Tuesday, July 03, 2012

Raw Vegan, Gluten Free Mexican Salad And Chili-Lime Dressing With Fresh Jicama, Corn, Red Pepper And Avocado

Chili-lime dressing gives the flavors of Mexico in this beautiful salad of fresh greens and raw vegetables!

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Great for Raw Days
Today I decided to load up on raw food since I had a bit too much heavy, cooked food over the weekend. A few weeks ago I wrote about doing mini-raw food cleanses - one day at a time. Today was one of those days for me. 


Jicama
If you weren't familiar with Jicama, I doubt you would ever pick one up at the grocery store. It looks like a giant, round potato with a harder, thicker skin - not very appetizing. But the treasure is inside. Jicama, also know as "yambean" is a root vegetable with a wonderful crisp texture and a slightly sweet, mellow flavor. I love to slice them as part of a crudité and serve them with guacamole or hummus. I often just eat them by themselves as a snack. They are very high in fiber, 1 cup providing 6 grams, almost one quarter of the daily requirement. They are also an excellent source of vitamin C, 1 cup providing 40% of the daily requirement. 


Jicama looks like a big potato with thick skin. 
One cup is only 46 calories!
For the salad, julienne the red pepper and jicama.
Thinly slice the red onion.


Chili-lime dressing
This dressing has a nice mixture of Mexican seasonings with lime juice and a combination of cold-pressed hemp oil and extra-virgin olive oil. No blender is needed.


Chili-lime dressing is versatile. Try it on a simple salad of fresh corn and pinto beans.
Or, cut jicama in the shape of french fries. Rub this dressing over them and enjoy raw chili fries!


Mexican Salad with Chili-Lime Dressing
Raw Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 4 servings]


For the dressing
1/4 cup cold-pressed hemp oil
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 clove garlic, pressed or finely minced


For the salad
4 large handfuls salad greens (~8 cups)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup julienned jicama
1 cup julienned red bell pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
Kernels from 1 ear of corn
1/2 California Hass avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced


To make the dressing, combine all dressing ingredients in a cup or small bowl and whisk until combined. Set aside.


To make the salad, place salad greens and cilantro in a large bowl. 


Use one large handful of greens per serving.


Dress the greens with the desired amount of salad dressing and place on 4 plates.
Divide the remaining salad ingredients between the 4 plates and place over the greens. Drizzle with additional salad dressing and serve.


Per serving (salad plus 2 tablespoons dressing): 217.3 calories, 16.6 g fat, 2.1 g saturated fat, 1.2 g ALA omega-3 and 5.4 g omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 2.0 g protein, 16.2 g carbohydrates, 4.4 g dietary fiber and 172 mg sodium.



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