Fresh Chopped Salad with no oil dressing

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​Today, I try and use less oil in my cooking.  Dr. Barnard from www.pcrm.org tells us that even good quality vegetable oils should be used sparingly.
 
Normally, I make salad dressing with extra virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar. In the Middle East they make a lovely Tahini dressing for falafel with sesame seed paste, garlic, and lemon juice. So, I thought why not use it on salad, and it worked very well.

The chopped ingredients are fresh and juicy, and the added wetness of the dressing makes it so good and almost sweet. I sometimes also use fresh parsley if I have it on hand, even some minced chives, the fresh herbs give the salad that added …’je ne sais quoi’ … French for yumm!

​Recipe 
Makes enough for 4 servings
 
INGREDIENTS

• ½ a cucumber – cubed
• 1 carrot – grated
• ½ a red pepper – cubed
• ¼ of a small red onion – finely chopped
• 5 to 10 sweet cherry tomatoes – quartered
• A small handful of fresh coriander – minced
• A few basil leaves – if you have them handy
• A few toasted walnuts – broken small

 
For the dressing

• ¼ cup Tahini (sesame seed butter )
• ½ lemon - juiced
• ½ cup of water
• 1 to 2 cloves of garlic
• A pinch of salt

 
 
METHOD

1. Chop all the veggies into small cubes, but not minced
2. Grate the carrot
3. Finely chop the herbs
4. Mix it all together and allow to rest in the fridge as you prepare the dressing.
5. To make the dressing, mix the ingredients together. If you have a blender or a bullet it will make the task a little easier.  Taste it, it may need a little more lemon juice or salt.
6. Serve the chopped salad on the plate and pour a nice amount of dressing over it.
7. Finish with the toasted walnut sprinkled on top as you serve

 
 
Jacques Brennan
 
@HungrySoulVegan   - Changing the Culture
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