped
1 cup baby spinach
1/2 cucumber, diced
1 pear, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 tbsp dulse flakes
1 tbsp raw, shelled sunflower seeds
2 tbsp Terra Stix

Combine together and toss with Dijon Mustard Dressing (recipe follows)

Dijon Mustard Dressing
1 part apple cider vinegar (raw, unpasterized)
4 parts oil (Udo's or evoo)
Dijon mustard, to taste

Put all ingredients in a small glass jar and seal with a lid. Shake vigorously and pour over salad. Serve immediately.

The Olive Oil Selection at Pusateri's

Enjoy!

Keep It Simple, Salad!

When I first became a vegan, I hated salads.  Of course, the salads I was thinking of were the ones with iceberg lettuce and a single sliver of a sad, pale tomato.

My, how times have changed.


These days, my go-to meal is a salad.  Salads usually make an appearance as my lunches and as the first course of my dinners.  A colleague recently commented that although he always sees me eating a salad at lunch, no two salads are ever the same.  Variety is the key to enjoying salads and I've got a list of ingredients for you to mix and match in creating your perfect salad:

• hemp seeds
• dulse flakes
• cherry tomatoes
• mixed greens
• romaine lettuce
• basil leaves
• spinach leaves
• red/yellow/green peppers
• apple slices
• pear slices
• avocado
• mandarin orange slices
• cucumbers
• grated carrots
• grated beets
• candied or raw nuts (almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, walnuts etc.)

Any combination (or all) of the above ingredients tossed with an oil and vinegar dressing can make a quick and easy meal that is so not your everyday, boring salad.

Enjoy!