A good raw salad contains fresh produce. I also add a little bit of lemon juice, quality cold pressed oil and a couple of handfuls of seeds. I had in mind that my seed mix should contain flax seeds (omega fatty acids, A- and E-vitamin), sunflower seeds (magnesium, selenium, iron, calcium, zinc, folic acid, E-, B- and K-vitamin), pumpkin seeds (magnesium, iron, A- and B-vitamin) and sesame seeds (calcium and omega-9). To my surprise, I found a seed mix from the store that contained exactly the same seeds I wanted.
And to make salads more interesting, I sometimes use this small but handy Victorinox gadget. It wasn't very expensive, about 5 euros (compared to the bigger vegetable spiralizers). You can make vegetable noodles with it and it works really well with carrots, zucchinis and cucumbers for example. But it's not the best for round vegetables. Of course you can make delicious salads without it. A good old grater will do the job just fine.
Carrot, cucumber and tomato salad with red onions
This was our nr.1 salad during the summer. My mom sent us homegrown carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes and onions and I prepared a big bowl of salad. This combination is so addicting that I could eat it every day. Crunchy carrots, juicy cucumber, sweet and sour tomatoes and funky onions.
- 2 large carrots
- 1 medium cucumber
- couple of handfuls of cherry tomatoes
- half of a red onion
- little bit of ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp quality oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp seed mix
Grate or spiralize the carrots and cucumber. Slice the cherry tomatoes and onion. Mix all the ingredients together.
Root celery, apple and turnip salad
Celery and apple always make a delicious pair. Especially root celery. Add some grated turnip and seeds and you have a healthy and tasty salad!
- 1 bigger apple
- 1 ½ cups / 200 g grated turnip
- 1 ¼ cups / 120 g grated root celery
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp quality oil
- 2 Tbsp seed mix
Peel the apple, remove the core and slice the rest of the apple. Mix the sliced apple with other ingredients.
Pumpkin and leek salad with a little bit of curry
This is a super juicy salad. I love to add a little bit of curry powder to some salads. It gives a very nice warm taste. I also love to eat raw pumpkin, because it contains a lot of healthy vitamins and minerals. It has more carotene than carrots for example. And if you happen to burn yourself while cooking, place a raw pumpkin piece on the burned part of your body. It works really well, I have tried.
- 1 leek
- 2 cups / 400 g grated pumpkin
- 1 ½ tsp curry powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp quality oil
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
Chop the leek and mix it with other ingredients.
Cabbage, cucumber and garlic salad with salted peanuts
If you just chop the regular head cabbage and add it to a salad, it is too crunchy for my taste. You have to chew a LOT to get it down to your system. I have a useful tip for that. If you mix the chopped cabbage with a little bit of salt and massage and squeeze it for a little bit, then it will be much tender and easier to eat. Cabbage is a really good main component for the salad - it is very cheap and widely available. And of course it is packed with good stuff - loads of vitamin C and good for the digestion. Add some cucumber, super food garlic and salted peanuts and you have a pretty awesome salad!
- 1 lbs / 500 g head cabbage
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 medium cucumber
- couple of handfuls of salted peanuts
- 1-2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 clove of garlic
Thinly slice the cabbage and mix it with salt. Massage and squeeze it for a little bit, so it will become much more softer. Add sliced cucumber and mix all the ingredients together.
Zucchini, broccoli and beet salad
You don't always have to boil the beets to make a good salad. Raw beet is also really good and packed with useful nutrients along with broccoli and juicy zucchini.
- 2 cups / 400 g grated zucchini
- 1 small raw beet, grated
- couple of handfuls of broccoli florets (cut them smaller if needed)
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp seed mix
- 1 Tbsp quality oil
Mix all the ingredients together.
So, are you ready to eat some fresh produce? Then lets get chopping and grating! :)