Let's make Healthy Carrot Raisin Salad

So I was raised in Southeast Ga and one thing that I love is carrot raisin salad. It's not a recipe that my mom or any in my immediate family would make. So whenever the opportunity presented, I knew I had to savor the moment.

From the sweetness of the pineapple to the way it perfectly compliments the crunch of the carrots, all blended with raisins. Mmm, this is defiantly a favorite of mine.

The first time I started I was approaching this dish to make it I knew I did not want to add mayonnaise. I consciously make decisions to make my food my nutriment and medicine. Dealing with PCOS for almost 2 decades I decided to stop taking medicine. I know between my food and God

I'll feed my body properly with nourishing food while feeding my soul with God. Between these two I have noticed a difference in my body. My cycles returned about 3 years ago consistently every month, I no longer have migraines, and finally, I'm able to get that stubborn weight off.

With that being said let's get into the recipe.

This is a disclaimer:

I do not measure when I cook. I can look, see, and, smell and know it will come out good.
 This is a "recipe guideline."
What is a recipe guideline?
It's like a recipe but none of the ingredients or measurements require a full commitment. This is cooking we are not signing a mortgage with our food.
 If you like it add more, if you don't add less. I will talk you through what I did and what works for me, but you have to do what works for you, your body, and your family.

Now let's Grab your ingredients

You may use pre-shredded or canned supplies. I would not recommend these options as they WILL change the flavor

• Fresh Pineapple (You can use canned)

• 5-6 Big Carrots Grated ( You may grab a bag of shredded carrots)

• Raisin (or golden raisin)

• 2 TBS Apple Cider vinegar (ACV/ If you don't like vinegar you can swap this acid for fresh lemon juice.)

• 1 Lemon (Optional )

• 1-2 TBS Olive oil ( you can use any oil, I would not recommend vegetable or canola oil)

Nuts and seeds

If you are feeling adventurous, go ahead and experiment! Add some walnuts or almonds for a crunch and tell me how it comes out.

Supplies you will need

• Bowl

• Cheese grater or Food processor

• Knife

• cutting board

• mixing spoon

I soaked my whole pineapple and carrots before using them for about 15+ minutes. I used a mixture of Water, vinegar, and sometimes, rarely a dash of salt in the water.

I like to use the whole carrot so I buy organic carrots and scrub them clean, then stack them. I do not peel the outer part of the carrots because there are a lot of nutrients.

Nutrients come from the soil. This is why it's so imported to feed the soil if you are a gardener. That's a story for another blog, but this is just one reason I don't peel my carrots.

There are a lot of benefits for women as well, this is why I will eat this, especially before my cycle.

Let's start by Shredding or grating the carrot. This takes a lot of extra elbow grease if you are using something with smaller holes, like a grater. You can skip this step if you buy already shredded carrots. I would recommend getting fresh and shredding yourself. You can use your cheese grater or food processor.

I Shred all my carrots, then place them in a bowl.

Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil and ACV.

I personally add a splash of each from the bottle depending on my quantity. You really only need enough to coat the carrots. You will add in your pineapple next so the juice from that will combine and be more than enough.

You may with the ACV for lemon juice but I prefer the ACV as it helps balances blood sugar and helps the body with PCOS symptoms.

I cut my pineapple and discard the top unless I want to plant it. I put my peels to the side for Pineapple Tea. I even have parts of the core.

So you will grab the top of your pineapple and twist off the leaves. Then, you will cut the bottom and top of the pineapple off. Now, it should be sitting straight up on your cutting board. At this point, you have a few options.

Option 1: You will not cut from the top towards the bottom of the pineapple. You will do this all the way around. until you are no longer left with any brown. Just the juicy sweet flesh of the pineapple

Option 2: You can you a pineapple corer

Option 3: You can buy

• Pre-cut Fresh pineapple

• Canned/ Jar pineapple (which will have added ingredients)

Once you have your pineapple cored you will cut it into smaller pieces and add it into your bowl. Whatever pineapple juice is on the cutting board, I make sure to add all of that as well.

Now you will add in your raisins and any addiction ingredients you like. Give this a good stir and place it in the fridge.

I normally make myself a bowl right away because I enjoy this dish a lot. I have noticed it always tastes the best when you give the ingredient time to marinate and chill for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

Enjoy!

✨Wishing you Peace, Love & Blessings ✨

-Sierra, Your bestie blogger.