Raw vegan, gluten-free, serves 4 sides or 1 all day long :)

This is a VERY addicting salad that will definitely get you into the spring season spirit.

Until today, we in Central Florida have lately been spoiled with temperatures that are more like early summer than late February or early March!  So this has been a wonderful light-weight but satisfying salad that I’ve been grazing off of during these warm days while getting my new garden started. It has a nice combo punch of crisp, cool, tangy, sweet, nutty, salty, and of course licorice-y.  Did I mention that I have a full blown fennel addiction?  I never buy celery anymore. For anything that calls for celery, I’m all in with fennel instead. Happily.

Textures – that is, the shape and size of the cuts of veggies matters. It really governs the flavor intensities and the entire flavor balance of a dish. In this salad, the fennel, green apple, and red onion are sliced mandoline thin. This keeps them from overpowering one another and creates a light, cool, crispness. I also prefer young, smaller fennel to larger bulbs. They’re much sweeter and milder.

First, thinly slice or use a mandoline:

1 medium sized fennel bulb, or 2 small bulbs
1/2 small Granny Smith apple
1/2 small red onion

Place into a bowl.

Coarsely chop:

1/2 cup of shelled pistachios and
a handful of fennel fronds and parsley

Finely mince:

1/2 of a seeded jalepeño or serrano pepper.

Add remaining ingredients to bowl. Finally, squeeze over the juice of a small lemon, drizzle lightly with extra virgin olive oil, and season to taste with a delicate sea salt (such as fleur de sel), and white pepper. Toss well and serve.

<3, JMK

{ raw vegan, gluten-free, makes 1 generous portion or 2 sides }

It may be November, but here in Florida it still feels like summer.  While most are seeking autumn and winter recipes to keep warm, anything light and refreshing is still welcome around here.

This may seem more of a spring-time salad, but here in Central Florida I’m still seeing some great asparagus and Georgia vidalia onions around the markets.  Both of them make perfect dehydrator “roasting” vegetables, and a pretty hearty salad.

Salad ingredients:

1 bunch baby vidalia onions with green tops (green onions will work too)
1/2 lb green asparagus, bottom third trimmed
large bunch of fresh chervil
4 small yellow heirloom tomatoes, quartered
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Quarter the onion bulbs, and cut the green stalks into thirds.  Spread onions and asparagus on lined dehydrator trays.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Dehydrate for about 4 hours at 115 degrees, or until vegetables are tender. Put chervil in a shallow serving bowl. Add the onions, asparagus, and tomatoes, and spoon over the dressing.

Dressing:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup walnut oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk to combine all ingredients. Spoon over salad.

<3, JMK

{ raw vegan, gluten-free, serves a nice lunch for 1 }

Now this is what it’s all about.

Yesterday my husband surprised me with finds from a local produce market – incredible cucumbers and heirloom tomatoes from Waterkist Farms in Winter Park, FL, and big red onions from South Florida (just a hop, skip, and a jump away).

Bring me flowers?  Nah.  Chocolates?  Please…(well, maybe).  Surprise me with a big sack of off-the-vine fresh, I mean, really fresh produce?  He’s getting lucky tonight.

These were the perfect items to feed my obsession of adding paper-thin slices of lemon and red onion to pretty much everything.  Going through lemons like mad are a good thing, because the raccoons don’t bother with the ones that drop from our tree.  Someone’s gotta eat them!

The lemon-infused extra virgin olive oil is actually from Positano, Italy, but I brought that back myself.  What is it about lemons that are just sheer magic to whatever they touch?

The tomatoes are so sweet and juicy that their delicate acids mixed with the lemon oil is amazing.  After I sprinkled on salt and pepper, I could have very well stopped at that.  But why?

There were some soaked almonds sitting in the fridge that needed attention.  So I blended them up and made a very light sort of cream that turned out much like yogurt (adding a dash of lemon, of course).  I seasoned it with just oregano, sea salt, pepper, and a tad of garlic paste, tossed in the cukes for a light dousing, then laced them with dill from my herb garden.

The fresh dressed cucumbers were scattered on top of the tomato slices and, finally, mandoline-sliced pieces of lemon and onion crescents.

Simplicity.  This is the joy of fresh, local fruits and vegetables.  They speak for themselves.  They’re the stars of the show.

This salad really made my day.  Could you tell?

<3, JMK

raw vegan, gluten-free*

I don’t think I’ve met a single person who isn’t impressed with the exotic flavors of Thai cuisine.  And what’s one of the easiest, most healthful ways to bring many of its flavor components together in a single bowl?  A big, green, crisp, refreshing salad!

If you’re really hungry, this recipe will make more than enough…and just enough for two.  You may possibly end up eating the dressing with a spoon, or adding more and more to the salad.  The bonus?  You can have your creamy dressing, eat as much as you want, AND know you’re getting loads of benefits like calcium, iron, riboflavin, manganese, magnesium, and vitamin E.  And that’s just for starters.

For the coconut-almond curry dressing:
1/2 cup soaked almonds
1/2 cup fresh young coconut meat
1/2 cup water
juice of 1/2 lime
1 tbsp agave
1/2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
1/2 tbsp nama shoyu*
2 tsp yellow curry powder
1 tsp omeboshi plum vinegar
1/2 tsp chopped garlic
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp chopped lemongrass
1/2 tsp seeded and minced Thai or serrano chili (or to your heat preference)
1 kaffir lime leaf

* For gluten-free preparation, omit nama shoyu and replace with sea salt.

In a Vita-Mix or food processor, first combine the almonds, coconut, and water until well blended. Add remainder of the ingredients and blend well until very creamy. Adjust any seasonings if needed.

For the big green crunchy salad:

3 cups shredded napa cabbage
3 cups loosely packed arugula
1 cup mung bean sprouts
1 cup julienned snow peas
1/2 cup thinly sliced and quartered English cucumber
1 finely sliced spring onion
handful chopped cilantro
2 tbs chopped Thai basil (other varieties will work too)
1 tbs chopped mint

1/2 cup chopped raw almonds (previously soaked)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, reserving the almonds.  Pour over desired amount of dressing and toss well.  Top the salad with chopped almonds and serve.

<3, JMK

raw vegan, gluten-free

This is easy to make and the pretty colors always bring out the “ooo’s and aah’s”.  It’s a great alternative from the usual bowl of salad, and has even converted die-hard beet haters to succumb.

It’s very helpful to use a mandoline to make the paper thin slices of beets, artichoke, onion, and garlic.  Horseradish root is easy enough to find at most supermarkets.  Use caution when grating it or you’ll get a sinus and eyeball blast that’ll send you to the moon! Use as much or as a little as you prefer.

Fig balsamic vinegar is so yummy and really compliments the sweetness of the beets, while creating a neat contrast to the peppery cress and garlic.  You should be able to find it at Whole Foods or a gourmet food market.  Use a good quality aged balsamic vinegar if you can’t find the fig.

For the salad:

1/2 each medium sized golden and red beets, thinly sliced
1 fresh artichoke
red onion sliced very thin
1 bunch fresh watercress
1 elephant garlic clove, sliced paper thin
hemp oil
handful fresh basil
1 lemon
sea salt

Place the thinly sliced garlic on dehydrator trays, sprinkle with a little sea salt, and dehydrate at 110 degrees for about an hour or until crisp.

Remove all tough outer leaves from artichoke and discard. Reserve softer leaves for another use in an air-tight container and drizzle with lemon juice (to prevent oxidation).  Remove bristly choke with a spoon, cut the artichoke base (heart) in half and slice very thin.  Immediately transfer thin slices to a bowl, drizzle with lemon juice, and sprinkle with sea salt. Let this marinate while preparing the rest of the salad.

In a food processor, blend the basil and about 3/4 cup hemp seed oil.  Toss the cress with the basil-hemp oil in a bowl and sprinkle with sea salt.  Transfer to the center of a large plate, making a mound.  Arrange the beets, red onion, and artichoke slices alternatively around the watercress.  Sprinkle with sea salt.

For the horseradish cream:

1/2 cup soaked raw cashews
lemon juice
freshly grated horseradish root
sea salt
cold water to thin

Blend the cashews, a squeeze of lemon juice, about 1 teaspoon of sea salt, and 1 tablespoon (or to your liking) of grated horseradish root.  Drizzle in water to thin to a creamy dressing consistency.  Check and adjust for seasoning.

To finish:

Spoon over desired amount of horseradish cream around beets and artichokes.  Randomly arrange desired amount of garlic chips over carpaccio (these can vary in strength and bite, so test them first).  Drizzle cress with fig balsamic.

<3, JMK

{ vegan, raw-vegan modifiable }

Really, it’s not that old.  But I’ve been making it since 2002 once I found it in the book, Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis, R.D. and Vesanto Melina, M.S., R.D..  Have you ever craved something a little more interesting and substantial for your salad than just the same ol’ lemon juice and olive oil?  Then this tasty greens topper is calling your name.

Just two tablespoons of this tangy, tart, slightly sweet, with a hint of cheesiness, is a nutritional powerhouse.  It packs nearly 4 grams of omega-3 fatty acids (more than a day’s requirement), along with all your B-vitamins, especially B-12.  Depending on the nutritional yeast measure used, you can get up to 80% of your daily B-12.  And there’s even a good dose of iron, about 8%.  In just two tablespoons. And these are all happy things my body really likes right now since they’re vital in assisting my recovery from Crohn’s disease-related issues.

The dressing is versatile and has a unique flavor on its own but I like to add fresh ginger and a garlic clove for extra punch.  Cilantro is excellent, too!  The original recipe calls for some non-raw ingredients such as balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, and Bragg’s aminos (which questions have been raised over the years concerning processing practices that suggest this product isn’t truly raw or even safe to use).  However, modifications are easy and without compromise to the nutritional basis.

You may find that the freshly blended dressing is a bit watery.  I reduce the water and add more nutritional yeast.  Letting it stand over time, especially in the refrigerator overnight will also help to thicken it.

{ Watercress, zucchini noodle, daikon sprout, dulse salad with Liquid Gold }

The Original Liquid Gold Dressing

1/2 cup flax seed oil
1/2 cup water (begin with 1/4 then check for consistency)
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tbs balsamic or raspberry vinegar (omit for 100% raw prep)
1/4 to 1/2 cup nutritional yeast (such as Red Star)
1/4 cup Bragg’s liquid aminos (substitute with nama shoyu)
2 tsp dijon mustard (or omit)
1 tsp ground cumin

Julie adds: 1 large garlic clove + 2″ long piece of peeled ginger root = YUM

Blend all ingredients in a food processor.  Keeps for up to 2 weeks in refrigerator.

<3, JMK

(raw vegan)

Last week, I finally got hold of some flawlessly fresh portobello mushroom caps – something that has seemed hard to come by around Orlando lately.  And I wanted to have them marinated and dehydrated immediately!  A friend who has recently become intrigued by raw food asked me, “Dehydrated mushrooms?  Where is the pleasure in that? ”

Well, they’re actually scrumptiously moist and chewy as opposed to leathery and dried out, as “dehydrated” can imply.  They have nothing to do with the bone-dried packaged exotic varieties you get at the supermarket and then reconstitute (although you could use these, but that’s another dish).  The end result of plump, meaty portobello caps soaked in a sparky, flavorful marinade and then gently warmed in a dehydrator for a few hours so that all the flavors intensify is very much like sautéed mushrooms.  Believe me, there’s no compromise in texture or flavor!

“Roasted” Portobellos:

2 large portobello mushroom caps
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup nama shoyu*
1 tbs vegan worcestershire sauce*
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
2 tbs sweet vermouth, or mirin
3 to 4 fresh thyme stem leaves, + 1 tsp chopped thyme leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
1 small minced shallot
1 fat minced garlic clove
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together all ingredients, except mushrooms and thyme stems, in a bowl. Place portobello caps in a large sealable plastic bag (works best), a small casserole dish, or other sealable container. Pour over marinade evenly, add thyme stems, and allow to marinate for at least 3 hours preferably at room temperature.  Periodically turn mushrooms.

Pour marinade into a small bowl and transfer mushrooms to Teflex lined dehydrator trays gill side up (reserving a small pool of marinade and herbs).  Place bowl at the bottom of the dehydrator.  “Roast” at 110 degrees for 2 hours, remove Teflex sheets continue for least 1 more hour until mushrooms have flattened and shrunk a bit.

Remove from dehydrator and thinly slice caps on a bias.  Use marinade to spoon over, or save for future use.  Keeps for about a week in the refrigerator.

* These products are not gluten-free.  Vegan worcestershire sauce is not raw.

Baby bell peppers are another favorite.  I prefer them over their full-grown counterparts because they’re sweeter and milder.  Conventionally roasting them pleasantly intensifies their sweet flavor, and similarly, so does dehydrating.  Plus, they get on famously with portobellos.  That day last week, I picked up some of those, too.  And a couple of purpley-red heirloom tomatoes, and a bag of lively, wild arugula.

“Roasted” Baby Bell Peppers:

1 pint multi-colored baby bell peppers
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
extra virgin olive oil

Slice the peppers in half lengthwise, place in a bowl, and evenly sprinkle over sea salt and oregano by intermittently turning them. Drizzle over olive oil to lightly coat. Marinate for 3 hours. Transfer peppers to Teflex lined dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 100 degrees for 6 to 8 hours.

My Aerogarden was overabundant with purple basil.  Pesto seemed like a logical processing choice.  But I find that pesto can be quite strong and rich, overpowering at times.  I suspect it has to do with three key conventional ingredients: parmigiano-reggiano cheese, pine nuts, and olive oil. Each has a high-fat content and substantial on their own.  Hemp seed nuts are mild, tasty, and extraordinarily nutritious.  When used in place of cheese and pine-nuts, traditional pesto is transformed into something more delicate and smooth, but still with all that delicious, savory basil flavor.

Purple Basil Hemp Pesto:

5 oz. loosely packed purple basil
1 cup hemp seed nuts
1 fat garlic clove
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Put all ingredients except for olive oil in a food processor. First blitz to coarsely chop and blend. Then gradually drizzle in olive oil while processing until well-blended and smooth. Periodically check for seasoning. Stores in an air-tight container for about 5-7 days in the refrigerator.

The absence of parmegiano-reggiano clears the way for a nut-based cheese, like macadamia “parmesan”.  The substitution shares its characteristics of sharp, salty, slighty tart, and kind of creamy. But nut cheese translations shouldn’t be taken literally because they have a character all their own.

Macadamia Parmesan:

1 cup macadamia nuts, soaked for at least 8 hours
1 small garlic clove
1 1/2 tbs nutritional yeast
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 to 2 tbs water

Blend all ingredients except for water in food processor until crumbly. Check for seasonings. Consistency should be slightly moist but chunky, and not too thin and pasty. If needed, add a bit of water. Spread cheese out in dime-sized pieces on a Teflex line dehydrator tray and dehydrate at 110 degrees for 8 hours. Stores in an air-tight container for about 1 week in the refrigerator.

To construct the stack:

Slice a large tomato into 1/4″ slices.  Toss some arugula in a bowl with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a pinch of sea salt.

This can get a little slippery, so tell your hands to be steady and patient.  It’s helpful to use a piece of aluminum foil that has been shaped around a large can or jar as a guide.

First, lay a tomato slice down on a plate.  Spread on some purple basil hemp pesto like you’re buttering a piece of bread.  Next add some portobello slices, slightly overlapping.  Add a small mound of arugula and then finally, a few macadamia parmesan crumbles.  Repeat this process once more.

After adding the second round of arugula, top with 4-5 pieces of “roasted” baby bell peppers and a few more macadamia parmesan crumbles.  If using the foil as a guide, it helps to allow the stack to sit and set for 15 minutes.

To serve, just spoon some extra pesto around on the plate.  Makes a great salad course or light meal.

<3, JMK

(raw vegan, gluten-free)

So this is one of my most favorite, simple pleasures I took away from the Gourmet Institute a couple weekends ago that I haven’t quit talking about.  Besides the fact that it’s healthy and raw, I think what impresses me most is that when world-renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten demonstrated how to make it, he said that it was one of his personal favorites he makes for himself often.  And it shows.  The guy looks good.

It’s a very versatile soup, but it does require 4 fundamental elements: at least 2 base aromatic, substantially flavored vegetables (such as fennel, leeks, shallot); a good, warm homemade vegetable stock (that can be traditional, Asian, or any other style of your liking); the use of fresh herbs (both in the stock and in the “meat” of the soup); and the method of finely chopping the vegetables into small dice or brunoise.

Let’s begin with the stock.

The stock, in itself, is not technically “raw”.  In my opinion, it doesn’t matter because it’s not adding or taking away any nutritive value or enzymes, if this is among your top concerns.  It is strictly used as an activator and complimentary pool of flavor for all the little veggies to swim.  Some hard-core raw foodies might beg to differ with me, but to me this absolutely a raw soup.

If you alternatively just use water, you’ll most certainly not have the same flavorful results.  Additionally, vegetable stock is a great way to utilize inedible parts of veggies that you might otherwise throw away, like fennel and leek tops.  And the rest of the vegetables and herbs used in the stock should be of the most inexpensive variety, like carrots, celery, onions and garlic. It also puts those extra herbs from the garden to good use! Here, I prepared just a basic vegetable stock with the ingredients I had on hand.

7-8 quarts filtered or spring water
green tops of 3 leeks, cut right where white part turns green, chopped into chunks
green tops of 4 fennel, with fronds, chopped into chunks
2 medium carrots, cut into chunks
4 stalks of celery, with leaves cut into chunks
1 medium shallot, coarsely chopped
4 smashed fat garlic cloves
handful fresh parsley
6-8 whole stems of thyme
2 tsp whole black peppercorns
3 tbs sea salt (may vary)

Bring the water to a boil, add all ingredients, and cook at a low simmer for at least 3-4 hours, covered.  Check for desired level of saltiness.  Strain the stock through a seive and discard vegetables.  It can be stored and frozen for up to 6 months in the freezer, 1 week in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.  Reserve 2 to 3 cups in a small saucepan for the soup.

Prepare the soup ingredients:

As I mentioned, it is key to chop your vegetables into a small dice or brunoise, meaning 1/4″ to 1/8″ cubes. Of course they don’t have to be perfect, but use the sizing as a guide.  This is key from a visual, textural, and taste perspective.  The small, colorful pieces are appealing to the eye, they’re easy to fit on a spoon and chew up (and because they’re raw you don’t want too much bulky crunch), and small pieces make the flavors of each vegetable work together just right.  Plus, when the warm broth hits them, the flavors are released nicely.  You can make a lot of these vegetables in advance and store them in an air-tight container in the fridge so that you can have this soup right on hand anytime.

(Serves 2 generous bowls)

1 small fennel bulb
1 small leek, white and very light green parts only
2 red radishes
1 small carrot
1/8 of a small yellow bell pepper
1/2 medium zucchini
1 cup snow peas (sliced very thin on diagonal)
1/4 cup chopped dill plus extra for garnish
lemon-infused extra virgin olive oil {or}
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest and extra virgin olive oil
sprinkle of paprika for garnish
sea salt

Put all of the diced fennel, leek, radishes, bell pepper, zucchini, snow peas, and dill together in a bowl and mix evenly.  Divide by two and place into soup bowls.

Heat the stock to the temperature of which you’d drink hot tea.  If you’re strict with raw, of course this wouldn’t be over 118 degrees.  However, if it’s warmer but not steaming hot, it’s not going to “cook” the vegetables.

Ladle about 1 1/2 cups of stock (or more if needed) over the vegetables.  Drizzle over a little bit of lemon oil {or} zest (if using zest, additionally add a light drizzle of olive oil).  Finish with a sprinkling of sea salt, paprika, and a pinch more dill.  Serve immediately.

I served this soup as a first course for dinner one night, and had it again for my lunch the next day along with an heirloom tomato and baby spinach salad.  I had these beautiful grape, cherry, and teardrop heirloom tomatoes.  The purple basil from my garden has been going bonkers, so I did a chiffonade and tossed it with the tomatoes with some sea salt, and served it over a bed of baby spinach.  I’m in love with this bottle of lemon-infused extra virgin olive oil I got from Positano, Italy over the summer so this was yet another opportunity to drizzle it all over something.

<3, JMK

(raw vegetarian, raw vegan modifiable*, gluten-free)

This is a classic example of letting high quality fresh food speak for itself.  No need to overly complicate, and very simply dressed.  This was like, a magnificent Alice Waters moment.

Over the weekend, I went to the Winter Park Farmer’s Market which is held every Saturday from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm.  One of the produce vendors had a variety of the most beautiful heirloom lettuces, the first harvest, right from his organic garden.  Colorful, fluffy medleys of leaves were hand picked and neatly bunched into 6 to 8 ounce bags.  And right next to those were some lovely haricots verts.

The only other instances I’ve had lettuce that perfect, alive and bouncy from the garden was either at Primo restaurant here in Orlando, where the whole premise is based on garden-fresh local, organic, and sustainable foods, or New York City, or someplace in Europe.  It was just luscious.

Sherry-Shallot Vinaigrette:

1 tbs minced shallot
1 tbs sherry vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbs walnut oil
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp herbs de provence
1/2 tsp fleur de sel
a few turns of freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

6-8 oz heirloom lettuce leaves or other very fresh lettuce
8 oz haricots verts
raw goat’s cheese crumbles, such as Montrachet or chevre*
niçoise olives

To prepare vinaigrette, add the shallot and vinegar to a small bowl or cruet and let sit for about 30 minutes.  Add all other ingredients and whisk or shake well.  It is best to make the dressing a day ahead of time so that the flavors intensify.

I chose to blanch the haricots verts in a pan of shallow water for about 1 minute, then shock in ice water.  This is to take the “edge” off due to my personal digestibility.  Bypass this step for a completely raw preparation.

In a bowl, add a little of the vinaigrette to the haricots verts, toss, and let sit while preparing the rest of the salad.  In another large bowl, add lettuce and gently toss with remainder of vinaigrette.

For plating, simply present the lettuces along with desired amount of haricots verts for each plate portion, followed by a few niçoise olives and crumbles of goat cheese*.  If desired, add more freshly ground black pepper.

*Omit goat cheese for vegan preparation.

<3, JMK

(raw vegan, gluten free*)

So we had a nice little Labor Day shindig today in the typical all-American spirit of grilling out.  There were portobella burgers, veggie burgers, veggie chorizo dogs, Zellwood chili-garlic corn, and of course all of the accoutrements one would expect with all that casual finger-licking fare.  However, coleslaw in its old-fashioned traditional preparation is enough to induce my gag reflexes at the near sight of it.  I decided if we were gonna do this festive cook-out thing, I’d have to throw my spin into it – not to mention, sneak in some sea veggie love!

The end result was a tremendously healthy, bright, and crunchy slaw that was even more fitting as a meal than just a mere sideline to some veggie burgers.  It was just too darn good.  The miso dressing is rich, creamy, garlicky, and gingery and would make a fantastic dipping sauce.  I could have eaten it by the spoonful.

Shiso leaves can be tricky to find but well worth seeking out.  I’m actually awaiting the delivery of some seeds I ordered so I can just grow them myself.  They’re sometimes referred to as “Japanese basil” and have a unique flavor that is incomparable to any other herb.  It’s sharp, somewhat lemony, very fragrant, and very distinguishable.  If you can’t find shiso leaves, Thai basil would also work well, followed by conventional basil and cilantro.

Slaw

1/2 large head Napa (Chinese) cabbage
1/2 head red cabbage
Handful dried arame*, soaked in cold water for 15 minutes & patted dry
Handful dulse, cut into strips
1 6″ long English cucumber segment, spiralized & patted dry
Handful sprouts, such as broccoli, alfalfa, or daikon, separated well
1 small bunch shiso leaves, rolled and cut into chiffonade
1 bunch chives, finely chopped

*Arame is not packaged raw. It must be steamed to be tenderized prior to dehydrating, but still retains nutrient-rich benefits.

Combine all slaw ingredients in a large bowl.  Lightly toss.

Miso Dressing

1 1/2 tbs organic white miso
1 tbs umeboshi plum vinegar
3 tbs flax seed oil
1 tsp nama shoyu*
1 tsp agave nectar
2 fat garlic cloves
Large knob of ginger (approx. 3″ x 1″)
2-3 tbs cold water as needed to thin

* For gluten-free preparation, substitute 1/2 tsp sea salt for nama shoyu.

In a food processor, blend all ingredients except for water until you have a smooth, thick mixture.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.  Process again while simulaneously adding cold water tablespoon by tablespoon to thin into a salad dressing consistency.

Pour miso dressing over the slaw in batches (add and toss, add and toss) so that it gets evenly distributed.

<3, JMK