This is a unique salad with so much deliciousness! Constructed from layers of yams, beets, and apples, sprinkled with a dusting of ground nuts and raisins, it makes a beautiful presentation for the holidays. The garlic-curry oil on the spiralized yams is a surprise and is deeply satisfying, especially when carbs are craved. Add beets with Juniper Balsamic vinegar, and apples with lemon juice for a richly flavored, tangy, and sweet taste experience.

You'll need a Spiralizer to make the noodles - it does a fabulous job. We found that a Saladacco isn't strong enough to make noodles from beets and yams.


Ingredients: Serves 2
1 cup yam noodles
1 cup beet noodles
1 cup apple noodles
2 tablespoons Spectrum Walnut oil, or a mild oil of your choice
1 tablespoon Juniper Balsamic vinegar
2-3 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
Small handful of walnuts, cashews, and raisins

Directions
Scrub beet, apple, and yam. Remove skin or any bad spots.
Spiralize yam, beet, and apple.
To make sure you get the proper amount, place noodles in a measuring cup and press down lightly. Cut them to preferred size.
As you work, place yam, beet, and apple noodles in individual bowls.
Put oil and curry on yam noodles, and toss to mix.
Put balsamic vinegar on beet noodles and toss to mix.
Put lemon juice on apple noodles and toss to mix.
Assemble salad on individual dinner plates.
Start with a layer of yams. Place beets on next, and top with apples.
Put nuts and raisins in a food processor and pulse to desired texture.
Sprinkle on top of salad and serve.

Last week, all through the day, the foods that Rex and I ate felt like stepping stones that were building greater health and energy as the day progressed. At 6 am we were vitalized by a fresh juice made from celery, apples, carrots, beets, alfalfa and clover sprouts, along with zesty lemon and ginger. The sprouts really packed a punch!

An hour later we downed a blueberry smoothie with some hemp seeds and a few figs. At 9 a.m. we took our daily dose of herbs from Dr. Robert Morse. For lunch we ate hearty, raw chia seed bread, topped with spinach and avocado, and then headed out for a walk in the woods. A green superfood drink quenched and nourished us after we returned, and in the late afternoon we gobbled up a snack of sliced pears and beautiful persimmons that we'd brought back from my step-mother's California groves—so many trees laden with beautiful orange fruit. For dinner we savored a warmed soup made from blended yams, tomatoes, sweet onion, sundried tomatoes, and seasoned with cumin and curry powder. The soup fortified us before going out to an art opening on a cold night. After a day of eating this way, I could literally see the effects that vibrant food was having. My skin looked fresher, moister, and my eyes seemed clearer and brighter.

The idea of building energy throughout the day, of becoming stronger by the end of the day than when the day begins, is exciting. I want to do my best to make this happen every day, so that over the course of weeks, months, and years, Rex and I get stronger, happier, and healthier. How wonderful is this?

Does it take time to prepare the food? Yes. But not as much time as eating out, or making a big cooked meal and doing a lot of cleanup. All the time spent in food preparation and shopping comes back to us in a hundred thousand ways. Most of these benefits happen deep within the body through trillions of chemical processes that go on without our being aware of them—except for the visible glow, the feelings of energy, and a sense of well being.

What makes your day special, a gift, a joy? Share your stories with us—we'd love to hear from you!