Ani's Raw Food Essentials (40 page)

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

This is the fastest dressing to make and requires only a bowl and spoon, or a whisk. Just mix together vinegar and your favorite oil with a pinch of salt and pepper. You can replace the 2 teaspoons of vinegar with 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice, and add fresh or dried herbs and spices to mix it up.

On days when I don't even care to make any dressing at all, I'll just drizzle these ingredients directly onto my bowl of greens and toss. You can change the flavors by using different types of oil, such as hemp or flax, or oils infused with herbs.

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon sea salt
A pinch of pepper

Place all the dressing ingredients into a small bowl and whisk together. Toss with about 6 cups of greens (about 1 pound).

OPTIONS:
Try adding 1 tablespoon of chopped shallots or green onions, 2 tablespoons of chives, ½ teaspoon of grated garlic or ginger, or 1 tablespoon of agave syrup.

MAKES 1 CUP

Dressings can be made with pretty much any vegetable or fruit. Just blend with a bit of olive oil.

To mix it up, add your favorite flavorings, such as garlic, fresh or dried herbs, or curry. And, if you like your dressing tarter, add 1 tablespoon of lemon or lime juice, or 1 to 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar.

If using a larger blender, you may want to double this recipe. I recommend doubling anyway so you'll have extra on hand in the fridge to use as a sauce for noodles or dressing on your next salad.

1 cup chopped fruit or vegetable, such as apple, orange,
red bell pepper, or tomato
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

Place all the ingredients in a Personal Blender and blend until smooth. If using a dry vegetable such as carrot, you may need to add a couple of tablespoons of water to achieve your desired consistency.

 

OPTIONS:
Add 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, ½ teaspoon of fresh herbs such as oregano or basil, or ¼ teaspoon of dried herbs. Try using other oils such as sesame or hemp.

As in cooked food, croutons are squares of bread or crackers. You can use any of my cracker, bread, or pizza crust recipes cut into smaller squares as croutons. I particularly like my Nori Croutons for salads. The nori gives a salty flavor that brings out the flavor of most vegetables and dressings and adds more minerals from the ocean when sprinkled over any dish.

MAKES ABOUT 9 SERVINGS

 

Light, crispy croutons made with buckwheat, flax, and nori. Nori is a sea vegetable that's high in minerals and makes a great nutritional, as well as delicious, addition to any salad or soup.

1/3 cup dried buckwheat groats
1 cup flax meal
2 cups filtered water
¼ cup chopped nori, or laver flakes
½ cup brown flaxseeds

Grind the buckwheat into a powder; set aside.

 

Place the flax and water in a high-speed blender and blend to mix well. Add the buckwheat powder; blend to mix well. Add the nori and whole flaxseeds. Pulse gently to mix, being careful not to blend. You want to keep the nori and flaxseeds whole.

 

Spread evenly on a lined 14-inch-square Excalibur Dehydrator tray.

 

Dehydrate for 7 hours at 104°F. Flip, peel away lining, and score into ½-inch squares. Dehydrate for 6 to 8 more hours, until your desired consistency.

 

OPTIONS:
Any of your breads can be made into croutons. Spread your batter double the usual thickness, so only half the dehydrator tray is covered, rather than the entire tray. Score into crouton-size squares and dehydrate.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

This is a simple salad of soft greens tossed with dressing ingredients, topped with pine nuts. If you don't have Homemade Mustard Sauce handy, just use an organic jarred mustard from the grocery.

You can substitute apple cider vinegar for the balsamic vinegar if you want to keep this as raw as possible.