Carrot and Cucumber Veggie Noodle Salad with Cilantro Hemp Pesto

Vegetable noodles are common in vegan and raw diets, but you don’t need to be vegan or following a raw diet to enjoy the benefits of this technique. When I get to my cabin, this will be a typical meal served with no meat or with the addition of a grilled portobello mushroom. Here we served the carrot and cucumber noodles with grilled deer. You may not have access to wild game, so serve it with chicken, beef, pork or omit the the meat entirely for a satisfying gluten free vegan meal.

I used lime in this pesto, simply for a different flavor profile, but lemon would work too.

Cilantro Hemp Pesto (dairy free)

• 1 cup of lightly packed cilantro leaves and stems
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp hemp seeds
• juice of 1/2 a lime (or lemon)
• 1 garlic clove minced
• salt and pepper to taste

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until the cilantro is finely minced but not pureed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Leftovers: Left overs make a delicious sandwich spread. Add to burgers, a grilled cheese or use it as a topping for a burst of flavor on tomato soup.

Carrot and Cucumber Noodles Salad

Serves 2

• 2 carrots
• 1/4 English cucumber, seeds removed (zucchini works well too)
• 1 cup cilantro leaves
• 3 cups spinach leaves
• juice of 1/2 orange
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp agave, honey, maple or sweetener of your choice
• salt and pepper

Remove the seeds of the cucumber by scraping with a spoon (skip this step if using a zucchini). Using a julienne peeler, spiralizer or mandoline, make “noodles” out of the carrots and cucumber. In a large bowl add the carrots and cucumber along with the cilantro and spinach. In a small bowl, blend the orange juice, lime juice, oil and agave. Season with salt and pepper. Toss the vegetables with some of the dressing. Top with the cilantro hemp pesto.

Additional topping: Grilled meat or fish, grilled portobello mushrooms or oven roasted eggplant.