I have a tendency to think that when you’re eating raw vegetables, you need a pretty robust dip, sauce, or dressing to contend with. I love a chunky salad, but a vinaigrette just gets lost among the concrete carrot discs. Hand me a ranch or a green goddess dressing and I’ll forgive you.
The fun of the salad is that you can add whatever you want – but I make a rule I’ve got to put in at least one thing I’m not that fussed on just so I know I’m eating properly. Raw carrot is not my number-one culinary choice but it goes in for the nutrient content. I like to just peel it into ribbons to lessen the tree-trunk effect and honestly, I can’t really complain. I’ve eaten worse.
I eat this salad with whatever leftover grain-type thing I have in the fridge – quinoa or brown rice usually, but you can experiment with what you like or what you have on hand (or both, if you’re lucky).
I particularly like this green goddess dressing in late summer and you’ve got a thousand bunches of basil going nuts in the garden, in amongst all that stuff you planted because you thought it would be useful to have but never actually used. You can put almost anything green in this dressing. I also like to make it when I’ve got homemade mayonnaise leftover that needs using up.
Also, don’t go too crazy with the tarragon unless you like your salad to taste of licorice. In which case, you’re probably pregnant and you should get that checked out.
And for a vegan version, you might like to try this one. Yum!
Quinoa and Raw Veggie Salad with Green Goddess Dressing
Print recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup leftover quinoa or brown rice (per person)
- 2 cups favourite raw veggies (I used broccoli, tomato, mushroom, carrot, cucumber, onion and celery)
- 3/4 cups mayonnaise
- 3/4 cups sour cream (or yogurt, whatever you have)
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 pinch sugar
- 1 pinch each salt and pepper
Directions
| Step 1 | |
| In each bowl add a cup of rice or quinoa. Layer the veggies on top. | |
| Step 2 | |
| In a blender, add the garlic and herbs first with the lemon juice, and then the sour cream and mayonnaise. Pulse until combined and then blend until smooth. | |
| Step 3 | |
| Add the sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the salad. | |
This looks so colourful and delicious!! I have to raid your blog to find some vegetarian dishes I can cook for my neighbor next door who has just had twins. As soon as she told me she was vegetarian I had to make a mental note to go through your blog! Hope you e been keeping well lovely! Xx
Oh you’re so thoughtful! I’m sure there’s plenty to keep you occupied 🙂
hey Stacey,,,,,loving my salads too now the weather’s warming up but I have to have some kind of dressing on it as well or they just get too blah……besides dressing maes it fun because then you can undress it lol 😉
hahah even I can’t do undressed salad!
Yum! Love me some raw veggies and that dressing looks delicious! You had me at sour cream!
Such an american thing but I love it in a dressing!
GET IN MY BELLY… I shouldn’t be looking at these posts whilst I have an empty fridge/pantry.
yeah I’m starving right now and I’m looking at all the food I ate in Bali. Silly.
Every time I attempt to do anything quinoa, it ends with me in the fetal position on the kitchen floor. Rice = fine. Couscous = fine. Damn triple chocolate hazelnut torte = fine. It must be the old gypsy curse that was placed on me, one late night in St Kilda. I have to give it a go, so I’ll have to substitute rice. Or, just stick the veggies straight in the sour cream?
I’m all about sticking the veggies straight in the sour cream!
I often make gluggy quinoa, it’s definitely a curse! I can do everything else (except cous cous) perfectly fine.