Salads, salads and more salads!
Corn Chowder Salad
Lentil and Beet Salad with Toasted Hazelnuts
Broiled Fennel, Eggplant, Onion & Tomato with Herbs
Quinoa, Black Bean, Toasted Corn and Cumin Salad
Spicy Kale Slaw
Cook-With-What-You-Have Salad with Creamy Miso Dressing
Corn Chowder Salad
Use this week’s corn, potatoes, jalapenos and some onion. Skip the bacon, add a few diced tomatoes or any other variation–cilantro or basil instead of parsley . . .
Serves 4 as light main course
4-5 ears corn, kernels cut off the cob
3 slices bacon, fried, cooled and chopped (optional, see headnote)
5-6 small to medium potatoes, boiled, cooled and diced
3 tablespoons onion, thinly sliced or finely diced
1-2 jalapenos, minced (de-seeded if you’re worried about heat level) and taste them before you add as they vary widely in heat level
1/3 cup chopped, fresh parsley
Dressing:
1/3 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
2 tablespoons cider vinegar, more to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cook the corn kernels in the pan in which you cooked the bacon, if you’re using bacon, for a few minutes until just heated through and tender. Or cook it in a teaspoon of butter and little splash of water.
Put all the salad ingredients in a serving bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients in a bowl or small jar. Dress, toss, taste and adjust for seasoning.
Lentil and Beet Salad with Toasted Hazelnuts
This is a lovely combination any time of year. You can substitute cooked barley or farro for the lentils. You can add lots of cilantro (or parsley) to the dressing. Adapt as you see fit as it’s a great base for many ingredients. And this makes a lot of salad so feel free to half the recipe if you’d like.
Serves 6 – 8
4 beets, roasted cooled and diced (roast at 400 degrees tightly covered with a splash of water until tender)
2 cups French green lentils (or other small variety that holds its shape well)
2 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 small cinnamon stick
2 quarts veggie bouillon broth, chicken stock or water
½ a small red (or yellow) onion or 1 shallot, very thinly sliced
½ cup toasted hazelnuts, almonds or walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, arugula, sorrel (optional)
Vinaigrette
1/3 cup good olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1 large clove garlic minced or mashed
1 teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
Combine all dressing ingredients in a small jar with a lid and shake well.
Combine lentils, garlic, cinnamon stick, and stock or water and bring to a simmer and cook for 30- 40 minutes until tender but still holding their shape. Drain the lentils (reserving liquid for a soup if you want) and discard bay, cinnamon stick and garlic cloves. Put lentils in a bowl and cool to room temperature.
Toss lentils with the onion, herbs/greens and about two thirds of the dressing. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Add beets and nuts and toss again and add more dressing if needed.
Broiled Fennel, Eggplant, Onion & Tomato with Herbs
I roast vegetables (or broil them) occasionally but I particularly love this combination and this level of heat and all the herbs. Adjust quantities/ratio to what you have on hand/want to use.
1 eggplant, sliced into 1/3-inch thick slices
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, halved lengthwise and sliced into 1/3-inch thick slices
1 onion, sweet, Torpedo, etc. halved and sliced
4 tomatoes, quartered
Sea salt
Olive oil
6-8 sprigs (total) oregano and thyme or just one or the other
Set your oven to broil.
Arrange the vegetables and herbs on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Toss it all well with your hands and spread out evenly. Broil, checking regularly and turning the vegetables as they brown. I did this for 20 minutes, though I have a gas broiler that is not terribly strong. If your vegetables are browning/blackening too quickly, lower the rack a bit. You want the vegetables to be falling apart tender and browned, not crisp and browned.
Quinoa, Black Bean, (Kale), Toasted Corn and Cumin Salad
Originally this recipe did not include the kale but I think you could finely chop some, and put it on top of the quinoa to steam for the final 8 minutes or so of the quinoa cooking time, for a wonderful addition. Or you could just use kale and skip the corn. And if you like spice by all means add more jalapenos. Feel free to add lots of chopped cilantro and/or parsley.
Serves 4-6
1 1/2 cup quinoa
1 small bunch kale, finely chopped (optional-see headnote)
Kernels from 2 ears of corn
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 1/2 cup black beans, cooked
1 1/2 – 2 cups diced tomatoes, drained if very juicy
2 tablespoons minced onion or shallot
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1-2 jalapeno peppers, deseeded and minced (use more or less depending on your desired spice level)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
Lots of chopped cilantro and/or parsley (optional)
Rinse the quinoa under cold water in a fine meshed sieve. Put in a pot with 1 1/2 cups water and a couple pinches of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes until all the water is absorbed and the quinoa is. If using kale, add it to the quinoa, just resting it on top, after about 7 minutes. Cover and continue cooking for another 7-8 until the quinoa and kale are tender and the water is absorbed. Turn the quinoa, and kale, if using into a large salad bowl and let cool a bit.
While the quinoa cooks, heat a heavy skillet on high, without adding oil. When the pan is hot, toss in the corn, stirring occasionally, until the kernels are singed. It should take about five minutes. When they are almost done, add the cumin seeds to the skillet and toast briefly. Then add both to the salad bowl.
To the same bowl, add the tomatoes, the cooked beans, the feta, the onions, the jalapenos and the smoked paprika.
Toss the salad together with the herbs, if using, lime juice and olive oil and add salt to taste. Taste again.
Spicy Kale and Fennel Slaw
Serves 4-6
1 small to medium bunch kale, tough stems removed washed, dried and very thinly sliced
1 small head fennel, trimmed and sliced very thinly
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced or 1 small shallot or small piece of onion of any kind, thinly sliced
1 sweet pepper, washed and seeded and thinly sliced (optional)
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped (parsley and/or mint would be good too)
Dressing:
1 large clove garlic, minced and then mashed with a bit of coarse salt on the cutting board with the side of a chef’s knife to create a coarse paste (skip this step if you’re in a hurry)
Juice of 1 lime or 1 1/2 tablespoons white, cider or red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 jalapeño, minced (deseeded if you want less heat)
1/3 cup or more good olive oil
1/3 – 1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds (about 10 minutes at 350 degrees)
Toss all the salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Toss dressing with salad and mix well to incorporate. Taste and adjust seasoning
This salad holds up well and you can dress it an hour or more before serving. I tend to add the toasted seeds right before serving to preserve their crunch but adding them earlier is fine too.
Cook-With-What-You-Have Salad with Creamy Miso Dressing
This dressing is good on a great variety of salads. I like it with simply with greens and toasted seeds or with a more robust version with cucumbers, fresh corn kernels, sweet peppers and even cooked potatoes. You really can use most anything!
Serves 4
6 cups lettuce, washed, dried and torn or chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
2 tablespoons thinly sliced or diced onion
½ cup thinly sliced celery (optional)
kernels from one ear of corn (raw or briefly cooked if you’d like) (optional)
½ cup roughly chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, basil, dill, mint or chives (in any combination)
1/3 cup toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds
Dressing
1 tablespoon white or yellow miso
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Mirin (rice cooking wine)
3 tablespoons Greek or regular, plain yogurt (full fat preferably)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Plenty of freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Sea Salt
Put all salad ingredients in a large salad bowl. Mix the dressing in a small bowl and pour about 2/3 of the dressing over the salad. Toss, taste and adjust seasoning or add more dressing. Serve immediately.