Another Jicama Salad

Nothing motivates me to make food more than food at its end date. So today I cleaned out my crisper drawer and made things out of what I had. One thing (among many) that I love about raw food is that once your kitchen is stocked, you can make almost anything. The staples are pretty much the same regardless of what raw cookbook you work with. A nut cheese basically is the same recipe in every book. I almost always find that when I'm in the mood to make something specific I have enough necessary ingredients to do it. So it was today with this salad.

I basically made a tahini dressing that I would use for kale chips or a salad. By the way, almost any salad dressing makes a good dressing for kale chips. I then poured the dressing on some jicama and carrots. Since I would have made kale chips with the dressing I made, I just threw some kale in there, too. It was crunchy and satisfying, and the orange of the carrots and the green and purple kale helped bring some color into the dish.

A note about jicama. It can be used as a substitute for potatoes if you want a 'potato' salad without all the carbs. I am not afraid of carbs, let me first say that, but for some reason potatoes get a bad rap. I always think of Melissa Etheridge who said after having cancer that she would never fear a potato again because it was the only food she could eat while undergoing chemo. She credited them for saving her life. So go ahead, eat your potato salad.  But being a raw foodist, I have yet to figure out a way to make a potato taste good raw. Dehydrating them and hoping for a potato chip doesn't work. But I digress. Point is, substitute jicama with other potato salad ingredients, and you'll have a nutritious and satisfying twist on an old favorite.

Jicama and Kale Salad:

1 large jicama peeled and cubed
3 carrots sliced
1 c. kale chopped
2 T. scallions

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.

Dressing:
1/2 c. raw tahini
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
2 T. lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
2 t. wasabe powder
2 t. celery salt
1 inch ginger

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender. Pour over vegetable mixture and toss well. If you have more dressing than you want to use on this salad, reserve the rest for a salad dressing or a kale chip dressing.

Serves 3 to 4.