Raw Vegan Waldorf Salad with Apple Chia Dressing

An Easy, Delicious Salad with Fall Flavors and Lots of Nutritional Benefits

This very easy salad looks and tastes like fall with apples and cranberries. It is also packed with healthful ingredients. Since all the ingredients are "raw", you are getting the maximum benefits from the vitamins, especially vitamin C that is easily destroyed in the cooking process, as well as the live enzymes. Besides being high in vitamin C, apples are rich in fiber known to protect the heart, control blood sugar and protect against cancer. Cranberries have been shown to protect against urinary tract infections. Raw walnuts and chia seeds are high in omega 3 fatty acid whose anti-inflammatory properties help protect the heart and cognitive function, and prevent arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. Each serving of this recipe provides 1.1 g of omega 3 and 3.0 g of omega 6. It also provides nearly 4 grams of fiber.

No Mayo

I've always wondered why Waldorf salad, full of delicate, fresh ingredients, was commonly made with a heavy, oily mayonnaise dressing. To lighten it up, I use a tangy fruit juice dressing with lemon and apple juice, sweetened with a little raw agave syrup and thickened with hydrated chia seeds.

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Raw Vegan Waldorf Salad with Apple Chia Dressing [4 servings]

1/4 cup filtered water, room temperature

2 teaspoons dried chia seeds

1 tablespoon raw agave syrup (or raw honey*)

1 tablespoon fresh apple juice

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 cups diced apple, with skin

1 cup celery, diced

1/3 cup dried, sweetened cranberries

1/4 cup raw English walnuts, chopped

4 leaves butter lettuce (optional)

* honey not considered vegan

Early in the day, mix dried chia seeds into filtered water. Let sit for several hours until it forms a gel. In a small bowl, combine agave syrup, apple juice and lemon juice with the chia gel. Set aside. Combine apple, celery, cranberries and English walnuts. Add the apple chia dressing and mix together. Spoon each serving onto a small leaf of butter lettuce.

Per serving: 139.2 calories, 5.7 g fat, 0.6 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 1.7 g protein, 21.4 g carbohydrates, 3.9 g fiber, 1.1 g omega 3 and 3.0 g omega 6 fatty acid.

This recipe was revised on January 25, 2010. I increased the amounts of chia seeds, agave syrup, apple and lemon juice and diced apple. I changed the number of servings from 2 to 4.