Hearty "Beat the Head" Salad

Sorry I haven't been blogging, I've been on vacation in Texas and and Florida for the past almost 2 weeks! While the vaca was nice, I have missed blogging so it's good to be back!

On another happy note, thanks for all the well wishes about my blood test for Celiac Disease. I just got the test results back and I don't have it!!! I am very relieved, but still planning to go back to being mostly gluten free since I feel so much better when I am. Thanks again for all of your support!

I got home from work last night and my apartment was stifling; the weather has been unseasonably hot, and the apartment building is not turning on the air conditioning until next week (which may be a good plan considering the temperature dropped back down to the 40's at night). Regardless, I was not willing to turn on my gas stove or oven because it really heats up my apartment, so I decided to make a hearty salad that would serve as dinner.

This salad is big enough for one, but you can easily make it for multiple people as well. I haven't included measurements for the veggies because you should feel free to mix & match or subsitute as you please!

Hearty "Beat the Heat" Salad

Ingredients:

Salad:
lettuce spring mix
baby heirloom tomatoes
orange pepper
scallion
cucumber
hearts of palm
small red beans (or chickpeas or edamame)
dried cranberries
almonds

Dressing:
1/2 tsp olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp agave
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp garlic powder
pinch of black pepper
shot of sriracha

Directions:

1. Combine salad ingredients.
2. Blend dressing and pour over salad. Serve immediately.

The cost:
lettuce: 1.99
tomatoes: 2.49
pepper: 1.29
cucumber: 2.29
hearts of palm: 1.39
beans: .69

Grand total: $10.14 (serves 4-6)

Dinner Party Salad: Spinach, Heirloom Tomato & Blood Orange Salad

I am a huge fan of blood oranges. They add great color to any dish, and have a more robust flavor than many other orange varieties, so they are really good salads and salad dressings.

Because of the snow I couldn't get anywhere but TJ's, but I would have added some thinly sliced fennel to this salad, I think it would have rounded this salad out nicely.

Spinach, Heirloom Tomato & Blood Orange Salad

Ingredients:

6 oz fresh spinach
1 English cucumber, sliced
8 oz baby heirloom tomatoes, halved
1 scallion, chopped
3 blood oranges
1 tsp orange zest
1 Tbsp light olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp agave nectar
1/4 tsp sea salt
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of black pepper
1/4 cup candied nuts (optional for garnish)

Directions:

1. Place spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, and scallion in a large salad bowl.
2. Segment oranges (here is a nice little demo), and add to salad.
3. Take what's left of the orange (center and membrane and such) and squeeze the juice into a small bowl. Add remaining ingredients (except nuts) and pour over over salad, tossing to coat.
4. Garnish with nuts (optional).

The cost:
spinach: 1.99
cucumber: 1.69
tomatoes: 3.49
oranges: .99
other ingredients: <1.00

Grand total: $9.16; serves 8

Dinner Party (Part 1 of 5): Cucumber, Fennel & Radish Salad

I hadn't hosted a meal in a while, so I decided to host a dinner party last night--thanks to both JG's, JK, LM, and RK for letting me cook for them, and especially to AK for washing the mountain dishes :).

The menu was:

Cucumber, Fennel & Radish Salad (Recipe Remix from this)
Twice Baked Parsnip & Sweet Potato Mash w/ Pecan Streusel Topping
Balsamic Glazed Chickpeas w/ Red Swiss Chard
Coconut Curry Chicken
Banana Nut Cake w/ Candied Walnuts (Recipe Remix from this Recipe Remix)

Sorry, you won't get all of the recipes today--but check back, because you'll get one recipe a day for the rest of the week!

P.S. If you haven't yet filled out my reader poll, please do by clicking here!

Recipe Remix: Cucumber, Fennel & Radish Salad

Ingredients:

1 large fennel bulb + 1 Tbsp fennel fronds
8 radishes
1 English cucumber
1 orange bell pepper
zest of one lemon
juice of 2 lemons
1/2 tsp honey or agave
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Cut fennel bulb in half and peel off outer layer. Slice thinly into half-rounds (I used my mandolin). Slice radishes and cucumber into thin rounds, and julienne the orange pepper.
2. Blend together lemon zest & juice, oil, honey/agave, salt & pepper and pour over salad veggies. Serve immediately.

The cost:
fennel: 2.29
radishes: .89
cucumber: 2.00
pepper: 1.00 (on sale $1 each)
lemons: .78

Grand total: $6.96; serves 8

Asian-Style Baby Bok Choy Salad

For those of you looking for a salad base other than lettuce, baby bok choy is great. Because it's an ingredient used frequently in Asian cooking, I like to do an Asian-style salad with a sweet & spicy dressing to help cut through the slight bitterness of the bok choy.

Baby Bok Choy Salad

Ingredients:

3 heads baby bok choy, cleaned & sliced
1 carrot, shredded
1 English cucumber, cut into half-moons
1 scallion, chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries

2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp agave, brown sugar or honey
1/4 tsp pepper
1 garlic clove
1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
a few dashes of hot sauce
zest of 1 lime

1/4 cup toasted almonds
1/4 cup crunchy asian noodles

Directions:

1. Combine bok choy, carrots, cucumber, scallions, and cranberries in a large bowl.
2. Blend soy sauce, oil, vinegar, sweetener, pepper, garlic, ginger, hot sauce, and zest until smooth (note: if you are just whisking this together substitute the fresh garlic for 1/2 tsp garlic powder).
3. Toss vegetables with dressing; top with almonds and noodles just before serving.

The cost:

baby bok choy: 2.49
carrot: .99
cucumber: 1.39
scallion: .10
lime: .15
cranberries: .45
almonds: .45
noodles: 1.99

Grand total: $8.01; serve 6-8

Cucumber & Radish Salad w/ Ginger-Lime Dressing

This is a play off of the fennel salad I made a few weeks ago. I haven't really used radish until recently, but now that I've started I can't seem to stop! It's crisp and fresh, and just bitter enough to wake your taste buds up. I've paired it here with a sweet & sour dressing to cut the bitterness just a bit.

Note: Radish can be very bitter; I like to buy ones that have been packaged rather than those still attached to the root because they have a milder flavor.

Cucumber & Radish Salad w/ Ginger-Lime Dressing

Ingredients:

12 radishes, cleaned
2 cucumbers, washed
2 scallions, chopped
zest of 1 lime
juice of 2 limes
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp honey
1 tsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted (optional)

Directions:

1. Slice radishes and cucumbers thinly (I use my mandolin). Place in bowl with the scallions.
2. Blend remaining ingredients and pour over vegetables.
3. Sprinkle toasted walnuts over salad just before serving.

Tip: Jazz up your cucumber by sticking the tines of a fork in a few centimeters, and then dragging the fork down the length of the cucumber. When you cut slices, you'll get pretty little flowers!

The cost:
radishes: 1.29
cucumber (on sale .77 each): 1.54
scallions: .20
limes: .34
ginger: .15
nuts: .45

Grand total: $3.97; serves 4-6

Fennel Salad with Zesty Lemon Dressing

Sometimes I get bored with conventional salads, so for Shabbat lunch this week I got a little adventurous and made a salad with fennel, radishes, cucumber and pear, and tied everything together with a zesty lemon dressing. It was, in a word, divine, and much more fun than a regular salad.

A note about fennel: When buying fennel, you want to make sure it isn't dried out, because then it loses its beautiful licorice flavor. As with most vegetables, make sure the white bulb isn't turning brown or pulling away from the center, and check to make sure the fronds aren't getting dried out or moldy.

Fennel Salad with Zesty Lemon Dressing

Ingredients:

2 fennel bulbs
8 radishes
1 cucumber
1 pear
2 scallions, cleaned and chopped
zest of one lemon
juice of 2 lemons
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp white pepper
2 fennel fronds
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted

Directions:

1. Remove the celery-like stalks from the white fennel bulb and discard, reserving two fronds (dill-looking fluffy stuff on top).
2. Slice fennel, radishes and cucumber into thin rounds (I used a mandolin but you can also just use a knife). Cut the pear flesh away from the core and slice thinly. Place everything in a large bowl and add scallions.
   
3. In a small bowl, blend lemon zest, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, salt, garlic powder, pepper and fennel fronds.
   
4. Dress salad and sprinkle in nuts just before serving.

The cost:
fennel: 3.62
radishes: .88
cucumber: 1.00
pear: .49
scallions: .15
lemons: 1.18
walnuts: .40

Grand total: $7.72; serves 6-8