Dressed up dressings and a delicious kale salad
These three will change your lives…well, at least in the salad and condiment department.
I always look for ways to add nutrition to my meals, without compromising flavor of course. Salads are great, but when you start using store bought dressings you certainly compromise your health. Even homemade traditional recipes contain 2/3 oil and often Canola oil, which contains omega 6.
Choosing olive oil with the added vegetables, gives you maximum nutrition. Olive oil helps absorb all the vitamins and nutrients that are in the vegetables. It is a great way to sneak in maximum nutrition at minimum effort with the added bonus of great taste.
These three condiments evolved in my kitchen over time, they are distinctly different in flavor and color but can certainly accompany the same plate. Each one has an idea behind it, a concept that can be developed and interpreted in many other ways. The papaya dressing is sweet and nutty, works well on fruit salads and fresh garden salads, you can easily substitute it with another fruit, or use another herb. Using tropical fruit will be preferable because of their intense sweetness and creaminess. For example; bananas, pineapple, avocado, mango, passion-fruit, coconut or anything else you choose to. Make sure the fruit is very ripe, almost at the verge of going bad, the fruit will have maximum sweetness and will be best digested.
The green Chimichurri works well with fish or any other kind of protein, roasted vegetables or stews that can absorb its acidity. Herbs are essential for our diet for three reasons:
Flavor- without relying on oil, butter and such less healthy ingredients
Nutrients- All herbs contain large amount of vitamins and nutrients
Digestion- Herbs assist in the digestion process
As in all the dressings on this blog, you can choose the herbs you like and substitute the herbs in the recipe. Here are some suggestions: Cilantro, tarragon, dill, rosemary, oregano, chives
Make sure to use fresh herbs.
The beet dip will also suit both sweet and savory dishes, salads, fish, chicken, meat, hummus, lentil salad, ice cream, fruit salads or just simply on bread or crackers. You can play with the ingredients in this recipe as long as you replace fruit for fruit, greens for greens, herb for herb etc.
They are all meant to be eaten raw, and will guarantee to freshen up your dishes.
Papaya dressing
½ ripe papaya without the seeds and skin
A handful of cilantro
½ a garlic clove
6 roasted walnuts
1 tsp olive oil
Salt
Blend everything and add some water if needed
More in this video
Chimichuri
1 bunch of parsley or ½ cilantro, 1.2 parsley
1 large garlic clove
Juice from 1 lemon
1/8 cup olive oil
Chop everything finely. Do not blend.
Beet dip
1 pear
1 small beetroot
2 leaves of lacinato kale
1 Brussels sprout
1 small carrot
1 small shallot
1/2 garlic clove
juice from 1 lime
1 apple
1 spoon apple cider vinegar
cayenne pepper to your taste (add at the end) or fresh jalapeno
sea salt
1 spoon olive oil
Put everything in the blender, add a little water if you need to help it spin.
Enjoy!
Kale salad
1 bunch lacinato kale
½ lb brusels sprouts
½ cup roasted, peeled hazelnuts
Grated parmesan cheese
Dressing
½ shallot
1 cup verjus
½ cup mild tasting olive oil
Salt and pepper
Or use above dressing
