LIVING AN EXCEPTIONAL LIFE #70

By Rhonda Jones

This week I want to highlight some of the recipes from the National Health Association conference. There were many dishes but I wanted to focus on some of the fabulous salad dressings that we had at the conference. We had a beautiful salad bar at every meal and it was always accompanied by at least three dressings to choose for the salad. Most dressings contain nuts which needs to be added to your beautiful salad so the body can better assimilate the nutrients in the greens. So, here are some of my favorite dressings from the conference.

Ultimate Vegan Caesar Dressing (Tami Kramer)

1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk

1 cup slivered almonds or cashews

¼ cup nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1 teaspoon salt substitute

1 teaspoon kelp granules

3 tablespoons capers

6 peeled garlic cloves

5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 pitted medjool dates

½ teaspoon garlic powder

Freshly ground black pepper

Put the nuts in some water to soak for at least an hour or overnight. After soaking, pour off the water, add the nuts and the rest of the ingredients to a high powered blender and blend until smooth and refrigerate. I loved the creamy texture and taste!

Creamy Pear Almond Dressing (James Rohrbacher)

1 cup unsweetened soy, hemp or almond milk

3 small, ripe pears, cored and chopped

1 cup raw almonds soaked overnight

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

¼ cup dried, unsulfured figs, chopped

3 tablespoons unhulled sesame seeds

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Drain the soaking water from the almonds and add those with the rest of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate and serve cold.

French Dressing (Lissa Maris)

5 pitted medjool dates

2 cloves of garlic peeled

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

1/8 teaspoon chipotle powder

1 cup water

Blend all the ingredients until smooth and enjoy chilled on a leafy green salad.

Quick and Easy Dijon Dressing (Shayda Soleymani)

This dressing is delicious on salad but great on roasted vegetables as well.

¼ cup cannellini beans, salt-free, rinsed and drained

4 tablespoons nutritional yeast

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons date syrup

½ cup rice vinegar, sodium free if possible

¼ cup water

Add all ingredients to a high powered blender and blend until smooth

And, I have to add the recipe for this outstanding soup. I love it!

Middle Eastern Chickpea Stew (Martin Oswald)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped ginger root

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon curry powder

½ teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ cup orange juice

2 tablespoon red wine vinegar

4 cups low sodium vegetable stock

3 cups cooked chickpeas or two 15 oz cans

1 cup dry green lentils

2 cups crushed tomatoes

2 cups peeled and diced butternut squash

2 cups swiss chard, rough chopped

¼ cup currants

1 tablespoon orange zest

Pinch of cayenne pepper

¼ cup fresh cilantro

Combine the onions, ginger and garlic and cook in a large stock pot without oil until tender, stirring constantly. Add all the spices and stir for about 15 seconds. Deglaze the pot with vinegar, orange juice and vegetable stock. Stir in chickpeas, lentils, tomato and butternut squash. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook stirring occasionally until the lentils are tender about 25 minutes. Add Swiss chard, currants, orange zest and cayenne pepper, simmer two minutes then add cilantro. This can be served alone or over a whole grain. Delicious!!