A Colorful salad for the Holiday Season

Salad often tends to get overlooked this time of year.

As our temperatures drop our garden offerings are not exactly in abundance. And even though you can buy tomatoes and other summer produce year round it just doesn’t taste the same. So why not make a salad that reflects the season?

As the weather cools we do often tend to prefer foods that are warmer and heartier. I love a good crispy Brussel Sprout or Roasted Cauliflower as much as the next person - if not more - but sometimes I don't want to spend the time (or have the time) to cook and prep. Salads are simply so easy.

I find that if I wash and chop/tear/shred my lettuce in advance and store it in the fridge so that it’s all ready to go, salad making then takes just minutes. I keep shredded carrots on hand, and I love the organic multi-colored variety you can now find in grocery stores everywhere. Toss in some feta and chopped dried cranberries and voila, you have a beautiful seasonal salad ready to go with a myriad of complementary flavors. Serve this with a nice piece of fish such as seared tuna or grilled salmon, some chicken or meat or enjoy it on its own.

My kids don’t love radicchio - they find it much too bitter - so I do leave it out for them. But the natural sweetness of the carrot and the cranberry, along with the briny saltiness of the cheese really all play so well together. All the flavors become even more heightened with my citrus vinaigrette.

Ingredients:

6 cups of Romaine (shredded)
1 cup of Radicchio (shredded)
1 cup of shredded multi-colored carrots
1/4 cup of chopped dried cranberries*
1/2 cup of good crumbled Feta
Citrus Vinaigrette to taste (recipe below)

* You can substitute equal amounts of pomegranate seeds for the cranberries

Dressing:
Equal parts freshly squeezed lemon juice and orange/clementine/blood orange juice
Equal parts olive oil to both juices combined
A dash of salt
A spoonful of honey if desired - optional. (I do not add.)

Directions:
In a large bowl place all your ingredients and add vinaigrette just prior to serving. Toss well.

Serve this salad during the holidays whether entertaining family or friends, or bring it to a potluck - It travels beautifully!

Summer on a Plate: How to make a perfect Salade Niçoise

I eat a lot of salad year-round, but admittedly do eat much more of it during the summer when our gardens and farms are ripe with crisp, bright green lettuces and beans, when tomatoes are so ripe they’re sweet as can be. Toss in some farm-fresh eggs and our summer salads are completely unrivaled, unparalleled. Originally, the Niçoise calls for canned tuna, but you’ll see it with fresh salmon or tuna instead. I happen to love all three versions. Add a crusty baguette and perhaps even a nice hunk of cheese and you have a perfect summer meal.

The Salade Niçoise (pronounced Neese- wahz) hails from the town of Nice in the South of France (pronounced Neese). The above picture created for me by my friend Patricia Van Esche years ago inspired this post.

To create the perfect, original, salad Niçoise, you must do as they do in France. It's imperative that you use a high quality tuna packed in oil, not in water. Please do not even attempt to try this with Bumble Bee or Starkist…. Please don’t! Opt for a high quality tuna packed in oil. You can serve the salad on top of a bed of Boston or Bib type lettuce, serve it with all the ingredients tossed together or, for groups, you can arrange the ingredients on a platter and have everyone serve themselves family style.

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE DRESSING:
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup of red wine vinegar (I add even more)
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Note:
A traditional Niçoise dressing is very basic. There are many variations now and some like to add shallots or garlic or anchovy paste to the dressing. I tend to stick with the basics. Though sometimes I will infuse a clove of garlic or two for a couple of days. This dressing goes with everything so we make it in large batches and it's ready to use on any salad.

FOR THE SALAD:
1 lb. small new potatoes, boiled until tender
8 oz. haricot verts, blanched
12 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved (any in season tomato will do - we like to use heirloom tomatoes when available.)
½ cup black Niçoise olives (If you can't find Niçoise olives, Kalamata will do perfectly.)
8 salt-packed anchovies, rinsed and drained
4 hard-boiled eggs, halved lengthwise
3 (4-oz.) cans high-quality oil-packed tuna, drained. (Again, please no Bumblebee or Chicken of the Sea!)
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
Capers, optional

As mentioned above, fresh tuna or salmon can be substituted, but canned is the most authentic.
You may add or omit the lettuce - the choice is yours. If using lettuce choose a soft variety like a bibb, butterhead or Boston.

Chopped Greek Salad with Grilled Salmon

I adore salad and eat at least one a day. The key to not losing interest is to vary them up. If I had the same old salad with lettuce, tomato and cucumber every day I'd quickly lose interest. As I've been avoiding, for the most part, starches and "bad" carbohydrates, I've had to pay close attention to what I'm eating. It required a bit more of an effort not to go to the pantry to grab a snack or bread or grain. It can make lunch and other meals quite limiting and require you to put some thought into it. As we are all pressed for time I am always looking for shortcuts - especially at lunchtime. I have a "Salad Shortcuts" - I have a lot of items prepped beforehand and sealed in separate containers so that I can quickly grab and go which helps tremendously. Another shortcut is the leftover. Whenever I make dinner - whether it be fish, chicken or what have you, I alway buy a little extra so that I can incorporate into my lunch the next day or two. Adding a protein to salad makes it more interesting and more satisfying.

I love to make a chopped Greek Salad which is essentially a Greek salad without lettuce. It's crunchy and filling and incredibly flavorful which makes it a very satisfying meal. I often make it in large batches and snack on it over a period of a coupe of days. Since I have most of my ingredients already prepped and chopped this takes just a couple of minutes to make. It's a great portable salad as well for those who prefer to bring their lunch to the office.

Chopped Greek Salad with Grilled Salmon

All amounts are estimated - You can add more or less depending on your preferences.
*If you don't have access to a grill or griddle any leftover cooked salmon will do
Serves 1, Generously

1 cup cubed cucumber
8 Grape or cherry tomatoes halved
1/4 Cup garbanzo beans
1 -2 tbs chopped onion or scallions
2 artichoke hearts quartered
6 - 8 Kalamata olives, cut in half
1 "handful" of red, green or yellow peppers chopped, optional
2-3 Hearts of Palm cut into 4 pieces each, optional
1-2 banana peppers chopped, optional
Leftover salmon, crumbled, about 4 ounces
1 tbs homemade vinaigrette. (recipe here) 

Add all ingredients to your bowl and toss well so that the ingredients are well coated by the dressing, 
Add sea salt and pepper to taste

The Anatomy of a Perfect Salad

There are salads and there are salads. Some you eat out of necessity, others you eat because you crave them. There's nothing more refreshing or satisfying than a great salad. What makes a salad great? It's a combination of colors, flavors and textures. I eat a salad daily, sometimes more often, especially when the weather is warm. As long as I keep my ingredients varied and fresh I never bore of them. Perhaps I will create a summer salad series... Below I will share some of what I believe makes a winning salad.

(Pardon the photography above. I really must stop being so lazy and shoot more with my camera than my phone!) 

 I was out with a friend the other night and we had an amazing salad and she asked me why it's so hard to make a good tasting salad. It really isn't. Salads should have many layers of texture and flavors to completely satisfy. The freshest of ingredients should be used and in addition to your fresh greens you need a certain amount of protein so that the salad can act as a meal and adequately sustain you.  A salad is much more than a leaf of lettuce. It starts with the leaf, and we can build it up from there.

Different lettuces:

Stay away from the icebergs as they have no nutritional value whatsoever. 
Romaine offers a great crunch.
Baby spinach is mild and tender and pairs well with others.
Boston, red leaf and Bib lettuces are softer in texture.
I prefer the mixed lettuces that you can get at the grocery store. If you can try to get the non-bagged organic varieties. They taste fresher. If you have access to a farm or farmer's market get your lettuce there as you'll taste unrivaled freshness.

Tomatoes:

Heirloom tomatoes are summer's best bounty and come in a wide array of flavors and shapes. Naturally imperfect, don't let their shapes worry you. They are beefy and so incredibly sweet. Tomatoes are a fruit after all, aren't they?!
Grape tomatoes, small and bite sized these offer a great crunch.
Cherry tomatoes are smaller and less sweet than the grape.
Campari are small and full of flavor and what I tend to get off season.
Beefsteak. Bland for the most-part. I stay away!
In the summer get your tomatoes from farmer's markets, farms and farm stands. The season is so short but these tomatoes are out of this world.
If a tomato is so-so don't even bother to put it in the salad!

Cucumbers:

I prefer English cucumbers as they have small seeds and thin skins. I wash the skins and leave them on for the additional fiber. Sometimes I slice them super thin and sometimes I cut them into bite-sized chunks for a great crunch.

Scallions and onions:

I always add scallions or finely diced onion to my salads. A great salad has a nice bite and zest to it.

Shaved Fennel:

Adds a nice depth and dimension. Fennel is super raw and can be used in so many ways. I think it is best shaved thinly as it can be tough to chew.

Carrots:

I adore carrots in salad for their crunch. My salads have to have crunch!I cut them into small pieces. Better yet try the heirloom, multi-colored carrots for an incredible sweetness. But it's about the crunch. Have I mentioned that?!

Beets:

I adore beets. I love their color and their natural sweetness. They complement so many other flavors and textures and are a natural salad add-in. You can buy them pre-cooked in the produce aisle but They're really easy to cook. Just place in boiling water for 40 minutes or so and their skins peel off really easily. I wait to add them in until the last minute so the entire salad doesn't turn purple!

Radishes:

When was the last time you had a radish? They add a lovely sharpness and are great thinly sliced or chopped for that crunch factor. 

Assorted Nuts:

I was never a huge nut person until fairly recently. In attempt to watch my carbs, in which I indulge once or twice a week, I no longer eat bread with my salad or use croutons which I sometimes liked for the crunch factor. Enter the nut. But not just any nut... Well yes, any nut you wish, but the secret to making the nuts stand out and the zing to your salad is by toasting them before using them. Stay away from the packaged flavored varieties. They are LOADED with salt and often sugars. Take any nut you wish, almonds, pecans, walnuts (I prefer chopped or slivered) and place a small amount - about 1/8 of a cup in a sauce pan and toast until lightly golden. I usually turn the heat high and then off and shake the pan until they start to turn brown. They can burn in a jiff so watch carefully! Once the nuts are cooked, remove them from the heat and add them to your salad when they cool back to room temperature.

Cheese:

A little cheese goes a long way. We don't want to turn our healthy meals into a calorie-laden dish, so I use cheese sparingly - more for taste than anything else. Sprinkle on Parmesan, Feta, Goat, Blue or Gorgonzola for some added flavor. I always have crumbled Feta on hand and if I don't have shredded Parmesan, there's often a block that I can shave from onto the salad.

Assorted Protein:

I think protein is the key to a filling salad. Whenever I grill up chicken or fish I make extra. I love salmon tossed into my salad. But I often use chickpeas or edamame as my protein.  

Avocado
Edamame
Chick peans
Assorted beans
Canned tuna
Fish
Chicken
Hardboiled egg

Salad Dressings:

I think the salad dressing is the single most important ingredient in a salad. And it's imperative to use the right amount. Too little leaves you with a bland salad and too much can overwhelm and flood your ingredients. I like to make my salads in big bowls and I use tongs to toss. I then transfer to smaller bowl(s) if need be. Another way to ensure perfect salad dressing to salad distribution is place your salad in a plastic bag, add your dressing and shake well! This method is completely fool proof - but it can get expensive and is somewhat wasteful!

Another thing I will tell you about salad dressings is to DITCH THE STORE BOUGHT DRESSINGS. Home made is the way to go. The flavors are so much more natural tasting and less strong. Freshness is key here. My foolproof vinaigrette recipe is here. I make a ton (fill an old wine bottle!) so that I have it on hand whenever I need it! 

I think the trick to creating well balanced and delicious salads is to keep them varied and filling. If you make something you like particularly, write it down so that you can repeat it. Keep a list of salads you enjoy and that inspire you. Create a Pinterest board for salads. There are so many options with salads that you can eat them every day, all year long! 

Over the next few weeks I will be sharing some of my favorite lettuce and non-lettuce salad recipes. I hope they inspire you to eat well and perhaps you'll share some of your favorites with me!
 

Uncorked & Repurposed:: A new use for an old wine bottle

There was a time when I would turn my nose up at a screw top wine bottle. After one too many evenings on the beach with forgotten, misplaced or lost corkscrews I changed my stance on the matter and started to appreciate the ease of the good ol' twist off top. In fact, the other evening as I placed my bottles rosé up by the cashier I didn't exactly contain my excitement to see that the bottles I had chosen were cork-less. And I laughed at myself thinking that my laziness has sunk to an all-time low... I mean how hard is it really to uncork a bottle? 

It is not unusual for me to pour myself a glass of wine as I start the dinner preparations. As I emptied what was left over of my twist top wine bottle into my glass I noticed the pretty shape of the bottle as I set it on the counter to toss into the recycling bin at a later time. It wasn't until I started rummaging through the pantry that I decided this beautiful bottle should be put to use. It wasn't just a pretty bottle, but it would be a practical one too. (Rosé bottles I think are particularly pretty.) 

I'm not really a fan of store-bought salad dressings. Overall I find them much too salty and strong in flavor. I do keep a couple on hand for emergency purposes but I much prefer my own home-made dressings. The problem is we go through them much too quickly. And many jars that I do reuse for my dressings end up not sealing properly and leaking, or they're simply too small for our needs. Everyone should have a good homemade dressing on hand at all times. 

I love a good French vinaigrette but I find that a good olive oil and vinegar dressing can be more versatile. To my dressings I add a bit of salt, pepper, garlic and Italian Seasonings or Herbes de Provence that I can't keep refilled. I use this dressing on a wide variety of salads, from Greek to Chef's to Niçoise.  Because the ingredients are those which are already in my pantry I don't have to worry about refrigerating the dressing or its shelf life as it is often used long before the expiry would be anyhow. 
 

Classic Herb Vinaigrette

2 cups of Light Olive Oil, or 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil plus 1 cup of canola or vegetable oil
3/4 Red wine or Apple Cider vinegar
2 TBS water
1 tsp sea salt
1 TBS of Italian Seasoning or Herbes de Provence
3-4 cloves of garlic, whole or crushed or 1 tsp garlic powder

Pour all ingredients into the bottle using a funnel when necessary.
Replace top, shake well. Serve. Enjoy!