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annual salad July 6, 2010

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i love when new traditions start! last year, we had a bbq for 4th of july and decided to do it all again this year. on the menu was a mayo-free potato salad i created last time around. i wrote down the recipe without quantities, but somehow still managed to put together something tasty that everyone seemed to enjoy. unfortunately, no photos were taken of it – but here’s a gratuitous grillmaster shot:

tangy potato salad

makes enough for all the folks at the bbq

the particulars:

  • one large bag of small potatoes, preferably charlotte or red
  • 1 small red onion, finely chopped
  • 2 large celery sticks, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp seasoning vinegar (infused with peppercorns, chilis, etc)
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • handful of dill, roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  1. boil the potatoes in a large pot of water with a little bit of salt, until they are soft enough to pierce with a dinner knife (not a sharp edge). drain and leave to cool.
  2. once the potatoes are cool enough to touch, chop into halves or quarters, depending on how big they are. toss in a large bowl with the remaining ingredients, as well as some salt and pepper. cover with cling film and cool in the fridge until ready to serve.

summer salmon salad July 1, 2010

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the heat continues and so does my appreciation of light dinners. last night’s meal was easy breezy and was thrown together on the fly. i knew i wanted to use the fennel and asparagus i bought at the farmer’s market on saturday, it was just a case of finding what else i could put with it.

we had a couple of salmon fillets in the freezer, so i thawed them out during the day. the rest was just stuff i already had around the house. like i said, easy breezy.

i hope everyone enjoys their weekend – i’ll have a few recipes for you in a couple of days all to do with the 4th of july bbq we’re having on sunday. one of the recipes is from my mom – exciting! the other is a vegan dessert i am going to be making today. fingers crossed…

stay cool!

summer salad with spinach, fennel, and olive

enough for 2-3 people; we served with simple roasted salmon and asparagus

the particulars:

  • 2-3 handfuls baby spinach leaves, washed and dried
  • 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and grated (save the fronds)
  • 3/4 cup black olives, pitted and halved
  • juice of 1 orange
  1. first, prepare the dressing. combine the orange juice with 2 tbsp olive oil, the fennel fronds, and some salt and pepper. whisk with a fork in a small dish.
  2. combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and toss with the dressing. serve with a simply roasted piece of salmon (or other fish) – we cooked ours in a medium oven with a little bit of the dressing, then added some asparagus to the roasting dish halfway through.

warming up June 20, 2010

Posted by molly in : salad , 1 comment so far

golly gosh, so much to catch up on! it’s been a bit of a whirlwind of events since i got accepted to bauman. sadly, the biggest news is that my laptop was compromised in a little water spillage incident that we don’t need to go into. luckily, all my data remains intact. but the logic board (whatever THAT is) was damaged, among other vital apple ingredients. so i forked over the cash money to repair it – beats buying a new macbook pro, put it that way. in the meantime, i’m using phil’s computer – they say it will take up to 10 days to complete the repairs. thank you, fiance!

after all of those shenanigans, we packed up and headed to cambridge for the weekend to attend a friend’s wedding. it was my first cambridge experience – and it would have been prolonged today were it not for the freezing temperatures! england did not get the memo about it being late june. the wedding itself was beautiful and full of love – all in the setting of clare college (the chapel, the gardens, and even the punting boats on the river!) – pretty spectacular.

we got home this afternoon and decided what to have for dinner. i knew i needed warmth. something hot but still summery. and i think i’ve got just the ticket. the flavors from this warm salad are still lingering on my tongue and this makes me happy. it would work well either as a starter or a light main course, but either way, it cheers up a cold english summer day beautifully.

mustardy white beans and leeks

serves 4 as a starter, 2 as a main

the particulars:

  • 5 tbsp canola oil
  • 2 large leeks, trimmed, washed, and finely sliced
  • 2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • large handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp grainy mustard
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp agave nectar
  1. heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan or skillet. add the chopped leeks and a pinch of salt and stir a bit. as soon as they begin to soften, turn the heat down fairly low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. add the beans and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper and toss together. cook for a few minutes until heated through. take the pan off the heat and add the parsley.
  3. make the dressing by whisking together the mustards, vinegar, agave nectar, and remaining oil. stir into the pan of warm leeks and beans and serve warm.

more quinoa salad love May 27, 2010

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clearly, i have a thing for quinoa. probably because it is a supergrain. or that it is so versatile with both sweet and savory flavors. but i think my favorite thing to make with it is salad – cooling it right down after it’s been cooked and tossing it with different ingredients. some examples of past quinoa salads…

and now, to add to that list, a quinoa salad recipe that doesn’t involve any cooking beyond the quinoa itself. i was inspired by the veganomicon cookbook, although the original dish calls for black beans – which aren’t so readily available in this country. i happened to have a can of azuki beans in the cupboard (random), so i used those instead – and they turned out to be a fine substitution.

as is the case with some of my other recipes this week, this salad would be great at a picnic or barbecue. it is best served room temperature or straight from the fridge – and works your fine dicing skills.

quinoa with azuki beans and mango

based on the quinoa salad with black beans recipe in veganomicon

the particulars:

  • 1 mango, peeled, stoned, and finely diced
  • 1 red pepper, seeded and finely diced
  • 1 can azuki (or black) beans, drained and rinsed
  • 8-9 spring onions, finely sliced
  • 1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
  • coarse sea salt + freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1 cup quinoa, cooked
  • 1/4 tsp red chili flakes, to garnish (optional)
  1. set aside the cooked quinoa and allow to cool down to room temperature.
  2. combine all other ingredients in a large bowl. mix in the quinoa and stir until everything is well combined. serve with a sprinkling of red chili flakes for added heat.

it’s about time May 12, 2010

Posted by molly in : salad , 2comments

there are a few recipes that phil and i clung to when we first started cooking together. these dishes would be made once a week usually (provided we could get the right ingredients, and provided those ingredients were ripe) – this includes our particular nicoise salad, prawns peas & rice, and the following, the first warm quinoa salad we ever tried, after finding the recipe in delicious magazine.

now that it’s spring, the idea of a warm salad for dinner doesn’t seem so unappealing. in fact, this salad is just as good straight from the fridge – so it can be made hours ahead. what it does require is a nicely ripened avocado, fresh dill and parsley, and several juicy tomatoes. if any of these aren’t present, don’t bother making it – seriously, we’ve tried using dried herbs and it just isn’t the same.

this would also be great as a starter or side dish if you’re having guests over for lunch or dinner.

prawn and avocado quinoa salad

adapted from this delicious magazine recipe; serves 2

the particulars:

  • 3/4 cup quinoa
  • olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 cups raw prawns with tails (but we used the frozen cooked and peeled variety since we don’t live anywhere near a place that carries amazing prawns – oh cape cod, you have spoiled me for life)
  • 6 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
  • bunch of fresh dill, chopped
  • bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
  • 6 spring onions, finely sliced
  • 1 large ripe avocado, halved, stoned, peeled, and chopped
  • 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • optional: 1 red chili, finely chopped (include the seeds for extra heat)
  1. cook the quinoa – place in a large pan and cover with water. bring to a boil and leave to cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. you may need to add water during the cooking process, or drain it once it is cooked and tender. set aside.
  2. meanwhile, heat up a frying pan with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. add the spring onions and garlic (also add the red chili and the raw prawns, if using). cook for about 3 minutes. (add the cooked and peeled prawns here, if using, and continue to cook until warmed through).
  3. place the prawns in a large bowl and stir in the tomatoes, dill, parsley, spring onions, avocado, chopped olives, some olive oil, and seasoning. stir in the prepared quinoa and pour in the lemon juice (you may not need all of it).