Mixed Herb Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

Mixed Herb Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

This mixed herb salad with hemp seeds and lemon-tahini dressing is light and refreshing.

Ingredients (Serves 2-4):
1 container of grape tomatoes, halve the tomatoes
1 cucumber, seeded
red onion, diced (as little or as much as you prefer)
2 Tbsp hemp seeds
1 small bunch of parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh dill
4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped

Lemon-Tahini Dressing:*
4 Tbsp raw tahini
4 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp hemp oil
pinch of salt

*For variation, add a clove of garlic and cayenne pepper.

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, hemp seeds, parsley and dill. In a small  bowl, whisk the tahini, water, lemon juice, hemp oil and salt until smooth. Add the preferred amount of lemon-tahini dressing to the salad and toss. Serve on a bed of romaine lettuce.

Walnut Tacos with Fresh Tomato Salsa

Walnut Tacos with Fresh Tomato Salsa

The following recipe has been adapted from Rawvolution by Matt Amsden.  His cookbook is one of my favorites for raw cuisine. Ground walnuts seasoned with Mexican spices, topped with fresh tomato salsa and wrapped in collard greens...I have made this recipe several times and it is delicious and healthy!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups raw walnuts, ground in a food processor
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp ground coriander
2 Tbsp Nama Shoyu (If you don't have this, substitute with reduced sodium Tamari)
4 medium collard green leaves
1 cup romaine lettuce, shredded

Fresh Tomato Salsa
2 cups tomatoes, chopped (I used a mixture of heirloom and sweet yellow tomatoes)
3/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp salt

Combine all of the fresh tomato salsa ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Grind the walnuts in a food processor. In a separate bowl, combine the ground walnuts, cumin, coriander and mix well. Then, add the Nama Shoyu and mix again. Evenly distribute the walnut filling in the center of each collard green leaf. Then, add shredded lettuce and top with the fresh tomato salsa.

FYI: If you cut the thicker stem out of the lower part of the collard green, it is easier to wrap.

Mixed Greens with Pineapple and Orange

Mixed Greens with Pineapple and Orange

Sometimes, I just want to keep things simple. This salad is the perfect example of such simplicity. All you need to do is cut up some pineapple and oranges and add to a bowl of mixed greens. That's it! The juices from the fruit naturally dress the lettuce. This healthy meal is very refreshing particularly during the warm months. Feel free to add variety with fruits such as blueberries and strawberries.

Falafel Tacos

Falafel Tacos

Sometimes, I find myself staring into the fridge thinking, "There's nothing to eat". However, most of the time I end up throwing ingredients together that I already have so I do not have to make another trip to the store.  My most recent hodgepodge meal was falafel tacos. Yes, I have made falafel from scratch on several occasions but sometimes I am into the immediate gratification resulting from an effortless meal. I would have to say that -by far- the best fully cooked, frozen falafels are from Trader Joe's.

Trader Joe's 'Heat & Eat' Falafel

Ingredients (quantity depends on the number of servings):
Tortillas (I used Mission's corn & wheat blend tortillas)
Falafel (Trader Joe's)
Hummus
Lettuce
Cucumber, diced
Tomato wedges
Kalamata olives, chopped
Red onion, sliced and diced

Warm up the falafel according to package instructions either in the microwave for 1-2 mins or bake in the oven for 15 mins. Cut the cucumber, tomato, olives and red onion. When falafel is ready, warm the tortillas. Spread a Tbsp of hummus on each tortilla. Add lettuce, falafel pieces, cucumber, tomato, olives and red onion. Fold the tortilla and enjoy your falafel taco!