edamame asparagus salad

this idea may or may not have come to me from the pages of glamour magazine. yeah so what, i thought it was fantastic! plus kris and i added a lil something to it so i'm taking the credit from here on. you could call it a salad or maybe just a cold vegetable side dish but either way i found that it was a delicious, fresh tasting, quick and easy alternative to the regular side salad i make a nice way to use now in-season asparagus. i usually broil asparagus but when it's this fresh i feel that just slightly cooking it and leaving a crunch does it more justice. also, as you'll see below, my beloved pea shoots are back! though this time in baby form. i think it would be equally delicious with watercress or arugula tossed in instead.

edamame and asparagus salad
ingredients:
1 cup asparagus, cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup shelled edamame
handful baby pea shoots
small handful fresh mint, finely chopped
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

bring a pot of water to a boil. add frozen edamame, after a minute add asparagus pieces and cook for three minutes more until edamame and asparagus are cooked but still have a bite. drain and run under cold water. toss in a bowl with pea shoots, mint, a glug of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. ta dah!

crack salad

kris made this salad for me on valentine's day many years ago. i'm sure it has some sort of name that actually tells you a little about the salad but we just started calling it crack salad. it's so delicious i just want to drink the dressing, i could eat this sweet oniony amazingness every day. perhaps because we had to cut ourselves off we hadn't made this in a really long time. however i cooked a special dinner a couple of nights ago in honor of our old anniversary (just cause we have a new one now doesn't mean the old one goes away....now we just have more excuses to celebrate!) and thought it was a perfect time to bring back the crack. if you are looking to woo someone with a homemade valentine's dinner this is the perfect start to the meal. or if you just happen to be cooking dinner anytime, this is the perfect start to the meal. just do yourself a favor and make this salad soon.

oh yeah, you maybe want to put the dressing on something. toss together baby spinach, strawberries, toasted walnuts and hearts of palm (though sometimes we do avocado instead) and toss with generous spoonfuls of dressing. the recipe below makes a ton of dressing and can be halved.

crack dressing
ingredients:
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 small red onion, grated
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika

combine vinegar, sugar, lemon juice and salt over medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves. remove from heat and let cool. whisk in oil, onion, poppy seeds, dry mustard and paprika.

-d

farro salad with butternut squash,cranberries and spinach

Last week, I bought a bag of farro to make this recipe – which I love. Having extra farro on hand, I started to think of other salad ideas, since it makes for a tasty, healthy lunch. I had spinach left over from something else, and decided to add in roasted butternut squash, some dried cranberries, and a nice balsamic dressing with a hint of thyme. I considered adding feta or a crumbled blue cheese, but decided that the salad really did not need it, as there was already a lot of great flavor – the sweetness of the roasted squash paired with the tang of the cranberries was especially nice. I have provided rough measurements below, but you can really adjust this to your personal taste! The best part – everything comes together in less than half an hour, and makes enough for a couple of lunches.

Farro with Butternut Squash, Spinach, and Cranberries

1 butternut squash, peeled and sliced into ¼ inch slices

Roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove, let cool, and roughly chop about half the squash. Reserve the rest for another use (like butternut squash risotto).

Cook ¾ cup of farro in 1 ½ cups water for about 25 minutes, until farro is cooked and the water has been absorbed.

Whisk together about 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, seasoning with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme leaves. Add in 1/8 cup dried cranberries. Let cranberries soak for 5-10 minutes.

Add in cooked farro, roasted squash, fresh spinach – a handful or two – and mix to combine. Serve immediately, or refrigerate.

Enjoy!

- e

farmers' market feast

I really love the farmers' market . . . the bounty of fresh local produce. The varieties of berries and beans that you never, ever see in the supermarket. Foraged mushrooms. One dollar strudel sticks. The friendly farmers who truly care about the product they are selling. I could go on and on, but I will spare you! Suffice to say that come summer time, I am happy to roam around outside, picking out my produce in the open air.



What follows is not so much a recipe, but a celebration of truly fresh ingredients, prepared very simply, allowing the sweetness of the tomatoes and the crispness of the haricot verts to stand out.

I bought the most beautiful, super-skinny, haricot verts and wax beans, blanched them (they were in the boiling water for all of 2 minutes before I drained them and shocked them in cold water), seasoned them with salt and pepper, and drizzled with olive oil.



I also bought this crazy purple, green and white beans, called dragon's lingerie - oh my! - and sauteed them with garlic and olive oil. Also seasoned with salt and pepper.



And I served both beans with some gorgeous and very flavorful heirloom tomatoes. The plate looked beautiful and everything was delicious!

enjoy!

- e

avocado nectarine salad with crispy shallots

this is a salad that i whipped up for lunch earlier this week. i was at the store and needed lunch and picked up these ingredients on a whim. this salad isn't earth shattering, but i do think it provides a delightful combination of flavors and textures - a little sweet, a little tart, a creamy avocado and a nice little crunch of shallots. so here you go...quick, easy, fresh and yummy!

avocado and nectarine salad with crispy shallots
ingredients:
handful baby spinach
1 avocado, sliced
1 nectarine, sliced
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
juice of 1/2 lemon
olive oil
salt and pepper

heat a splash of oil in a small pan and add the shallot with a pinch of salt. cook over medium-high heat, stirring often until the shallots are nicely brown and starting to crisp.

place spinach in a bowl. top with avocado and nectarine slices. dress with the lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil. toss and add coarse salt and pepper to taste. top with shallots and enjoy!

-d

indian cabbage salad

last night i was flipping through cookbooks looking for a side to accompany samosa mashed potato pancakes (yet another brilliant recipe from vegan brunch). i was quite surprised to find the perfect salad in a cookbook called olive trees and honey, which is a collection of vegetarian recipes from jewish communities around the world. i never even knew that there were jewish communities in india...and upon educating myself a bit i have learned that there are, in fact, three!

this salad has a lot going on. with so many different flavors, i was surprised to taste it and find that it was actually quite mild. i could taste each individual ingredient in a subtle way, and the salad has a lot of flavor, but it's very well balanced and there is not one overpowering note. it's obviously a good choice for an indian inspired meal but i think it could really work well just about anywhere.

just a heads up, they say this should chill for 3 hours before serving so plan accordingly. also, you'll notice that the recipe gives lots of options for ingredients, i've noted the ones i chose. i cut the below recipe in half and it still made a ton.

indian cabbage salad
(from olive trees and honey)
ingredients:
1 small head green cabbage, cored and thinly shredded
3 cups either ripe tomatoes, diced OR shredded carrots (i went with carrots)
3/4 cup grated unsweeted coconut
3/4 cup peanut powder (i crushed some peanuts in a mortar and pestle, they could have been more powdery, but it worked just fine)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro or parsley (i did cilantro)
1 1/2 teaspoons jaggery, brown sugar or honey (i chose sugar..and it wasn't brown. oops)
1/3 cup peanut oil or vegetable oil (peanut for me)
3/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds or ground cumin (i used seeds)
1 tablespoon seeded and minced hot green chilies
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
pinch of asafetida (optional, i didn't use it...i don't know what it is)
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon table salt or 2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste

in a large bowl, combine the cabbage, tomatoes/carrots, coconut, peanut powder, cilantro and sugar.

heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat (have a lid handy). add the mustard seeds and saute until they begin to pop, about 2 minutes (this is when you want to cover it to keep your mustard seeds under control). when the popping settles down, stir in the cumin. add the chilies, then the turmeric and asafetida (if using), and saute until the chilies begin to color but do not burn.

pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss to coat. let stand for at least 3 hours to allow the flavors to meld. just before serving, stir in the lemon juice and salt.

-d

romaine, grilled avocado, and smoky corn salad with chipotle-caesar dressing

show me the words 'grilled avocado' and i'm sold.

such was the case with the june issue of gourmet, which is the grilling issue and brimming with things i want to make (yes, i was pleasantly surprised to find lots of meatless grilling ideas). but it was this recipe that made me go "ohmygod ohmygod i have to make this NOW." i love avocados. but never had i ever eaten, or even thought of making, grilled avocados. what kind of avocado obsessive am i?

anyway, this recipe was all that i hoped it would be. the flavor of the grilled avocados was not so drastically different from normal ol' raw ones, which is probably at least partly because i had to use a grill pan and not a real grill, but i think the heat made them a little creamier and they were still warm when i put them on the salad which was nice. the grilled corn added another summery flavor and some crunch. the dressing was fantastic! it doesn't seem very close to "traditional" caesar dressing (which makes things easier for me!), the only non-vegan element was parmesan cheese which i replaced with almesan from veganomicon (you could also just go buy some vegan parm if you want. or maybe use some nutritional yeast?). loved the smokiness of the chipotles, especially since my grilling did not give me any smoky flavor. i definitely want to make this again and i think it would make a really great entree with some added (grilled?) tofu thrown in. below is the recipe as it's printed but, as i said, it's not too hard to replace the parmesan and make this vegan.


romaine, grilled avocado, and smoky corn salad with chipotle-caesar dressing
(from gourmet, june 2009. as printed, makes 4 entree sized portions)
ingredients:
1/4 cup grated parmesan (or replacement of your choice, almesan from veganomicon is a good choice)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 ears of corn, shucked
2 firm-ripe 6-to 8-ounces avocados, halved and pitted but not peeled
1 head romaine (1 pound), tough outer leaves discarded and head quartered lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1-inch strips

prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over hot charcoal (high heat for gas) or heat your grill pan.

put parmesan in a medium bowl and add olive oil in a slow stream, whisking. whisk in lime juice, garlic, chipotles, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.

rub vegetable oil on corn and cut sides of avocados, then season with 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. grill avocados, cut sides down, and corn, covered only if using a gas grill, turning corn occasionally, until golden-brown, 3 to 4 minutes.

peel avocados and thinly slice. cut corn kernels from cobs.

toss romaine with dressing and serve topped with avocado and corn.

-d

moroccan fresh tomato salad

this past saturday we made a trip to the farmer's market at the ferry building. i hate dealing with the crowds there but the produce is worth it. everything is amazing. i find myself slowly meandering from stall to stall...only to realize that i am being one of those slow aimless walkers that drive me crazy. ooops. when i realize this i immediately snap out of it though and move along. really. i promise.

anyway, we bought the most gorgeous, perfectly ripe heirloom tomatoes. these were way too delicious to cook so we made a fresh, herby, spicy salad with them.

moroccan fresh tomato salad
(from the mediterranean vegan kitchen)
ingredients:
3 medium ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into small pieces
salt, to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 small jalapeno chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
black pepper, to taste

place chopped tomatoes in a colander. sprinkle lightly with salt and toss gently; let drain for 30 minutes.

in a medium bowl, combine the parsley, cilantro, jalapeno, oil, vinegar, cumin, salt and pepper. add the drained tomatoes, mixing gently yet thoroughly to combine. let stand for 15 minutes at room temperature to allow the flavors to blend. toss gently again.

serve at room temperature, or cover and chill for 1 hour and serve chilled.

we had some of this leftover but when you spend $8 on tomatoes you don't really wanna throw 'em away and call it a day. we ate the leftovers tossed with arugula and an avocado with a little drizzle of olive oil and a fresh sprinkle of salt and pepper.

-d

nori salad rolls

another delight from the artful vegan. this is probably one of the simpler recipes we made because you're really just taking salad and rolling it in nori, and it's quicker and easier than sushi because you don't have to deal with any rice. just a little chopping, shredding and rolling and you're good to go. the kumquat lime dressing that went with these is delicious as well.

nori salad roll
(the artful vegan)
ingredients:
6 sheets toasted nori
1 1/2 cups shredded chinese cabbage
1 1/2 cups watercress (i forgot to buy this for ours but i bet it's delicious)
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
1 heaping cup shredded peeled carrot
1 mango, peeled and thinly sliced
1 red grapefruit, peeled and segmented
2/3 cup chopped toasted peanuts
1/3 cup mint chiffonade
1/3 cup cilantro leaves

spicy, sweet, and sour kumquat-lime dressing
ingredients:
6 tablespoons unrefined sugar
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more as needed
6 kumquats thinly sliced
1 teaspoon peeled and minced or grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon guar gum*

to make the dressing:
place a saucepan over medium heat and add the sugar and water. cook for 2 minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved. remove from heat. add the pepper flakes, kumquat, ginger, lime juice, salt and guar gum. whisk thoroughly to dissolve the guar gum. let cool to room temperature, or chill, before serving. (store refrigerated for up to 1 week).

to make the rolls:
lay a nori sheet flat on a plate (i used a sushi rolling mat). spread 1/4 cup each of the cabbage, watercress and bean sprouts over the nori. follow with 1/6th of the carrot, mango, grapefruit, mint and cilantro, and 2 teaspoons of the peanuts. drizzle 1 tablespoon of the dressing over the salad ingredients, dampen the edge of the sheet and roll tightly to seal. repeat with remaining 5 rolls.**

to serve:
slice each roll ito thirds, and place vertically in the center of a plate. spoon dressing around the plate. sprinkle peanuts around the plate. place a sprig of watercress or mint in the center of each roll (if you're really feeling fancy)

*i couldn't find guar gum at the store and the dressing was fine without it. i think if you add it, it'll just make your dressing a little bit thicker but it's not necessary.
**or, ya know, just eyeball all those measurements.

-d

butter lettuce with ruby grapefruit and avocado

my dad got me the green's restaurant cookbook for my birthday and we broke it in last night with this delicious salad. it's perfect for this time of year when grapefruits are still in their prime. plus it has avocado which, in my book, means it can't be bad. below is the recipe as printed which, with two heads of lettuce, would make a ton of salad so cut down as you see fit.

butter lettuce with ruby grapefruit, avocado and grapefruit-chili vinaigrette
(from everyday greens)
ingredients:
2 heads butter lettuce
2 ruby grapefruits
1 avocado, sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, toasted
salt and pepper
grapefruit chili vinaigrette (recipe follows)

wash and dry the lettuce.
remove 1 teaspoon of zest from one of the grapefruits and set aside. trim the peel and white pith from the grapefruit. segment the grapefruits over a bowl to catch the juice for the vinaigrette. reserve 1/3 cup segments for the vinaigrette as well.

make the vinaigrette (see below)

place the avocado slices in a small bowl and toss with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette and spinkle with a little salt and pepper.

combine the lettuce, grapefruit sections and 1 tablespoon of the pumpkin seeds in a large bowl. gently toss with the vinaigrette and divide onto chilled plates. tuck the avocado slices between the leaves and garnish with the remaining pumpkin seeds and serve.*

grapefruit-chili vinaigrette
(makes about 1/2 cup)
ingredients:
1/3 cup grapefruit sections
1 tablespoon fresh grapefruit juice
1/2 tablespoon champagne vinegar
1 jalapeno chili (red or green), seeded and coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon grapefruit zest

combine everything but the zest in a blender, puree until smooth, then whisk in the zest.

*i suppose if you're feeling fancy you can do that whole chilled plate, tuck the avocado thing...i just threw it all in a bowl, tossed and served onto our dinner plates. not fancy, still yummy.

-d

roasted pear salad

I love this salad. It is one of the easiest and yet most elegant things I have ever made. It barely requires a recipe, is a cinch to make for a crowd, and belongs in your recipe box. It has a tangy sweetness, and when served with a nice blue cheese it really is out of this world. Make. It. Now. And share it with friends. Please. We don't need to be greedy here.



The original recipe comes from Susan Spungen, champion of simply elegant dining. Her recipe calls for seckel pears - the itty bitty ones - but I prefer bosc or bartlett pears, as they do not get too mushy when baked. You can use just about any kind of blue cheese - I prefer a gorgonzola, either mountain or dolce, depending on how I feel that day - and you could leave it out altogether and still have a great salad.

And as a little aside, I must share a little story of my history with pear. I never used to like them, and think I was traumatized by those kindergarten snack times when we had canned pear halves that Teacher Connie made to look like little bunnies. They had cottage cheese tails, raisin eyes, sliced almond ears and little licorice whiskers. They were kind of cute. And I hated them. I would not eat them, and must have gone hungry on those days, but could not deal with the texture of any of those components. If anything, I ate the licorice and left the rest. Any of you who know me well know that I still will not eat cottage cheese and have a tenuous relationship with raisins. It took me nearly 20 years to come to terms with pears, which I now enjoy, and I think this recipe, which I first made a few years ago, aided in my conversion!



Roasted Pear Salad
serves 4

2 pears, bosc or bartlett, halved and cored
1 or 2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 to 2 tbsp good balsamic vinegar
1 to 2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

mixed greens or arugula
1/3 cup toasted walnuts

2 slices whole wheat bread, crusts removed, halved and toasted
1/4 lb blue cheese, preferably gorgonzola

Vinaigrette
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Cut each pear half into two or three wedges, lengthwise, and arrange in single layer, along with the sliced shallots, on a sheet pan. Drizzle with oil and vinegar, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and stir to coat. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or so until shallots are very soft and pears are cooked through (i usually stick a paring knife in one to test - if the knife comes out easily, pears are done!) Set aside to cool.

Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients.

To assemble salad: plate a handful of arugula/mixed greens (I prefer the peppery contrast the arugula provides to the sweetness of the pears). Top with 1/4 of the pear mixture. Sprinkle with toasted walnuts, drizzle with vinaigrette. Serve a slice of wheat toast topped with gorgonzola on the side. Enjoy!

- e