mixed salad with turmeric vinaigrette

 

the sharp and flavourful turmeric vinaigrette i dressed this salad with turned out to be the surprise hit of the evening, at dinner. my annoyingly picky 18-year-old liked it so much, he proceeded to douse his plate of pasta with the dressing, though he of course, turned his nose up at the salad. well, all the more for hubby and me. we're like rabbits before a bowl of salad, so this hefty amount was perfect for just the two of us.

it would easily serve 4 or even 5 (normal) people though, as a side salad. we used slightly less than half the vinaigrette for the entire bowl so you could actually dress twice the amount of salad with this much. i didn't make a smaller amount as it would not have worked in the blender.

i can imagine this dressing on potato salad, with roast beef or roasted vegetables, avocados, and yes, even pasta, so a little extra hanging around in the fridge... i don't think that's a problem.


makes 2 - 4 servings

1 medium to large carrot, peel and coarsely grate

250 g (1/2 lb) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1 small head romaine lettuce, wash, drain and tear into bite size pieces

1/4 cup soaked (8 hours-overnight in salted water) sunflower seeds, drain well 

turmeric vinaigrette

50 ml (1/4 cup) fragrant sesame oil

50 ml (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil

50 ml (1/4 cup) apple cider vinegar 

2 cm (3/4 in) length fresh turmeric, peel and slice

1 1/2 teaspoons nutritional yeast powder 

1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons salt

1/3 teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)

1/3 teaspoon asafoetida (or to taste)

1-2 teaspoons maple syrup

1 bird's eye chilli

• combine vegetables and sunflower seeds in a large bowl, cover and chill
• combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a blender and process until smooth and emulsified
• taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (vinaigrette should taste very slightly salty)
• transfer vinaigrette to a glass bottle, cap and chill
• when ready to serve, drizzle vinaigrette over salad and gently toss
• serve as a side with your favourite meal

notes

• nutritional yeast has a rich umami flavour, includes the full spectrum of B vitamins and myriad vitamins, minerals and amino acids
• it is inactive yeast, unlike brewer's or baker's yeast, is allowed on the low fodmap diet and is also well tolerated by those battling candida infections
• if you don't have it, replace the stated amount with 1 tablespoon wheat free soy sauce
• you can use unsoaked sunflower seeds but soaking them in lightly salted water deactivates the nutrient binding phytates they contain and makes them more bioavailable