10/17 Meatless Goes Vintage-Waldorf Salad
For the second exciting installment of modernizing vintage foods, I give to you, the vegan Waldorf Salad. For a brief history, I went to The Kitchen Project.com.
“Waldorf salad [WAWL-dorf] (was) created at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in 1896 not by a chef but by the maître d’hôtel, (dining room manager) Oscar Tschirky, the Waldorf salad was an instant success. The original version of this salad contained only apples, celery and mayonnaise. Chopped walnuts later became an integral part of the dish. Waldorf salad is usually served on top of a bed of lettuce.”
I have loved and admired Waldorf salad my entire life. It has long been one of my mom’s specialties and seeing a bowl of it gives me a sense memory of joy without a beginning or an end. I look back now and realize it may have been my first foray into the delight of combining sweet and savory. The Waldorf of my youth has always contained apples, raisins, grapes, celery, walnuts and mayo. That hardly needs perfecting but when you can make it vegan and improvise with your favorite fruits and nuts….why not?
Waldorf Salad
by: S. Duquet
Salad Ingredients
4 stalks of celery diced
1/2 C dried Cherries ( I used unsulfured. Here is a link to some info about unsulfured dried fruit that I found interesting )
1/2 C raw pecans rough chopped
1 C sliced seedless grapes ( I used red and green)
2 C skin-on diced apples ( I used Honey Crisp)
Dressing Ingredients
2 1/2 tsp agave
1 C Silken tofu
1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Make It Happen
~Place salad ingredients into a large bowl and set aside.
~Put dressing ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until creamy. Pour over fruits and veggies. Mix until combined.
The tofu mayo is spot on for its dairy counterpart. The garlic powder, apple cider vinegar and agave are just right to replicate the unmistakable yet bizarrely tasty funk of mayonnaise. The pecans are a warm addition to the tart cherries and honey crisp apples.
It is such a wonderful salad and it makes my insides feel loved without the need for cholesterol laden, disease causing dairy products. Now that is a vintage dish worth modernizing.
Have a delicious day.
Tags: compassionate eating, dairy free, healthy Waldorf Salad, oil free Waldorf Salad, plant based diet, trying vegan, vegan mayonnaise, vegan side dish, vegan Waldorf Salad, vegan wannabe
