40 Days of Raw: Day 9, When I get into the groove

So, today, woke up and decided to attempt to put good use to the rest of my chard and came up with a KICK ASS salad. I've been munching it all day:

Pear and Chard salad:
1 bunch red chard (although any color will do, I like the look of the red)
1 whole red d'anjou pear
1/2 vidalia onion
1/2 red bell pepper
6-7 fresh radishes
1/2 cup raw walnuts

Soak chard in cold water and a little apple cider vinegar to kill any bugs or anything. This is a good habit to get into with all leafy greens. It also perks them up a little bit if they are wilting (this chard was about a week in the fridge, so it definitely appreciated the boost). While it's soaking, cut the pear into quarters, then divide those lengthwise by 4 and slice. Cut the vidalia onion in quarter rounds. Slice the bell pepper into rounds about the same length as the onion. Slice the radishes finely. You can run the walnuts through a processor, bang them with a hammer or crush them a little finer with the side of your chef's knife (the way you'd bang to peel garlic). You can also just use them as is :). Lastly, chiffonade your chard. I'd recommend just slicing around the middle vein as it can be a little tough when eating raw, but you don't have to, and I sure didn't this time. Toss all this stuff into a big tupperware or bowl. Dress as you please.

The dressing I used was a simple homemade balsamic vinaigrette:
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 c balsamic
herbs de province, salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Toss into an old dressing bottle, put your goodies in and SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE. Pour as much or as little as you'd like over it.

The pear really helps to balance out the green-y flavor of the chard, while the radishes pick up the peppery tang. I also tried out making radish butterflies. Let's just say that my knife skills need improvement.

Lastly, I mixed up some juice for myself. I used like, 3/4 water, 1/8 coconut water and 1/8 acai juice. I noticed something weird, maybe you have too-- acai has a distinctive spearmint scent and aftertaste, no? Maybe it's just me.

A truffle for an after work treat and we're baller.

Day 9: not hungry, not dehydrated, great new salad recipe? PUNK ROCK DAY.