Hearts of Palm Pasta Salad, Raw Vegan Recipe by Michelle Chua

​Last June I tried hearts of palm pasta for the first time in the Peruvian Amazon jungle and was intrigued by its texture and subtle deliciousness. I was very excited to find a canned version of the raw pasta at Whole Foods a few weeks ago.  It was advertised as low-carb pasta, called Palmini, which could be cooked just like ordinary wheat pasta, but I decided I enjoyed its raw taste and that a green salad would be perfectly cooling after a summer afternoon run.  Also, not cooking it meant preserving the potency of its natural nutrients, including minerals like potassium, copper, phosphorus and zinc.

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Hearts of Palm Pasta in the Amazon Rainforest

​As promised, here’s a recount of what I concocted at home.  As usual, taste it as you mix it, and alter it to your personal preferences and available resources.  I don’t often measure when I cook (unless I’m baking), but here’s an idea of measurements.  Enjoy playing with your food!
 
Mostly Organic Ingredients (for 1 serving):
 
-½ a can of raw Hearts of Palm pasta
-Large handful of kale
-A Persian cucumber
-1 lemon
-1 tomato
-1 avocado
-½ a handful of cilantro (helps detox from heavy metals)
-3 cloves of garlic (immune-boosting, anti-bacterial and antifungal)
-1/3 a small sweet yellow onion
-2 Tbs of hemp seeds (good vegan source of protein)
-Himalayan salt to taste
-Black pepper to taste
-2 Tbs Braggs Nutritional Yeast (good vegan source of Vitamin B)
-1-2 Tbs Chia seeds
-2 Tbs Pumpkin seeds (good source of immune-boosting zinc)
-1 sheet of Sushi Nori sea vegetable torn into pieces (good source of iodine)
-1 Tbs Braggs aminos
-2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-Chili flakes to taste

Steps:

1.Strain the amount of hearts of palm that you’ll use (store the rest with the liquid).  Set aside.
2.Chop up the kale into small shreds, and place in a bowl with the juice of the lemon and the avocado.
3.Massage the kale in the bowl until tender.  This processing aids digestion of its nutrients, as I learned from my days volunteering in the kitchen of Sun Café Organic Vegan Restaurant.
4.Dice the cucumber, tomato, garlic, onion and cilantro and add to the kale bowl.  I prefer to cut the garlic into tiny bits.
5. Add in the pasta, seeds and other ingredients and mix it all up.  Add the torn nori bits last, so they don't go soggy quickly (unless you enjoy that).
6.  Remember to wholeheartedly thank Mother Earth, the creatures and elements that supported and the plant ingredients for sharing their life force energy with you before devouring! :-)  This is a key step, and the most important one I learned from the Amazon.  Bueno provecho.
 

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