Southwestern Wedge Fully Loaded
Yield 4 Servings
Free of: gluten and top 8 allergens.
It's cold, crunchy, delicious and fun to eat!
Ingredients
Ranch Dressing
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds + water to cover
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/2 tsp salt, divided (1/4 tsp + 1/4 tsp)
1/2 cup hemp hearts (shelled hemp seeds)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tsp raw coconut aminos
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp minced fresh dill
1 tbsp minced fresh Italian parsley
2 tsp minced fresh chives
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp black pepper
Salad
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cup frozen corn, thawed and drained
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup grated cheddar cheeze
1 cup Bistro Croutons, or store bought
1 medium avocado, diced
1/4 cup diced red onion, soaked in ice water for 10-15 minutes (see recipe notes)
Instructions
- For the dressing, soak the sunflower seeds in a bowl with water to cover for 6 hours, or up to 8 hours. Drain and rinse well.
- Smash garlic clove with blade of knife. Sprinkle ¼ tsp salt over garlic. Mash into a paste with a fork. Set aside.
- Transfer sunflower seeds to a high-speed blender with hemp seeds, water, olive oil, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, coconut aminos, and vinegar. Start blending on low speed and gradually increase speed. Blend until smooth and creamy, about 45-60 seconds.
- Transfer to medium bowl, and whisk in reserved garlic, ¼ tsp salt, dill, parsley, chives, paprika, and pepper. Cover and place in refrigerator until ready to serve. This makes a scant 1 ½ cups.
- For the salad, remove the brown and wilted outer leaves from the head of lettuce. Cut in half from top to bottom through the stem, leaving the core intact. Each half will be cut in half again. Rinse the wedges with water and pat dry with paper towels. Carefully cut the core from each piece and place on separate salad plates, cut side up.
- Spoon the desired amount of dressing over each wedge. Top each wedge with tomatoes, corn, black beans, cheeze, croutons, avocado, and red onion. Drizzle more dressing as desired.
Notes
- Soaking chopped onions in ice water mellows their flavor. The cold water keeps the onions super crunchy, while the sulfur compounds that give onion its pungent, harsh flavor will dissipate in the water.
- Nuts and seeds have high amounts of enzyme inhibitors. This is a reason that unsoaked, they are hard to digest. Soaking neutralizes the enzymes allowing for proper digestion.
Courses Soups & Salads
Recipe by Your Allergy Chefs at https://www.yourallergychefs.com/southwestern-wedge-fully-loaded/