Caribbean Salad Inspired by my Stay in India

Caribbean Salad Inspired by my Stay in India

I’m back from my month in India. Totally refreshed and ready to start working again, so weekly recipes are back, Yahoo! What an incredible time I had away. I didn’t go travelling in India but spent the full month in the Osho International Meditation Resort and did a life transforming process called Osho Mystic Rose. I can highly recommend it. It was a process I’d been wanting to do for many years. I used to say if I died without doing Mystic Rose I would die with a big regret. Now I can happily say I can die peacefully with no regrets. However I am not planning on dying yet as I am excited to be taking all the insights I gained through Mystic Rose and being in the Osho International Meditation Resort into my daily life.  In addition I have so many recipes I want to try out!

 

I love India and I love the resort, the food is delicious too and so clean as it is tested daily for any nasties, so it is always stress free eating there. However there is one thing I always miss when in India and that is salad. I only ate lettuce twice in the whole month. This is big for me as I usually eat lettuce twice a day. So of course I am making salad after salad on my return. The first salad I made is the one I share with you today and the inspiration came actually from a salad I had in the resort the other week. I am not sure what the dressing was on the salad I had in India but the dressing I share with you is very good. I have fancied the salad up a bit and on the second time of making it I also grilled the pineapple, which added another wonderful flavour boost. So I recommend doing that. 

 

This salad is perfect as a complete meal as it has lots of protein in it but also would be great as an accompaniment to Jerk Mushrooms. To make the jerk mushrooms you just marinate the mushrooms with the jerk mix (recipe below) and some olive oil, garlic and a splash of lemon juice. Then you leave them for at least a few hours and then grill them until charred and cooked through.
 

Serves 4 as a main

350g tofu cut into cubes

3 tsp jerk seasoning

4 tbsp olive oil 

1 to 1½ cups rice crumbs 

1 large cos lettuce (romaine) or an iceberg, shredded

4 slices of pineapple (the full round of the pineapple) cut in half

1 large zucchini cut in 1.5 cm rounds

2 cobs corn (if they are large then one will be enough)

1 small Spanish onion sliced

(This makes a lot so you could halve the recipe if you like, as you only need 6 tsp)

3 tbsp onion powder

3 tbsp garlic powder

2 tbsp ginger powder

2 tbsp dried thyme 

2 tsp ground white pepper 

1 tbsp ground cinnamon 

2 tbsp of all spice 

1 tbsp nutmeg 

2 tablespoons paprika 

4-6 tbsp of coconut sugar (optional but does make it good)

2 tbsp hot pepper (optional) 

4 tbsp onion flakes 

Flesh of one small mango (I used 1 cup of frozen mango I had in my freezer – fresh is best)

1 clove of cooked garlic 

Juice of 1 small lime

3 tsp maple syrup 

2 tsp smoked paprika

2 tbsp olive oil 

1 tbsp or more of water to thin

Salt to taste 

Cayenne pepper to taste 

 

For the Jerk seasoning grind all the ingredients and mix together. Store in an airtight container.

 

For the dressing place all of the ingredients in a blender.

 

Place 6 tsp of the jerk seasoning in a bowl with 4 tbsp olive oil and combine. Marinade the tofu cubes in this. You can leave it for an hour or so or crumb them straight away.

 

To crumb the tofu, place the rice crumbs in a bowl and roll each tofu cube in the crumbs and set aside on a plate.

Chargrill the corn on the cob over the naked gas flame of your stove. Ensure some of the kernels go browny/black.

In a griddle pan cook the zucchini for 4 to 5 minutes on each side then slice the rounds in half. 

On the griddle pan place the pineapple and cook until it is grilled on both sides then cut into smaller pieces.

Fry the tofu cubes in some unrefined sunflower or avocado oil until crisp on each side.

 

Wash the lettuce then shred it and assemble the salad either in a large salad bowl or on individual plates. Drizzle on the dressing.
 

Exciting changes have been made to the Vegan Chef and Lifestyle Training. The training is still nine modules long but is broken up into three sections making it easier for those who have to relocate to attend. You can do the foundation course (section 1) as usual at any time. Then module two to five (section 2) will be offered in September 2019 and then module six to nine (section 3) in May/June 2020. This also allows you to practice and recipe develop much more in between the three sections making you a much more confident and employable vegan chef.  There are extra days added and more guest facilitators. I almost can’t wait until September 2019.

 

I am very excited. I already have bookings for the September 2019 module two to six. So it would be good to start thinking about whether you would like to train as a vegan chef. The best way to see if this training is for you is to book into a foundation course and see if you like the way I facilitate and the content covered.  The August foundation course starting this week is fully booked however I still have 6 places left in the October and both November foundation courses this year. Next years course dates are also up on the website so you can start planning.

 

I really look forward to having you along for this exciting journey into the world of vegan cuisine.

 

Have a great week everyone

 

Love Veet