UPPER PENINSULA, Mich. (WJMN) – This month, Alex Palzewicz of Taste the Local Difference features local foods by highlighting a recipe from the Decolonizing Diet Project Cookbook which features Indigenous food recipes from the Great Lakes Region.

Alex is making a seasonal salad and uses a modified version of Dr. Martin Reinhardt’s DDP Salad Dressing. You can purchase your own copy from the Northern Michigan University Bookstore and you follow along with the Decolonizing Diet Project online by visiting their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/decolonizingdietproject.

Bright Fall Salad:

  • 1 cup pecans
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup (split)
  • 1 tsp chili flake (optional)
  • 1/4 cup sunflower oil
  • 1/4 cup concentrated cranberry juice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground died sumac berries
  • 2-3 apples
  • 6-8 carrots 
  1. Place the pecans in a bowl with 1/4 cup of maple syrup and chili flake. Coat pecans evenly, then place them on a sheet tray in one layer and roast in the oven at 250 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Chili is optional.
  2. Add the sunflower oil, remaining maple syrup, cranberry juice, salt, and sumac to a mason jar or bottle. Shake well and shake anytime before using. Any excess can be saved in the refrigerator for a week. Adjust dressing to taste as needed (more or less sweet or sour). Add water to lighten the taste if desired. Consider adding other spices like leek salt, sunchoke powder, and wood sorrel powder. 
  3. Wash the carrots and apples, slice them thin into easy-to-bite pieces. 
  4. Coat sliced carrots and apples in dressing and top with toasted maple pecans before serving. 

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