Salads

Roasted Golden Beet Salad

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This time of year we are still in the throes of winter with snow, cold and freezing temperatures, but the sun is strong and I’m dreaming of spring. If we tune in, the seasons can guide us and what our bodies need for nourishment. I love to eat with the seasons but this “in-beween” month of March- in like winter and out like spring (hopefully!) is a time of transition and moving gently to a new season. Winter brings slow-cooked, rich and hearty flavors of root vegetables and deep flavors of stock and sauces simmering for hours. The flavors of Spring are light and delicate, fresh with sprouting greens, asparagus and peas. We have a spring in our step, we feel lighter and the heaviness of winter falls away.

Our eating and cooking can ebb and flow with the rhythm of the seasons. I love this salad because it combines the slow roasted golden beets with the delicate greens and herbs and it’s perfect this time of year when we are longing for spring. Beets are a root vegetable that you can find all winter long and roasting them brings out the flavor this late in the season.

How to roast beets…

Set your oven to 400 degrees.  Wash and dry the beets and place on a large sheet of foil with skins on. Drizzle the beets with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Wrap the beets in the foil.  Place in the oven for 45min-1 hr until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork.

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Once the beets are roasted, the skin will peel off easily. Let them cool and slice or cube. I love to marinate them in a bowl with olive oil and red wine vinegar. Place the beets on salad greens, add goat cheese if desired and some fresh herbs. This salad will have you dreaming of spring too!

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Summer Orzo Salad

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I just love summer!  We are right in the thick of it now with temps in the 90s and humid.  But I’m not complaining. I’m thankful for the season of laid back summer days, running around in the yard well into the evening and taking in the small moments.  Even if it’s for just a few minutes, I take time to be in the garden a few nights a week.  This is my meditation in the summer.  This week we’ve harvested plenty of cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes and green beans.   And I took some time to be present and appreciate this season.  These moments are the beautiful, ordinary stuff of life.

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This salad is great for summer picnics and will not take a lot of time in the kitchen! I take this salad to so many picnics and potlucks because it’s so easy to make.  The “dressing” is really versatile and you can change up the vegetables to what you have.  I’ve made this with asparagus, spinach with or without the cucumber, different herbs…you name it.

 

 

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Ingredients:

Dressing:  1/4 c. red wine vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 tsp honey- whisk this all together in a bowl or shake it up in a jar

1 lb of orzo, cooked, drained and cooled

1 quart of cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered

1 cup of fresh basil, chopped

1 cucumber, seeded and cubed

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1/3 cup chopped green onion or chives

Mix it all together and enjoy!!

 

 

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Simple Chickpea Salad

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Yesterday we were at our parents house spending our Sunday relaxing outdoors and at the pool and I finally finished a blog post that I started, um…two weeks ago!  I love writing outside listening to the birds, woodpeckers and…who am I kidding…the kids bickering at the pool. But it’s all music to my ears. I do love the summer and I am loving the fresh produce of the season, but struggling with balancing my time to both cook it and write about it! My meals these days are super quick, simple, full of greens, but nothing fancy.  Actually, this is the way I prefer it.

Now that we are in the full swing of summer and summer swim,  I need to be prepared with easy go-to meals that can be prepared in minutes.  With fresh herbs and vegetables in the garden, it’s so easy to whip up a quick salad like this one.  Make a double batch of this to eat by itself or over greens though the week.

I used whatever fresh herbs were spouting out of my garden at that time…some parsley, cilantro and garlic chives.  If you don’t have a red pepper, use tomatoes instead.  You can add avocado or eat over greens or add feta cheese.  This salad is very versatile.  I like to grill extra vegetables when we grill out to use for salads like this.

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Ingredients:

1 15 oz. can of chickpeas

1 small red onion (a tablespoon or 2 is plenty)

a bunch of fresh herbs, chopped (I used parsley, cilantro and garlic chives)

juice of 1 lime

1/2 red bell pepper, roasted

olive oil

1/4 tsp of cumin or to taste

salt and peper to taste

To roast a red pepper, cut into strips and toss with olive oil.  Place under boiler for 20-30 minutes until roasted around the edges.  OR grill the red pepper strips.  Drain the chickpeas and add toss all of the ingredients together.  I don’t measure the olive oil, just give it a drizzle.  I also don’t measure the herbs, just use as little or as much as you like (but don’t skimp on these, the herbs make the salad!).  Season with cumin, salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy on a beautiful summer evening!!

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Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette, Meyer Lemon Spicy Pecans and Massaged Kale Salad

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I rarely have unexpected spare time on my hands.  It’s always fun to see what activities I turn to when I do.  More often than not, I end up in the kitchen.  This day, my youngest took a nap, which never happens.  She never really napped which pretty much reduced my spare time in the past few years to little to none.  I had some amazing Meyer lemons and pecans that my brother and sister-in-law brought with them from Texas when they visited in January.  A huge perk of them visiting in the dead of winter!!  Fresh Meyer lemons from her parents trees…in their yard.  They are so good!  And the pecans…don’t even get me started.  They are the best pecans I’ve ever had.  So I went to work on some recipes to incorporate both.  I made the Meyer lemon spicy pecans and Meyer lemon vinaigrette to top a yummy kale salad.

MEYER LEMON SPICY PECANS

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Ingredients:

2.5 cups whole pecans

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp honey

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp curry powder

zest of 1/2 Meyer lemon

2 tbsp Meyer lemon juice

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground red pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all of the ingredients (except the pecans) in a microwave safe bowl or saucepan. Heat the ingredients until melted and stir to incorporate.  Add the pecans and stir until they are coated.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet (with sides) and spread out in a single layer.  Bake in the oven for 10 min, stir and bake another 10 minutes.  Let cool completely.

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MEYER LEMON VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1/2 Meyer lemon

zest of 1/2 Meyer lemon

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp white vinegar

1 small shallot, minced

pinch of salt

Place all of the ingredients in a glass jar and shake!

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Next a make a massaged kale salad.  Rip the desired amount of kale into bite sized pieces.  Drizzle with olive oil and massage and knead with your hands until it’s bright green and soft in texture.  For your salad, use pumpkin seeds, dried cherries, the spicy pecans and the vinaigrette.  You can also use orange slices, blueberries or avacado and add feta or goat cheese if desired!!  The variations are endless!

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Slow Cooker Pulled Pork and Creamy Cabbage Slaw

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This dinner was so easy on a Sunday afternoon.  We put the pork in the crock pot, went for a bike ride, watched football and had a nice meal at the end of the day.  Pulled pork is an easy and tasty dish to make when you need some hands off cooking time.  The slaw is a perfect complement.  I do not eat mayonnaise (just never liked it) so I do not make traditional coleslaw.  This slaw is packed with fall produce and is really cost effective this time of year.  I use the greek yogurt instead of the mayonnaise here, and it has a creamy tart taste.  I found a greek yogurt that is made locally from Fiddle Creek Dairy in Quarryville, PA and it is SO GOOD!  I was reluctant to try it because of the price and didn’t think it would taste that much different, but boy was I wrong.  It is so much better than the greek yogurt in the grocery stores.  I plan to make my own greek yogurt and see if I can come close to this taste.

Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

4-5lb pork shoulder

2 shallots, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 cup of chicken stock

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Place all of the ingredients in the crock pot and mix together.  Place the pork shoulder in the crock pot and mix around until the pork is covered.  Place on low for 8 hours.  Stir occasionally.  With an hour or two left, take out the pork and shred it with two forks and place back in the crock pot for 1-2 hours.

Cabbage Slaw

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Ingredients:

4-6 cups green cabbage, shredded or chopped (you can mix red here too, but I only had green)

1/2 cup broccoli, finely chopped

2-3 carrots, shredded

1 apple, peeled, cored and shredded

1 shallot, finely minced

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup toasted almonds

1/2 cup greek yogurt

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all of the ingredients together and enjoy with your pulled pork!

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Massaged Kale Salad

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It’s Labor Day and the unofficial end of summer.  I LOVE summer for so many reasons, but for me it can be a time of indulgence.  Vacation and summer is synonymous with seasonal favorites and tasting the local cuisine when traveling.  From the ice cream at the beach to the fresh blueberry pie in Maine, I had my share of indulgence this summer. The summer “vacation” mentality along with the fact that I am training for a marathon and logging a lot of hours running per week (which makes me very hungry) has not helped with the overindulgence!  I don’t believe in total deprivation. I believe there is a season for enjoying these treats and giving yourself grace when you’ve had more than you intended 🙂 But there is also a season for being more strict and taking in real, healthy foods and saying no to the sugar and treats that can weigh you down.  Now that school is back and September is here, it’s time to get back to clean eating.  I feel so much better when I eat real food and little to no sugar and wheat. I feel more energized and focused.  With my marathon only 6 short weeks away, I need to be more strict about how I am fueling my body.  I made this salad to have for lunches this week and have planned out a couple of dinners and snacks for the week so I can stay on track.

I love this salad because it is so versatile and easy!  It will take you minutes to whip up.  Use the ingredients listed or use what you have on hand and make it your own.  Add some chickpeas, chicken or avocado to make it more substantial.   The key to making a kale salad delicious is to massage the kale with olive oil. Don’t skip this step, it makes it so much better!

Ingredients:

4 cups of kale, ribs removed and chopped and massaged with olive oil

olive oil

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 carrot, shredded

drizzle of honey

dried cranberries

raw pumpkin seeds, toasted

 

Toast the raw pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant and slightly browned (watch is carefully, they can burn very quickly).

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Rip the kale from ribs, chop and place in a bowl.  Drizzle the kale with olive oil and massage and “knead” the kale with the olive oil for a few minutes.  This gives a less chewy texture and less harsh and bitter taste to the kale.  Massaging the kale makes a huge difference!  Add the lemon juice, a drizzle of honey, the grated carrot, toasted pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries and mix to incorporate.  This is a great side salad or lunch and it keeps in the refrigerator for days.  Add more olive oil, honey and lemon juice as needed after refrigerated.

 

 

Fresh Corn and Black Bean Salad

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There is nothing like fresh corn, right off the cob!  Here in Lancaster County, there is no shortage of corn.  We eat corn on the cob plenty when it’s in season, and I always make this with the leftovers.  Also,  tomatoes are in season and I am getting cilantro from our CSA the past few weeks.  I took this salsa to the beach this year, and it was gobbled down on the first night there!  You can eat this on it’s own or with corn chips or I love to add some grilled chicken and/or avocado for a quick lunch!  Don’t skimp on the cilantro, it really adds to the fresh flavor of this salad.

Ingredients:

1 cup of fresh corn (or more!)

1 can (15oz) of black beans

1 jalapeno pepper, diced (use the ribs and seeds for more heat!)

1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes (or any chopped tomatoes will do)

juice of one lime

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and Enjoy!

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Cabbage, Apple, Walnut and Carrot Salad

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I am absolutely in my glory with all of the wonderful, local produce in season. We don’t have the need to go to the grocery store as much this time of year, which I love.  We have found other sources or our produce, eggs, cheese, meat, etc.  Our CSA, garden and farmers markets provide most of what we need.   This is a very simple salad that is a go to for lunches and or a quick snack.  This is another adaptation from the book, The Family Cooks by Laurie David.  The cookbook has a wonderful apple, walnut and carrot salad and I added the cabbage. Sometimes I add kale or goat cheese.  We got some cabbage in our CSA and it is so plentiful and cheap this time of year.  I used Savoy cabbage, which is more tender and less “rubbery” than green cabbage.  It is has a milder, sweeter taste as well.

cabbage saladIngredients:

Walnuts, roughly chopped

Carrots, grated (if you buy organic, no need to peel)

Apples, peeled and chopped

Savoy Cabbage, chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt to taste

To make things really easy, I just use equal parts of the walnuts, carrots, apples, cabbage and then add the lemon juice and salt.  If you have time, toast the walnuts the oven (350 degrees for 7-10 min) or in a skillet.  I just used raw walnuts here, and like the taste that way.  This salad will last for several days refrigerated.  Place in jars for a great lunch on the go! Enjoy!

Summer Quinoa Salad

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The summer is in full swing for us.  Swim schedules are dominating, but at least the days are wonderfully warm and there’s no homework!!  But a busy schedule means a lot of planning when it comes to eating.  Two days a week dinner is at the pool at a swim meet.  I made this quinoa salad at 10PM the night before a meet because I knew I worked the next day and there would be no time otherwise.  This is a wonderfully versatile salad with many raw veggies and protein and keeps for several days refrigerated.  I got the recipe from my favorite cookbook at the moment, The Family Cooks by Laurie David.  The recipes in this book are so simple and so healthy with fresh, whole ingredients and I’m in love with this book!  It also has a wonderful overview of the evils of SUGAR in our diet and our nation’s food supply. If you can, cut added sugar in your diet (including artificial sugar).  Seriously, just do it.  You will thank yourself later!!

I did not change the recipe much, but it can be easily adapted to what ingredients you have on hand.

quinoa salad ingredients

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups quinoa

1/2 cup unsalted raw sunflower seeds (I used raw pumpkin seeds or use chopped nuts here)

1/2 to 1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup dried cranberries, cherries or raisins (watch the sugar content here)

2 celery stalks chopped (I didn’t have any, so I omitted)

2 carrots chopped (unpeeled if organic)

8 kale leaves, stems removed, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Salt to taste (the recipe calls for 1 tsp, but that was too salty for me)

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the rinsed quinoa (I always rinse mine with a fine mesh sieve) return to a boil and cook 10-11 minutes.  Drain and cool.

Combine all remaining ingredients in a large bowl and toss with the cooled quinoa.

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This a wonderful salad to make for lunches or dinners on the go.  Or bring some to your next picnic! Your friends will love you for bringing something so light and healthy!!