Fennel, Carrot and Spinach Salad with Seaweed and Walnuts

Amazing raw food dishes don’t have to be complex. It is all about textures, good ingredients, simple flavours and attention to detail. To celebrate an abundance of raw, fresh, living foods and sunny winter days here is a simple yet yummilicious recipe for a fulfilling lunch or dinner.

This salad is medicinal, rich in protein and trace-minerals. Seaweed is wild and rich in trace minerals and polysaccharides while greens are awesome for you. They balance your blood with magnesium, calcium and iron is included! Finally, fennel is super rich in antioxidants, it is calming and anti-inflammatory.

Taken from the menu at the Wild Food Café, a plant-based, raw-centric café pioneering the raw food revolution with experimental and delicious recipes. Nourishing foodie aficionados and educating the palates of passers-by in Neal’s Yard, a magical corner of London’s Covent Garden.

Joel is co-Founder, Director and Executive Chef of Wild Food Café in Neal’s Yard, London. Joel is a pioneer of the wellbeing revolution and ignites this passion in others through both his restaurant and the Wild Wellbeing and Raw Food immersion courses that he runs throughout the year.

Print Recipe

Fennel, Carrot and Spinach Salad with Seaweed and Walnuts

Prep Time

20 minutes

Servings

2 people

Ingredients

• 1 whole organic fennel
• 1 whole organic carrot
• 1 handful walnuts
• 1 handful fresh seaweed nori, wakame or kombu
• 1/2 bunch baby spinach

For the spinach marinate

• 1/2 juice lemon
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 whole shallot
• 2 or 3 pre-soaked sun-dried tomatoes
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper

For the dressing

• 2 tbsp cold pressed pumpkin seed butter
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 juice lemon

Prep Time 20 minutes Servings 2 people Ingredients 1 whole organic fennel 1 whole organic carrot 1 handful walnuts 1 handful fresh seaweed nori, wakame or kombu 1/2 bunch baby spinach For the spinach marinate 1/2 juice lemon 1 clove garlic 1/2 whole shallot 2 or 3 pre-soaked sun-dried tomatoes 5 tbsp olive oil salt and pepper For the dressing 2 tbsp cold pressed pumpkin seed butter 2 tbsp water 1 juice lemon

Instructions

1. Start with washing and de-stalking the spinach. Chop it up lengthwise and put aside in a bowl.
2. Add the juice of 1/2 lemon, finely chopped garlic, shallot, sundried tomato, salt, pepper and oil and massage till spinach looks wilted. Be quite generous with the salt here as salt, together with lemon juice softens the spinach and makes it more digestible.
3. Use a potato peeler or spiralizer to make thin, transparent carrot ribbons. Then chop fennel in small cubes and mix together with carrot and walnut in a separate bowl.
4. Add soaked and washed seaweed cut into long “noodle-like” strips. Mix in the spinach into the rest of the salad using all the leftover marinate from the bottom of the bowl.
5. Finally the dressing: In a small bowl mix pumpkin seed butter with water, lemon juice and a bit of salt – make sure the consistency is runny enough but not too watery. You want a lush, creamy dressing.
6. Serve as it is or with a handful of good quality olives for extra yumminess.

Recipe Notes

Small tip: this same recipe can be used to make a wicked miso soup. Just add two TBSP of unpasteurized miso paste, and 0.75ml hot or warm water and you have the most amazing, flavoursome, probiotic soup.