Raw Vegan Chopped Salad With Fresh Tomato Basil Dressing - Enjoying Your Garden's Bounty! Naturally Gluten Free!

Raw chopped salads are simple and delicious!

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And Here Come the Vegetables!
Summer arrived late here in Northern California so my vegetable garden had a slow start but I'm finally getting some tomatoes, green beans, zucchini and fresh herbs. 
Whether you have your own garden or not, summer is the time when fresh vegetables are in abundance and at their peak. A good way to enjoy them is in a chopped salad.
A raw chopped salad is just a mixture of small diced raw vegetables. Besides vegetables, I like to throw in some walnuts for added crunch and heart healthy fats and some raisins for a chewy, sweet texture. Olives make a nice addition also.
Plan on about 1 1/2 cups of chopped veggies per person. Here's the ingredients of one I made last night along with a fresh salad dressing that used some tomatoes, basil and garlic from my garden.

Some of the fresh ingredients for my chopped salad.
You can use other veggies too along with nuts and raisins.

Squeeze lemon or lime juice on diced avocado before adding to salad so it doesn't discolor.

Add a few tablespoons of dressing to chopped vegetables.

You can make a little mold from aluminum foil and a clip.
Pour in the chopped salad and gently release the clip.
It may collapse a little (mine collapsed a lot!)

Squirt a little more dressing on top of the salad.
Bring extra dressing to the table.
I put mine in this cute little bear!

Chopped Summer Salad
Raw vegan, Gluten Free
[4 main course servings]
For the dressing
[makes about 1 1/4 cups or 20 tablespoons]
1 packed cup fresh tomatoes, diced
1 clove garlic, smashed
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped and packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime (or lemon) juice
1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
For the salad
1 avocado, diced
squeeze of lime or lemon juice
1 cup corn kernels (1 ear)
1 cup red bell pepper, small dice (1 medium pepper)
1 cup yellow patty pan or zucchini squash, small dice
1 cup green patty pan or zucchini squash, small dice
1/2 cup red onion, small dice
1 cup asparagus, small slices (save 8 2" tips for garnish)
1/4 cup raw English walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup dried raisins
4 sprigs basil for garnish (optional)


To make the dressing, add all ingredients, except the olive oil, to a Vitamix or other high speed blender. Blend until smooth.
At medium speed, drizzle the olive oil in through the top of the blender until combined. Put in a small squirt bottle or container and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix avocado with a little lemon or lime juice so that it will not discolor. Set aside.
Add the rest of the salad ingredients, except the asparagus tips and basil sprigs, to a large bowl.
Mix in a few tablespoons of dressing. 
Gently stir in the avocado.
Mound 1/4th of the salad on to each plate. Top with a little more dressing and garnish each mound with 2 asparagus tips and a sprig of basil.
Serve immediately with bottle of additional dressing.


Per serving (salad only): 204.6 calories, 10.6 g fat, 1.2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 5.7 g protein, 26.8 g carbohydrates and 6.5 g dietary fiber.


Per tablespoon of dressing: 13.8 calories, 1.4 g, 0.2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0.1 g protein, 0.5 g carbohydrates and 0.1 dietary fiber.