Red Cabbage Salad with Apple and Raisins

Looking for a simple side dish to take to that BBQ or picnic? Enter the Red Cabbage Salad. You can easily whip up this nutritious, filling and colourful salad in 10 minutes or less (that's a win in my books). You'll likely have most of the ingredients on hand so it's perfect for a no fuss, last minute invite to a summer gathering.

Ingredients (use local and organic when possible):

• Half (or whole, depending on how many people you're serving) head of red cabbage, shredded
• Juice of freshly squeezed lemon
• Handful of raisins
• 1/4 C olive oil
• Pinch of sea salt & dash of freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 of a crisp apple (Jonagold works well), cut into chunks
• 1/4 C fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons hemp hearts
• 2-3 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds

Method:

Place all ingredients into a large bowl except for the olive oil and lemon juice. Toss the ingredients to distribute evenly. Drizzle olive oil and lemon juice on top, toss again. It's ready to serve!

Garlic Cauliflower Mash

Looking for a low carbohydrate option to mashed potatoes? I have a suggestion to make. Mashed cauliflowers. I made these this evening and found them to be really tasty!

Cauliflower is a great replacement to potatoes and overall it's a pretty close comparison to taste and texture when mashed. They are quick to make and contain some lovely health benefits. Being an excellent source of vitamin C, K, fibre and folic acid, cauliflower is something we could all eat a little more of. It belongs to the cruciferous family which is known to have key cancer fighting phytochemicals. KAPOW!

Garlic Cauliflower Mash

Serves 2-4

Ingredients (use local and organic when possible):

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup of non dairy milk (I prefer unsweetened almond)
• 1 clove garlic
• Pinch of sea salt (Himalayan is my favourite)
• Black pepper, to taste
• Dried or fresh herbs such as chives, parsley, to taste (optional)

Method: 

Steam cauliflower until soft, approximately 10 minutes. In a large bowl combine all ingredients and mash (or puree in a food processor if desired). Yup, that's it. Now you have a great, low-carb alternative to potatoes!

*If you really wanted to jazz these guys up add some vegan cheese such as Daiya (vegan & gluten/soy free), and you've got yourself a party.

Vegan Almond Basil Pesto

Let's face it. The past few days have been cold and dreary. That's a perfect reason to stay inside and cook (or 'uncook'...I'm a big fan of quick, raw recipes). Tonight I purchased a bunch of basil with no real plan of action but decided I really liked the sounds of basil + almonds. Throw in a little garlic and lemon and voilà! A delicious vegan pesto was born.

This versatile pesto can be used as a pizza sauce, sandwich spread, veggie dip, you name it.

It's full of live enzymes which are vital for a healthy body. Basil is known to have anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial properties and has been found to enhance circulation, stabilize blood sugar, and improve breathing in those with respiratory disorders. You also get a nice dose of dietary fibre and vitamin E from the almonds! Sounds good to me.

Vegan Almond Basil Pesto

Ingredients (use organic and local when possible):

• 1 3/4 cups fresh basil
• 1 cup raw almonds (soaked for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight if you can)*
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 cloves of garlic (you can use more or less, adjust to taste)
• dash of sea salt 
• ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

Drain and rinse almonds well. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until almonds are ground. I personally prefer a crunchier pesto but you may process to your desired texture. Enjoy!

*The main purpose of soaking nuts and seeds is to neutralize the enzyme inhibitors. Enzyme inhibitors protect the nut, preventing it from sprouting prematurely until it has everything it needs from nature (proper sunlight, soil, water). Although they are a necessity for the nut/seeds they can make it harder for us to digest and absorb all the wonderful nutrients it has to offer. Essentially by soaking nuts or seeds you are increasing the life and vitality contained within them.