A raw, crunchy veggie salad with a decadent pesto dressing. Throw it together for a quick, light lunch or a colorful side dish.

There was a Korean restaurant I grew up frequenting in Ann Arbor, Michigan where we’d always order a dish called vegetable twigim (aka Korean vegetable fries). I sure liked carrots prepared that way when I was kid. But when my mom would cut them up in big chunks and toss them in a plain lettuce salad, those orange bits got picked out and shoved way over to the side of my plate.

When I finally got myself a mandolin and a vegetable peeler, I realized that changing the way I cut a carrot not only improved the texture (i.e., easier to chew) but also the way they soaked in flavor. I instantly feel in love with this technique.

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I dedicate this recipe to my loving Mom who, to this day, ALWAYS puts carrots in her salad. Modz (I usually called my mom Modz, which is short for Madre) – this is how (I think) you do carrots in a salad.

Delfina Bonilla Lopez

Rainbow Veggie Pesto Salad

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Total time:15 mins

Prep Time: 15 mins 15 minutes

Rainbow Veggie Pesto Salad

Recipe by: Delfina Bonilla Lopez

This raw, crunchy salad will add vibrant color to your plate.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb carrots
• 2 green zucchini (outside only)
• 2 yellow zucchini (outside only)
• 1 handful parsley
• ½ cup almonds
• 1 ½ - 2 T olive oil or avocado oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 lemon, juiced

Instructions

• Start off by peeling the carrots as well as the green and yellow zucchinis (you could also use yellow summer squash instead). Whether you’re using a peeler or a mandolin, use the “Julienne” setting so you end up with beautiful, long, thin strips.
• Set the strips aside and toss the parsley, almonds, olive or avocado oil, garlic, lemon juice and salt into a food processor.
• Process until it becomes a thick, pesto-like paste.
• Transfer the pesto and the rainbow veggie strips into a large bowl and mix everything together. Because you’re mixing a thick, pesto-like paste into veggies strips, I recommend using both hands instead of tongs to really spread everything evenly and avoid clumps.
• Once the pesto is evenly distributed, serve as is. In my opinion, this would go nicely alongside some grilled shrimp or poached fish, but it is quite hearty and can certainly hold its own as a standalone meal.

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