South Coast Cleanser Salad

In the past couple of years we've spent some time holidaying on the NSW South Coast, it is such a pristine, green wonderland with beautiful beaches, mountains and farmland. It seems like the air is cleaner and the land fertile for farming and growing exceptional local produce. This salad was inspired by the stunning produce we found there.

SOUTH COAST CLEANSER
The past two years we have enjoyed summer road trips on the south coast of NSW. This raw salad is so easy, extremely good for you and acknowledges the wonderful fresh produce we found along the coast. Eating a salad like this at least once a week will only do your body good.

serves 6
V GF
what you need
½ cup (80g) raw almonds
2 oranges, peeled (white pith removed)
orange juice to make up to 1/2 cup (125ml)
½ cup (80g) sultanas
2 green shallots, finely sliced
4 small carrots, grated
1 cup (40g) washed and finely shredded spinach or silverbeet leaves
1 lebanese cucumber, deseeded and sliced
100g mixed salad leaves
½ cup fresh coriander leaves
½ cup fresh mint leaves
lime and sesame dressing:
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp honey
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
pinch of sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

what you do
1. Preheat the oven to 160ºC (140⁰C fan forced). Place the almonds onto a baking tray and roast for 20 minutes. Cool.
2. To segment the oranges, hold one in the palm of your hand, over a bowl to catch the juice. Use a small sharp knife to cut the segments from between the membrane. Squeeze the core and membrane remaining in your hand to extract as much juice as you can for the dressing. Repeat with the other orange. Measure the juice and add enough to make up to 1/2 cup (125ml). Soak the sultanas in the orange juice.
3. Combine the shallots, carrot, spinach or silverbeet, cucumber, salad leaves, coriander and mint leaves in a large bowl and toss to mix evenly.
4. For the dressing, combine all the ingredients into a small screw-top glass jar. Add the sultanas and juice. Seal tightly, and shake to mix thoroughly. Check the seasoning and adjust to taste.
5. Roughly crush almonds either with a mortar and pestle, or wrap in a clean tea towel and smash with a rolling pin. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well to coat evenly. Sprinkle the almonds over the salad. Serve immediately.

Note: You can easily prepare all the ingredients a few hours ahead. Store the almonds in an airtight container, refrigerate the salad ingredients and dressing separately. Assemble the salad and dress when ready to serve.

raw food such as fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds is a healthy choice for our bodies. Most cooking processes destroy many of the enzymes that aid our body’s digestive processes. Raw fruit and vegetables are more easily digested by the body, contain the maximum nutrient value and can act as a natural cleanser to aid our body functions

© Jane Grover - NAKED FOOD - the way food was meant to be