Cabbage, Pear & Walnut Salad with Creamy French Dressing (Vegan!)

I was skeptical! In the past I have been known to not like things that crunch or are raw or include onions or ... well you get the idea! You guys all know I was a super picky eater, but this was one that I had not overcome yet, but we started doing Raw Wednesdays around our house and so of course I had to try some more new stuff.  This one was a hit!! In fact, Nate's comment was "I think we could actually go 80% raw foods!"  I of course told him I wasn't quite ready for that, but either way we have this one often now on Wednesdays. :)

In a large bowl, combine:
1 Cabbage, thinly sliced & shredded ( I buy it from Trader Joe's already shredded in a bag!)
1/2 Onion, very thinly sliced
5 Celery stalks, cut very thin or chopped
2 Pears, ripe and thinly sliced

In a smaller bowl, combine:
1/2 c. Raw walnuts, chopped
1 Tbsp Nutritional yeast
1 tsp Onion powder
dash of salt & pepper
Add this bowl to the large bowl and mix.

For the dressing, in a mini blender, combine:
1/2 c. EVOO
1/3 c. Apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp Tarragon (or substitute 1 pinch cinnamon, 1 pinch parsley)
1/4 tsp Mustard powder
2 tsp Onion powder
1/2 tsp Paprika
sea salt to taste
1/4 tsp Lemon pepper
2 tsp Maple syrup
1 Tbsp Nutritional yeast

Mix it all together and ENJOY!

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Sun-Dried Tomato, Sweet Potato, Kale and White Bean Soup

This is a power packed super dinner!! And delicious!

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp fennel seeds, ground if you can find them that way
1 medium onion chopped,
1 medium sweet potato, cubed
16-20 oz. fresh tomatoes, diced or 2 cans
6 cups vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp fresh, chopped oregano or 1 tsp if dried
3-4 cups of kale leaves, chopped
1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
sea salt
ground pepper

Note:  I chopped the onion, the tomatoes, the carrots, and the kale (separately) in my Ninja. Saved me a ton of time!!!

Heat a few tablespoons of stock in a pot over medium heat.  Add the garlic and fennel seeds.  Cook, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes. Add onion, potato and carrot, stirring for 5 minutes more. 

Add the tomatoes, stock, bay leaves and oregano.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat so that it continues at a simmer.

Add the kale, beans and sun-dried tomatoes.  Simmer until the vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes or however long you want to leave it on low.  Salt and pepper to taste.

This is also a great crock-pot soup, if you would prefer to do it that way!

Serves 8.

Nutrition Facts:
Calories-153
Fat-0.9g
Carbs-30g
Fiber-6g
Sugars-10g
Protein-6g