Carrot & Raisin Salad with Pumpkin Seeds

Oh the good old Carrot & Raisin Salad… another throwback to my youth. Do you remember this salad from your past? I feel like it was a 70’s thing. I recall my mom making this often when we were growing up. I am sure she was trying to get through the copious amounts of carrots we grew in our garden. There is only so much you can put in cold storage for the winter. Mom’s Carrot & Raisin Salad really stole my heart as a kid. Somehow it seemed so fancy. I guess I was a weird kid. 😉

Mom’s Carrot & Raisin Salad was made with mayonnaise, which contains eggs and lots of oil. In fact, mayonnaise is around 65% oil. Often this is soy oil which is a genetically modified product. GMOs wreak havoc on our gut microbiome. There are vegan mayonnaises available, that don’t contain any eggs, if you are in a big hurry. Sadly, they are not much better, as far as the oil goes.

Make your own simple Vegan Mayonnaise for this salad!

My recipe for mayonnaise below, contains silken tofu instead of a lot of oil and egg yolks. It has the same consistency, but with the added benefit of being made from soy milk. Soy milk is a great source of: vitamins A, B, retinol, folate, calcium, protein, choline and phytoestrogens. You can read more about the benefits of soy milk here. If you are trying to wrap your head around why tofu is good for you, read my blog post here.

This mayonnaise is simple to make. Just add all ingredients, (silken tofu, apple cider vinegar, salt, dry mustard, and a tiny bit of oil and sugar), blend, et voila! You have vegan mayonnaise! No animal products, packaging, high amounts of oil, calories or price tag!

Happy Thanksgiving weekend to everyone. Maybe this Carrot & Raisin Salad with Pumpkin Seeds will be on your menu? There is so much to be grateful for, even though sometimes the current world situation makes us forget. Counting blessings!

Carrot and Raisin Salad with Pumpkin Seeds

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Serves: 4-5 Prep Time: 15 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• SALAD:
• 3 cups scrubbed and grated carrots
• 3 tablespoons raisins
• 3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
• 3-4 tablespoons Mayonnaise (recipe attached)
• 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
• freshly grated pepper
• VEGAN MAYONNAISE:
• 1 container of silken tofu (12 ounces), or other non-firm tofu
• 2 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cane sugar or maple syrup

Instructions

To Make the Salad:

1. Scrub and grate 3 cups of carrots into a medium sized bowl. (You can peel the carrots for a brighter look if they are a bit discoloured).
2. Add raisins and pumpkin seeds and stir into grated carrots.
3. Add 3-4 tablespoons of vegan mayonnaise (recipe below), or store bought if needed.
4. Stir in the dressing, then sprinkle with hemp seeds and top with freshly ground pepper.

To Make the Mayonnaise:

1. Blend together all mayonnaise ingredients in a blender.
2. Store remaining mayonnaise in a glass container in the fridge.  Can also be frozen. 

 

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