Leftovers Rock!!

No...I don't mean leftover Chinese take-out, pizza or soggy hamburger & fries.  For me, my food has to be fresh & preferably raw vegan: fruits, veggies, nuts & seeds.  At times this can be challenging because I don't like to plan meals.  However, I do try to keep basic staples on hand so I can quickly put together dishes based on what I'm in the mood for, what looks good at the store, or preferably to use what's local & in season from my CSA or Farmers' Market.  Since I haven't shopped in a few days, my fridge is getting pretty bare.  What I found in my fridge today was: several half heads of celery, half a head of purple cabbage, a bag of carrots, a cucumber, about 1/3 bunch each of Italian parsley & cilantro & half a yellow onion.  I also had a couple of different sauces I had made a few days ago (one I call my "Sunny Sauce").  What I came up with was a very colorful & tasty coleslaw-type salad - extremely nutritious & satisfying!

The Salad:
About 1 head of celery, thinly sliced
1/4 head purple cabbage, mandolined
2 fat carrots, shredded
1 medium cucumber, shredded
1/3 bunch Italian parsley, chopped
1/3 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/4 yellow onion, chopped

The Sunny Sauce:
1 C sunflower seeds, soaked overnight, rinsed & drained
1 medium lemon, peeled
4 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/4 C raw/local honey
1/4 C apple cider vinegar
1/2 C water

Directions for the sauce:
Soak sunflower seeds overnight in fresh water; rinse well & drain.  Blend all ingredients in high-speed blender (VitaMix) until creamy. 

Note: With less or no honey & a little more water (& more mustard powder, if desired), this is a wonderful mustard! 

Assembling the salad:
I filled a bowl (okay, two bowls!) with several big spoonfuls of the salad, topped with a couple of big spoonfuls of the sauce, sprinkled on paprika, dulse flakes & a few hemp seeds.  I also squeezed a bit more lemon on top...so yummy!

What have you made lately with odds & ends from your fridge or pantry?  I want to hear from you!

Peace, love & Kale Rocks!!
xoxo,
Kat