Salads

Archive for the ‘Salads’ Category

Tomato Cucumber & Quinoa Salad

You people always amaze me. I was hesitant about sending my last post out into the internet world. I kept asking myself, “is this too much information?” or ”how much do I really want to open up here?” In the end, I did a lot of editing and re-editing, deleting entire paragraphs I didn’t feel were necessary. But it didn’t feel right for me not to share anything and it ended up being an incredible way to look deeper into how I was feeling, even if I didn’t share it all here. All of you confirmed for me just how much people care, how much I know others can learn or at least remember to think about messages learned and passed along. I feel we could move mountains with the support this community gives, so thank you.

This blog has become more than just a place to share recipes. I’ve never been much of a journal writer. I probably started and stopped a dozen or so journals or diaries in my youth, each written with scribbled handwriting about how I thought recess should last longer, who my latest crush was, and all the other incredibly mundane day-to-day thoughts of a relatively happy pre-teenage life. I was thinking how this blog has really become an online journal of sorts. More than a collection of recipes. I enjoy that I can look back on and recall memories or what I was feeling or doing during a certain point in time. I’m not totally sure what makes this place so different from pen to paper, but I’m glad I’m here.

I realize many of you may be very over tomatoes, but I surely am not. In fact, I feel like tomato season only just got started at the beginning of September around here. My plans for 4 tomato plants in the garden, turned into 6. Then when a friend of a friend decided to drop off 8 more plants, I had to think quick about where to put them all. I envisioned all of summer with bright red, juicy tomatoes off the vine and me canning all of September to store for the winter. Fast forward to several weeks ago and I still had a ton of green tomatoes and only the little cherry ones had been turning red.

Now I have tomatoes daily. This salad is the perfect example of a meal inspired by the mass variety and sheer amount of tomatoes I have on hand. So if you live up in the NW like me or also are not quite ready to be roasting vegetables in the oven just yet, throw this salad together and eat it outside one more time.

Tomato Cucumber & Quinoa Salad / serves 4
Don’t feel you need to have all the exact tomatoes I’ve used. If you can, great, otherwise try to have at least 2-3 different varieties and sizes for all their different flavor profiles and estimate the approximate amount based on what I’ve given. Leftover quinoa is a great thing to have around for impromptu salads like this one, but making if from about 1/2 cup dried quinoa will give you about the right amount for this salad. I’ve also added avocado to this salad in a version I didn’t photograph and it was a delicious addition.

2 cups cooked quinoa
1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced
1 herloom tomato, sliced into wedges
2 green tomatoes, sliced into wedges
1 cup yellow pear tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
2 roma tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 cucumber, skin peeled and cut into slices
1/3 cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped
1/4 cup packed basil, roughly chopped

dressing
juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon chile powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Quickly sauté the sliced red onion in a bit of oil until just softened, this step is not necessary and you can leave it raw, but I personally wanted to tame its flavor a bit.

Place the quinoa, red onion, all tomatoes, and cucumber into a large bowl.

Combine all the dressing ingredients and pour over the quinoa mixture. Season with salt to taste and sprinkle the almonds and basil over the top. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Gluten-Free, Grains, Salads, Vegan, Vegetables

Green Quinoa

One evening, a couple weeks ago, Scott and I were lounging in the living room and I turned to Scott and said, “I really can’t believe this house is ours.” He responded, “I was just thinking the same thing.” I’ve been reflecting about my life and how incredibly fortunate I feel for everyone and everything in it. We’ve been in our house for about 7 weeks now and I have to pinch myself every time I’m reminded of this fact. This whole time I’ve been wondering when I would have a chance to sit back and just enjoy it because the unpacking, painting, and building that we embarked upon when we first moved in was taking up so much of our time, all while still working on our businesses needs too.

Then I realized there have been friends and family coming over or stopping by 2 or 3 times a week. Sometimes for dinner or an afternoon snack, other times for just hanging out or a round of ping pong or badminton. It has felt so effortless and normal that I haven’t thought twice about it. You see, our previous rental house was only 650 sq. ft. being used as not only a home, but an entire work studio for two fully self-employed, married adults. To say the least, it was a bit cramped all the time, even with our best efforts to maintain organization.

We have a giant dining table made from a reclaimed bowling ally that we’ve been hauling around with us for the past 5 years, but it’s never been put to use for it’s intended purpose; dining. The few times we did have people over, we had to corral ourselves around a small coffee table in the living room and stoop down or hold our plates in our laps to enjoy a meal. We often ate meals at our computer or on a small rolling cart we used in the kitchen. Since moving here I have eaten every single meal at our dining table and it has felt so great. I now cherish this moment when I get to close my computer 3 times a day to just sit and enjoy my food.

It feels a little weird to say that I’ve probably dreamed of having my own house since I was little, but I have. I’ve always been incredibly domestic and a nester by nature. I used to arrange and re-arrange my room, organizing and putting things in their place. I enjoyed cooking and cleaning and the prep work that came with holidays around the house when my mom would prepare big family meals for our guests. I seriously can’t wait for that in our new house. I can’t wait for trick-or-treaters this October or setting up holiday decor. I can’t wait for our garden to be fully exploding (fingers crossed) with more vegetables than I know what to do with, so I have to force them onto neighbors and friends (more zucchini anyone?).

I’ve been picking herbs and greens and uprooting radishes for a little over a week now and my cooking has definitely been lead by it too. All those herbs and baby arugula you see up there, are from our garden and were put into this green quinoa. Having so much fresh produce right in our back yard makes cooking even easier. Everyone who has seen or heard about our garden, is always so impressed that we even put one in this year. It was the first thing on my to-do list and this green bowl is the first proof that it was definitely worth our efforts.

Green Quinoa / serves 4-6
Adapted from Plenty

I’ve made several changes to Ottolenghi’s original recipe, using what I had. I used some leftover quinoa I had, but have given instructions for starting with dry quinoa.

1 cup quinoa
2 cup water or vegetable stock
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

herb paste
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
6 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup chopped pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
big pinch red pepper flakes
1 1/4 cup baby arugula leaves or larger ones chopped

Rinse and drain the quinoa. Place in a saucepan with the water or stock, adding a pinch of salt if you like, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large pan over medium heat and fry the onions in the oil until golden and completely soft. Add the salt and cumin and mix well. Leave to cool slightly.

To make the herb paste, place all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz until smooth.

Add the herb paste to the quinoa and mix everything together well with a fork to fluff it up. Add the cooked onion, the pistachios, garlic, red pepper flakes, and arugula and gently mix. Serve at room temperature.

Gluten-Free, Grains, Salads, Sides, Spring, Vegan, Vegetables

Shredded Brussels Sprout & Tangerine Salad

It’s the end of February, which also means the official end of winter (although unfortunately maybe not winter weather), so today I’m sharing one last seasonal salad with you. I meant to get this recipe to you yesterday, but seeing as our usual morning csa delivery didn’t arrive until around 6pm last night, the brussels sprouts I knew the box would contain, didn’t arrive in time before I had a chance to prepare and photograph this salad.

All weekend I was thinking about these brussels sprouts and how I would savor them because I knew this would probably be the last bunch until next season. I thought a light salad, something that would ease its way into spring with a crisp freshness and touch of brightness, would be a good option. Something raw to enter a soon-to-be season of young fresh veggies, but still hanging onto the citrus of winter.

Truth be told, I also needed to think of a recipe I knew would be relatively quick to prepare. In the previous weeks I’ve been up to my ears in projects and exciting new things we’re working on for our shop. I’m not usually a pro thirty minute meal or less kinda person, but I can appreciate a quick whole food recipe when I need one, especially when I can’t stand to eat another sandwich or plate of leftovers.

I had picked up a bag of whole wheat Israeli couscous out of curiosity. I’d never cooked with this little bead shaped grain before and the fact that I saw it would take less than 15 minutes to cook, might also be why it made its way into my cart that day. I added it to the shredded brussels sprouts for some extra heft. My favorite part of this salad is when you get a sweet squirt of tangerine juice when taking a bite, also the unexpected but so delicious taste of basil.

This was another recipe that started out as something from The Food Matters Project, as you can see I’m not very good at following recipes, but at least I still used brussels sprouts! This weeks pick was by Marcia and to view a complete list of others who participated you can visit the website.

Shredded Brussels Sprout & Tangerine Salad / serves 4

I really think any grain (quinoa, millet, barley, farro) would work here in place of the couscous. You can segment the tangerines if you like too, I kept it simple and didn’t bother.

1/2 cup dry whole wheat Israeli couscous or 1 cup other cooked grain of choice
1/2 lb. brussels sprouts
1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced
handful of fresh basil, chiffonade (about 1/4 cup)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
a couple big pinches salt, plus more to taste
3 tangerines
1/4 cup toasted walnuts

Bring a small saucepan filled with 1 cup water to a boil. Stir in couscous and cook at a simmer for 8 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, using a mandolin or sharp knife, slice the brussels sprouts as thinly as you can and place them in a large mixing bowl. Add in the red onion, basil, and couscous and give everything a good toss.

In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, and salt. Pour over the brussels sprout mixture and toss until everything is thoroughly dressed, seasoning with salt to taste. Add in the tangerines, then just before serving, top with walnuts.

Fruits, Gluten-Free, Grains, Salads, Sides, Vegan, Vegetables, Winter

Roasted Roots & Spinach Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing

This salad is really more about the lemon tahini dressing than the salad as a whole. I wanted to share with you more ways to use the dressing than on a traditional green salad (which is equally delicious) and since roasted root vegetables have been a weekly staple since well, late fall, that’s what I cooked up. A hearty winter root salad, livened up by a dressing you really must try.

I’ve been eating this dressing on everything for the last few weeks. Yes, every. Single. Thing. It’s just so good and I’ve found it so versatile too. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to share it with you.

It’s rich and nutty tasting, balanced by the tartness of lemon and spiced up from the garlic and cayenne. It’s super creamy and goes well over a sturdy salad made with Romaine and equally as well spooned over a wrap or for dipping your sweet potato fries in. I can hardly wait until summer arrives and I can drizzle some over eggplant or keep it thick and dip fresh veggies in.

Roasted Roots & Spinach Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing / serves 4

I’ve kept the roasted vegetable amounts below pretty loose. You’ll want roughly 4lbs for 4 meal sized servings. If you can find sunchokes, use them. They are absolutely one tasty little root, but other options could include parsnips and sweet potatoes. The dressing has been adapted from The Northwest Vegetarian Cookbook. It’s a great little book full of recipes from small farms all over the NW and I have little tags hanging out all over for new recipes to try.

4lbs. root veggies of your choice (I used red sunchokes, carrots, and yellow potatoes)
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
pinch of salt and ground pepper
1 bunch baby spinach, washed and dried

for the dressing
1/4 cup tahini
just and finely grated zest of one lemon
1 tablespoon white miso
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro or parsley
pinch of cayenne
water as needed

Preheat the oven to 425F. Have ready a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silpat mat.

Wash and scrub the vegetables well and roughly cut into even thicknesses so they bake at relatively the same time. Drizzle olive oil over the top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Give everything a good toss and roast in the oven for about 30-45 minutes, depending on the thickness you cut everything. The vegetables should be tender and have lightly golden crusty ends.

Meanwhile make the dressing. In a small bowl whisk together the tahini, lemon juice and zest, miso, and garlic. Mix in the cilantro and cayenne and enough water to reach desired consistency. I like to thin mine out quite a bit for this recipe. You can also do this in a small food processor to make it quickly. Store in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week. Makes about a 1/2 cup.

To assemble, place the spinach on a plate, pile with the roasted veggies and drizzle with the dressing and serve.

Fall, Gluten-Free, Salads, Sides, Vegan, Vegetables, Winter

Meatless Monday with Martha Stewart: Kale & Quinoa Citrus Salad with Lemony Avocado Dressing

I’ve never really been a dieter or one to go along with the latest diet craze, but I do like to lighten the food load once in awhile when I feel like I’ve had one too many indulgent treats; and right after the holidays nothing is more true. So in keeping with the Whole Living January detox plan this month, I’ve created a super healthy salad filled with all kinds of good for you ingredients, but it still packs great color and flavor to keep it anything but boring. Get the recipe here.

Fruits, Gluten-Free, Grains, Salads, Vegan, Vegetables, Winter

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