Showing posts with label salads. Show all posts
Showing posts with label salads. Show all posts

Preparing for Hurricane Irene - What I learned {Greek Salad with Tomato, Cucumber, Peppers and Feta Cheese}

 Monday, August 29, 2011

Greek Tomato Cucumber Pepper Feta Salad - Horiatiki Salata
This past week after the earthquake on the East Coast, and in anticipation of Hurricane Irene, everyone was busy stocking up on food, gas and supplies, before hunkering down for the impending storm. As the countdown began before Irene would hit, things got a little crazy. People started getting antsy as supplies ran low. A policeman was stationed outside Costco's, people started honking impatiently, and doing all sorts of crazy driving maneuvers (like backing out full speed onto a major road without looking!). Shelves ran bare - there were no flashlights, D batteries or water to be found, and gas stations started running out of fuel as the realization that people might be housebound for days set in. 

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Warm Roasted Corn Salsa Recipe

 Monday, August 22, 2011

Warm Roasted Corn Salsa
I just got back from our summer family vacation and have missed all the fresh produce from the weekly CSA Boxes (fortunately, I was able to find some vegetable loving friends who were more than happy to pick up my shares while I was gone). Although my family enjoyed some amazing tropical fruits while we were away, I missed my East Coast vegetables. Before we left for vacation, I was wondering how I would get through all the zucchini, corn and cucumber that had been showing up in my weekly CSA Boxes, but having been away for several weeks, it was a welcome sight.

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50 Women Game-Changers in Food - Patricia Wells - Zucchini Carpaccio with Avocado, Pistachio and Pistachio Oil

 Friday, August 19, 2011

Zucchini Carpaccio Salad with Avocados and Pistachios
As many of you know, I bought a share in a CSA ("Community Supported Agriculture") this growing season, which means I pick up a box of local vegetables each week, full of whatever is ripe for the picking from the local farm.

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Korean Bean Sprout Salad "Banchan"

 Monday, August 08, 2011

Korean Bean Sprout Salad "Banchan"
This summer, I've been a bit obsessed with the little Korean side dishes called Banchan that accompany traditional Korean meals. Perhaps because it's been so hot lately, or that I opt for simple quick dishes in the summertime, these little cold side dishes are especially appealing and a fun way to enjoy a variety of fresh vegetables.

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Korean Spicy Cucumber Salad "Banchan"

 Thursday, July 14, 2011

Korean Spicy Cucumber Salad "Banchan"
When it gets really hot outside like it has been lately, I crave the little cold Korean side dishes called banchan. My last CSA Box included some lovely cucumbers, perfect for making a quick Korean Spicy Cucumber Salad "Banchan."

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CSA Box #4: Quick Kohlrabi "Kim Chi" Salad Recipe

 Thursday, July 07, 2011

Quick Kohlrabi "Kim Chi" Salad
In my most recent CSA Box #4, I was given a Kohlrabi, which I have only eaten raw once before. With hot summer weather here, turning on the stove is one of the last things I feel like doing these days, so a fresh Kohlrabi salad was on my mind.

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Quick Vegetarian Napa Cabbage Kim Chi (Kimchee) Recipe

 Monday, June 27, 2011

Quick Vegetarian Kim Chi Made With Napa Cabbage And Scallions From My CSA Box.
My latest CSA box included a large head of Napa Cabbage or Chinese Cabbage, and a nice bunch of scallions, perfect for trying out a quick version of kim chi using a recipe from Jenny Kwak's Dok Suni, Recipes from My Mother's Korean Kitchen.

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CSA Box#2 Recipe: Snow Pea, Radish and Scallion Salad

 Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Snow Pea, Radish and Scallion Salad
In my last CSA box, I received an assortment of salad greens, spinach, bok choy, garlic scapes, radishes and strawberries. I made more Swiss Chard and Garlic Scape Pesto, Stir-Fry Noodles with Bok Choy, and Korean Spinach Salad "Banchan," and we've been eating lots of salads. The one item in the box I wasn't quite sure what to do with was the bunch of fresh radishes. I buy radishes from the farmer's market every summer, but usually just munch on them as a snack.

Since one of my goals for joining the CSA was to introduce my kids to more vegetables that they might not normally eat, I knew I had to make the "presentation" of these crunchy radishes appealing.

I had picked up some fresh snow peas and scallions from the farmer's market and thought a pretty salad made with snow peas, scallions and radishes would do the trick. 
Radishes from my CSA Box, and Scallions and Snow Peas from the Farmer's Market
I stumbled upon a recipe on my CSA's site for a Snow Pea, Scallion and Radish Salad (which turned out to be Ellie Krieger's recipe). I made a few adjustments to the cooking time (I quickly blanched my snow peas) and the dressing proportions (reduced the amount of vinegar significantly) as there was way too much vinegar in the recipe for my taste, and too much dressing in general.

Snow Pea, Radish and Scallion Salad


Printable Recipe

Rice Vinegar Dressing

  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon agave nectar

Snow Pea Salad:

  • 2 cups snow peas, trimmed
  • 1 cup radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 2 scallions, chopped
  1. Make dressing by whisking together rice vinegar, olive oil and agave nectar.
  2. To make salad, blanch snow peas in boiling water for 30 seconds; remove, rinse with cold water and drain well. Cut snow peas in thirds. Toss with radishes and scallions.
  3. Drizzle on dressing to taste right before serving (I only used about half of the dressing as I like my salads lightly dressed).
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CSA Box #2 and an Easy Korean Spinach Salad "Banchan" Recipe

 Friday, June 17, 2011

Easy Korean Spinach Salad "Banchan"
Last week, I picked up my first CSA box (Community Supported Agriculture), which contained baby arugula, lots of salad greens, spinach, scallions and fresh picked strawberries.

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Joining a CSA and Two Recipes for Arugula Salad

 Friday, June 10, 2011

Fresh, local strawberries picked the same day were the jewel in this week's CSA box.
This summer, I decided to join a Community Supported Agriculture group ("CSA"). A CSA allows consumers to buy local, seasonal produce directly from a farm.

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Warm Mushroom Spinach Salad with Fresh Arugula Flowers and Chives

 Thursday, June 09, 2011

Warm Mushroom Spinach Salad with Fresh Arugula Flower and Chives
Recently, I wandered into one of my favorite local restaurants, Farmer's Table, to see what local produce they had in stock. Not only does Farmer's Table serve a  farm-to-table menu, but they also carry fresh local produce from their own farm as well as other local farms.

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Roasted Corn, Avocado and Black Bean Salsa

 Monday, June 06, 2011

Roasted Corn, Avocado and Black Bean Salsa
Salsas are a favorite during the hot summer months. I always look forward to the first harvest of local corn at our farmer's market. Although I love corn on the cob, simply cooked in a bit of water and eaten right off the cob, I also saute fresh corn, make corn salad, and use it in fresh salsas. I've found that roasting corn adds a nice chewy texture while enhancing the sweetness of the corn.


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Mango Avocado Black Bean Quinoa Salad

 Monday, May 23, 2011

Mango Avocado Black Bean Quinoa Salad
Today as I was preparing a few salads for a Ladies’ Luncheon at our church, on a last minute whim, I decided to whip up a Mango Avocado Black Bean Quinoa Salad, a vegetarian/vegan salad with fruits, grains and beans.

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Festive Holiday Salads {Persimmon Pomegranate Salad and Pink Grapefruit Avocado Salad}

 Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Salads are a nice addition to any holiday meal, served as a starter or a light side dish.  Whether you’re entertaining or being entertained, why not make either a Persimmon Pomegranate Salad or Pink Grapefruit Avocado Salad. Both salads have fresh fruit, making them even more refreshing and healthy.

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Fresh Berry Salad and a Creamy Raspberry Dressing Recipe

 Monday, November 29, 2010


Fresh Berry Salad with Creamy Raspberry Dressing
With Thanksgiving behind us, and the holiday season continuing, I thought it would be nice to post a lighter recipe, for a Fresh Berry Salad with Creamy Raspberry Dressing, to start off the week.

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Festive Clementine Avocado Salad Recipe

 Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Festive Clementine Avocado Salad
I came up with this Festive Clementine Avocado Salad recipe as I was thinking about healthy and beautiful side dishes for Thanksgiving. Each ingredient in this elegant salad contributes health benefits as well as flavor and texture.

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Farmer's Table - Dine On Farm Fresh Local Food

 Saturday, September 25, 2010

This week, a good friend of mine treated me to a delicious lunch at Farmer's Table (21 Forest Street, New Canaan, Connecticut, USA), a farm to table restaurant that opened recently, featuring farm fresh organic produce and local meat products.  

Beet Salad
We had eaten there for the first time almost a month ago, so I was looking forward to seeing how the menu had changed since our last visit (the menu at Farmer's Table changes depending on the season, and the availability of local produce).

This time around, we chose the beet salad, heirloom tomato salad and butternut squash soup.  Everything was delicious!  Fresh, light, tasty and beautifully presented. With farm fresh produce, food doesn't have to be complicated to be delicious.
Heirloom Tomato Salad - Beautiful Presentation
The current menu also includes such items as Garden Vegetable Salad (with the option of adding chicken, steak or shrimp), Grilled Shrimp Salad, and Chicken Quesadilla.  Chef Ubaldo will also prepare food to order based on your preferences (e.g., vegetarian).

Farmer's Table also sells local farm fresh produce as well as meat products from John Boy's Farm (Chef Ubaldo's brother's farm), which is great since you may leave the restaurant inspired to make some farm fresh recipes at home (see the Roasted Beet and Heirloom Tomato Salad I made below). In fact, Farmers Table has put together a Product List of items for sale, including local produce, soups, breads, artisan cheeses, grass fed beef, and more.  

Fresh Produce for Sale
Before we left, I bought a few of these odd looking cylindrical beets and some of Chef Ubaldo's beautiful artisan bread (my son, who is a fresh bread connoisseur, loves their bread!).  
Cylindrical Beets from John Boy's Farm
Chef Ubaldo's Fresh Country Bread
We were lucky enough to watch Chef Ubaldo prepare some fresh baked bread.  He bakes bread every morning (including country white, whole wheat, and ciabatta with fresh tomatoes, squash or zucchini, onions and herbs), using all organic ingredients, including spelt. His passion for preparing farm fresh foods was so apparent as he kneaded a huge piece of dough on a small cutting board surface, next to the dining area.


Chef Ubaldo preparing fresh loaves of bread
As the weather gets cooler, Chef Ubaldo is planning on adding more soups (such as Chorizo and Lentil, and Wild Mushroom Soup), as well as fresh pies (cherry, pumpkin, apple) and muffins made with fresh fruit.
I thank my dear friend for a delicious and fun lunch and look forward to our monthly visits (yes, we've decided it needs to be a tradition so we can check out the seasonal changes to the menu at Farmer's Table!).

Roasted Beet and Heirloom Tomato Salad

Here, I tried to combine the two salads we had at Farmer's Table.

Beet Salad Ingredients:

  • 2 Roasted Beets, sliced
  • 2 Heirloom Tomatoes, sliced
  • 4 tablespoons Pine Nuts, toasted
  • 4 tablespoons Goat Cheese, crumbled

Honey Lime Vinaigrette Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup fresh Lime Juice
  • 1/2 cup Grapeseed Oil or other flavorless oil
  • 3 teaspoons Honey
  • salt and pepper

How to Roast Beets:

  • Scrub beets with a brush to remove any dirt, and cut off the ends.
Cut off Beet Ends (makes peeling easier)
  • Wrap in aluminum foil and place in an ovenproof pan with 1/2" of hot water.
Beets Wrapped in Foil and Placed in Pan with Water
  • Bake at 450 degrees until fork tender (mine took a little over an hour, but it depends on how big the beets are).
  • Once beets are cool, remove skin, using a paper towel to hold the beet while you scrape the skin off with a knife (you can also use disposable food preparation gloves; beets stain and can be messy).
Scraping Skin off a Roasted Beet
  • Slice or dice into bite-size pieces.

Assembling the Salad:


  • Whisk Honey Lime Vinaigrette ingredients together, and season with salt and pepper.
  • Arrange roasted beets and tomatoes on a salad plate.  Sprinkle top with toasted pine nuts and crumbled goat cheese.
  • Drizzle lightly with Honey Lime Vinaigrette.
Makes 4 servings
    More Beet and Tomato Salad Recipes:
    Serious Eats' Roasted Beet Salad
    Simply Gluten-Free's Quick Roasted Beet Salad
    white on rice couple's Quinoa, Tomato and Mint Salad
    Jane Spice's Tomato, Beet and Caper Salad (I suggest leaving out the sugar and just using a simple vinaigrette made with olive oil, your favorite vinegar, salt and pepper)

    More Farm To Table Restaurants:
    Epicurious: The Top 10 Farm-to-Table Restaurants
    American Farm to Table Restaurant Guide
    Travel and Leisure: Great Farm-to-Table Restaurants
    Journey etc: 10 of the Best Farm-to-Table Restaurants in the US

    Restaurant Reviews on Farmer's Table:
    CT Bites: Farmer's Table: Simple Farm Fresh in New Canaan
    New Canaan Patch: Farmer's Table: Fresh Fare on Forest Street
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    Green Salad with Pears, Cranberries, and Walnuts

     Tuesday, September 14, 2010

    One of my husband's favorite salads when we eat out is pear salad, so when I saw the first pears of the season at our local farmer's market, I bought a bag and tried to recreate the salad he had on a recent vacation.  I watched anxiously as he ate it...not a piece of leafy green left on his plate!  

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    What To Do With A Box Of Tomatoes

     Tuesday, September 07, 2010

    

    My stash of organic plum tomatoes
    One of the things I look forward to most during the summer is the supply of tomatoes at our local farmer's market.

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    Farm Fresh Chopped Salad

     Tuesday, August 31, 2010

    At a recent farm-to-table dinner in Connecticut, Chef Michel Nischan prepared "Use a Spoon" Chopped Salad using farm fresh produce.

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