Carrot Salad with Creamy Cashew-Ginger Dressing

I think we all have unpleasant memories of church-supper carrot salad that our grandmothers seem to enjoy: That concoction of grated carrots, claggy mayonnaise, canned pineapple if you were lucky, and black raisins. Why they enjoyed this, no one knows. Perhaps it was a staple during 1950s high school Home Economics classes and it “stuck.”

Here, we happily get a raw food makeover that is much healthier, gorgeous to look at, and is rich and satisfying to-boot. Mayonnaise is replaced with a zippy ginger-cashew dressing with golden raisins as its base. Sweet, tri-colored carrots get a spirilized treatment and fresh pineapple replaces the canned stuff. All in all, a very appealing raw-vegan makeover that’s sure to please.

4 Servings

4-5 tri-colored carrots, spirilized

½ cup golden raisins

¼ cup raw cashews

½ inch knob of ginger

½ cup water

¾ cup diced, fresh pineapple

Additional cashews for garnish

Blend the raisins, cashews, ginger, and water in a high-speed blender until smooth. Toss the dressing with the spirilized carrots, add the pineapple, and garnish with extra cashews.