Salad

Cauliflower & Chickpea Salad with Feta, Pine Nuts and Arugula

Fall is coming and with it the return of the roasted vegetable at our house!  Summer is just too hot to have the oven on at high temps for too long, so I rarely if ever roast veggies during the summer months.  There’s been a touch of cool weather in the mornings here recently, so it was time to bring back the glory that is the roasted veggie!  But since it is still pretty warm a cool, fresh salad is the perfect way to enjoy them.

Chickpea Salad-5

Cauliflower is not something I enjoy much in its raw state unless it is drenched in good ranch dressing. But when roasted with olive oil, salt, pepper and some garlic it is transformed in to something super amazing.  Here it also gets a tasty boost from cumin, which makes it next to impossible to resist snacking on before mixing it in with the rest of the ingredients for this salad.

Chickpea Salad-9 Chickpea Salad-10

The cauliflower gets combined with chickpeas, feta and pine nuts then tossed with a citrusy sumac dressing and peppery arugula.  Sumac is a spice I’d never heard of before reading this recipe in the most current issue of Fine Cooking.  I couldn’t find it at my grocery store and had to order it from amazon.  If you don’t have it or can’t find it, don’t worry.  It’s a nice spice and goes very well with all the flavors in the salad, but I didn’t find it to be a stand out in the dressing.  It may not be the same without the sumac, but it will still be great.

I served this along side pork tenderloin and crusty bread the night I made it.  The next couple days I ate it with some additional arugula and spring mix for a super satisfying lunch.  The arugula will get wilted, so adding in some new lettuce is a good way to keep it fresh.  If you wanted to make this ahead of time you could toss everything together except for the arugula and refrigerate it overnight.  Toss with the arugula right before serving and enjoy!

Chickpea Salad-4

Cauliflower & Chickpea Salad with Feta, Pine Nuts and Arugula

From Fine Cooking

Ingredients

  • 1 large head cauliflower (about 2-1/4 lb.), trimmed and cut into 1-inch florets
  • 5 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 small clove garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons sumac
  • 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 5 ounces baby arugula
  • 3 ounces crumbled feta (1/2 cup)
  • 1/3 cup dried currants (I did not use these)
  • 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.  On a large rimmed baking sheet toss cauliflower with a good drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper and the cumin.  Roast for 20-25 minutes, tossing halfway through, then remove from the oven and let cool.
  2. In a large bowl whisk together lemon juice, sumac, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and some fresh ground pepper, then whisk in 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
  3. Add the cauliflower, chickpeas, pine nuts, currants (if using), and feta to the dressing and toss together.  Refrigerate now to server later or toss with the arugula and serve.

Brussels Sprout Salad with Pine Nuts and Cherries

I’ve made this salad twice now.  It’s so delicious.  These pictures don’t do it justice, but trust me.  Yum!  It’s a great change of pace from the typical spring mix salad that graces out table most nights.

Brussels Sprout Salad with Pine Nuts and Cherries | Hottie Biscotti

Many side items can be made in advance, but this one requires you to make it ahead of time!  This is great for me.  I do a lot of dinner prep (or at least I try to) during nap time, and having part of the meal totally completed early in the day puts a little spring in my step.  It’s the little things, you guys!

The first time I made this I used pistachios and cherries, and this last time I used pine nuts and cherries.  Both variations were great, just depends on what you have and what you like.  You could easily leave out the nuts, use something else, and even replace the cherries with cranberries.  I wouldn’t use anything other than the parmesan, though.  The flavor is perfect with the brussels and it has a great texture that other cheeses lack.  Any hard cheese will do.  Make sure to grate it on the large holes of your grater.

The recipe is from a Test Kitchen Best of 2015 magazine I picked up at the grocery store.  The original recipe feeds 8, so I cut it in half.  While I could sit and eat the entire bowl of this by myself, it will feed 4 as a side dish.  The first time around my husband and I ate it as a side 2 nights in a row.  This last time I made it I ate it for lunch a couple days.  You need to let the salad marinate for a few hours so that the brussels soften a bit.  It is best the day it’s made, but this will last for a couple days in the fridge.

Brussels Sprout Salad with Pine Nuts and Cherries | Hottie Biscotti

 

Take the time to thinly slice the brussels.  Put some good music on or put something good on tv (may I suggest the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt?!) and get to work with your paring knife.  Sometimes tedious work like this is therapeutic for me.  Other than that, there isn’t too much work to be done.  I made the dressing in a mini food processor, eliminating the need to finely chop the shallot and garlic.

This is a great spring salad with lots of ways to make it your own.  Enjoy!

Brussels Sprout Salad with Pine Nuts and Cherries | Hottie Biscotti

Brussels Sprout Salad with Pine Nuts and Cherries

From America’s Test Kitchen Best of 2015

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 1/2 shallot
  • 1/2 garlic clove
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
  • 1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped
  • 1/4- 1/2 cup coarsely grated Parmesan

Directions

  1. In a mini food processor combine garlic and shallot and finely chop.  Add in the lemon juice, mustard and olive oil and pulse a few times.  Season with salt and pepper.
  2. In a large bowl toss the Brussels with the dressing, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.  Before serving toss in the pine nuts, cherries and Parmesan.

Haricots Vert Salad with Blue Cheese, Pecans and Cranberries

There is a special place in my heart for creamy green bean casserole.  The kind with the canned crunchy fried onions, and the canned cream of mushroom soup.  You know what I’m talking about, and if you don’t you should try it at least once.  But sometimes that Thanksgiving meal can be a little heavy on the creamy casseroles and you want (and likely need) something light and refreshing in the mix to balance things out.  This salad is a delicious way to provide some balance in your meal while still keeping is special.

Haricots Verts Salad with Blue Cheese, Pecans and Cranberries | Hottie Biscotti

Something about the combination of warm toasted pecans, tangy sweet cranberries and robust blue cheese just sings of the season we’re entering.  The weather is cooler and richer flavors are in order.  Although, I’d eat this salad in the summertime with no problem.

Haricots Verts Salad with Blue Cheese, Pecans and Cranberries | Hottie Biscotti

You can serve these as lovely first course salads on individual salad plates, or arrange them on a large platter and allow guests to serve themselves.  The bibb lettuce leaves hold up well, so there’s little need to worry about them tearing, unless they’ve been sitting too long so don’t prepare them all the way too far in advance.  If you’re really needing this to be a quick and painless salad you can tear up a bunch of bibb lettuce, toss in the dressed beans, cranberries, blue cheese and pecans and serve this as a large serve-yourself salad.  You might want to double the dressing if you plan to serve it that way, though.

Haricots Verts Salad with Blue Cheese, Pecans and Cranberries | Hottie Biscotti

You can cook the beans up to 2 days ahead and keep them in the fridge.  The beans also hold up well in the fridge after being dressed, so you can prepare them up to that point hours ahead of time, but not longer than a day.  Mix in the cranberries, but not the blue cheese or pecans, they’ll get soggy if they sit too long.  Sprinkle on the blue cheese and pecans right before serving.

I tend to under-dress salads when serving them to a group.  I hesitated to add all the dressing to the beans, but it was the perfect amount.  There’s just enough that drips off onto the lettuce.

Haricots Verts Salad with Blue Cheese, Pecans and Cranberries | Hottie Biscotti

Haricots Verts Salad with Blue Cheese, Pecans and Cranberries

From Fine Cooking

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound haricots verts (french green beans) cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
  • 6 large bibb lettuce leaves, washed and dried

Directions

  1. Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil and prepare a large bowl of ice water.  Add the beans and cook until crisp-tender, 3-4 minutes.  Drain the beans, then plunge them into the ice water to stop the cooking.  Drain again, pat dry and move to a bowl.  If making ahead, place beans in an airtight container and put them in the fridge for up to 2 days.
  2. Prepare the dressing by whisking together the vinegar, mustard and olive oil.  Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
  3. Toss beans and cranberries in the dressing to coat evenly.  You can refrigerate the beans at this point for up to 1 day.
  4. To serve: divide beans evenly among the lettuce leaves and sprinkle each with pecans and blue cheese.

Fall Vegetable Salad with Dill Vinaigrette

Last week I had lunch with a good friend at a place called Local Foods in Houston.  They have 2 locations now and we visited the newer one on Kirby for the first time.  This location has more seating and boasts a lovely outdoor space.  The weather cooperated perfectly making for a lunch I’d gladly repeat every day if I could.  We split a pork sandwich and their fall harvest salad.  The salad was so delicious that I knew I’d be trying to recreate it at home.

Fall Vegetable Salad with Dill Vinaigrette | Hottie Biscotti

While I am sure there was more in this salad that I couldn’t quite pinpoint or remember when I made a grocery list, I knew that is had broccoli, cauliflower, roasted brussels sprouts, pomegranate seeds, sunflower seeds and goat cheese.  We chose to add chicken to ours at the restaurant, but it would’ve been just as incredible without it.  You could leave out the chicken for a vegetarian salad or if you’re serving this as a side salad, or add it if you’re serving as a main course.

Fall Vegetable Salad with Dill Vinaigrette | Hottie Biscotti

One of my favorite parts about this salad was the dressing.  Again, I know mine isn’t the same as Local Foods, but the dill in the dressing stood out to me and really brought out all the delicious flavors of the salad.  So I made a dill vinaigrette to dress this salad.  And it’s pretty special.  I’ll be making it again.

Make sure to use fresh dill and parsley in the dressing and chop them very fine.  As with all homemade salad dressings, you can adjust the flavors to your liking.  Add more or less honey (I found this to be on the sweet side) add more salt, some cracked pepper, or more garlic if you’d like.  Shaking dressing up in a small mason jar is an easy way to make and store the dressing.

Dill Vinaigrette | Hottie Biscotti Dill Vinaigrette | Hottie Biscotti

The amounts below are enough for 2 to 4 salads, depending on how big you make them and who’s eating.  After prepping all the vegetables they can be refrigerated for use later on, so you can easily enjoy this salad for lunches during the week by simply tossing the ingredients together when you’re ready.

Fall Vegetable Salad with Dill Vinaigrette | Hottie Biscotti Fall Vegetable Salad with Dill Vinaigrette | Hottie Biscotti

Salads at our house are almost always greens, carrots, celery, tomatoes, dried cranberries and nuts if I have them around.  I love that this salad has so much stuff in it that I’ve never thought of putting in to a salad!  It’s delicious.  You can make it for one or for a large group.  And it’s a great fall salad with the roasted brussels and sweet pops from the pomegranate seeds.  And of course there is goat cheese.  Thank God for goat cheese!  I hope you try this salad.

Fall Vegetable Salad with Dill Vinaigrette | Hottie Biscotti

Fall Vegetable Salad with Dill Vinaigrette

Inspired by Fall Harvest Salad from Local Foods

Ingredients

For the Salad

  • Spring mix
  • 3/4 cup broccoli florets
  • 3/4 cup cauliflower florets
  • 8-10 brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, outer leaves removed and cut into quarters
  • pomegranate seeds
  • roasted, salted sunflower seeds
  • 2 ounces plain goat cheese
  • cooked chicken (optional)

For the Dill Vinaigrette

  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped dill
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
  • 2-3 teaspoons honey
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
  • pinch of salt

Directions

For dressing

  1. Shake all ingredients together in a jar or whisk together in a bowl.  Set aside or store in the fridge.

For Salad

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.  Toss brussels in a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Roast, shaking the pan once or twice, for 20 minutes until brussels sprouts are tender and browned.  Set aside to cool.
  2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and prepare a large bowl of ice water.  Boil broccoli and cauliflower for 2 minutes, then drain and put vegetables in the ice water, swish around a few times, then remove from the water to drain.
  3. Prepare the salad by either tossing salad greens, broccoli and cauliflower, brussels sprouts in a large bowl with your desired amount of dressing, then plating and topping with pomegranate seeds, sunflower seeds and goat cheese OR plate everything together and drizzle on the dressing.

Orzo Salad with Chickpeas, Tomatoes, Herbs and Feta

I have three of the best sisters on the planet.  I was lucky enough to have two of them down to visit a couple weeks ago.  We are all different, but we all share an interest in food and cooking.  When a holiday or party is coming up we often menu plan together.  Lindsey and Sarah found this recipe for an orzo salad while they were visiting and it was the perfect side dish for the steak Ben grilled for dinner.  I made it again the following weekend when my parents were in town and it was a hit yet again!  This salad is simple and delicious and a great choice for a summer side dish.

ORZO SALAD WITH CHICKPEAS, TOMATOES, HERBS AND FETA | Hottie Biscotti

This salad comes together quickly, can be prepared ahead, and can be served room temperature or cold, making it a really convenient dish.  You can adjust the ingredients to your liking.  I used a lot of tomatoes and herbs, with a small amount of dressing and feta.  You can serve more dressing and feta on the side for guests who want more of it.  You could leave out the chickpeas if you don’t care for them, but I probably wouldn’t add anymore than the can called for.  The chickpea to orzo ratio seemed just about perfect.

The basil and mint combination make this salad bright and refreshing, the feta is a great flavor addition, the chickpeas are a nice texture surprise and the tomatoes provide lovely flavor and color.ORZO SALAD WITH CHICKPEAS, TOMATOES, HERBS AND FETA | Hottie BiscottiORZO SALAD WITH CHICKPEAS, TOMATOES, HERBS AND FETA | Hottie Biscotti

The first time my sister made the dressing I was almost out of red wine vinegar so she subbed in some balsamic to make up the difference.  The next time I made it I used all red wine vinegar and it definitely changes the dish.  I think I preferred it with a little balsamic, but both ways are quite good.

I hope this makes its way to your table this summer!  You will not be disappointed.

ORZO SALAD WITH CHICKPEAS, TOMATOES, HERBS AND FETA | Hottie Biscotti

Orzo Salad with Chickpeas, Tomatoes, Herbs and Feta

From Giada DeLaurentiis

Ingredients

Salad

  • 1 1/2 cups orzo
  • 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups cherry, grape or other small tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on their size
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
  • 4-6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
  • salt and pepper to taste

Red Wine Vinaigrette

  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar (can sub in half for balsamic)
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • fresh ground pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

Directions

  1. Whisk vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper together in a bowl.  While whisking, drizzle in the oil.  Set aside.  Note: You won’t use all the dressing.  Save what’s left in the fridge to use on a green salad.
  2. Cook orzo in boiling water according to package instructions, until al dente.  Drain, then transfer to a serving bowl, toss and let cool.
  3. Toss orzo with the beans, tomatoes, onions and herbs.
  4. Drizzle with some of the dressing, taste and add more until you’re pleased with the flavor.
  5. Toss in the feta if serving right away, otherwise cover and chill until ready to serve.  Toss in the feta right before serving.

Kale Salad with Roasted Beets, Cranberries, Almonds and Feta

A good friend of mine gifted me with a free local produce box from Greenling.  Greenling is an Austin based company that now also operates in the Dallas, San Antonio and Houston areas.  They make organic, local produce more easily accessible and do a great job of it.  They even delivered my box to my front door, and we live way out in the burbs.  In my lovely local box was a bunch of kale and 3 huge beets, along with some other treasures.  I immediately knew what would become of the kale and beets.

kaleandbeetsalad

I loved this salad.  We ate it as a side dish the night I made it and I ate it for lunch the next three days in a row.  Kale holds up so well that it was delicious every time, not soggy and droopy like salads can get after being dressed and stored overnight.  It was probably better after a night in the fridge, so you can always make it ahead of time.  Maybe leave out the almonds so they stay crunchy, and leave out the feta if you don’t want it to be pink!

The beets provide great color and earthiness, but if you don’t like beets add in some shredded carrots, chopped apples or pear.  Use golden raisins in place of the cranberries, toasted walnuts or pine nuts instead of the almonds.  I like to play around with the dressing also, different kinds of vinegar, honey instead of agave, orange juice instead of lemon.  Just start with a big bunch of kale and add in what you like and what you have on hand!  Enjoy!

Kale Salad with Roasted Beets, Cranberries, Almonds and Feta

Ingredients

Salad

  • 2 large beets
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • olive oil
  • kosher salt and pepper
  • 1 bunch of kale, stalks removed and leaves roughly chopped
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup roasted almonds, roughly chopped
  • 4 ounces of feta cheese

Dressing

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon agave nectar
  • 1 garlic clove, grated on a microplane or very finely chopped
  • kosher salt and pepper

Directions

  1. Roast the Beets: Preheat oven to 400°F.  Peel the beets and cut them into 1 inch chunks.  Spread them onto a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme and toss to coat.  Roast for 40 minutes, turning twice, until they are fork tender.  Remove from the oven and let cool.  You can do this ahead of time and store the beets in a container in the fridge for a day or two.
  2. Make the dressing: Combine all ingredients and whisk well, season with salt and pepper and taste, adjust to your liking.
  3. Combine kale with half of the dressing and toss well (your clean hands work well for this!)  Add more dressing if it seems dry, but be careful not to overdress.
  4. Add in cranberries, beets, feta and almonds.  Toss gently so you don’t break up the feta too much.
  5. Serve immediately or let sit in the fridge for a few hours to let flavors marry and allow the kale to soften a bit.

Vietnamese Turkey Meatball Bún

While in Austin a few weeks ago my sister took me to Elizabeth Street Cafe.  Eat here if you ever get the chance.  It’s a French-Vietnamese cafe, which may sound strange to you (it has to a couple people I’ve told about my meal) but the marriage translates into delicious bánh mì, bún and pho as well as sweet eclairs and delicate macarons.  We didn’t actually have dessert here since we’d already made plans to have ice cream at Lick.  Go there too.

This was one of the yummiest meals I’ve had in a while.  Vietnamese cuisine has a way of leaving you totally satisfied but not stuffed.  I think it’s the abundance of fresh veggies and herbs, differences in textures and the heat and intense flavor of the sauces.  We shared the pork belly steamed buns, pork  bánh mì on house-made baguette, and the keffir lime fried chicken bún.  All delicious.

This meal inspired me to make my own Vietnamese noodle bowl at home.  I decided on a Vietnamese turkey meatball instead of fried chicken.  Thanks to my Farmhouse delivery last weekend I had fresh carrots and cucumbers to use in the bowl.  I made the dressing for the bún, nuoc cham.  It’s a basic Vietnamese dipping sauce of lime juice, fish sauce, peppers, garlic, a touch of sugar and water.  I think this a really great summer dinner.  Fresh crisp veggies and herbs with warm meatballs and a spicy cool heat from the sauce.

I baked the meatballs instead of pan frying.  I think there was too much liquid in the meat mixture because the baked meatballs were sitting in a pool of meatball juice (you know what I’m talking about, and it ain’t pretty) so I had to drain them.  They tasted delicious and with some tweaking they could definitely be something I’d make again.  Although, these meatballs I know are good and could easily be used here.  The recipe below makes about 35 meatballs.  I wanted to have enough to make bánh mì later in the week, which we did (2 nights in a row, in fact).  Cut the meatball recipe in half if you’re only planning to use the meatballs for one meal with some leftover.

The meatballs do take some time to prep with all the chopping you have to do, and the chopping and slicing doesn’t end there.  The bún is full of shredded lettuce (I used iceberg but you could use romaine) julienned carrots, cucumber slices, chopped cilantro and mint.  So get your best knife and cutting board ready!  I made the meatball mixture, dressing and chopped everything during nap time.  This made dinner time pretty easy.  All I had to do was scoop and bake the meatballs, and cook the rice noodles.

In looking at different recipe for bún I saw other vegetables used like bean sprouts, daikon and red radish.  Traditionally beef is used as the protein as in this recipe from Leite’s Culinaria that looks dleicious.  But pork can also be used, like in this recipe from Fine Cooking which is making me crave grilled pork at 9 in the morning.

Vietnamese Turkey Meatball Bún

Ingredients

Meatballs

(Makes about 35, you may want to cut this recipe in half)

  • 2 pounds ground turkey
  • 5 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
  • 3 small shallots, finely chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons minced ginger root
  • 2 stalks of fresh lemongrass, tender white inner bulb only, minced
  • 4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped mint
  • 2 tablespoons chopped basil
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Nuoc Cham (Dressing)

  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons ginger, minced
  • 1 red or green Asian chile, or serrano chile, sliced into thin rounds

Salad

  • 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded (or you can use romaine)
  • 6-8 ounces of rice noodles (this depends on how many people you’re serving and how much you like noodles. We used 5 ounces and it made 5 servings.)
  • 1 cucumber, sliced into half moons or halves
  • 6-8 carrots, peeled and julienned
  • 4 green onions, sliced
  • chopped cilantro
  • chopped mint
  • chopped basil
  • chopped peanuts
  • sriracha (if you need more heat!)

 Directions

Meatballs

  1. If baking right away, preheat the oven to 400°F.  Position a rack in the top third of the oven.
  2. Combine the turkey, fish sauce, shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, herbs, egg, salt and pepper and mix with your hands until well combined but without overworking the mixture.  At this point you can either refrigerate the mixture in the bowl, form into balls and cover and refrigerate on the pan, or form into balls and bake right away.
  3. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Using slightly moistened hands, roll the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls. Transfer the meatballs to the prepared baking sheet and bake them for 15-20 minutes, until they are lightly browned and cooked through.

Nuoc Cham (Dressing)

  1. Combine warm water and sugar and stir to dissolve sugar.
  2. Stir in the remaining ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.

Salad

  1. Cook rice noodles by bringing a pot of water to a boil.  Add the noodles and remove from the heat.  Let sit for about 5 minutes.  Drain and rinse the noodles in cool water.
  2. Layer in deep, wide bowls: lettuce, noodles and meatballs.  Arrange vegetables and herbs around the sides.  Sprinkle with peanuts and green onion and drizzle with nuoc cham.  Toss everything together and enjoy using fancy chopsticks (or a nice reliable fork!).

Kale Salad with Curried Almond Dressing

This vegan salad is wheat free, gluten free, oil free and soy free!  Big deal.  I don’t care a whole lot about stuff like this.  I am not a vegetarian, much less a vegan, though there are times I cook vegetarian meals or order a vegetarian pizza, with extra cheese, please.  I don’t worry about soy, or oil, or gluten, or wheat.  I do not make stuff like this.  Ever.  But I did today.  And…I liked it.

Some time in the last year I started following this blog, Eating Bird Food.  No doubt this was one of those stages when I told myself that I would start eating better.  I don’t eat poorly, but I also don’t make “health” food a big priority in my life.  I definitely do not worry about wheat and gluten, and thankfully I don’t have some allergy that requires me to.  I eat stuff that tastes good and makes me feel good.  Though I have been known to eat too much of the “tastes good” (darn you Cabdury Mini Eggs!) and then I have less of the “feel good”.

So, why did I even make this salad if I am not into food like this?  It just sounded really yummy.  So I made it.  And it was yummy.  It made for a nice, fresh, lunch that left me feeling really good.  I might even consider making it again.  The dressing is creamy and nutty and has a nice flavor from the ginger and curry.  The vegetables are perfect together and different enough in flavor and texture to be interesting.  The sweet apples and cranberries are a perfect contrast to the rest of the savory flavors.  The fennel is genius.  Make sure it is sliced as thin as you can get it.  Raw fennel can be overpowering if the pieces are too big.

Dressed salads do not typically hold up overnight.  This one was still crunchy and delicious after 24 hours in the fridge, so I was able to make lunch out of it 2 days in a row!  Crossing my fingers about tomorrow!  If you wanted to have it all week, just dress each individual serving when you want it to avoid soggy salad.

The recipe for this salad is from the cookbook Let Them Eat Vegan!  and was posted on Eating Bird Food this week.  She’s made and reviewed some other recipes from the book, and they all look pretty tasty.  I’m not about to give up my cheese, beef and bacon, but I have been convinced that eating vegan isn’t disgusting!  But it’s also not a lifestyle choice I’m going to make for myself.  I will, however, stop cringing at vegan recipes.  You might even see more vegan recipes on my blog…

Do ahead:

  • Make dressing and refrigerate.
  • Slice and julienne the fruit and vegetables (except the apples) and refrigerate.
  • Chop the almonds and measure out the cranberries.
Doing all this the day before will make assembly a breeze.

Kale Salad with Curried Almond Dressing

Ingredients

Salad

  • 1 small to medium-size apple, cored and julienned (3⁄4 to 1 cup), tossed in 1tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 1/2 – 3 cups chopped or julienned kale (leaves cut/torn from stems and stems discarded)
  • 1 1/2 cups grated carrot
  • 1 cup very thinly sliced or julienned fennel
  • 1/4 cup cranberries or raisins
  • 2/3 – 3/4 cup Creamy Curried Almond Dressing (or more, if desired; recipe follows)
  • 2 to 4 Tablespoons sliced or chopped raw almonds
  • Extra salt and pepper to taste
Dressing
  • 1⁄2 cup raw almonds
  • 2 1/2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup or agave nectar
  • 2/3 cup water (or more to thin as needed; see note)
  • 1 very small clove garlic
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper (optional)
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon curry powder, or more to taste
Directions
Salad
  1. Place the apple, vegetables, and cranberries in a bowl and toss.
  2. Add the dressing, starting with about 2⁄3 cup and adding more as desired, if you want a thicker coating of dressing.
  3. Toss to coat well, then let sit for 5 minutes or more to allow the kale leaves to soften slightly in the dressing.
  4. Serve, garnishing with a light sprinkling of almonds and extra salt and pepper, if desired.
Dressing
  1. Using a standing blender, food processor or an immersion blender and deep cup or jar, puree all the ingredients (starting with 1⁄2 cup of the water) until very smooth.
  2. Add additional curry to taste, and additional water to thin as desired.  Dressing thickens with refrigeration.

 

Artichoke and Sun-dried Tomato Couscous Salad

The only part of this recipe that you have to cook is the couscous.  Couscous, as you may or may not know, is one of the simplest things to prepare.  Boil water, add couscous, stir, turn off heat, cover, wait for 5 minutes.  That’s it.  I don’t think it gets much simpler than that.

Adding chopped artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, Italian dressing and crunchy almonds make for a lovely and light meal.  If you need meat in your meal, as many people do, add a cup or so of chopped cooked chicken (grilled or rotisserie chicken from your grocery store).

This recipe comes from picky-palate.com.  She serves this salad tossed with arugula.  I served it over a bed of baby spinach.  If this is something you are not going to eat all of the first time around, don’t toss the almonds in with the salad.  They’ll lose their crunch, so just sprinkle some on top of each serving.  You could substitute quinoa for the couscous for an extra punch of protein.  Enjoy!

Artichoke & Sun-dried Tomato Couscous Salad

Courtesy of picky-palate.com

Ingredients

  • 10 ounce box Couscous
  • 15 ounce can artichoke hearts, chopped
  • ½-1 cup sun dried tomatoes
  • ½-1 cup fresh shredded or grated Parmesan Cheese
  • 1/4 cup Italian dressing of choice
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1-1 ½  cups chopped cooked chicken (half of a rotisserie chicken)
  • ½-1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
  • 8 ounce bag baby spinach
Directions
  1. Cook couscous according to package directions. Toss to fluff and chill until cooled.
  2. Add artichokes, tomatoes, dressing, salt and pepper, and parmesan, stirring to combine. Serve or chill until ready to serve.
  3. Serve over a bed of baby spinach, top with toasted almonds.

 

Pear, Pecan and Cranberry Salad with Honey Goat Cheese Dressing

Whenever I eat goat cheese I wonder why I don’t use it more often.  I love its tang and creaminess.  Even the tiniest of crumbles of the stuff can transform a dish.  The honey goat cheese dressing on this salad was so tasty, and took an already great salad to another level of deliciousness.

My mother in law turned me on to skinnytaste.com after making two meals for us with recipes from the site.  Both tasted great and were pretty healthy.  If you do Weight Watchers, then you’re in luck because Gina includes the points.

I added some grilled chicken to this salad to make it a meal.  Instead of apples I used pears, which I think pair better with the other ingredients.  You must, must, must toast the pecans.  The flavor of any nut is improved by a quick toasting in the oven or in a dry skillet on the stove.  Do the same when you are adding pecans, walnuts or almonds to baked goods.  They just taste better.  So take the extra 5 minutes.  You’ll be glad you did.

This salad recipe used measurements for the apples and cranberries, but I just added what I wanted.  This probably messes with the points, so here is the link to Gina’s original recipe.  If you don’t care so much about counting out how many cranberries or slices of apple you can use, then just pile on a plate the following ingredients and top with the dressing.

  • Spring mix or baby spinach
  • Dried cranberries
  • 1 Bosc Pear, sliced
  • Toasted pecans, halves or pieces
  • Grilled chicken, sliced (optional)

The dressing was a little on the thick side when I made it, so I added a little more water, lemon juice and a touch of olive oil to loosen it up a bit.  After storing the leftover dressing in the fridge it was no longer pour able, so either let it warm up at room temp before you plan to use it again, or zap it in the microwave for a few seconds and stir it up.  Enjoy!

Honey Goat Cheese Dressing

Courtesy of skinnytaste.com

Ingredients

  • 4 oz goat cheese, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 tbsp honey
  • 2-3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 1-2 tbsp water
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
  1. In a small blender, combine goat cheese, honey, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, water.
  2. Season to taste with salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
  3. Add more lemon juice, water, or oil to create desired consistency.