Moustache Pitza and Curried Carrot Raisin Salad

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My friend Rose and I have a dinner tradition. We meet at Moustache Pitza in Greenwich Village, and we feast on hummus. A lot of hummus. Unseemly, unladylike, unfathomable amounts of hummus. See this spread, below?

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That’s a fairly average first course for us. The hummus servings at Moustache are quite liberal. You will notice that we’ve ordered three of them.

Though technically much more than a hummus joint, Moustache is worth going to solely for its pureed chickpeas, which are perfectly seasoned, silky smooth, brightly flavored with lemon, and dusted with good olive oil. The babaganoush is also a thing of beauty: so incredibly smoky and sweet (I have yet to make a batch of babaganoush the authentic way: I’ll have to try). When you’re like me, and you consider hummus a food group, dining at a place like Moustache is a rare treat. I usually just order 2-3 hummus servings, and eat them with a simple salad and pita or a chickpea and spinach dish. When food is this flavorful, you don’t need it to be fancy.

I found myself at Moustache two nights ago, catching up with Rose for the first time in months. As I’ve mentioned before, Rose is very dear to me—one of my closest friends, and also one of the smartest and most insightful people I know. I have missed her tremendously in DC, so it was wonderful to sit, to feast on hummus continually for hours (we ordered more tomatoes and pita so that we could keep dipping and dining), and to talk about 2011. And the folks at Moustache allowed us—as they always do—to linger long into the evening.

While not explicitly vegan, Moustache also offers a number of cooked vegan dishes and pitza options—just check out the menu, here. If you’re in NYC or visiting, and you want to dine someplace that’s omni friendly but focused heavily on pureed legumes, I can’t recommend this cozy, charming space enough. It’s always a first stop when I get home.

Today, I traded cumin for curry, and came up with the following oh-so-simple slaw. As I’ve mentioned, my Mom hasn’t got any fancy raw kitchen gear here, so I’ve been focusing on salads, soups, and slaws. This salad—curried carrot and raisin slaw—isn’t exactly creative, but I’d never made one like it before, and it was very tasty. I made it to serve 2, but you could double the recipe easily. And like most slaws, flavors will improve and deepen if you let it sit overnight.

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Curried Carrot Raisin Slaw (vegan, raw, gluten and soy free)

Serves 2

8 carrots, grated
2 oz raisins (about a heaping 1/3 cup)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp agave
1/4 tsp sea salt
pepper

1) Mix carrots and raisins. You may need to give the carrots a squeeze to remove some excess moisture.

2) Whisk together oil, vinegar, curry, agave, and salt.

3) Pour dressing over carrots and let marinate for at least a few hours.

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Simple and delicious.

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Though not a meal sized salad by any means, this could go nicely in another salad, or you can serve it as a fresh, raw side dish to any raw or cooked meal. It’s tangy, sweet, and hits an unexpected note with the curry—no boring mayo slaw dressing here!

With that, I get to meet the wonderful Melissa for dinner at Blossom tonight. Can’t hardly wait. Thanks for the great feedback I’ve gotten so far on the new FAQ’s—please keep it coming! Very helpful to me. See you back here tomorrow.

xo

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    31 Comments
  1. i was lucky enough to find Blossom on my way to the Museum of Natural History on my ONE DAY vacation in Manhattan and was thrilled by their raw food offerings! I am totallly inspired to undust my mandoline and try to recreate those papery thin sweet potato slices for rolling up deliciousness.

  2. I often refer to myself as a hummus junkie – the more I get, the more I want! These pics are fantabulous and the slaw looks delish too!

  3. You had me at moustache. Then, you had me at curry. Is there anything curry doesn’t taste good on? 🙂

  4. This is such a great name for a place to eat and even better that it backs it up with what looks like great food.

  5. Yum. I do a similar salad with grated beetroot and carrot, cumin, grated ginger, flaxseed/chia oil, sultanas, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Serve with some tamari/cumin marinated tempeh and steamed kale dressed with a hemp-miso ginger dressing.

  6. You say “not a nutrient dense salad by any means”…do you mean to say “a meal sized salad”? That’s where the link goes, and it seems nutrient dense to me!

  7. wow that hummus is amazing, seemingly endless bowls. i could go crazy. i’d have to smuggle in some carrot sticks though because most places like that don’t have GF bread (or maybe they do in NYC–they are always way ahead).

    the slaw looks good. i’ve been doing side salads like that, they keep well and add well to other things.

  8. I love carrot and raisin slaw! The curry powder is a great idea. Trader Joe’s Broccoli Slaw is also great for stuff like this!

  9. !!! perfection. here is a glimpse into my life. for whatever reason, i’m always drawn to the kosher ready made counter at my local deli. i’m not jewish. however, i ALWAYS pick up the carrot raisin salad & drain it off as much as possible since i’m not a mayo fan. now i can make it sans mayo myself!! p.s. my juicer is coming tonight!! i’m going to attempt to bake my juice pulp into crackers at a low temp on my oven since i decided against a dehydrator (prob wouldn’t use it enough to mke it worth it!) i’ll let you know how it goes!

  10. I’m so loving your posts right now – firstly because they’re as interesting and informative as always. And secondly because you are inadvertently planning my trip to NYC in Feb for me. Thanks! :p

  11. Never tried moustache, but it does look tempting. And so does salad!

  12. Yum, carrots again! I think I’m having carrot slaw for breakfast tomorrow!

    Did you see my post from Israel where I made baba ghanoush with my grandma, roasting the eggplant on the gas stove? No fancy equipment except a box grater (which isn’t fancy!) In Israel, there’s a whole wall of different kinds of hummus-type things at the supermarket–you’d love it! (Except that I was dismayed by how many of them have preservatives…)

    So glad that you’re getting good visits in with dear friends at beloved haunts.
    love
    Ela

  13. Apart from one I made myself, the last carrot salad like this I had was in Paris, so you’ve simultaneously made me travelsick for NY and Paris, dear Gena. Bravo indeed 😉

  14. That hummus looks delish!
    And that curried carrot raisin slaw makes me very curious!!!

  15. I love that second picture! There’s a place in my college town that serves hummus like that and we eat it right up.

  16. my mom makes a similar carrot-raisin salad with cumin, rather than curry, for a moroccan taste. I am ogling that hummus spread.

  17. LOVE moustache. I’m a big fan of their green pitza (no cheese), their foul and their eggplant dip (which I can never spell) which is ridiculous! Glad this little spot is getting some blog love! Have you been to Mimi’s hummus in Ditmas? Far away but so worth the trek! Think you would love their tahini cauliflower salad too! Yum, yum!

  18. I love this restaurant! Too bad the pita has to be ordered separately though. Have you tried the lumi drink? Quite refreshing!

  19. Carrots and raisins just go together. You used agave, I like brown sugar..but a touch of vinegar is perfect for the sweet and tangy effect. And with the pepper and oil and salt…you get all the textures and flavors all in one bite…mmm, good.

    Glad you and Rose had time to catch up and just spend time together!