Carrot Raisin Salad

It seems like in the 60s, you could coat just about anything with mayonnaise and call it a “salad.” This led to some truly horrific concoctions indeed. (That’s my contribution to your Halloween nightmares, right there.) At any rate, you should know that my version of the classic carrot raisin salad is modernized, fancified, and completely devoid of mayonnaise. Seriously, mayonnaise on carrots? Who came up with this stuff?

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Mind you, even a modern, fancy carrot salad still has to have shredded carrots in it. I’m not reinventing the wheel here. Start with a 10-ounce bag, or about 3 cups.

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And of course, raisins. Most brands are fine, but on rare occasion you might find one that is dusted with flour to prevent sticking, so double-check that your package says it contains nothing but raisins. (Many also contain the preservative sulphur dioxide, which, while not a source of gluten, also ain’t so good for you in the long run. All natural is the way to go.)

You know how, when you were a kid, there was always that one house that gave out boxes of raisins at Halloween, instead of something good? Heck, in my neighborhood we had a dentist who actually gave out toothbrushes, the old Scrooge. (Don’t question my cross-holiday metaphors, I’m working here.) Anyway, I don’t know if it’s lingering childhood bitterness, or a genuine tastebud aversion, but for whatever reason I actually really don’t like raisins. So I use golden raisins here instead, about 1/2 cup to be specific. But don’t let my prejudices cloud your own judgment; if you’d prefer to stick with the traditional dark raisins, I won’t hold it against you.

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Now pour in about 1 cup of Minute Maid Original orange juice. [As always, the brands I use were GFCF at the time of posting, but manufacturers can change formulas without warning. Always check your labels!] Aside from avoiding brands that contain gluten (and there are some!) it’s also probably best to avoid any orange juice that is fortified with calcium, rather than try to figure out whether that calcium came from a non-dairy source. Or better yet, you could just squeeze some actual oranges — you know, juice them, as it were.

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Pack everything down so that the liquid comes to the top of the carrots. Then cover the bowl and refrigerate for several hours, to allow both the raisins and the carrots to soak up that lovely orange flavor. The raisins will actually swell and become kind of plump again, it’s neat.

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When you’re closer to meal time, measure out about 1/2 cup of walnut pieces and toast them until they’re light and crispy. The easiest way to do this is to pop them in the microwave for a minute at a time until they’re done. You can also do it in a dry pan on the stovetop, or even on a tray in the oven, but both of those take longer and are more likely to burn the nuts.

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Drain the excess orange juice from the carrot mixture, then toss in the toasted walnuts and serve. And here’s a tip: switch out those raisins for dried cranberries, and this becomes a perfect GFCF Thanksgiving side dish.

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Happy Eating!

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The GFCF Lady’s Carrot Raisin Salad

3 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup walnut pieces