Baby Savoy Cabbage Salad with Pomegranate and Feta

This was supposed to be a salad with shaved brussels sprouts.  But I need to give those another week or two before using (hoping they'll continue to grow on the stalk).  So I decided to try the cabbage I had recently harvested.  The technique of tossing it with the dressing and keeping overnight is something I've seen (but not used before) with kale in order to soften the texture.  It worked well with the cabbage here, although the cabbage was more tender due to its size than had it been fully grown.

The bitterness is offset by the sweetness of the pomegranate and tangy feta cheese.  I also tossed on some roasted pistachio nuts.  Delicious!!
 
For the dressing, put the following into a small mason jar and shake it up: 1 1/2 Tbsp grapeseed oil, 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, 3/4 tsp grainy mustard, 2 cloves garlic minced, pinch of salt (or you can pretty much use any vinaigrette).

Slice the cabbage.   Place in a seal-able container and pour some of the dressing over top.  Give it a massage with your fingers to ensure it is well coated - add more dressing if needed (I used about 3/4's of it).  Pop the lid on and leave in the fridge overnight or at least a few hours.

Rather than the pomegranate-feta-pistachio combo, it would also go well with dried cranberries, pecans and some shaved parmesan cheese.

Kale with Strawberries, Halloumi and Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

I love halloumi.  I mean seriously, a cheese that you can cook and it doesn't melt?!  My favourite way to eat it is Nigella Lawson style: fry until browned in some olive oil and red chili flakes.  Super easy and a pretty great late night snack for parties.

The halloumi is cooked the same way here (without the red chili flakes!).   Allow it to cool before adding to a bowl of kale and sliced fresh strawberries.

And the vinaigrette is quick to put together.  Especially if you have a jam jar with just a bit left in the bottom - just toss the rest of the ingredients in and shake.  I used my homemade raspberry balsamic jam.

Raspberry Vinaigrette
2 Tbsp raspberry jam
1 tsp grainy mustard
4 Tbsp olive oil
7 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt to taste

Put all ingredients together in a lidded mason jar and shake to combine.   Drizzle over salad.

Harvest Monday: June 9, 2014 - Radish and Arugula Salad (with Chives and Poached Egg)

I was put in my place last Harvest Monday after complaining about having nothing but chives - it turns out some fellow gardeners would have been happy with what I had!

In addition to chives this week, I have harvested radish and arugula.

This is the first year in many that I bothered to grow radishes; I interplanted them with sugar peas.  But I want the focus to be on the peas now so I cleaned out the radishes even though many weren't quite ready.  Ah well, I still ended up with a useable 5 ounces.

And the greens are finally happening.  They sure don't weigh much but the 1.75 ounces of arugula I harvested is plenty for this lunch size salad.
















Especially with the addition of a poached egg!  Just add your favourite vinaigrette to some arugula and sliced radishes, along with shaved radicchio, grilled baguette slices and a poached egg for a light lunch.

Baby Kale Salad with Grilled Portobello Mushrooms, Boursin and Raspberries

I'm having a very difficult time with my greens this year ... there is no sign of the spinach or arugula planted weeks ago and I keep accidentally pulling the kale out thinking it's a weed.  Arrrgghh!

So I just keep buying mixed greens at the store with pretty much those same greens: mostly baby kale with some spinach and arugula. I really love salads with grilled mushrooms or onions and roasted peppers on top.  They can easily become a full meal.  In this case, I had peppers in the fridge but I have other plans for those.

When I decided to grill the portobellos, I had considered making a raspberry vinaigrette but I decided to just use the berries right in the salad.  So use any favourite neutral salad dressing or use this vinaigrette recipe.

I don't normally clean mushrooms too much but in this case they seemed awfully dirty.  Just wipe them with a damp paper towel to clean.







I also removed the gills - this isn't absolutely necessary and I often don't bother.  Definitely remove the gills if you are using them for a mushroom risotto - otherwise you'll end up with muddy looking rice!

Either toss with some olive oil so the mushrooms are lightly coated or just use some olive oil in the pan and pour a bit extra into the cavity (and sprinkle with salt).  Grill until well browned and the texture has softened fully.

Allow the mushrooms to cool then slice.  Toss with mixed greens, fresh raspberries, pieces of boursin cheese (I used pepper boursin) and your favourite vinaigrette.  Add pepper if you like it!

 

Black Bean and Red Quinoa Salad (or Taco Filling!)

I first made this as a vegetarian taco filling, but the leftovers were so delicious on their own that I think it makes a wonderful lunch salad as well.  Definitely any quinoa can be used, I just happened to have some red that needed using up.  Most of the ingredients can be changed out - maybe roasted peppers instead of the fresh peppers.  If you are using this as a heated taco filling, canned tomatoes could replace the fresh tomatoes.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup red quinoa
1 1/2 cups veggie or chicken stock
1/2 red onion, diced small
1 1/2 sweet peppers, diced
1 tsp chili powder, 3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne, 1 tsp salt
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1-2 pickled jalapenos, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup cilantro
1-2 limes, juiced


Place the quinoa and stock in a sauce pan and heat to boil.  Reduce to simmer and cook until the liquid has been absorbed.  This can be done ahead of time.  When cooked, fluff with a fork and set aside until needed.

In a saute pan, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and the onions and dice sweet peppers.  Saute until veggies have softened.

Add spices.  Cook 1-2 minutes.






Add jalapenos, tomatoes and black beans.  Cook a few minutes until tomatoes are softened and beans are heated through.





 

Add cilantro and quinoa.  Toss together lightly.  Add lime juice to taste (at least the juice of one lime, more as needed or desired) and toss again.

Allow to cool to room temperature and serve with sliced avocado and cilantro garnish.


Or as a hot taco filling with avocado cream.















Or atop a tostado with yogurt spread and melted cheese.

Classic Caesar Salad Dressing

 

Happy Birthday Mom!! 

When I lived in Vancouver, my friend and her husband regularly hosted dinners for their single friends.  I recall she made the most amazing Caesar salad dressing and always made extra so we could hang out in the kitchen and dip chunks of bread into it while the meal was being cooked.

Most Caesar dressings are similar, although they will vary in the amount of each and every ingredient.  Every ingredient can impact the overall taste and this version simply reflects my own preferences: average amount of anchovy, heavy on the garlic and not too rich (I used one whole egg instead of 2 yolks).


Dressing Ingredients:
4 garlic cloves (about 1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp)
2 tsp anchovy paste
1 egg (or 2 yolks)
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp dijon mustard
3/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
Kosher salt





For the salad:
Romaine hearts
Cooked bacon, broken into pieces
Additional parmesan cheese
Croutons / Bread

I coddled the egg first ... I'm not normally too concerned but the eggs I had were getting a little old in the fridge.  Place a room temperature egg (run under warm tap water if it's fresh out of the fridge) into a bowl.  Pour bowling water around the egg and let sit about 45 seconds.  Immediately remove the egg and run under cold water to cool it down (I usually dump the egg into a colander which is sitting under a tap).

Mince the garlic cloves and place in a mason jar with the anchovy paste, egg, lemon juice, mustard, olive oil and grated parmesan.  Screw on the lid and shake until all ingredients are well blended. Season with salt and pepper and adjust other ingredients as needed.  Alternatively, mix all dressing ingredients except the olive oil in a bowl.  Then slowly whisk in the olive oil.  But the mason jar option is much easier!

For the bread part of the salad, I toasted and sliced up some pita bread and broke it into pieces.

The salad itself does not require much dressing, so if this is your first time, add it a bit at a time.  Toss the lettuce in a bowl with just enough dressing to lightly coat it.  Add croutons, cooked bacon and additional parmesan cheese for serving.



I was going to serve it with whole leaves, large pieces of bacon and the pita bread triangles.  My plan was to make it a bit fancy and make a design with the dressing by using a squirt bottle.  I guess I didn't screw the top on tight enough.

This is why I don't try to fancy things up ... super klutz!

Fattoush Salad

I used to go to a quasi-Lebanese restaurant in Ottawa called the Brookfield most Thursdays for lunch.  Why Thursday you ask?  It was the only day each week when they made Fattoush Salad (bread salad).  And I loved it!  Nowadays I pop by the Brookfield for breakfast now and then; I'll have to see if they still make this salad.

In the meantime, here is my home version.  There are many variations on the dressing, but the key ingredient in any Fattoush Salad is ground sumac.  This spice is made by grinding the dried fruits (referred to as drupes) of certain types of sumac trees - I am guessing these are the same kind of trees that I used to have at my old place; ugh, they grow like weeds!  Anyway, the spice tastes a bit sour-lemony.  And another common lebanese ingredient found in the dressing is pomegranate molasses.  But this is optional if you don't have any on hand.

This serves 4-6 as a side salad.



The Dressing:

I found many similar recipes so I used one from this website for the dressing.  This is the recipe as shown but I reduced the amount of olive oil.  I don't really understand the purpose of soaking the ground sumac; some recipes called for that technique but many did not.  I recommend doubling this recipe if you are making enough salad for 4-6 servings.

2 tsp ground sumac, soaked in 2 tsp warm water
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (I used a wee bit more, just had one juicy lemon)
1 Tbsp pomegranate molasses (optional, I used half of this)
1 garlic clove, crushed (I minced it)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used a bit less)
Kosher salt

Put all ingredients into a small mason jar and shake together.  Set aside.


The Bread:
Some versions did not include toasting the bread first.  But usually "bread salads" are a way of using up stale bread so that being the case, toasting would not be required.  I had fresh pita bread, so I baked it for a crunchier texture.


Drizzle olive oil onto two pieces of pita.  Sprinkle with sumac and kosher salt.  Rub it in to ensure the pita are evenly covered.  Bake at 350 degrees F until crisp and browned.



The Salad:
Well, this can be just about anything you want, but lebanese cuisine often uses a lot of parsley, so don't forget that!  Here is what I used:

1 large bunch romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
1/2 field cucumber, diced
Cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped (I really prefer flat-leaf but couldn't find any so curly works OK)
1/4 cup mint, chopped

Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl.  Break up the pita into pieces and crumble over salad, toss with dressing.

Although I intentionally baked the pita to crisp it a bit, I actually like to add the dressing a few minutes before eating to let it get a teeny bit soggy.   It's just better that way ...

Fennel Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

A crunchy winter salad with a fresh taste.  The fennel can be "shaved" thinner using a mandolin (or just a knife if you have better skills than I do) but I like the texture and crunch so kept it a bit thicker this time around.

Remove root and top of 2 fennel bulbs, slice.  Toss with a vinaigrette of 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp honey and the juice and zest of a lemon (orange also works well).  Top with sliced almonds and fennel fronds.

Serves 4 as a side salad.

Roasted Beet Salad with Mint and Feta

This is a really great tasting beet salad that I first ate back at the farm (thanks Mary!).  I've made it many, many times since although I'm pretty sure it's morphed over time.  Unfortunately, it is one of those dishes for which I don't measure the ingredients at all.  Luckily, there aren't many.

I always roast beets with the skins on then remove them afterwards.  First of all, they come off much easier and can almost be rubbed off with your fingers.  But without the skins, the beets might get a bit dry, so keep the skin on!  For that same reason, I also don't cut them but roast them whole (or cut them in half with cut side down).  I use a wee bit of olive oil when roasting, but they can be roasted without as well.  Beets take forever to roast, so plan ahead!  I was using up the last few left in the garden so they don't look too pretty, but were still delicious (these are cylindria beets so they are supposed to be well ... cylindrical; not round).

Roasted beets, peeled and chopped
Chopped fresh mint leaves
Balsamic vinaigrette*
Goat or Sheep Milk Feta





Although balsamic vinegar is somewhat overrated (and overused), it seems the best choice for this dish.  I use my regular vinaigrette recipe but exchange the red wine vinegar with the balsamic.  Ever easier is to just drizzle a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the beets and toss.  There is a bit of saltiness from the feta cheese, and a pinch of salt in the vinaigrette.  I don't normally add any other seasoning.

And I always add the feta in just before serving, or you'll have bright pink chunks!

Greek Salad

I have been waiting for this single glorious red pepper to ripen just so I could have a Greek Salad - I know they are normally made with green peppers, but I don't like those very much.  This pepper is not only the first sweet pepper that I've harvested this season, it is the first sweet pepper I have harvested in several years. Last year was particularly bad: I had 17 sweet pepper plants and not a single pepper was picked (let alone a peck)!


So I have been looking forward to eating it.  And I really love Greek salads.  When I ordered Greek salad while living in Vancouver, it almost never came with lettuce.  Completely the opposite in Ontario. I prefer the without version ...

Toss together:
Chopped cucumber
Chopped pepper
Chopped tomato
Chopped or sliced red onion
Black olives
Crumbled Feta






Mix together olive oil and lemon juice (I usually use 1 part oil to 2 parts lemon), a pinch of oregano and salt to taste.

Nicoise Salad with Anchovy Dressing

I have been anxiously waiting for the fresh beans to be ready for harvest, so I could make a Nicoise Salad, along with some new potatoes.  Beans have been ready for a week or two now (July 22 post), so I picked up a nice piece of tuna from the Pelican Grill ... Lapointe is very overrated; the Pelican Grill is by far the best location for fresh fish and seafood in Ottawa!

There are many variations of Nicoise Salad, so many that I can't quite figure out what was the traditional version.  But they almost all call for green beans, new potatoes, tuna, hard-cooked eggs, and usually tomatoes, olives and lettuce leaves.  Sometimes artichokes and sliced onion.  But I think the traditional version also includes anchovies and capers.  Rather than have the anchovies and capers included as a main ingredient, I have (mostly) followed an Emeril Lagasse idea which has an anchovy dressing (with capers).  It's kind of like the dressing for a caesar salad - super creamy and delicious!

I have to admit I was somewhat hesitant to follow an Emeril recipe; I was never much of a fan.  When I used to watch Food TV (when I used to have a TV!), his catchphrases were too annoying for me to watch his show.   But I love this dressing!

And since I had some freshly made basil pesto, I decided to toss the green beans with pesto before adding them to the plate.

 
For the potatoes, I wanted to check out the Blue Russian potatoes I had planted in containers in the greenhouse and I thought the purple-blue flesh might look nice in contrast with the other colours.



For a full meal, there should probably be one egg per serving, but I used duck eggs, so thought a half egg per serving was enough.

About the tuna ... I know many health advocates are anti-tuna due to the levels of mercury; although it also has SO many other benefits.  But I figured after many years of being vegetarian (real vegetarian, so no fish either), I've done my bit to help myself and the world, and now I'm going to eat whatever I want.  Besides, everything in moderation ...






The salad can be plated individually or piled onto a serving platter for everyone to pick at.  It's great as a main or in smaller amounts as a light nibble on a hot afternoon.  For the salad itself, I haven't bothered to list amounts, it's pretty flexible.





Nicoise Salad
Grilled tuna, sliced (2-3 ounces per serving is enough as part of this meal)
New potatoes, boiled until fork tender
Early borlotti beans (or any green bean), boiled "al dente" (optional: tossed with pesto)
Duck eggs, hard-cooked
Tomatoes
Olives
Fresh lettuce greens
Thinly sliced red onion
Anchovy Dressing - recipe follows


Anchovy Dressing
2 anchovy fillets
1 large garlic clove, minced
S&P
1 egg (or just the yolk)
2  tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
8 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp minced shallot
1 tsp capers, minced
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce



Mash the anchovies with garlic and just a pinch each of S&P.  I did not have the best quality anchovies so I actually had to mince them with a knife first - really good anchovies will mash easily with a fork.  Then add 1 egg, or as I did, I added just the yolk.  Whisk together.

Add lemon juice and dijon mustard, and again whisk together.  Then start streaming in the olive oil while whisking throughout - this is when the sauce really comes together.  Add in remaining ingredients and give one final whisk (Emiril calls for 2 tsp capers, I cut it back to 1 tsp, due to personal preference).  Pour into a jar (250 ml is just the right size) and keep in refrigerator until ready to use.  Good for a few days.

Beet Green Salad with a Maple-Balsamic Dressing

This salad "recipe" (I know, it's just a salad) is taken from the Union Street Kitchen Witch blog.  Jenny Osburn, the owner of the Union Street Cafe in Berwick, Nova Scotia is a friend of a friend.  I have never had the opportunity to meet Jenny, but had the pleasure of eating many of her mom Anna's Slippery Jack pickles (and rummaging through her bookshop, oh so awesome!).

The recipe combines so many of my favourite tastes: thinly sliced red onions, feta cheese, nuts, dried fruit and fresh greens!

The original recipe (A Really Delicious Swiss Chard Salad) is perfect as it is, but naturally, I've had to adjust based on ingredients.  My greenhouse beet greens are far superior to my swiss chard at present, so I don't really have a choice.  And as much as I prefer raspberries to strawberries, I can't bring myself to buy them when I have bowls of strawberries that need to be used.  Having said that, I can't think of too many things as spectacular as the vibrant red of a freshly picked, ripe strawberry against the backdrop of garden greens.



So the recipe below is adjusted for those ingredients, otherwise exactly as shown on Jenny's blog.

Salad:
2-3 bunches of beet greens, washed and cut into ribbons
1/2 cup crumbled Feta
1/4 cup chopped Almonds
1/2 cup slivered Red Onion
A big handful of Strawberries
1/4 cup dried Cranberries



Top the beet greens with the feta, almonds, red onion, strawberries and dried cranberries.  Drizzle with dressing just before serving and toss gently.

Dressing:
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
Combine all ingredients in a lidded jar and shake to mix.

Nice beet greens

Nice swiss chard, but too small

First batch of swiss chard: pathetic!