I’ve done diets with and without vinegar. Since it is a processed product from a bottle I encourage you to do your own research and decide if you want to keep it in your diet. I found this awesome article by Paleo Magazine, Is Vinegar Paleo? It’s got some great links and quotes from our favorite paleo authorities on the topic.
I normally use apple cider vinegar, since I consider it a traditional raw and fermented food with the mother (culture) still in the bottle. However, this recipe just tastes better with rice wine vinegar. Decide for yourself what works best with your body. Lemon or grapefruit juice can be a great substitute if you are looking for an alternative to vinegar in recipes, especially in salad dressings. I often ask restaurants to bring me a side of lemons and some olive oil for my salads. Citrus juicers are pretty inexpensive if you need to make a lot of juice for a large recipe. You can also keep the juice ready to go in the fridge, to use whenever you need it. If you choose to only use apple cider vinegar consider infusing it with some herbs or spices, so you can have different flavors.
This salad is the only one I know that actually tastes just as good, if not better the next day so go ahead and make a ton! You will be surprised how fast it disappears. I went easy on the raw onions, but I love them and normally add more.
I’m really proud of this recipe because I made raw cashew butter for the first time with my new food processor, which I love love love! This blog post by The Healthie Foodie has great pictures that walk you through how to make your own raw cashew butter in a food processor. Trust me, you need the pictures. Then, I added my leftover green chutney I had in the freezer. Since the chutney wasn’t fresh, it was a bit less spicy, which is a good thing since I’m bringing this to a new year’s party and everyone has different spicy preferences. The main ingredients in the chutney are cilantro and lemon juice, and the cashew butter adds a rich fatty texture and tangy flavor that resembles cream cheese. Whenever I’m eating a rich fatty dip, I like to use a cucumber slice for a refreshing contrast and because they have a nice a crunch.
4 cups of raw cashews (or 1 bag from trader's joe)
1.5 cups (I used a liquid measuring cup) of green chutney
3 cucumber chopped
Instructions
Add cashews to food processor, first it will turn into cashew meal/flour, then as more oil is released it will form a dough ball. Break up ball and keep processing until more oil is released, repeat until it becomes creamy.
Add green chutney to food processor, blend until smooth.
My mom found locally sourced chicken liver, and I really wanted to try this recipe with her. She got the liver from the Ramsey (New Jersey) farmer’s market. Bubby, my grandmother from my dad’s side, used to make this dish, so my mom had some idea what it should taste like and how to prepare it. It was really easy. I plan on making this recipe as often as I can find grass-fed chicken livers out in LA. I’ve had trouble tracking them down so far. I love eating this with cucumber slices. It adds a freshness to a a very rich food. Plus, I regularly snack on cucumber slices with sea salt and black pepper. Since there is quite a bit of both in this dish, I thought cucumbers would be a great paleo alternative to toast.
