Green Harissa Sauce

(recipe from drhyman.com)

1 packed cup flat leaf parsley leaves
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup mint leaves
2 medium cloves garlic
Juice from half a lemon
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

Place all ingredients except the olive oil into a blender and blend until smooth.  While the blender is running, slowly add the oil until incorporated.

(Delicious and easy sauce.  Can be used with noodles, zucchini noodles, any veggies.)

Crisp Arugula Salad

(recipe from Christina Cooks)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

2 cups baby arugula
10-12 strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup raisins (I used currants)

Combine dressing ingredients in the bottom of your salad bowl.  Add greens, fruit, nuts, raisins and toss to coat ingredients with dressing.

*You may use berries, pear or apple slices, tangerines, unsweetened dried cranberries, hazelnuts, walnuts or almonds.  You can change the salad completely by adding cherry tomatoes and cucumbers or olives and leaving out the fruit.

(Basic, simple, delicious.)

Tempeh And Vegetable Salad with Miso Tahini Dressing

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

Marinade:
1 tsp. ginger juice (I used minced ginger)
1 Tbsp. brown rice syrup (I used honey)
3 Tbsp. tamari
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste

8 oz. tempeh, cubed

Dressing:
1/4 cup tahini
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp. miso
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. tamari
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. warm water, or more (depending on how thin you prefer the dressing to be)

2 tsp. oil
1 ear corn, kernels removed (I used frozen corn kernels)
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
2 cups baby spinach
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cups sunflower sprouts, roughly chopped
2 green onions, minced

Whisk together marinade ingredients until well combined.

In a medium pot with a steamer basket, steam tempeh cubes for 20 minutes and cool slightly.  Marinate tempeh in marinade for two hours, or overnight in the refrigerator, and drain.

In a food processor, blender, or with a whisk, mix together all dressing ingredients until well combined.

Heat oil in medium skillet on medium-high heat.  Add tempeh and sauté first side until golden brown, about 7-10 minutes.  Flip to second side and repeat.  Transfer tempeh to a paper towel to drain and cool.

In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, dry roast corn kernels until light brown, about 5 minutes, and remove from heat to cool.  In the same skillet over medium-high heat, dry roast pumpkin seeds until they are golden and begin to puff and pop, about 2-4 minutes.  Combine tempeh, corn, pumpkin seeds, spinach, bell pepper, and sunflower sprouts in a large bowl.  Mix in miso tahini dressing.  Garnish with green onions and serve.

(This salad takes a lot of work, but is really delicious.  The dressing is nice, even to just make alone and use for other salads, etc.)

Creamy Orange-Avocado Dressing

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

3 green onions, roughly chopped
1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 cup orange juice
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Puree all ingredients in a blender.

(This makes a nice dip for veggies, too!  Tasted great with carrots!  Is thick, clings well.)

Thai Veggie Salad

(recipe from PureWow)

Salad:
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
3 cups snow peas, thinly sliced
3 carrots, thinly sliced or shredded
1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced or shredded
1/4 red cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded
1/2 English cucumber, cut into strips
1 cup dried mango, thinly sliced
2/3 cup peanuts, chopped
3/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

Dressing:
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
1 Tbsp. sesame oil (I used olive oil)
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Sriracha sauce
1/2 cup seasoned rice-wine vinegar
1/3 cup peanut butter (I used tahini)

Make the salad:  Toss all the salad ingredients together in a large bowl.

Make the dressing:  In a medium bowl, whisk all ingredients together until the dressing is smooth.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.  The salad gets better as it sits, and will keep up to three days in an airtight container in the fridge.

(Awesome salad!  I love chopping veggies, and that is a time-consuming part of this recipe.  I did use a food processor for the carrots.  Brought this salad to an island gathering by putting all the veggies mixed in a large ziplock bag and keeping the dressing separate in a small jar.  When ready for dinner, simply combined and served.  So easy!  A nice and convenient alternative to leafy greens for a salad, though you could probably serve this over a bed of leafy greens.  Everyone loved it!  Very flavorful.)

Walnut Miso Noodles

(recipe from 101cookbooks.com)

4 oz. whole wheat spaghetti or linguini (or soba)
1 small bunch of asparagus, sliced thinly (1/4-inch thick)

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium clove garlic, peeled
2 Tbsp. mellow white miso paste
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. honey
2 big pinches salt (or to taste)
1/4 cup+ warm water

Topping ideas:  sliced green onions, chopped chard stems and leaves that have been cooked for a minute or two in a skillet with a bit of olive oil and salt, chopped fresh chives, toasted walnuts

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Salt generously and cook the pasta per package instructions, being careful to not overcook.  About 10 seconds before you are going to drain the noodles, add the asparagus to the pot.  Now drain and toss with about 1/2 the walnut-miso dressing - you can make the dressing as you're waiting for the pasta water to come to a boil.

To make the dressing, use a food processor, blender or hand blender to puree the walnuts, olive oil, garlic, miso paste, vinegar, and honey.  Add the warm water a bit at a time until the dressing is the consistency of a heavy cream.  Taste and add salt if you think it needs it.

Add as much or as little dressing as you like to the noodles and toss well.  Arrange in two bowls or on a platter - I finished off this version topped with sliced green onions, a bit of sauteed slivered rainbow chard leaves & chopped stems, a few toasted walnuts, and some chives.

(I found I liked the asparagus sliced into thin strips lengthwise, which blended with the noodles better.  I cooked my asparagus with the noodles a little longer than 10 seconds, as I like mine less crunchy.  The dressing is very tasty.  I cut down a bit on the olive oil.)

Broccoli Salad

(not sure where this recipe came from...)

3 cups chopped broccoli
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries (or both)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup raw pecans (optional)

Dressing:
1 cup raw cashews, soaked for a couple of hours in water
3 Tbsp. raw honey
2 Tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup onion
Salt to taste
1/4 cup water

Add first set of ingredients to a large bowl.  Blend dressing ingredients until smooth.  Pour over other ingredients and mix well.  (You could also add purple cabbage, yellow peppers, just to make it more colorful.)

(This dressing is so tangy and delicious!  And healthy.  It would probably be awesome in cole slaw.)

Spinach and Mushroom Salad with Cumin Dressing

(recipe from Food & Wine magazine)

8 servings.

1 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, lightly toasted
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/4 lbs. firm white mushrooms, stems trimmed, sliced
freshly ground pepper
2 lbs. spinach, large stems discarded, leaves torn into large pieces
8 small scallions, white and tender green parts, thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

In a spice grinder or mortar, crush the cumin seeds to a powder.  In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, and garlic with 1 tsp. salt.  Whisk in the cumin, paprika, and coriander, then whisk in the olive oil.

In a medium bowl, toss the mushrooms with 1/2 cup of the dressing and season with salt and pepper.  In a large bowl, toss the spinach with the scallions, cilantro and the remainng dressing.  Add the mushrooms and toss well.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.

(Delicious spiced dressing!)