Today’s recipe is going to be a delicious, raw salad with a creamy sauce. I know that some people are turned off by the word ‘vegan’ but I’m here to share some amazing new recipes that may have you hunting for more animal-friendly meals!

Getting kids to eat plant based foods can be a challenge. In fact, getting your husband to eat anything green may be even more of a challenge – but we all know the importance of incorporating fruits and veggies into your daily diet. My approach isn’t to slather broccoli in butter or cheese, but to try different, healthier alternatives to encourage families to enjoy healthier foods.

Raw is all the rage right now and it got me thinking, how can I incorporate more raw foods into my diet? Don’t get me wrong – I love cooked food. But in my recent discovery of life, health and wellness, I wanted to try new ways of enjoying my food that didn’t require over-cooking or the use of too many artificial seasonings or condiments to satisfy my taste buds. The following is a recipe that took a lot of trial and error, but is uniquely mine. I hope you enjoy it!

What You Will Need:

Sauce

– 1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight in 2 cups water

– 1-2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or other milk product of your choosing)

– 3 cloves minced garlic

– 1/2 red onion, finely chopped

– salt & pepper to taste

– 5 tablespoons nutritional yeast*

*Nutritional yeast is an animal-friendly substitute for the vitamin B12. It is a diary free substitute that has a rich, cheesy flavour. Perfect for making sauces. It can be found at health food stores and some premium grocery stores.

Salad

– 1 head broccoli, chopped

– 1 head cauliflower, chopped

– 1-2 red peppers, chopped

– 1 container cherry tomatoes, cut in halves

– 2 cups kale, chopped

Optional: 1 cup purple cabbage, chopped

 

What To Do

  1. Using a blender, blend all the sauce ingredients until smooth (do not drain cashews – add the water into the blender). Add more milk or water as needed to ensure sauce is smooth and creamy.
  2. Add all salad ingredients in a bowl. Mix in sauce, add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

This recipe holds up well for up to 5 days in the refrigerator using the original ingredients listed. If you swapped out non-dairy substitutes for real diary food items, please note that it may spoil quicker than the time listed above.

Let me know if you give this a try!