Beet Tartare and Asian Inspired Chopped Salad

Here are the recipes for the dishes I brought to the last two potlucks:

Beet Tatare

I nearly gave away my entire cookbook collection in my early, overzealous raw food infatuation, but a more seasoned raw friend/chef suggested I hold onto them for inspiration, and it was excellent advice. In my traditional gourmet days, I shied away from steak tartare; though I liked my steaks rare, the thought of eating them completely raw was too much. However, I have found that the recipe lends itself quite nicely to raw beets--and it doesn't bother me a bit to eat them completely raw.

3 medium to large beets

2 large carrots

½ avocado

1 T. lemon juice

diced onion (mild, sweet, or green)

2 t. mustard powder

2 T. apple cider vinegar (unpasteurized)

1 T. nama shoyu

salt and pepper to taste

lettuce leaves

parsley

capers

olives

grape or cherry tomatoes

chives

Chop carrots and beets, then process in food processor with lemon juice, avocado, mustard, vinegar, nama, shoyu, salt and pepper. Mound on lettuce leaves or mold into a ring for a more formal presentation, sprinkle with parsley and chives, then arrange capers, olives, tomatoes, and onions attractively around each mound.

Or mix all together and serve burrito style in lettuce leaves for a more casual meal.

End of the Week Asian Inspired Chopped Salad

Ideally I like to shop twice a week for fresh produce; in reality it often ends up being a good week. So I have learned to buy several varieties of hard, longer storing vegetables to keep in the back of the fridge for those skinny days before the next shopping trip. This is one of my favorite ways to use them up. The ingredients vary depending on what I still have at the end of the week, but this is the version I brought on Tuesday:

1 jicama

2 celery hearts

1/2 green pepper

1 red pepper

4 green onions

1 handful sugar snap peas

1 large handful cilantro leaves

2 carrots, grated

Dressing:

juice of 1 lime

2 T. light miso

1 T. grated ginger

1/2 t. red pepper flakes

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup cold pressed sesame oil

Chop all salad ingredients into bite sized pieces. Whisk the dressing ingredients together, and toss with vegetables.