Friday, December 2, 2011

"NECTAR OF THE GODS" RAW SALAD DRESSING!!!

My coworker, Tim, whom i adore, wrote me this note about a salad dressing I had made at work that he really loved:

"Whatever that Thousand Island looking dressing you made is nectar of the Gods. Please make more. I gave it out to at least 3 different people yesterday because i loved it and they all went nuts for it. I then made a salad for Deanna and brought it to her, her eyes lite up like a Christmas tree. Soooooooooooooo Yummmmm :]" Timmy

What a rave review!!

I made more of this dressing today (and have it in the fridge for sale at Arnold's Way, so if you want to grab some up, get your buttinsky over to Arnold's Way to pick some up!)

Or you can make it yourself! I'll share with you what i do!

Now, I make all raw food "to taste" and when i share recipes with you, it is usually something i've written down. But i didn't write down the exact measurements of this one, unfortunately, so this recipe is a guestimation, and you are going to have to experiment a little. But it will be good for you! See how you do! Be your OWN raw chef and learn how to balance flavors!!!

Chef Michelle's "NECTAR OF THE GODS" RAW RAW VEGAN SALAD DRESSING
In a vitamix, add:

3/4 cup of raw cashews
1 tsp of raw beetroot
1 flesh of red pepper

1 Tbsp of onion
1-2 Tbsp (or more) of raw cider vinegar (you can always add more, but it's difficult to counteract if you add too much!)
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 cloves of garlic
3 to 4 good slices of ginger
1/2 tsp or more of celtic or himalayan salt
2-4 Tbsp or more of raw agave
1/2 cup -1 cup water
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Blenderize until smooth. This dressing should be creamy and smooth, but not thick, only thick enough to coat greens nicely.

What i do when i make dressing is I go "conservative" on amounts of salt and agave and vinegar, etc., and after I blenderize it, I take a little wad of spring mix and dip it into the dressing and taste to see if i've created a pleasant balance. My motto is YOU CAN ALWAYS ADD MORE! If the dressing tastes bland, i'll add more salt, more agave, more garlic/ginger or for brightness, more vinegar.

Now, if i enjoy what i taste, so will everyone else at Arnold's Way!

If not, you'll have to play with the dressing until you get a nice balance of flavors. To balance dressing, it should contain a pleasing balance of 4 flavors: sweet, salty, tart and spicy, which complement bitter greens. [Bitter being the 5th taste of the renowned "5 tastes" ala Victoria Boutenko's teachings on raw un-cooking, the theory being, as long as you have all of the 5 flavors present in a raw dish such as salad with dressing, it will always be delicious. WELL, this is my #1 MOTTO and this is exactly how i make ALL raw food taste delicious.] So, the dressing should be tart enough (from vinegar), salty enough (from sea salt), sweet enough (from agave and beet), and spicy enough (ginger/garlic/onion) to balance out bitter salad greens.

P.S. Why are the 5 tastes so important? Well, we have 5 taste centers on our tongue. According to the Japanese, there is also another flavor the japanese call "umami" - it is a meaty flavor. I think nutritional yeast has an "umami" flavor. I always love to sprinkle nutritional yeast on salads!!!

So, please try this dressing and let me know how you like it!! If it comes out good, you will have created NECTAR OF THE GODS!!!!!!!!!!!

xoxo michelle joy

1 comment:

Steph Mo said...

Hi, Michelle! I will be trying the salad dressing out. Meanwhile, I wanted to just mention how much I connect with your story. I was raw for about a year, dropped 40 pounds, and felt great! Then, as my dad was dying, cooked foods--then all-out junk foods--started "making their way" into my face again (ie I picked up) and I gained 50! I recommitted to a raw diet just this last weeken. I, too, have been trying to "blend" raw and cooked foods. The only thing that happened was I ate a ton (literally) of cooked foods. I feel better raw. Raw foods just "work" better for me. Thank you for sharing your experiences, and take care. Stephanie in Austin