The Split Plate: Day 5: Raw "Sushi" Kale Salad with Tahini Hoisin Dressing

I absolutely adore these challenges. They always get my imaginative brain pumping and they make my week zip by super fast!!

Day 5 was a fun one!

Do I even have to include my early morning habit/routine!? I think ya got the picture ;)\

Breakfast:

It’s the final recipe from Simple Green Smoothies. Moving forward I’ll be depending on my handy Smoo-cies and Jui-thies Pinterest Board for ideas…at least until the next challenge, which starts on July 1^st!!

I had been waiting forever for this smoothie: the Green Orange Julius. And while it wasn’t as frosty as I wanted it to be (need to freeze my hemp milk into ice cubes next time!) it was still really, really good! It was like drinking an orange creamsicle. Yumm!

Orange Julius

By Simple Green Smoothie

Serves 2

2 cups of spinach, leaves
1 cup milk, hemp or almond, frozen into cubes
4 navel oranges, peeled
1 banana, frozen
1 tsp vanilla extract

Blend away! Enjoy!

Snacks:

Enjoyed a simple Blueberry Kombucha!

Lunch:

I came across a recipe for raw “roasted” broccoli and hoisin sauce with parsnip rice and realized I couldn’t make it for several reasons: no parsnip and worse, my dehydrator cannot be used thanks to this itty bitty apartment I’m living in. Plus, I had kale that needed to be used so what to do, what to do? Make a kale “sushi” salad of course!

Everyone’s post of raw sushi had me seriously craving for something sushi like. I figured based on the ingredients, the hoisin sauce would be a great soy sauce alternative to a kale salad containing your typical sushi ingredients – I was right :)

This salad is so easy to make and is both filling and satisfying!

Sushi Kale Salad with Tahini Hoisin Sauce

Salad by Beth Mickens

Sauce adapted from Russell James, The Raw Chef

Serves 1

4 loosely packed cups of kale, de-stemmed and chopped
1 tsp of coconut oil, softened
1 tsp of tamari, reduced-sodium preferred
½ lemon, juiced
Salt
1-2 carrots, peeled and julienne
¼ cucumber, peeled and cut into slices, quartered
¼ avocado, diced
1 green onion, sliced
2 mushrooms, peeled, sliced and halved
Sprouts
Tahini Hoisin* (See Recipe Below)

2 Tbsp of tahini
2 tsp of tamari, reduced-sodium preferred
½ lemon, juiced
½ tsp of apple cider vinegar
½ tsp raw honey or agave
1/8 tsp grated garlic
¼ tsp freshly grated ginger
2 Tbsp of water
Chili pepper flakes, optional

Whisk all the ingredients from the tahini to the ginger in a small bowl. Add the water and whisk again till a creamy smooth pourable dressing is created. Season to taste with salt. Stir in chili pepper flakes if using.
In a large bowl, add the kale, coconut oil, tamari, lemon juice and salt.
Massage the ingredients together until your kale softens and looks wilted.
Top with carrots, cucumber, mushrooms, avocado, sprouts and green onion.
Pour the hoisin sauce generously over your kale salad before serving.

You can also massage some of the hoisin sauce into your kale salad for an even distribution of this delicious sauce.

Feel free to top with chili pepper flakes or crumbled nori sheets!

Snacks:

Strawberry Mint vitamin water and Superfood Snacks! (I know that's not Strawberry Mint. For some reason, every time I use citrus my water turns really bitter. So I had to make a quick fix this morning. I figured this was still a pretty pic though :))

Dinner:

After my workout I found myself craving fruit. So I made a delicious fruit salad with the leftover fruit I had in the fridge. I combined Mango, Kiwi, Strawberry, Banana and Grapes in a bowl. Topped with some hemp milk, a drizzle of honey and some chopped raw sprouted almonds! Simple, refreshing and oh so satisfying.

Another day done! Tomorrow I break my raw diet at Vegfest..maybe.