7-Layer Taco Salad May 23, 2012

 

I love salad. I eat salad almost every single day. Different kinds of salads loaded with tons of veggies. Yum. My husband, however, does not care so much for salad. According to him, salad is just too much work to prepare and not filling enough to be a meal. Enter this 7-layer salad. It has hearty black beans, filling tempeh, creamy guacamole, and silky cheese sauce, which makes this 7-layer taco salad absolutely delicious and very filling. Even my husband loves it.

 

I love this salad because it reminds me so much of 7-layer bean dip (which I love!) but much healthier and since you are not eating it with chips, also much lighter in calories!

 

And it really is a cinch to make…

You start with lettuce (I used a mixture of romaine and arugula) and then add a heaping scoop of tempeh “burger” crumbles.

The black beans go on top of the tempeh.

Followed by a layer of creamy guacamole.

 

 

Then a bunch of diced tomatoes and diced olives.

And finally finished off with a swirl of creamy dreamy nacho cheese sauce! Then proceed to mix it all together and devour!!

 

 

7-Layer Taco Salad

by Katie Barlow

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Keywords: entree lunch salad low-carb vegan vegetarian Cinco de Mayo Mexican

 

Ingredients (2 salads)

For the tempeh "burger" crumbles

• 1 package tempeh
• 1 cup veggie broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning (I use Trader Joe’s brand)

For the guacamole

• 1 ripe avocado
• Juice from 1/2 lime or lemon
• 1 green onion, minced
• 1/2 tomato, diced (optional)
• garlic powder and salt to taste

For the nacho cheese sauce

• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup filtered water
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1 teaspoon raw tahini
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoon high mineral salt
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 clove garlic
• Juice from 1/2 lemon

To assemble

• Lettuce
• tempeh "burger" crumbles
• 1 can black beans
• guacamole
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 small can diced black olives
• nacho cheese sauce

Instructions

For the tempeh "burger" crumbles

crumble the tempeh into a medium sauce pan over medium heat and sauté until just beginning to brown

Add the veggie broth and the rest of the ingredients and continue to cook over medium heat until most of the liquid has evaporated

Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use

For the guacamole

Mix everything in a bowl until combined and the avocado is well mashed.

Taste and adjust seasoning until desired taste is achieved

For the nacho cheese sauce

Place all ingredients in a high speed blender (or a food processor) and blend until creamy

To assemble

In two large bowls, add the lettuce

Split the tempeh "burger" crumbles into each of the two bowls

Heat the canned beans on the stove until warm and add 1/2 the can of beans to each bowl.

Top the beans with the prepared guacamole (1/2 into each bowl)

Sprinkle the tomatoes and olives on top of the guacamole.

Drizzle the nacho cheese sauce on top (just a little, you will have a lot left to use in other dishes)

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Rainbow “Pasta” with an Almond Tumeric Sauce October 6, 2011

This dish was inspired by a dish I had at the Loving Hut in Palo Alto last weekend. They have this raw fettuccini dish that is killer! Here is the description from the website:

 

A raw celery root fettuccine with collard greens,
carrot, tomato, beet, cucumber, bell pepper, pistachio
and almond, in a rich n’ creamy almond sauce

 

So I really wanted to recreate it and let me tell you, this tastes NOTHING like it! It is still good though. Mostly, I just liked the idea of using a bunch of different veggies in a “pasta” shape with a creamy and nutty dressing. For mine I just used veggies I had on hand: Kale, butternut squash, red bell pepper, and zucchini. Celery Root, Kohlrabi, Collard Greens, beets, would all be great to use as “noodles.”

 

 

As for the sauce, I decided to make an almond turmeric sauce. Turmeric has a compound in it called curcumin which has many health properties including anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant. When combined with black pepper the bio-availability of curcumin increases dramatically making it much more potent as a healing agent.

 

I made a very simple sauce with almond butter, soy sauce, black pepper, raw honey, lime, and turmeric. It was yummy but I will be honest, I think I liked the sauce that Loving Hut used better. I added water to my sauce as well to thin it out and felt it was too watery so the recipe below does not include water. If you find the sauce too thick add water a tablespoon at a time to thin it out.

 

 

I added tempeh that I lightly seared in coconut oil to my salad. It was healthy, light yet filling, and tasty! Enjoy the recipe!

 

Raw Rainbow Pasta with Almond Turmeric Sauce

Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Raw

 

Makes 1 Serving

 

two handfuls of chopped kale

1 bell pepper, sliced into very thin strips

1 cup raw butternut squash, spiralized

1 cup raw zucchini, spiralized

 

2 tablespoons almond butter

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon raw honey (or agave)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic

 

1. Layer the veggies in a large bowl.

2. Blend the almond butter, soy sauce, lime juice, honey (or agave), turmeric, pepper, and garlic in a blender until smooth.

3. Pour sauce over veggies. Mix. Enjoy!

Asian Cabbage Salad with Outrageous miso Dressing! September 21, 2011

 

Yum! The dressing on this salad is so so good, I could drink it! I have used this dressing on many different types of salad but I think my favorite is this simple cabbage salad. For some reason the crunchiness of the cabbage lends itself nicely to this dressing. They just go well together. I like to make a big batch of this salad so that I have leftovers for later because cabbage holds up nicely and this salad lasts well in the fridge for a couple of days!

 

This is a great salad to have as a side to your meal. If you want to make a meal out of this salad, add some baked tofu or tempeh, edamame, and maybe some soba noodles to make it more filling. Cucumber would also taste great in this salad!

 

The recipe for the dressing below makes a huge batch. Enough for the salad with plenty left over to use in other salads and dishes. Trust me, when you try it you will be glad you have extra!

 

Enjoy!

 

Asian Cabbage Salad with Outrageous Miso Dressing

Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Raw

 

Makes about 4 servings

 

For the Dressing:

¼ cup miso

½ cup rice vinegar

1 tablespoon agave

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 cup sesame oil

1/2 cup olive oil

 

1. Place the miso, rice vinegar, agave, ginger, and soy sauce in a blender and blend until smooth.

2. With the blender on low, slowly drizzle in the sesame oil and olive oil to create an emulsion. Transfer dressing to a container and set aside.

 

For the Salad:

1/2 head of purple cabbage, core removed and sliced into thin strips

1 large bell pepper, core and seeds removed and sliced into thin strips

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1/4 cup sesame seeds

 

1. Place everything in a large bowl and toss to mix.

2. Add desired amount of dressing (I probably use about a third of it) and toss to coat. Serve immediately or marinate in the fridge for about 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

A Simple Salad September 11, 2011

 

I am in the Bay Area this weekend with my family. As soon as I found out my grandpa had passed away I felt this huge need to be near my grandma and my family during this difficult time.

 

My family are hardcore meat-eaters and with 5 other members in my immediate family, I am highly outnumbered. For a long time it was really difficult for me to eat with them at home. I constantly felt left out and cooking for myself felt very unappealing. Now, whenever I visit my dad, I would much rather spend a night cooking at home with my family than go out. I realized the trick was to just keep it simple. Now when I visit my Dad, my step mom usually has a bunch of beets baked for me (my favorite!) and some brown rice with flax seed or some other type of grain. I go to the store and buy kale, bananas, and a few other veggies and most of my meals consist of a bowl filled with greens, veggies, avocado, beans, grains, or a combination of these things lightly dressed with some lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic salt. Yum. There is something so delicious and satisfying about a simple meal made with whole ingredients.

 

This salad is an example of one of those meals. It is just a bowl of veggies with garbanzo beans and a dressing made only of lemon juice and curry powder. I had this one night for dinner with mango for dessert and it completely hit the spot. I opted not to put olive oil on this salad and I have to say the lemon juice is slightly overpowering. I did not mind it but if you want to mellow out the lemon juice a bit just drizzle a little bit of olive oil on the salad.

 

Salad with a Simple Lemony Curry Dressing

Vegan, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Gluten Free, High Raw

 

Makes 1 large serving or 2 smaller servings

 

1 Romaine heart, chopped

1 cucumber, quartered and sliced

1/2 large tomato, diced

2 cups garbanzo beans

1 avocado, diced

Juice form 1 lemon

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon salt

 

1. Add Ingredients to a large bowl and toss until dressing is well mixed and veggies are well coated!

2. Enjoy with a fork or chopsticks!

Kitchen Sink Salad September 9, 2011

 

Happy Friday! I hope everyone enjoyed the short week. Mine flew by! And since it has been so hot here this week, much of it was spent swimming with baby Harper!

 

I usually get all of my fresh fruits and veggies at my local farmer’s market on Saturdays. By Friday my stash is depleted and what is left are a few odds and ends that need to be used up before they go bad. This dish happened on one of those nights. I literally grabbed all the left over containers and the remainder of the veggies in my fridge, chopped them up and threw them in a bowl. I call this The Kitchen Sink Salad because it basically had everything in my kitchen except the kitchen sink!

 

Here is what I put in the salad:

 

Half a cabbage, chopped finely

1 large raw yellow squash, diced

French lentils

Wheat berries

Handful of Basil

Lemon Juice from one or two lemons

Nutritional yeast

High mineral salt

fresh ground pepper

Olive oil

may have been some balsalmic in there too…. I do not remember!

 

Mmmm….this salad was so tasty! It was crunchy and filling without being heavy. The best part about this salad was that every perishable thing left in my fridge was put to good use instead of left to wilt and die. The next morning, I ventured to the farmer’s market with an empty kitchen ready to be filled with all the fresh vegetable and fruit goodness the market had to offer!

Amazing Rainbow Kale Salad September 5, 2011

I hope everyone had an amazing Labor Day weekend! Today I bring you another kale salad! If you have not noticed, I love me some kale salad! It is so yummy and nutritious! This one is packed with a ton of superfoods including sun-dried tomatoes, olives, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds!

 

I use raw sunflower and pumpkin seeds that I sprout by soaking them in water overnight and dry in my dehydrator. But just plain old raw seeds will do or use toasted if you prefer!

 

For the olives, you can use any type you like. I prefer kalamata in this, but green olives, or even black olives would be delish as well.

 

The best part about kale salads is that unlike most salads, it is still good several days later. Because kale is such a tough leaf it actually tastes better when left in the fridge to marinate overnight and does not turn soggy and disgusting like most salads. So when I make this, I made a huge batch and eat it over several days!

 

What were you eating this labor day weekend?

 

Amazing Rainbow Kale Salad

Vegan, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Gluten Free, Raw

 

Makes a ton! At least 4 large servings.

 

1 head kale, julienned into thin strips (If using curly kale, remove stems first)

1/2 head of purple cabbage, cut into thin strips

3-4 carrots, shredded

1 cup unsulfured sundried tomatoes, rehydrated in water for at least 4 hours and cut into strips

1 cup chopped olives (I used kalamata)

1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon raw agave (vegan) or raw honey (not vegan)

1 teaspoon high mineral salt (smoked salt is awesome it this!)

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

 

1. Throw everything in a large bowl and toss to mix well.

2. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes to allow the kale and cabbage to soften a bit and the flavors to meld.

3. Enjoy!

Best Massaged Kale Salad ever! August 30, 2011

 

Kale. When I mention this dark leafy green I usually get some sort of wrinkled up sour face staring back at me and a lot of Ewwws and Yucks. This makes me sad. Kale is one of the most nutritious foods on the planet. Per weight it has more calcium than milk, more vitamin C than oranges, as much vitamin A as carrots, it is highly inflammatory, more absorbable iron than steak, the list goes on and on and on.

 

There are so many ways to enjoy kale that it is really easy that it is really easy to incorporate this superfood into your daily diet. Try it in a smoothie, sauté it and toss it in pasta, make pesto, or make a salad like the one above. This salad is so good, I could literally eat it everyday. As it is I eat it at least once a week. The picture above is dinner I had one night last week. I had a huge serving of kale salad along with some brown rice, black beans, salsa, and avocado. Mmmm, just looking at this pictures makes me want to make more kale salad. Guess I know what I am making for dinner tonight!

 

The trick to making raw kale taste good in a salad is to massage it with oil before adding the rest of the ingredients. Massaging the kale with your hands softens it. It can also be a very therapeutic experience as you feel those tough leaves soften and transform, you cannot help but be softened and a little transformed yourself.

 

Best Massaged Kale Salad Ever

Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Raw

 

Makes A LOT, enough for 4 servings probably

 

1 head curly kale, de-stemmed and chopped into very thin strips

1/4 cup olive oil

1 package mushrooms of choice (I used baby bella), sliced

1 cup unsulfured sundried tomatoes, rehydrated and sliced into thin strips

1 can organic sliced black olives (I use Trader Joe’s brand)

1/4 cup tamari

Juice from two lemons

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

 

1. Place the kale and olive oil in a very large salad bowl. With your hands massage the kale until well covered, softened, and reduced in size.

2. Add remaining ingredients and toss to coat.

3. Serve immediately or let marinate in the fridge 30 minutes to overnight.

curried Broccoli Salad August 25, 2011

 

This is what I had for dinner the other night, along with some yummy eggplant pate and raw veggies. I created this curried broccoli salad a while ago when I was craving the Curried Gardein Chicken Salad they have at my whole foods. Never had it? You should, it is absolutely delicious! This salad is so good, I probably have it once a week or at least a few times a month. Sometimes, I make it with Trader Joe’s broccoli slaw instead of broccoli florets and sometimes, I add baked tofu if I want a hardier meal. Any way you make it, this salad will make any broccoli hater come running back for seconds!

 

Oh and that hot pink stuff in the background? That is my first batch of homemade raw sauerkraut! It was so easy and fun to make! I will never pay $10 for a jar of raw kraut again! Do not worry, I will blog about how to make your own sauerkraut soon! What? You don’t like sauerkraut? Oh you will after I’m not with you!

 

One note about the Curry Broccoli Salad recipe, the measurements are approximate. I hardly ever measure things out when I am making something. So make sure you taste it, and adjust to your liking.

 

Curried Broccoli Salad

Vegan, Gluten-Free

Makes 2 meal sized servings or 4 side servings

 

1 package Trader Joe’s organic broccoli or organic broccoli slaw

1 package baked tofu (optional)

1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup Vegenaise

1/3 cup mango chutney ( I use Trader Joe’s brand)

1 tablespoon curry powder

High mineral salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

 

1. Mix everything together in a bowl and enjoy! How easy is that?