Plenty More...Parsley, Lemon and Cannellini Bean Salad

I have been waiting for my Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi for a few weeks. I pre-ordered it! I love this man! His recipes are so beautiful and inspiring. I want to make every single one of them. I'm always amazed at the different combinations of salads and dishes he comes up with. I have never been disappointed with any of his recipes.

I made this salad last night and it was delicious! It kinda of reminds of tabbouli with the amount of herbs in it, except that it is a lot more filling because of the quinoa and beans. It makes for a wonderful light lunch.

It calls for red quinoa, which I happen to have on hand but you can use regular quinoa if you want. Although the contrast on the beans is very pretty...See, I told you his recipes were pretty.

I will definitely be making more recipes from this book, so stay tuned.

Parsley, Lemon and Cannellini Bean Salad

2/3 cups red quinoa
2/3 cups flat leaf parsley, finely shredded
2/3 cups mint, finely shredded
3-4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 1/3 cups cannellini beans, drained
1/2 large lemon, skin and seeds removed, flesh finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Cook the quinoa in boiling water and drain. Rinse under cold water and drain. Set aside and let it dry out. Transfer quinoa to a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir together and serve.

m xo

Raw Thai Almond Kelp Noodle Salad

So, this is a first for my blog. A guest in my kitchen!!

Barbara, a Holistic Nutritionist

Over the years as a hairstylist, I have been very fortunate to meet some wonderful, interesting people. I have known Barbara Ollerenshaw for a few years and she has truly inspired me because she recently went back to school and became a Holistic Nutritionist. I asked her if she had a dish she would share with me on my blog and this is one of her favourite dishes. A raw Thai noodle salad. This is a healthy answer for when she gets a craving for Pad Thai.  I love Thai food! I was intrigued!

This really is a nutritious dish! I've never had kelp noodles before and I have to say they were very similar to rice noodles except they were a little on the rubbery side but not in a bad way! If I didn't know they weren't rice, I probably wouldn't have noticed. The salad itself was so refreshing and flavourful. It was amazing! The fact that it is also good for you is an added bonus. Here are just few reasons it's good for you.   

Kelp, a sea vegetable is very nutrient rich. Calcium, iron, manganese and complex B's, to name a few. It also aids in the healthy growth of nails and hair. And who doesn't want healthy hair and nails? I talk to a lot of women in my chair and hair and nail growth is one of our main concerns. The kelp noodles are found in the refrigerated section of the health food store. Garlic provides enzymes to help with digestion and alkalizes the body. Ginger is an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and stimulates digestion and liver.

I urge to try this recipe, even if it's just to try something that you haven't had before. Trust me, you'll like it! 

Raw Thai Almond Kelp Noodle Salad

Noodles

massaging the kelp noodles

1 package of kelp noodles
Juice of 1/3 of a lemon
Himalayan salt

Dressing
1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons tamari
1/2 cup lime juice, about 3 limes
1 tablespoon honey
1 jalapeño, or to taste
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 inch of ginger, peeled

Salad Vegetables
Red pepper, slivered
Carrots, slivered
Cilantro, chopped
Salad greens
Sprouts
Green onions, chopped
Sprouted mung beans(crunchy pea) to sprinkle on top, optional


For the noodles:
Put the noodle in a strainer and rinse with hot water. Drain well and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and a bit of salt. With your hands, message the kelp until soft. Cover and refridgerate.

For the dressing:
Place all the ingredients in a blender and mix until thick and fluffy. This makes more than enough dressing for this salad. Keep leftovers in refrigerator for another salad.

To assemble the salad, cut the noodles with kitchen scissors because they tend to be on the long side. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of dressing on noodles and mix together. Add the veggies and add a little more dressing and mix. The amount of dressing you use depends on the amount of vegetables you have for the salad but don't be afraid to use most of it. The vegetables and the noodles tend to soak up a lot of it. Sprinkle with cilantro and sprouted mung beans, if using. Serve right away.

m xo

Cucumber and Nectarine Salad

Sometimes all you need are a couple of ingredients to make a really good dish, especially this time of year. As you know, my garden is coming to end and I just picked the last of my cucumbers. I was really surprised how much my plant yielded this year. At one point, I had to bring a few to work to my co-workers because we couldn't keep up. We were having cucumber salads for lunch and dinner everyday, but I'm not complaining. They were delicious!

The farmers markets and the grocery stores are exploding with Ontario grown produce. I love it! I bought a huge basket of nectarines and made this dead simple cucumber and nectarine salad.

I peeled my cucumbers because the type that I grew had pinchy little things on them. I usually don't peel the English variety. I used nectarines but you can use peaches.


Cucumber and Nectarine Salad   

2 cucumbers, peeled and chopped
2-3 nectarines, sliced
1/4 red onion, sliced
3 tablespoons  rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
7-8 mint leaves, chopped

Combine everything in a large bowl. Let it sit for 15 minutes before serving.

m xo

Caprese Salad

My garden is on its last legs. Even though the tomato, pepper, celery and cucumber plants are still producing, the plants are starting to wither, even with all the watering. I always forget, year to year, how quickly summer goes. It's amazing!

We have been having tomatoes, every night, in many combinations, including this classic salad.

Caprese is a traditional Italian salad made with tomatoes and mozzarella that I'm sure you've had many times. It's a standard in every Italian restaurant. This time of year, of course is the best time to have this. I added cantaloup because, well, as I'm sure you know by now, I have a sweet tooth and I try to incorporate any sweetness, any way I can.

Real simple here. Tomatoes, preferably heirloom, fior di latte, cantaloup and basil. Doesn't get any better than this.

Caprese Salad

Tomatoes
Cantaloup
Fior di latte
Basil
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Layer the tomatoes, cantaloup, fior di latte and basil on a platter. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

m xo

Purslane Salad with Mozzarella and Plums

Where have I been? Living under a rock apparently because I have never had purslane before!!

I had never had nor come across purslane but was intrigued when I saw it at the local farmers market in Borough Hall. Not only is it delicious and crunchy but it is packed full of nutrients like vitamin E and essential omega 3 fatty acid. Apparently it grows everywhere and under many conditions. A very hardy plant. I think I might try to grow it next year in my garden. If you can't find purslane, you can easily substitute watercress or spinach.

This salad was so yummy that we had to have it twice in two days. And the only reason we didn't have it again was because the farmers market didn't have the purslane when I went back a couple of days later.

I knew that I definitely wanted to make a salad and knew exactly what I was going to put in it. My next stop was the market down the street where I bought fresh mozzarella. The combination of the crunchy purslane, the creamy mozzarella, sweet plums and salty French, oily olives made this salad one of the best ones I've made so far (I don't mean to toot my own horn...but I just did)!! lol

There aren't any amounts here. Just use however much you want in your salad. Customize it to your liking. You want more greens, use more greens, want less cheese, use less mozzarella. The point is to make it yours.

Purslane Salad with Mozzarella and Plums

Purslane or watercress or spinach
Fresh mozzarella
Plums
Black, oily, wrinkly olives
Olive oil
Red or white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

I like to dress the greens first with vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper and then place the other ingredients on top. Drizzle with a little olive oil.

m xo

Panzanella

It's summer time!!!! Woo too!!! Can you tell this is my favourite time of year? Hence my lack of postings. Sorry. I'm out and about. Lots to see! Lots to do! And lots to eat! Everything just tastes so much better, don't you think? I'm still cooking and baking but I just haven't had a chance to sit down and write. I'm still trying to balance this all out. I'm trying not to be so hard on myself for not keeping up with things. I guess I have to cut myself some slack. But I had to share this great summertime salad!

If things do get a little hectic and you want to throw something together quickly, I urge you to make this! Panzanella! Because you let the tomatoes sit in the vinaigrette for a few minutes, the ingredients just come together to make a flavourful tasting salad. You basically throw in your tomatoes, cucumbers and a simple vinaigrette of red wine vinegar and olive oil. Add some day old, crusty bread that you have hanging around and serve. The lack of dairy makes it a great dish to bring to a picnic.

Panzanella

2 pounds of tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 English cucumbers, cut up
1 cup of artichokes (in water or oil), halved or quartered
1 red onion, sliced
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1 cup basil leaves
Bread, baguette or ciabatta

For vinaigrette:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Preheat to 400F. Place bread on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool, tear into pieces if bread is in bigger pieces and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumbers, artichokes, red onions, kalamata olives and torn up basil.
To make the vinaigrette, in a mason jar, combine olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and dried oregano. Shake and pour over salad. Let mixture sit for at least 10 minutes. The longer it sits, the juicier the tomatoes will be. Add the bread and serve.

m xo

Cauliflower and Celery Salad

I tried to get on the raw food band wagon a few years ago, I really did! My cookbook shelves can prove it. I must have half a dozen of them. Every time I see a new one, I think this one is going to be different. This one will inspire me to go raw…Who am I kidding! There is no way I can go totally raw. I love pizza too much!!! Hahaha!!

But I do love raw salads. Especially crunchy ones like this one. Soooo good! I never thought to make a raw cauliflower salad until I saw this on "Alexandra Cooks" and came up with my own version. Thinly sliced cauliflower and celery, (I used my trusty $10 mandolin  but you can use a food processor or a sharp knife), pumpkin and sesame seeds, feta cheese, lightly dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. This salad really keeps well for a few days in the refrigerator. I had it for lunch the next couple of days.

Cauliflower and Celery Salad

1 medium cauliflower, thinly sliced
4-5 celery stalks, thinly sliced
4-5 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
6 dates, diced
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Juice of 2 lemons
1/2 cup cilantro or parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl make the dressing by combining the lemon juice, honey, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add the rest of the ingredients. Serve or refrigerate if serving later.

m xo

Fennel and Beet Salad with Tarragon-Shallot Vinaigrette

My go-to salad dressing is pretty basic: olive oil and vinegar. It's what I grew up with. Sometimes we would convince my mom to buy the bottled salad dressing because we wanted to be like everyone else, but inevitably we would have it once or twice and then go back to our usual oil and vinegar.

I came across this tarragon and shallot vinaigrette recipe awhile ago and filed it away for when I had tarragon to use up. This time it wasn't my tarragon but my sister's, who had leftover from something she made with it. Alexandra, from "Alexandra's Kitchen" blog, suggests you double the batch just to have on hand, well thank goodness I did because I loved it! The tarragon gives it a nice anise flavour and really enhanced the fennel that I made my salad with. I'm planning on making the salad the rest of the week!!

I combined all the ingredients in a mason jar. It was easy to shake up and store in refrigerator.

Tarragon-Shallot Vinaigrette
(from Alexandra's Kitchen)

4 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2-3 tablespoons tarragon, finely chopped

Combine vinegar, shallots, sugar, mustard, salt, olive oil and tarragon. Macerate for a few minutes before using.

I just threw this salad together with what I happened to have in my refrigerator. The combination totally rocked!! 

Baby greens

Fennel

Roasted beets

Dried cranberries

Almonds

Feta cheese

 m xo

Throwback Thursday...Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

When I think of this salad, I think of the 80's. I think every restaurant had this on their menu back then. But I never had it until years later when an ex-boyfriends mother would serve this salad as a side with dinner. That's another thing that we never did, serve salad on a separate plate, on the side. Growing up, salad was always at the end of the meal on the same plate. Haha, this was totally new to me. I thought it was really cool.

I finally decided to make it as a main meal for last nights dinner and added a poached egg to it. A nice light meal. I adapted this recipe from Mark Bittmans cookbook, How to Cook Everything. Although I did guild the lily a little by adding some crumbled blue cheese to it.

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
(adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman)

150 grams baby spinach
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 slices bacon, chopped
1 small shallot, chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Crumbled blue cheese
2 poached eggs

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add chopped bacon. Cook until crispy and remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the chopped shallot and sauté until soft. Stir in the Dijon mustard and red wine vinegar and bring to a boil. Take off the heat.
In a large bowl with the baby spinach, pour the bacon vinaigrette over it and toss until well coated. Sprinkle with the crispy bacon and  blue cheese crumbles. Divide in two plates and top with a poached egg on each one.

m xo

Just Imagine...Roasted Cauliflower and Quinoa Salad

Ok, so here's the thing. I really, really wanted to share this salad that I made with the leftover roasted cauliflower because it was that good! There is only one problem. I forgot to take a photo of it. Haha! I'm still getting used to this whole blogging thing. So sorry.

I love these kinds of salads and I rarely recreate the same one again because it depends entirely on what is in my pantry.

I like to include a grain of some sort, in this case quinoa, a vegetable, nuts or seeds for crunch, cheese for some saltiness, chopped herd or two and a little sweetness from dried fruit. Everything is to taste. You can sub the quinoa with any grain you have on hand really. If you don't like cilantro, sub in parsley or dill. Not a fan of almonds? Use pistachios or walnuts instead. Whatever floats your boat. Quantities are not even that important here.

I don't even make a dressing. A squeeze of lemon and oil of your choice.

I really hope you make this salad. It was yummy!

Quinoa with Roasted Cauliflower Salad

1/2 head of roasted cauliflower
2 cups cooked quinoa
1/3 cup marcona or toasted almonds, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
4-5 pitted chopped dates
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sumac
juice and zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons walnut oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and serve.

m xo

Caesar Salad with Chicken

I really like caesar salad, especially for dinner with the addition of chicken. And once you see how much better it is when you make your own dressing, you'll be hooked.
Just a couple of pet peeves regarding caesar salad I need to get out.

I HATE when there is too much garlic in the dressing ( I know, hate is a pretty strong word but it really makes me angry). In my opinion, the garlic should be noticeable but subtle. Nobody needs to know you had caesar salad for the next THREE days. Gross!
I guess because I've always worked in a close proximity to my clients, I'm always conscious of what I eat : ) So I only use 1 or 2 cloves of garlic.

Another thing I really dislike are the packaged croutons. They're way too salty and most of the time they taste stale. I just cube or tear whatever bread I happen to have. Heck, even sliced bread (that's toast bread for all you Anglo-Italian people). Lightly coat with olive oil and a little salt and toast in oven. Easy peasey.
Whenever you have leftover bread and don't know what to do with it, make croutons and store in a zip lock bag for future use. Warning though, you will  be snacking on these all the time! So put them where you don't have easy access to them. Hahaha, but that could just be me!

I'm also not a fan of chicken breast. If it's up to me, I will always choose thighs and legs. When I do cook chicken breast, I cut it on the bias so I get 3-4 pieces. Place each piece between cling film and pound it out a bit. Because they are thin, they cook a few minutes on each side and therefore they are not dry. But you can use whatever cut you want.

Caesar Salad with Chicken

Dressing

3 tablespoons mayo
1 teaspoon anchovy paste or 2 small anchovies, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
a splash of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil, I used a combo of olive oil and veggie oil
pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Romaine lettuce
Croutons
Grilled chicken( breast or thighs)

In a bowl combine mayo, anchovy paste, lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Gradually start whisking the oil in drop by drop. You don't want to dump it all in otherwise it won't emulsify and will separate. It should be thick and glossy. Stir in the parmesan cheese and season with pepper. You can definitely make the dressing a day ahead.
Dress your romaine leaves and croutons. Top with chicken.

m xo

Chickpea Bread with Fennel, Cabbage, Celery Salad

If you have never tried chickpea bread before, you must try it. I feel in love with this street food when we went to Florence a few years ago. It's not your typical bread as it has no leavening agent. It's gluten-free, protein and fiber filled AND so easy to make. When it comes out of the oven it should be crispy on the outside. Tonight we had it with a salad but I also like to serve it with aperitifs alongside some chunks of parmesan cheese drizzled with honey. 

I didn't give you quantities for the salad. That all depends on you. Whatever you like. Or don't like. 

 I'm not a huge fan of raw onions or raw garlic for that matter, so that's why I like to soak the onion slices in water for about 15 minutes. I find it mellows it out a bit. 

Chickpea Bread

1 1/2 cups chickpea flour
1 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 400F.
In a bowl whisk together chickpea flour, salt and water. Add olive oil and let it sit for 30 minutes.
Coat a 10 inch pan or cast iron skillet with olive oil and pour in batter. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden.

In the meantime, make the salad.

Salad

Chinese napa cabbage. shredded
Fennel bulb, thinly sliced
Celery, thinly sliced
Parsley, leaves picked off the stems
Grapes, halved
Slivered almonds, toasted
Shallot, thinly sliced, soaked in cold water
Shaved parmesan cheese

Dressing

1/4 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients for the salad and drizzle on the dressing. Top with shaved parmesan cheese.

m xo

Vitamin C with your salad?

I thought I'd share this salad with you because if you are anything like me, you over indulged this past holiday season and CRAVE fresh salads. My riff on it this time was to use Chinese napa cabbage instead of romaine to keep it interesting and delicious. And of course oranges because I could always use the extra vitamin C this time of year. I also used Trader Joe's Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar, but you can easily substitute white balsamic vinegar and the juice of half an orange. 

Orange, Chinese Napa Cabbage, Fennel Salad Chinese napa cabbage, shredded Fennel, thinly sliced Orange, peeled & sliced Handful pomegranate seeds Dressing 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 1/2 tablespoons of orange muscat champagne vinegar Salt & pepper to taste

Mix ingredients of dressing, pour over salad and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.

Enjoy!
m xo

Happy and healthy!

Well,I can't believe the new year is upon us...and this is my first post on my new blog. Yippee!! 

I guess like everyone else, I'm reflecting about the past year and looking forward to the new one. Looking forward to what surprises the new year will bring.

Being of Italian descent, our tradition for New Years is lentils. Usually made with cotecchino (sausage). The lentils represent money and fortune. My take on it is a little healthier version. More like a salad. 

New Years Lentil Salad 2 cups cooked puy lentils 1 carrot, chopped 1 celery stalk, chopped 1/2 fennel bulb, chopped 3 green onions, chopped 1/4 cup parsley chopped

Dressing 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1 small shallot, finely chopped 1 teaspoon honey 1 tablespoon dijon mustard juice of half a lemon 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil salt & pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients for the dressing and pour on the rest of the ingredients.
Can be refridgerated at this point. 

Have a Happy and Healthy New Year 
m xo