One day, about two years ago, I found myself in Ashland (Oregon). At the time, I was an internal auditor for the community bank I work for, and was spending the day auditing the Ashland branch. Whenever I find myself outside my normal daily environment, I like to poke around in the local shops and restaurants to experience something new, or to go back to a favorite place to enjoy it again. This time I went to the Ashland Community Food Co-op where I had gone with my sister Marji when she's visited in the past.
As I browsed the store, the bookshelf beckoned me, big surprise! The book that intrigued me that day was "12 Steps to Raw Foods" by Victoria Boutenko, who happens to live in Ashland. I had never heard of anyone following a completely raw diet before. Do people really do that? So I bought it and began curiously reading what Victoria had to say about this.
Now, I have to share that ever since the sixth grade when our teacher Donna Ferguson challenged the whole class to give up sugar for, hmmm... I can't remember what the time frame was but it seemed like she was expecting us to do it for good and it was surprisingly hard for even a couple of days, that I have had this notion that giving up sugar would be somehow rather noble and definitely more healthy. My sister Sylvia suggested I read "Sugar Blues" by William Duffy sometime in my early highschool years, which just confirmed this idea. I have also read about the benefits of being a vegetarian, yet have never had the complete inclination to do that either. Vegans I have mostly viewed as being quite weird and much too extreme for my sensibilities. So why was I drawn to this even more extreme "raw foods" concept? Avoiding sugar, refined carbs,
and all animal products. And anything cooked at all! I guess I was really curious.
Which got me to looking up more information on Raw foods on the internet. And led me to this recipe from Karen Knowler's website. I made it for my family members who are not fond of kale, and "hate" avocado, and surprisingly, they thought it was pretty good! I also made it to take to a Fourth of July Barbeque potluck where the entire dish was consumed. Hmmm... pretty good, even for non-raw foodists. :) So, there you have it - I'm a non-raw foodist, who really enjoys Raw recipes. They are healthy (a big plus for me) and when they are tasty too (another big plus!) it's a keeper for my files.
Kale & Avocado Salad
Serves 1
Ingredients:
4-6 large handfuls of kale sliced very thinly
1 avocado
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Himalayan Crystal Salt
5 baby tomatoes
10 sun-dried tomatoes
½ lemon
Large pinch cayenne pepper OR ½ - 1 jalapeno pepper finely sliced
Directions:
1. Chop kale into small pieces (this makes the fibrous cells break down and
therefore more palatable, so the smaller you chop, the better the taste).
2. Add oil and salt and massage into the kale until kale becomes wilted and soft.
3. Add avocado and massage again so each leaf is coated.
4. Chop tomatoes into quarters, add to kale.
5. Chop sun-dried tomatoes in small pieces and add to kale.
6. Squeeze lemon over entire dish.
7. Add pinch of cayenne or your chopped chili and mix up well.
8. Serve and enjoy!
© Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach 2009, www.TheRawFoodCoach.com
Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes “Successfully Raw” - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you’re ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.
My son Aidan became a big salad fan when he was about 12, but the salad had to be drenched in Ranch dressing. The first time I made a simple dressing based on the above recipe, he looked around the table and asked, "Where's the Ranch?" My response was that the salad is already dressed, and he should go ahead and try it but that if he still wanted the Ranch, he could add some then. After one bite he said, "Hmm, that's pretty good. I don't need the Ranch after all." Well, alrighty then! This is what we've used on our salads ever since:
- A drizzle of olive oil
- A squeeze of fresh lemon (I juice the rest of that half and drink with water daily)
- A sprinkle of sea salt (I don't know what's special about Himalayan Crystal Salt, nor have I felt inclined to bother finding out)
- A dash of cayenne pepper
Toss and serve.
Yummy! When I take salad (spinach or mesclun mix) to work for my lunch, I often will add avocado, tomato, beans, slivered almonds, dried cranberries, feta or parmesan cheese, and/or anything else that's in the fridge, (usually only about three of these) for a complete meal. Since this doesn't exactly carry me through until dinner, I like an apple with almond butter or a green smoothie mid-afternoon. Aidan likes his salads with JUST spinach or lettuce and when it's a side dish with our meals, Rich and I like it with almonds, dried cranberries, and feta or parmesan. Yep, just like an expensive restaurant would serve. :)
