A healthy French crudité.
With the exception of the raisins, this appetizer, or “crudité,” is very French with its characteristic vinaigrette dressing, including touches of garlic, Dijon mustard, extra-virgin olive oil (EV
OO), balsamic vinegar, andthe somewhat unusual (and very underutilized) herb marjoram.
utrition-wise, plenty of carotenoids will come from both carrots and parsley, folic acid also from parsley, and resveratrol from the raisins. And we can’t forget the many benefits—for cardiovascular health and beyond—of both the EVOO and raw garlic. All in all, a raw foods nutritional treasure trove!
This recipe takes about 20 minutes to prepare—just ahead of the dinnertime main course! Count on 3-4 servings. Try for organic ingredients throughout, but especially for the raisins, as grapes are among the most pesticide-contaminated of fruits.
Ingredients
- 3 cups grated carrots
- 6 tbsp raisins (or more to taste)
- ½ bunch fresh parsley (chopped, not too finely)
- 1 ½ tsp dried marjoram
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 2 medium cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- ½ fresh-squeezed lemon
- 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar (or more to taste)
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup EVOO
Optional/Alternates
- Fresh basil leaves, finely-chopped (instead of dried basil)
- Apple cider vinegar (instead of balsamic)
Preparation
Combine carrots, raisin and chopped parsley in a medium-sized bowl.
Combine the remaining (vinaigrette) ingredients in a Pyrex measuring cup or similar. Taste-test before proceeding to next step.
Pour vinaigrette ingredients into bowl and mix thoroughly.
Voilà!!