Vegan "Tuna" Salad - 7.1g Carbs, 3.3g Fiber
By The Gluten Free Goddess
WebMD Recipe from Foodily.com
The older I get the more I crave simple. You know what I'm talking about.
Home cooking. Childhood classics- like tuna salad. Instead of getting all
worldly and sophisticated and dabbling with truffle oil, with each new
gray hair my taste is hula hooping into kid-friendly food faster than
Marisa Tomei can waggle. Well, maybe not that fast. She is pretty nimble.
But you get my drift. I'm whipping up peanut butter and banana sandwiches,
not oysters Rockefeller. Filet Mignon (would you believe I've never had
it?) doesn't even tempt me, And Chicken Cordon Bleu vs. Chicken Kiev?
Okay. It is here where I confess that I'm no Betty Crocker and I've never
attempted either recipe. Most likely because I was never what you'd call
a big meat eater. I went vegetarian at age thirteen. If I've dabbled at
all in the culinary arts it's been because of Anna Thomas and not Julia
Child. The first cookbook I ever bought was The Vegetarian Epicure. That
was 1972- the first time I ever made soup from scratch, thanks to Anna.
So when I discovered this inventive, almond based vegan tuna salad recipe,
I knew I had to give it a whirl. Because I'm digging raw food lately, and
the idea of a protein salad a la tuna fish caught my fancy. It's fun for
an appetizer- fabulous with crackers or tucked into lettuce cups. Or go
ahead and make a classic "tuna" salad on rye with your favorite gluten-free
rye bread.
1 rounded cup raw organic almonds
Sea salt
Fresh water
Soaked almonds, as above
2 Tbsp coconut milk, or pickle juice
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Cashew Cream or vegan mayo, as needed
Pinch of sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
1/2 cup diced celery
Fresh minced herbs: dill, parsley
Dab of raw organic agave, to taste
Soak your almonds. Plan ahead. Soak them overnight for best texture.
Place the almonds in a glass or ceramic bowl and sprinkle them with a
little sea salt. Pour in just enough fresh cold water to cover the
almonds (some will float). Cover with a clean tea towel and allow them
to soak overnight- at least eight to ten hours. Note- if it's very hot
where you are, place them in the fridge to keep them cool and extend
the soaking time to at least 12 hours. They should be soft when ready
and you'll see tiny sprouts starting to bud at the tips.
Dump the soaked almonds into a food processor bowl; cover and pulse
until shredded. Add the liquids and pulse again.
Add the cream or mayo, to your liking. Pulse again. You want it flaky.
Taste test for texture. Add more liquid if it needs moisture to obtain
the right consistency.
Season to your liking with fresh minced herbs and a dab of raw agave.
Use in sandwiches, roll-ups, lettuce cups. Serve as an appetizer spread
for crackers.
If you like the taste of raw red onion, add a teaspoon or two of minced
Bermuda onion.
If you like curry, add curry to the mixture. Add chopped golden raisins
for a spicy-sweet Indian twist.
Servings: 4
Nutrition per Serving:
152 Calories, 12.7g Fat, 0.9g Saturated Fat, 0mg Cholesterol,
7.1g Carbs, 3.3g Fiber, 99mg Sodium, 5.2g Protein
