Tag: Salad

An Easy, No-Cook Dinner: Deconstructed Shrimp Salad Rolls

Deconstructed Shrimp Salad Rolls

Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 2 people

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp tahini or peanut butter
  • 4 Tbsps sweet chilli sauce
  • 2 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 10-15 shrimp (pre-cooked)
  • 1/2 pkg rice vermicelli (~115g or 4oz)
  • 6 cups kaleslaw or coleslaw vegetable mix (or sliced kale, brussel sprouts, broccoli stalks, etc.)
  • 3 Tbsps roasted peanuts (crushed)
  • handful fresh mint or basil (sliced, for garnish)

Instructions
 

  • Boil some water in a pot or kettle. Place vermicelli in hot water and let sit for 5 minutes, until tender (or per package directions). Drain vermicelli and let cool.
  • Mix together soy sauce, tahini/peanut butter, sweet chilli sauce and red wine vinegar until smooth.
  • In a large, shallow bowl or platter, place the kaleslaw/cole slaw mix. Top with vermicelli. Place shrimp on top of vermicelli, then drizzle the dressing over the bowl. Sprinkle with mint or basil. Serve.
Keyword Peanut Butter, Peanut Satay Sauce, Rice Vermicelli, Salad Rolls, Shrimp, Vietnamese

And now for the details…

Hi there folks! It has been awhile yet again, but I am coming to you with a nice, easy, no-cook recipe for these hot, summer days!

This recipe was born from a discussion I had with my friend Krystal about ideas for meals that require little to no cooking for prep. Krystal is a dietician who specializes in traumatic brain injury (TBI) recovery. A question she had gotten was about meal ideas that required little to no cooking. Fun fact for you folks out there who have never experienced a concussion or TBI: some things that we normally consider as simple as chopping vegetables or multi-tasking in the kitchen (and hoping not to burn something) is a daunting or unmanageable task when the brain is working so hard simply to heal and provide basic function after injury. And so, me and Krystal put our (healing) brains together and came up with some ideas. And as one of our ideas, this recipe was born.

This recipe is nice and simple, with not too many ingredients to manage, and no cooking required, except to boil some water. Now, one could argue that you are technically cooking the noodles, since they are sitting in boiling water. Fair. But you do not need monitor them on the stove, just boil the water, pour it over the noodles, and then let them sit for a few minutes. And the joy of this is you do not even need a stove to do this. A plug-in kettle works just fine for the job!

We are also going sans cooking by using pre-cooked shrimp. If you want to get fancy, you could always purchase the shrimp raw and cook it and cool it yourself. But there are tons of options nowadays, particularly in the frozen aisle, for precooked shrimp. All you need to do is thaw, and it’s ready!

And so, to get started, boil that water! If you are boiling the water in the pot, once the water has boiled, turn the heat off and add the vermicelli straight into the pot. If you are using a kettle, place the vermicelli into some sort of heat resistant dish (I just used a piece of tupperware), and then pour the water over noodles. If any of the noodles are sticking out of the water, use a fork or spoon to gently press them into the water as the rest soften. Let the noodles sit for about 5 minutes or until tender. Double check the package of your vermicelli to make sure there are not some special different directions for prep needed for your particular noodles. Once tender, strain in a fine sieve, and let sit to fully drain and cool slightly.

As the noodles are “cooking”, draining and cooling, mix together the soy sauce, peanut butter or tahini, sweet chilli sauce and red wine vinegar and set aside. If you are using peanut butter, I would recommend either using the processed peanut butter. If you are using a “just peanuts” type of peanut butter, let the peanut butter come right down to room temperature, or you will end up with a fairly solid “sauce”.

If the shrimp is still slightly frozen, run them under cold water until thawed. Ensure the water is drained completely from the shrimp, even drying them on a paper towel before assembling in your dish.

In a large, shallow bowl spread out the pre-chopped mixed kaleslaw. The kaleslaw is completely a suggestion to make this recipe a little easier. Again, between Krystal and I, we discussed ways to make meal prep easier. And one of those ways is to buy your veggies already washed, trimmed and chopped. For some folks recovery from TBI, standing at a counter and chopping vegetables is just a wee bit too much for the brain to handle. Have you ever appreciated the level of concentration it takes your brain to keep you standing, carefully judging the distance to chop the produce to just the right size, all the while avoiding your fingers? I definitely have an appreciation for what my brain is capable of when it is operating at it’s “better”! If you want to chop your own veg, that is completely an option you can choose as well. Feel free to use any or all of kale, broccoli stems, brussel sprouts, carrots and/or cabbage, julienning or shredding the veggies so they are nice and small.

On top of the veg, we will add the drained and cooled noodles. Arrange the shrimp over the noodles. Drizzle the dressing over the entire dish. Sprinkle the crushed peanuts on top and end with the basil or mint. If you want to chop the basil or mint, you can do that before your sprinkle, OR you can simply tear the mint or basil leaves as you sprinkle them over the top of the dish.

Serve and enjoy.

Happy eating.

Radicchio-usly Easy Salad (with Bleu Cheese and Dijon Dressing)

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Radicchio-usly Easy Salad with Bleu Cheese and Dijon Dressing

Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 head radicchio (core removed, cut into ribbons)
  • 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
  • 2 Tbsps olive oil
  • salt and pepper (to taste)
  • 2-3 oz creamy bleu cheese (e.g. Saint Agur)
  • 1/4 cup toasted walnuts (chopped)

Instructions
 

  • Place the dijon and vinegar in the bottom of the salad's serving bowl. Whisk with a fork until fully blended. Continue whisking as you pour the olive oil into the mix. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add radicchio to the bowl and toss with the dressing until coated. Pull the bleu cheese apart with finger into bite-sized pieced and sprinkle over salad. Sprinkle with walnuts. Serve.
Keyword Bleu Cheese, Dijon Mustard, Radicchio, Salad, Salad Dressing

And now for the details…

Oh MAN I love this salad. It comes together so quick and easy, I’m almost ashamed to share it. Almost. But it is also one of my favourite salads, so combine the ease of preparation with the satisfying tastiness of this salad, and it would be an absolute shame not to share it.

This salad was inspired by a similar salad we had in Paris at the Bouillon Chartier. Theirs uses endives, but… endives are expensive! The bitter flavour from the endives is mimicked here with the radicchio instead. Mix that bitterness with the salty, creaminess of the bleu cheese, the tang of the dijon dressing, and the crunch of the walnuts, and it is a match made in heaven.

Radicchio can be very bitter. It’s often roasted or grilled to soften the bitterness, or only added sparingly along with other greens for salads. In this case, though, we are embracing and celebrating that bitter flavour in it’s full glory, and pairing it with the other ingredients to provide nice contrasts of flavours and textures.

Without further ado, let’s make this salad! We are going to make everything in the same bowl out of which we will be serving/eating. This is the glorious part about this salad, it comes together so quickly and doesn’t dirty many dishes. It is one of my favourite lunches right now, since I can throw it together quickly, which is something important right now while I am working from home and need something in a hurry.

Start by placing the mustard and vinegar into the bowl, and whisking it with a fork (the same fork you plan on eating with? Why of course!) until the two are fully mixed together.

Next slowly pour the olive oil in with the vinegar and mustard, whisking as you pour, until the dressing is fully mixed and a homogeneous mix. Add salt and pepper to your preferred taste, and mix well.

Cut the core out of the radicchio and discard, then cut the radicchio into small bite-sized ribbons. Add the cut radicchio to the bowl, and toss with the dressing until the radicchio is evenly coated.

Tear the bleu cheese into bite-sized chunks and add them to the salad. This is not a place to be skimpy; use nice, big pieces, and make sure the salad is rife with cheese! Finally, loosely crumbled the toasted walnuts over the salad, and then it’s time to eat!

Happy eating.

Brussel Sprout Caesar Salad (with Vegetarian Option)

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Brussel Sprout Caesar Salad

Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Salad, Side Dish

Ingredients
  

  • 6 cups Brussel sprouts (sliced thin)
  • 2 garlic cloves (peeled and shredded)
  • 1 tsp anchovy paste (optional if vegetarian)
  • 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
  • 2 Tbsps red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (optional if vegetarian)
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1/4 lemon)
  • 4 Tbsps olive oil
  • 1/3 cup parmesan cheese (grated)
  • 3 slices prosciutto (optional if vegetarian)
  • 1 tsp capers, with brine, smashed into paste (if have omitted anchovy paste and Worcestershire)
  • salt and pepper (to taste)
  • 2 Tbsps parmesan cheese (for garnish)

Instructions
 

  • Slice the brussel sprouts thinly with a mandolin or sharp knife. Either in a blender, or a bowl with a whisk, mix the shredded garlic, anchovy paste, mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire, and lemon juice (and capers, if you're going vegetarian). Whisk/blend until fully mixed, then slowly add the olive oil, mixing well as you add. Finally, mix in the parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper, to taste. Toss the sprouts with the dressing and set aside for 5-15 minutes. On a grill set to 350ºF/175ºC, or on a pan set to medium heat, cook the prosciutto pieces for approximately 3 minutes on each side. Remove from heat, let cool, then cut into small pieces. Add the prosciutto to the salad and toss. Top with parmesan flakes and fresh ground pepper. Serve.
Keyword Brussel Sprouts, Caesar, Salad, Salad Dressing, Vegetables, Vegetarian

And now for the details…

In my last post, we had a juicy burger… this post is the accompaniment to that burger. What goes really well with burgers? Coleslaw. But I didn’t feel like coleslaw at the time, and I had brussel sprouts that needed to be used, so instead, the brussel sprout Caesar was born!

The texture in this salad is more similar to coleslaw, but unfortunately, it doesn’t quite keep as one, as we unfortunately found out. The next day, the brussel sprouts had that limp, almost soggy texture that lettuce gets when it’s sat in salad dressing for too long. Not my favourite. So eat this salad on the same day to avoid that!

We start out with prepping the brussel sprouts. Mine were a little forlorn by the time I pulled them out of the fridge to use, so I needed to trim the ends and remove some of the exterior leaves that had gone a bit yellow. I used a sharp knife to get the brussels nice and thin. If you have one, you could use a mandolin. There’s always the option to use a food processor too, but I find the slice on those is much thicker, and not the texture I was going for.

Next we make the salad dressing. Mix the anchovy paste, mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire, lemon juice and garlic cloves. If you’re making this salad vegetarian, skip the anchovy paste and Worcestershire, and instead add 1 teaspoon of capers with some of the brine, mashed into a paste. Whisk all the ingredients together until fully mixed. Alternatively, you can add all the ingredients to a blender and blend them together.

Once the ingredients have been well mixed, start slowly adding the olive oil, whisking constantly, to allow the dressing to become a homogeneous mix. The mustard acts as an emulsifier here, so it will help to ensure that the oil doesn’t start separating from the rest of the ingredients once the dressing sits.

Finally, we add the shredded parmesan cheese. If you ware whisking, give this a pretty vigorous mix to help break apart the parmesan a bit to get a slightly creamier texture to the dressing.

Wait until you have mixed in the cheese to add your salt and pepper, since the cheese, anchovy paste, and Worcestershire (or capers) are quite salty, so we want to wait until now to do a taste test, then add salt and pepper to your taste preferences, mixing well. Then, we add the dressing to the brussel sprouts.

Mix thoroughly, then set aside for 5-15 minutes to give the brussels some “soak time” in the dressing. While we are waiting, we can cook the prosciutto (obviously you’re going to skip this step if you’re going vegetarian). I cooked the prosciutto on the grill at medium heat (~350ºF/175ºC), since it was already going to cook the burgers, but you can use a pan on the stove heated to medium heat, and cook the prosciutto for about 3 minutes per side. Remove from the heat, then let the pieces cool, and cut them into small, bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle them and the parmesan flakes over the salad.

Give the salad one last toss, top with some more fresh ground pepper, then serve.

Happy eating.

Sesame Crusted Tuna Salad with Ginger-Soy Dressing

Sesame Crusted Tuna Salad with Ginger-Soy Dressing

Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Course Main Course, Side Dish

Ingredients
  

Dressing

  • 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder (e.g. OXO brand)
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp wasabi paste
  • 1/2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger (peeled and shredded)

Tuna

  • 450 g ahi tuna (1 lb, sushi grade)
  • 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp wasabi paste
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger (peeled and shredded)
  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds

Salad

  • 2 large carrots (peeled and shredded)
  • 8 cup romaine lettuce (torn to bite-sized pieces, can use any lettuce)

Instructions
 

Dressing

  • Whisk together 2 Tbsps rice wine vinegar, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, chicken stock powder, 2 Tbsps olive oil, sesame oil, 1 tsp ginger and garlic.

Tuna

  • Whisk together 2 Tbsps olive oil, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp wasabi paste, 1 tsp rice wine vinegar, and 1 tsp shredded ginger. Dip the tuna piece into the olive oil mix, turning to coat on all sides, then coat with the sesame seeds. Set a dry pan on the stove to medium-high heat. Turn, searing on all sides. Remove tuna and slice.

Salad Assembly

  • Toss the lettuce with the dressing. Place the carrots over the lettuce. Place the tuna pieces over the salad. Mix the 1 tsp wasabi paste, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 tsp ginger. Drizzle the soy mixture over the tuna. Serve.
Keyword Ginger, Salad, Salad Dressing, Sesame, Soy Sauce, Tuna

And now for the details…

There is something so right about tuna, sesame, ginger and soy. These flavours just seemed to be made for each other. Add in the slightly spicy kick of wasabi, and it is a match made in heaven.

The best part of this recipe? It can come together fairly quickly, too, so a great option for a weekday evening.

Mix together the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon wasabi paste, and 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar. Dip the tuna into the olive oil mix, coating the tuna on all sides.

Next we will be mixing together the salad dressing. We are going to whisk the 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1/2 tsp powdered chicken stock, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 1 grated garlic clove, and some fresh ground pepper. I added some sesame seeds to the dressing as well for added texture.

Sprinkle sesame seeds over all the sides of the tuna. Place the tuna on a pan heated to medium-high heat, and turn the piece of tuna every couple minutes, searing the tuna on all sides. Remove the tuna and slice the tuna into pieces.

Toss the lettuce with the salad dressing in a large serving platter. Place the carrots over the lettuce. Top with the tuna pieces.

Finally, whisk together the 1 teaspoon wasabi paste, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon grated ginger, and drizzle over the tuna. Serve immediately.

Happy eating.

Gorgeous and Green Citrus Cucumber Salad

Cucumber Salad

Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Course Salad, Side Dish

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large english cucumber (sliced thin)
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
  • 1 small shallot (sliced thin)
  • 1 avocado (peeled, pitted and cut into pieces)
  • 1 orange (juiced)
  • 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • salt and fresh ground pepper (to taste)

Instructions
 

  • Slice the cucumber and shallots very thin. Place in a bowl, and mix in the parsley, shallots, and avocados. Add the orange juice, vinegar, and oil. Mix well, then stay and pepper to taste. Serve.
Keyword Avocado, Cucumber, Orange, Salad, Salad Dressing

And now for the details…

Well folks, we are over halfway through the quarantine 14 day challenge, coming into day 8.

Today’s recipe is nice and simple. And since spring is attempting to be upon us, and warmer weather is around the corner, I figured it was appropriate to share a recipe that really could be likened to summer in a bowl. It’s nice and fresh, with a citrus kick from the orange juice, and richness provided from the avocado.

I use my Japanese knife for slicing the vegetables super thin. A quick sidebar for how much I love my Japanese knife… I really love this knife. And it’s not just because it was a gift from my grandma (a gift given with a coin, so as not to sever our relationship). Well maybe it’s partially because it was a gift from my grandma. But also… because the knife is beautiful. And works so well. I have only sharpened it once in the almost six years of owning it, and it is incredibly sharp (as the ends of fingers I have almost sliced off can attest). The knife is from a line called Kumo, for cloud, which is what the pattern on the knife seems to exhibit. Japanese knives have a different angle than traditional western blades, and are sharper than western blades, which makes them great for slicing things very thinly. It’s an awesome knife.

If you don’t have a super sharp Japanese blade? Well, a mandolin could also work. Or as sharp a knife as you may have. Maybe you just have better knife skills than I do. Possible. My knife skills could use work (as the ends of fingers I have almost sliced off can attest).

Cut the cucumber as thin as you can. Same with the shallot. Add them and the parsley to a bowl.

Toss the vegetables together, and add the avocado.

Squeeze the orange juice in, add the vinegar and oil, then add the salt and pepper to your flavour preference, and serve. It is that easy.

Happy eating.

Warm Kale Salad with Caramelized Shallots and Roasted Apples

Warm Kale Salad with Shallots and Apples

Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Main Course, Salad

Ingredients
  

  • 3 shallots (sliced medium-thick)
  • 3 Tbsps (plus 2 Tbsps) olive oil
  • 2 Tbsps dried currants
  • 2 Tbsps red wine vinegar
  • 2 tsps dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 2 small apples (cored and sliced)
  • 3 celery ribs (sliced)
  • 8 leaves kale (small leaves, reduce if large leaves)
  • 1/2 cup walnut pieces (toasted)

Instructions
 

  • Heat oven to 200ºC/400ºF. Place shallot slices on large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Place in oven for 7 minutes. Remove and flip. Place back in oven for 5-7 minutes.
  • Remove and add celery and apples, mixing to coat all with oil. Place back in oven for 5 minutes.
  • Sprinkle kale over other fruit/vegetables, place back in oven for 3-8 minutes or until kale has softened, but not turned crispy.
  • Mix together currants, vinegar, syrup, mustard, 2 tablespoons of oil and salt.
  • Remove fruit/vegetables from sheet to serving dish. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Sprinkle with walnuts. Serve.
Keyword Apple, Kale, Salad, Salad Dressing, Shallots

And now for the details…

Back for day two of the 14-day-quarantine-recipe-posting-challenge.

Today’s recipe is a warm kale salad. This is a great recipe to throw together when you don’t want to have to spend a whole lot of time thinking about what you are putting together or spend time babysitting a recipe. Yes, there are many removals and adds back into the oven, but as long as you have cut and prepared everything in advance, you can move pretty quickly through each step and use the time in between to either prepare the other elements of your menu, or sip some wine. Or both? Wine not.

If you are normally not a fan of kale, this may be a good recipe to try. Fresh kale definitely has a bite to it that a lot of people find unappealing. To be honest, I really enjoy it, but my tastes in food might be questionable; I’m the one who hates pancakes and French toast, remember? Because we cook the kale for a short time in this recipe, it will soften the kale, as well as cut down the bitterness a little bit. If you have not enjoyed fresh kale salad recipes in the past, give this a try, you might be pleasantly surprised. But if this still is not the recipe for you, I can entirely understand. Kale isn’t for everyone.

For this recipe, I got a chance to use purple, or Redbor, kale. It is what was provided to me by that incredibly generous friend I mentioned in the last post who dropped off a slew of fresh produce for me to use! I viewed this as a sort of Mystery Box cooking challenge, where the ingredients she provided were my “basket”, and now I am finding recipes to use these ingredients for the rest of the week! If you can’t find Redbor kale, fret not. Green, curly kale or dinosaur kale will work just as well.

Let’s get to cooking.

Start out by heating the oven to 200ºC/400ºF. While the oven is heating, slice the shallots fairly thick, maybe ~5mm (3/8″). We want them fairly thick, because we will be turning them over halfway through, and thinly sliced shallots are just going to flop apart when you try to turn them over. Lay them flat on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and then drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, flipping or lifting the pieces if you need, to ensure they are well coated with the oil. Once the oven has heated up, place the sheet in oven and cook for 7 minutes.

While the shallots are cooking, prepare the rest of the ingredients. I usually start by putting the currants into the vinegar and syrup, since I like to give them a bit of soak time to soften and absorb the liquid.

Next, wash and slice the celery, and set aside.

Wash and core the apples, then slice them into fairly thin slices, no more than 5mm thick.

When the shallots are done with the first 7 minutes, remove the sheet from the oven, and turn the shallots over to the other side. I find two forks seems to work best to do this. If the shallots fall apart while you do this, don’t worry too much, try to flip the majority as well as you can, then return them to the oven for another 5-7 minutes, or until they have caramelized.

Once done, remove the sheet again, and add the celery and apples, stirring everything together to coat all pieces with the excess olive oil. Place the sheet back in the oven for another 5 minutes.

Finally, place the kale above the other ingredients on the sheet and put back into the oven a final time for 3-8 minutes (will vary greatly on whether you have a convection oven or not). We want to cook them just until the kale has softened, but has not all turn dried and crispy. A few crispy edges are okay, and I find add to the texture of the salad, but I made the mistake when I moved to our new house with the convection oven of cooking for 5 minutes, and all the kale had turned essentially into kale chips… not what I was going for…

Finally, using a fork, whisk the mustard, salt and olive oil in with the currant, syrup and vinegar, and get ready to plate your salad.

Remove the veggies and fruits from the sheet to your serving dish. I usually like to remove the kale first and lay it as the base, then scoop the rest of the items on top. Drizzle with the currant vinaigrette, spooning any leftover currants onto the salad, and then top with the toasted walnuts, crumbling slightly.

I felt as though this salad could have used a cheese element of some kind, maybe some goat’s cheese or bleu cheese. But, well, quarantine. Feel free to add either of those if you want a salty, creamy element added to the salad.

Finally, serve and enjoy.

Happy eating.

Leeks Poached in Coconut Milk and Makrut Lime Scented Dressing

Leek Salad with Coconut Milk Dressing

A simple green salad with poached leeks and a makrut lime scented coconut milk dressing
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Course Main Course, Side Dish

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 4 makrut lime leaves
  • 2 leeks (green ends trimmed, cut into 2.5cm or 1" slices)
  • 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper (to taste)
  • 4 cups arugula
  • 1/2 cup walnut halves (toasted)

Instructions
 

  • Heat the coconut milk and lime leaves in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it starts to simmer. Add the leeks, laying them flat. Cook for 12 minutes total, turning them halfway through. Remove leeks and set aside.
  • Whisk the dijon and vinegar into the remaining liquid, cooking until it just starts to simmer, remove from heat.
  • Place leeks on serving dish, top with arugula, drizzle dressing on top, finish with walnut pieces.
Keyword Arugula, Coconut Milk, Leeks, Makrut Lime Leaves, Salad, Salad Dressing

And now for the details…

Infomercial style: “Tired of the same old salad?” *Person in black and white takes a bite of a pitiful looking salad and give the camera an exaggerated sad face* “Wondering if there’s something different out there to replace raw vegetables covered with oily dressing?” *Same person throws their hands in the air and rolls their eyes as if they cannot imagine there is anything in the world that can help* “Try this amazing poached leek salad with a creamy makrut lime dressing” *Person, now in colour, takes a bite of the salad and gives a beatific smile and thumbs up to the camera*

Okay, so I can’t help myself, I have scenes that play out in my head like this all the time. An overactive imagination… horrible if I’m home alone and hear a random sound somewhere in the house, but great for hours of self-entertainment. Onto the food…

The leeks in this salad add the savoury, umami character, while we are getting a rich creaminess in the dressing, plus a floral, citrusy hit thanks to the makrut lime leaves.

So let’s cook.

Start by cutting the leeks into about 1″ thick pieces. Stop a few inches below the green ends, and discard the ends. Heat the coconut milk in a pan on medium heat with the makrut lime leaves. If you do not have lime leaves, move forward with the recipe as is, and I will give you an alternative a little later. Once the milk is heated and bubbling slightly, add the leeks in a single layer in the milk. Turn down the heat slightly if the milk is really bubbling.

Cover the pan, and cook the leeks for 6 minutes, then turn them over, and cook for another 6 minutes. Keep an eye on the pan to make sure the milk does not boil over. Turn the heat down if you need to, or uncover them to allow the bubbling to come down.

The leeks should be done after about 12 minutes, test one with a fork, they should be tender, but not falling apart. Take the leeks out of the pan and transfer to a serving dish, spreading across the dish.

Add the mustard and vinegar to the pan, whisking into the liquid. Here is where our alternative is if you did not have lime leaves. From a fresh lime, shave off several pieces of its peel, trying to avoid the pith, and add the pieces to the liquid. Keep the pan on the heat, and whisk constantly until the sauce starts to simmer. If it is still very liquidy, simmer until it thickens slightly, whisking constantly.

Scatter the arugula over the leeks on the serving dish, then drizzle the dressing overtop. Crumble the walnut halves into pieces over the salad, and serve immediately.

Happy eating.

Chefs Salad (a.k.a. Operation Use Leftover Ham) with Chipotle Ranch Dressing

1 Comment

Chef’s Salad with Chipotle Ranch Dressing

Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Main Course, Salad

Ingredients
  

  • 6 cups arugula (or other green leaf lettuce)
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
  • 2 mini cucumbers (sliced)
  • 1 avocado (peeled, pitted and sliced)
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, havarti, or other)
  • 1 cup cooked ham (cut into bite-sized chunks)
  • 2/3 cups walnut halves (roasted)
  • 3 eggs (soft- or hard-boiled to preference)
  • 4 Tbsps sour cream
  • 2 Tbsps mayonnaise
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp dried dill
  • 1 clove garlic (shredded)
  • 1 tsp chipotle oil or chipotle powder
  • 1/4 lemon (juiced)

Instructions
 

  • Whish together the sour cream, mayonnaise, salt, dill, garlic, chilli oil and lemon juice. Arrange the other ingredients on a large plate or platter. Drizzle with the dressing. Serve.
Keyword Avocado, Egg, Ham, Salad, Salad Dressing, Vegetables

And now for the details…

Yep, it’s another fairly simple recipe I’m putting forward today. But I couldn’t help it; we had so much ham leftover after our New Years Eve party that I needed to find a number of uses for it. This recipe actually only put a small dent in the leftovers. I am making this ham and bean soup tonight in an effort to use up even more. And we still have some left. Seriously. That’s too many hams. Although it does remind me of Robert Kelly’s (ew, no, not THAT Robert Kelly, I’m talking comedian Robert Kelly) skit about his love of food… “ham, just give me ham” (the whole thing is hilarious, but skip ahead to 4:40 for the quote).

I got a bit liberal with the different ingredients in this salad. Feel free to mix and match the toppings depending on what you have on hand. I did really enjoy the texture combination I had here, but it’s not prescriptive. Typical chef’s salad has some combination of meat, cheese, egg and veggie assortment.

Start with roasting the walnuts so you have them mostly cooled and ready for the last step. Place the walnuts on a small pan and spread them out so they are in a single layer. Place in a 350ºF/175ºC oven for 5-8 minutes until they smell toasty. Let them sit to cool once done.

Next up: the dressing. I made a chipotle ranch-style dressing. Again… because, well, these were the ingredients I happened to have on hand. A good ol’ “let’s clean out the refrigerator” kind of recipe.

Mix together the sour cream, mayonnaise, salt, dill, garlic, lemon juice, and chilli oil. I used Huipi Chil mango-chipotle salsa for my chilli flavour, but if you want the same flavour and don’t have a chipotle chilli oil available, use 1/2 tsp of dried chipotle powder instead. If you prefer a less viscous dressing, you could use buttermilk instead of sour cream.

Next, we need to cook the eggs. I prefer a soft boiled egg, but the traditional chefs salad seems to be a hard boiled egg. Go with you preference. I went into detail on how to do a soft boiled egg in my Rainbow Vegetable Bowl recipe, but long story short: boil water, add eggs, simmer 6-7 minutes, ice bath, peel.

Finally, we assemble the salad. Arrange the rest of the ingredients on a large plate, with the arugula serving as your base.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad, and gently crumble the walnuts with your hands over the salad. The walnuts are serving as the crunch for this salad, eliminating the need for croutons, while giving us an added bite and richness.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Happy eating.

Fennel and Kale Salad with Grainy Mustard Dressing

Fennel, Kale and Potato Salad with Grainy Mustard Dressing

Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Course Salad
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 fennel bulb (cored and sliced thin)
  • 2 kale leaves (destalked and sliced thin)
  • 4 small potatoes
  • 1 Tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbsp grainy mustard
  • 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 lemon (juiced)
  • 1 garlic clove (shredded)
  • 1/4 cup Emmentaller or Swiss cheese (shredded)
  • salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions
 

  • Wrap the potatoes in aluminum foil and place on preheated bbq or oven for 10 minutes on medium high heat. Place the kale and fennel in a bowl. Mix the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, juice, and shredded garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. Once the potatoes have cooled enough to touch, cut into 3-4mm slices and add to the bowl. Toss the veggies with the dressing. Serve.
Keyword Kale, Potatoes, Salad Dressing

And now for the details…

Okay, so this dish was totally another one of those “what do I have in the fridge” moments to bring something together at the last minute. I was having a friend over for dinner, already had steak on the roster, but needed a veggie to go with it. The result? A garlicky, creamy salad that has a freshness hit from the fennel, the added bite of the potatoes and earthiness of Emmentaler cheese.

If you have no Emmentaler, fret not, readily available “Swiss cheese”, as we know it in North America, is actually based on Emmentaler cheese. Because, yep, you guessed it, Emmental is a region in Switzerland. (Fun fact: did you know that the holes in Swiss cheese are known as “eyes” and if the cheese has no eyes, it is considered “blind”?)

Let’s get to the cooking.

Before starting to assemble the salad, we need to cook the potatoes. I used the barbecue, since it was already on to cook the steaks for our meal. But you could always cook them in the oven, or even boil them, as alternatives. I cleaned the potatoes well, since I wanted to keep the skins on, and placed them in tin foil, then cooked them for about 10 minutes. They were just wee, so they didn’t need much time to cook through. Adjust your cooking time as you need, depending on what size of potatoes you are using.

Now prepare the rest of your veggies. Slice the fennel thinly, and chop the kale into bite-sized pieces. Allow the potatoes to cool after they have been cooked; if you add them hot to the salad, they will melt or cook the other ingredients and the results will be quite different.

Slice the potatoes into little medallions, and add all the veggies to your salad bowl.

Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. I used my handy-dandy garlic grating plate to get a nice garlic paste going. If you do not have a garlic plate, grate the garlic with a fine grater right into the dressing bowl, trying to allow any garlic “juice” to make its way into the dressing. Next, grate the cheese, adding it to the bowl with the salad dressing.

Toss everything together gently, trying to avoid breaking the potatoes up into little pieces. Serve, and enjoy!

Happy eating.

Grilled Apricot Salad with Radicchio and Mint

1 Comment

Grilled Apricot Salad

Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Course Main Course, Side Dish

Ingredients
  

  • 4 apricots (washed, halved and pitted)
  • 1 head radicchio (cored and sliced)
  • 1/2 cup fresh mint (washed and chopped)
  • 1/2 bulb fresh fennel (cored and sliced thin)
  • 2 Tbsps bleu cheese (crumbled)
  • 4 Tbsps pecans (toasted and chopped)
  • 2 Tbsps dijon mustard
  • 2 Tbsps white wine vinegar
  • 2+4 Tbsps olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Cut apricots in half and remove pits. Coat with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Place on a bbq at medium-high heat, turning halfway through until cooked through (about 4-5 minutes total). Remove from grill and set aside. Place radicchio and fennel on a plate. Whisk together the mustard, vinegar and 4 Tbsp oil until emulsified. Pour over the vegetables. Top with apricots. Sprinkle with mint, cheese and pecans, and serve.
Keyword Apricot, BBQ, Bleu Cheese, Grill, Mint, Salad, Salad Dressing

And now for the details…

I have a radicculous love for radicchio (oh yes, I went that cheesy). As I get older, I have come to enjoy more and more the bitter element that many foods provide that I could not appreciate when I was younger. Coffee, strong tea, dark chocolate, grapefruit, red wine and, of course: radicchio. There is something about bringing the bitterness together with sweet, sour, and creamy that amps all those flavours up a notch and creates a taste explosion.

A favourite salad we had in France was incredibly simple: endive, crumbled bleu cheese and mustard dressing. This recipe is taking that super simple salad and giving it a tiny bump up. We are adding in the sweet and sour of the grilled apricots, not to mention the earthiness that comes out of those grill marks. We are pulling in the freshness and sweetness of the mint and fennel. And we are adding a bit of crunch with the toasted pecans. Plus, the slight bitter note of the pecan skins matches so wonderfully with the bitterness of the radicchio. And the creamy, salty bleu cheese? Yes, thank you.

So with that: let’s get to making this salad a reality.

Start by prepping your veggies. Wash and dry the radicchio. Cut it into halves, and core the hard centre out before slicing the rest of it into strips.

Next, wash and core your fennel, and slice it into very thin strips. Raw fennel is quite crunchy, so you want those nice thin pieces to bring forward the juiciness and sweetness of the fennel while not being the focus of the bite when you are trying to chew. Add the fennel to the radicchio in your plate and toss to mix the two.

Next, cut the apricots into halves and pull them off their pits. Add the olive oil and toss to coat the apricots lightly with some olive oil so they do not stick to the grill. Place them on a medium-high grill, allowing them to brown slightly on the one side before turning and browning on the other side. Remove them from the grill and set them to the side while you prep the rest of the salad.

Mix the vinegar and the mustard together. Slowly add the oil, whisking the entire time, so that the mixture emulsifies.

Emulsify: what does this mean? It is mixing liquids together (e.g. oil and vinegar), which normally separate, but mixing them with another ingredient so they mix together and stay fairly stable as a homogeneous mix, instead of separating the moment after you have swished them together. In other words, the emulsifier is your facilitator to make sure the vinegar and oil continue to get along. In this case, mustard is our emulsifier. We mix the mustard and vinegar together first, to allow the mustard and vinegar to get to know each other and build a relationship. Then, we add the oil while whisking, and the whole blend comes together beautifully, while remaining a stable mix. Y’see, mustard introduces itself to oil all slick-like, and mustard pulls in vinegar and makes sure oil and vinegar get to be best friends too, without wanting to be apart from each other the moment they come together. Oh wow. Mustard is basically the world’s best wing (wo)man. Yes this sounds hokey. And of course there is a scientific explanation. In fact this article speaks much more to the emulsifying qualities of mustard.

Finally, we can finish off our salad. Place the apricots over the radicchio and fennel. Sprinkle the mint overtop and crumble the bleu cheese over the salad. The easiest method for crumbling the bleu cheese? Fingies. Make sure you take the cheese out straight out of the fridge, which will make it a bit easier to crumble, then squish the sh*t out of it between your fingers as you sprinkle it over your salad. Finish the salad off with some toasted pecans and drizzle with your dressing, then serve.

Happy eating.