Vegalicious

I love intense flavors.  You will not find a bland tasting dish in my cooking repertoire. Thankfully with my transition to a plant-based diet, I was introduced to a whole world of new flavors and spices.  I particularly fell in love with cumin and curry.  For some reason curry always makes me think of India, although I have not been there–it has a very intense and exotic smell, and a taste to match it.

On a recent excursion to Whole Foods I found less than a healthy vegan dish on their salad bar that smelled fantastic.  The aroma of curry drew my attention, and when I tasted it, flavors exploded in my mouth as a multi-dimensional firework and my taste buds begged to create a healthy version of this culinary curry recipe delight. Two days ago, having meticulously dissected and matched  every ingredient, after two trials, my new creation was born.  I fell in love with it! I also ran it by taste-testers who approved it.  Now I am so excited to share it with the Vegalicious audience.

Tools used:

• Blendtec Designer series blender with a Twister jar for sauce
• Swissmar Borner mandoline to cut apples, celery, onion and cucumber
• a sharp knife to chop herbs and cube sliced apples
• a cutting board
• a large mixing bowl
• a sturdy spatula
• measuring cups and spoons

“Somewhere in India” Oil-Free Salad | Curry Recipe

yields 9 cups

Salad Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked garbanzo beans
• 3 stalks of celery, cut into thin slices
• 2 juice apples, cored, sliced and cubed
• 1 English cucumber, cubed into 1/2 inch chunks
• 1 cup oil and sugar free raisins
• 1 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 chopped red onion

Curry Sauce Ingredients

• 8 oz silkne tofu (I used Nasoya brand)
• 1.5 tbsp honey or maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• 2.5 tsp curry powder
• 1/2-3/4 tsp sea or Himalayan salt (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1.5 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Preparation

• In a high speed blender blend sauce ingredients until smooth and silky
• In a mixing bowl combine salad ingredients
• Pour sauce over salad ingredients, toss until well coated
• Taste for salt to see if you need to add more
• Cover and refrigerate for 2+ hours before serving, to allow vegetables to marinate
• Stores 4-5 days refrigerated in a covered glass container.

Chef’s Notes:

• You can add more ingredients, such as zucchini, marinated mushrooms, olives, black or kidney beans, etc.
• You can even combine a couple of cups of whole wheat or gluten free pasta with 2 cups of this salad–it will be delicious.

Here are my experiments.

I enjoyed them all–this is my new favorite curry recipe.

Share!

You know the drill.  Make the dish, let me know how you like it (add a picture in the comment section under the post!); and share this recipe with the world.  Let’s make it a healthier place one delicious vegan bite at a time!