Broccoli Salad with golden raisins and sunflower seeds

Although there were a few years where I would have never admitted it, my mom is pretty dang hip.

I mean, for a woman is in her 40s  in her 50s   old enough to be my mother, she is athletic and active, perpetually busy, and extremely social. She would probably consider herself to be relatively conservative, but I happen to know that she is very open-minded, willing to live and let live, always interested in learning more, and ever-willing to change her opinion as she gathers more facts.

And, despite the fact that just the other day, an email from her read "I am trying to use John's iPad...."
(Trying? To use an iPad? They are, by design, easy enough for a toddler to use.)... She is actually pretty modern, forward thinking, and up-to-date.

Want proof?

This salad.

My mom has been making this salad for quite a while now. It is a totally awesome salad.

Coming along in her wake, this salad has become suddenly popular. Coincidence? Perhaps. But all of a sudden I see that Costco has a kit to make this salad. And Souplantation now considers it one of their signature salads. And try searching "broccoli salad" on Pinterest. Mmm hmm. There it is, all over the place. If Pinterest doesn't convince you that we are standing on the very brink of trendiness, what will?

However, until all these places and people start renaming their salad "Katy's Broccoli Salad", you are going to have to just believe me. My mom is awesome.

(And... she is also not big on attention. Which means that I have to figure out somewhere to hide as soon as I publish this.)

Broccoli Salad
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup golden raisins

In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, and salt. Add the remaining ingredients, and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Grilled Chicken Salad from Martha Stewart

Oh my oh my. Martha Stewart. Just when I was ready and set to give up on you. Just when I felt like every recipe in your magazine required the purchase of either (a.) a new specialized baking dish or kitchen utensil or (b.) a farm in New Hampshire, you came through for me.

In the May issue of the magazine is the feature "Lunch in the Garden," in which Dana Gallagher rewarded several of her friends for helping rescue her weedy garden by serving them a delicious lunch that she made largely with the fruits of their own labor.

It was another one of those serendipitous moments for me. I was leisurely leafing through the magazine, just about to quit my Martha habit cold turkey, when I spied the recipe for the Grilled Chicken Salad. It listed several ingredients that happened to come in my box again this week (thanks be to seasonal cooking once again! Dana Gallagher's garden and the Abundant Harvest Farms both seem to have produce that understands it should be ripening right now. Those smart little veggies.).

Lettuce, peas, mint, lemon? I've got that!

This recipe is really easy to put together, especially considering lots of it can be done ahead of time. If you've been around here for very long at all, you know I love something that can be done ahead. There just isn't time between school and karate class and baseball practice and piano lessons and scout meetings to really dedicate any length of afternoon/evening to the kitchen. This salad let me marinate the chicken in the morning, grill it while I cleaned the veggies and whisked up the dressing at lunch time, and throw the salad together just in time to intercept the starving family as they zipped though my dining room. The chicken can actually be cooked at any time during the day and kept refrigerated until showtime.

I sat at dinner and ate and ate and ate until I was uncomfortable (which has been pointed out to me, isn't easy to do with a salad). It was just so delicious that I couldn't stop! I didn't know how I was going to feel about mint in my salad, but it was amazing! I am hoping to get more peas right quick so I can make this one again!

Here is the recipe just how Martha presents it. The only substitution I made was to use Romaine instead of butter lettuce. I think the butter lettuce would have been even better, but Romaine was what I got this week, and so Romaine is what I ate. I also cooked a little less chicken (feeding only five, rather than the 20 or so that seemed to be at the featured garden party). I loved that it called for both legs and breasts. The kids love eating chicken drumsticks!

Grilled Chicken Salad
from Martha Stewart Living May 2012

• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from 3 or 4 lemons), divided
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic (4 cloves), divided
• 5 boneless, skinless chicken-breast halves (10 to 11 ounces each)
• 12 chicken drumsticks
• 2 cups shelled fresh peas (from 2 pounds in pods)
• 2 tablespoons minced shallot
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, plus 1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves (from 2 bunches)
• 1 to 2 heads butterhead lettuce such as Bibb or Boston, trimmed and separated into leaves

Directions

1. Whisk together 1/4 cup oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon garlic. Pour over chicken, and refrigerate 2 hours.
2. Cook peas in a large pot of boiling water until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain, and submerge in ice water to stop the cooking and retain color.
3. Preheat grill to medium-high heat or set up grill for indirect heat. Remove chicken from marinade, and grill chicken, turning often, until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes for drumsticks and 20 to 25 minutes for breasts. Let cool, and refrigerate until ready to serve. Just before serving, cut chicken breasts into thick slices.
4. Whisk together remaining 1/2 cup oil, 1/3 cup lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon garlic, the shallot, mustard, salt, and chopped mint in a medium bowl. Arrange lettuce, whole mint leaves, and peas on a large serving platter. Toss chicken in dressing, and arrange on salad. Pour remaining dressing over salad.

Asparagus and Radish Salad

Well hello there!

It has been a while, hasn't it?

When I first started getting the box, and I first started reading more and more about the importance of eating locally and seasonally, all the literature assured me that my tastes and my body would grow to love it. That the zucchini would run out just when I was tired of it, and come back when I was missing it again. I would be thrilled to see the return of the oranges just as the stone fruits went to sleep for the winter, and that the coming of asparagus would be one of the highlights of my spring.

I have to admit that I wasn't so sure I believed it all. I thought that a year in which avocados were available every day and that beets didn't have a season sounded more like paradise. I'd rather have basil grow all winter long and skip the turnips, thankyouverymuch.

But once again, as it turns out, the experts know a tad more than I do. This winter I realized that a stew just hits the spot on a rainy day (and that turnips actually are a perfect part of a good stew!). And while I was eating hot bowls of creamy cauliflower soup or slow-roasted squash, I never longed for an avocado. (I'm still not sure I will ever last as long as zucchini season does, though).

But when the days got warmer and longer, it was so nice to see basil come back, along with it's perfect partner, tomatoes. It is paradise to spend a warm afternoon on the patio eating a no-cook appetizer of basil, cheese and tomatoes stacked together, and some avocado on the burgers we are grilling.

So, because I have spent the spring so happy to see my old friends come around again after months without them, I haven't done much new with them. As I unpack the box every week, I find myself saying things like "Awesome! Asparagus! I am going to make those appetizers I tried last year!" ...or... "Oooh! Lemons! Time for some more lemon curd! And lemon cookies! And lemon bars! And lemon COCKTAILS!" When the snow peas came last week, they didn't stand a chance. I was so excited to see them that I stood and ate them plain and raw as I unpacked the rest of the box.

But then I ran across a recipe for an asparagus salad that sounded just right. It happened to include no less than six ingredients that were all in my box this week! (See why cooking seasonally is so much fun!?)  The salad just basically steamed asparagus and sliced radishes, but it is tossed in the most delicious dressing. I made enough dressing that I had enough for the asparagus salad, and plenty more to store in the fridge. I have used the leftovers for a regular garden salad as well as a dip for raw veggies. Maybe this week's snow peas will at least get dipped before I make quick history of them!

Anyway, on to the salad:

Asparagus and Radish Salad with Spring-Herb Dressing
This one came from Food 52, a site I am looking forward to exploring more!


one bunch of asparagus, tough ends trimmed and cut into one-inch pieces
one bunch radishes, thinly sliced
one cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice of one small lemon
splash of white wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
4 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Steam the asparagus on the stovetop or in the microwave. Slice the radishes thinly.
Place all of the remaining ingredients in a blender and whir until they are well combined.
Toss the vegetables with the dressing, and keep refrigerated until ready to eat!

Bok Choy Peanut Slaw

I had never eaten bok choy before I started subscribing to Abundant Harvest, but now I count it as one of my favorite vegetables! Thank you AHO!

It is equally delicious cooked or raw, and it is a mild enough taste that it goes well with a variety of different flavors. I like to simply wilt it a little with garlic and ginger, or stir-fry it with soy sauce, or put it in mooshu (Spelling!? Help!) with hoisin sauce or plum sauce. This weekend was far too warm and beautiful to spend any time inside cooking, though. It called for easy, cold, ready-to-go meals on the back patio.

So, I made my bok choy into a slaw. I did one before  that had soy sauce, ginger, and almonds in it. This one is similar, but I added some peanut butter and peanuts to it to make it a little more Thai-ish. I liked them both!

Bok Choy Peanut Slaw

Dressing:
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup natural peanut butter

salad:

l large head bok choy, very thinly sliced

3 carrots, shredded

3 green onions, sliced

1/2 cup peanuts

In a large bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients, until the peanut butter is well incorporated.

Chop all the vegetables, and toss them, and the peanuts, into the dressing.

Roasted Vegetable Salad

So, now that you followed yesterday's instructions and roasted a huge pile of veggies, you may want some ideas of what to do to serve them. You did roast a huge pile of veggies already, no?

Plus, today being Ash Wednesday and all, this is an amazingly filling dinner salad that contains no meat. Win-win!

This was the first meal I made from the book An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler. I followed her instructions to roast my veggies and sauté my greens, and then I made this salad with those roast vegetables.

Oh my goodness was it amazing! I couldn't get over how much I was enjoying my dinner. The vegetables were absolutely amazing, they paired perfectly with the peppery greens, and the vinegar brought out the best of all of it.

And the best part of all of it was that it really was as easy as can be imagined to put it all together after I spend the morning prepping the vegetables. Dinners this week really should be a piece of cake to get on the table!

First, take the vegetables out of the fridge for at least a half hour before you plan to eat. This will allow them to come to room temperature (which makes the first sensation you experience to be flavor, rather than temperature).

Thinly slice a bit of red onion, or a shallot. Place it in the bottom of a medium-sized bowl, and sprinkle some red wine vinegar on it. Let that sit and soften the onion for about ten minutes. Add a teaspoon or so of mustard and let that sit another couple of minutes.

Add the vegetables you plan to eat with your salad to the vinegared onions. I used the broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, and brussels sprouts that I roasted yesterday. Toss it all together, and let it sit another couple of minutes for the vinegar to penetrate the veggies. Drizzle it all with a good helping of olive oil.

Make a bed of bitter or peppery greens on each plate. I used the arugula that I got in my Abundant Harvest box this week. I piled the dressed vegetables on top of the greens, and sprinkled some of the roast nuts that I did in the oven yesterday on top of it all.

Again, I can't get over how delicious this salad was. Just trust me. And then find out for yourself!

Coming tomorrow... the best little sautéed greens sandwich this side of the Mississippi.

Brussels Sprouts Salad

Oh my. I was just looking over my (very few) posts from the last month... and I realize they aren't exactly what we might call "health food." Muffins, squash bread, bean dip, and cake bars are hardly healthy options.

I was about to tell you about the most heavenly pumpkin brown butter muffins that I made last week, but I feel compelled to interrupt my baking frenzy to bring you a salad. But, I promise you, this is every bit as delicious as muffins. Just not sweet, comforting relaxing delicious. More like tangy, flavorful, interesting delicious.

I was so happy to get brussels sprouts in my AHO box this week. As of this time last year, I had never eaten a brussels sprout in my life, convinced as I was that they would be yucky. As of now, though, I am listing them as right up there among my favorite veggies.

However, it never occurred to me that I could eat them raw. Most recipes I could find were for roasted, caramelized, sautéed, or even grilled. But when I stumbled on this recipe for a raw salad, I thought. Well, duh. They're like cute little adorable mini cabbages. And cabbage makes an awesome salad. So...


And as it turns out, brussels sprouts make an awesome salad as well.

With the aid of a food processor, all the parts of this salad couldn't be easier to prep. First I put the chopping blade in and pulsed the pecans a couple of times. Then that blade came out, and the shredding blade went in. I quickly shredded the cheese, and then turned the blade over to slicing. I threw the brussels sprouts in, and because they are so little and leafy, they came out shredded nicely. Just shake together the dressing ingredients, and voila!

This recipe originally came from Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef, but I changed the dressing quite a bit, so I'll give you my version:

Brussels Sprouts Salad


15-20 brussels sprouts, tough little stems completely removed
1/2 pound gruyere cheese
3/4 cup pecans

dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon honey

In a food processor (or by hand), chop the pecans with the chopping blade. Then switch to the grating blade and shred the cheese. Turn the blade over to slicing, and shred the brussels sprouts. Toss these three ingredients together.

In a small jar, combine the oil, vinegar, mustard, and honey. Shake well. Toss the dressing with the salad and serve.

broccoli and cauliflower salad

There are those out there who declare that raw is the only way to eat vegetables, and that cooking anything means breaking it down and losing some of its nutritious value. I can't say I know much about that. I imagine it has a decent dose of validity to it, but I also know that breaking vegetables down might not necessarily be the worst thing possible. I also know that there are degrees of truth, and that the method and length of cooking makes a big difference.

What is important is that you eat your veggies. If you cooking them is what will make them appeal to you, by all means cook 'em up and enjoy them. If eating them raw seems better, eat them raw. Just make sure you are getting a good variety and a great amount of fruits and vegetables in your diet.

For myself, I have a pretty good balance. Obviously things like potatoes need to be cooked, most fruits are eaten raw, and plenty of other things are good both ways. Like broccoli. A few weeks ago I did a series of ten recipes for cooking broccoli. Today, though, let's keep the stove turned off and the oven cool.

This salad has become an old standby at my house. It keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days, so I can make a big batch and enjoy it for dinner, as well as the next couple of lunches. It is very easy to throw together, and has a great sweet and tart flavor. As soon as I saw that there was both broccoli and cauliflower in my Abundant Harvest box this week, I knew that this was going to be on the menu.

I have had an abundance of rutabagas lately, and I have been throwing one into just about everything I cook, including this salad. If you have one, feel free to throw it in. If not, don't even bat an eye. It's not intended to be there, and it won't be missed.

Broccoli and cauliflower salad
This salad is best if it can be made ahead and allowed to chill for a few hours. Try to plan ahead! (This also makes it great for dinner on a busy weeknight).

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 red onion, diced
1 small-medium rutabaga, diced (optional)
1/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup roasted salted sunflower seeds

Dressing:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar

Chop all the veggies and toss together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Toss the salad with the dressing until evenly coated.

Asian Chicken Salad

When I was little they called this Oriental Chicken Salad. Then they changed it to Chinese Chicken Salad, and these days I see it named Asian Chicken Salad as often as anything else. I am not sure if it was the salad or someone else who was offended by the names, but who am I to argue with political correctness?

At any rate, I got a big beautiful Napa cabbage in my box the other day. There isn't a cabbage that I dislike, and Napa happens to be high on the cabbage list. I rather enjoy it. It works very well in a stir-fry, but one thing I know from my past year of getting the box is that I am going to have plenty of chances to stir-fry many many dinners. Rather than burn myself out ahead of time, I decided to make a salad out of this cabbage. And I love love love that Oriental  Chinese  Asian salad.

This is one of those meals that I make so often, I don't always do such a great job of it. There are the usual ingredients (lettuce or cabbage of some sort, chicken, carrots, green onions, almonds), there are the bonus ingredients (mandarin oranges, chow mein noodles, sesame seeds), and there is dressing. Asian salad dressing can be found in a bottle in every price range, and there are definitely better ones and worse ones. It just depends on my mood as to which one I will buy. Since I do make this salad so often, I find myself not caring too much sometimes. If I'm out of a particular ingredient, I just omit it. I have gotten to the point where, if I have lettuce and chicken, that's enough. Anything else I can add is great, but I will go ahead without it.

Given all that, I decided that this time I would go ahead and look up a recipe, and make sure I had everything I needed before dinnertime. Novel idea, I know.

The recipe I used was this one, from Ellie Krieger on The Food Network. Of course, I made it my own with a little more of this and a little less of that. (I opted to use all Napa cabbage instead of part red cabbage, since... I am not about to go buy more cabbage, and I left out the water chestnuts, because, well, canned water chestnuts are nasty. They taste rather like, umm, cans.)

Anyway, I really like the way she brushes the chicken with a sort of marinade before cooking it (I have usually used... well, leftover chicken from something else), and I like her dressing. I beats the heck out of any bottle Asian dressing I have ever tried.

Also, I used chicken thighs instead of breasts. You may wonder why. The real truth of the matter is that  I was at the store, in the meat department, perusing all the chicken packages. I found the organic stuff, and I was reading the label. While noticing things like "Free-range" and "Organic" and "grain-fed" I sort of, umm, overlooked the fact that I was holding a package of thighs instead of breasts. I actually didn't even realize it until I was taking them out of their little styrofoam tray and laying them in my pan to bake. I would say that the juicier thighs work just fine in this salad. They may even be better.

Anyway, here is the version of the salad that I put together:

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, divided
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs breasts thighs
• 1 head napa cabbage, thinly shredded
• 1 large carrot, shredded (about 2 cups)
• 3 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced, greens included
• 1 (11-ounce) can Mandarin oranges in water, drained -- or -- 2 fresh mandarin oranges divided into segments
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

dressing:

3 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce or chili sauce
• 
  

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil and brush onto chicken. Arrange in a baking dish and bake until juices run clear, about 13 to15 minutes. Remove from oven, cool completely, and cut into 1/4-inch slices.

In a large bowl, combine Napa cabbage, carrot, green onions, oranges and sliced chicken.

For the dressing, put all the ingredients into a small jar and shake well to combine. Pour dressing over salad and toss. Sprinkle almonds over the top.

broccoli and pepper stir-fry and broccoli, orange and olive salad

This week is "Broccoli Ten Ways in Five Days" where I am trying out all 10 recipe suggestions Real Simple Magazine highlighted for broccoli in their September 2011 issue. Today is day four. You can browse day one, two and three if you'd like.

Today, I have a main-ish dish, and a salad for you. I can't say that today is going to be our best broccoli day this week, sadly. Neither one of these was horrible, but neither one was super duper, either.

The first is Broccoli and Pepper Stir-Fry. It is actually pretty good. It's just not exciting. I do stir-frys a lot, and this one doesn't stand out. If you are not a stir-fryer, this is a good starter lesson. With just a couple of common vegetables and a fail-proof sauce (from a jar), you really can't go wrong. If you are desperate to get rid of some broccoli, this is a quick and serviceable way to do so. Just don't plan to be blown away.

Broccoli and Pepper Stir-Fry

Cook 1 chopped bell pepper, 1 bunch broccoli (cut into florets, 6 cups), 1 bunch scallions (sliced), and 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger in canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, tossing often, until the broccoli is tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup each water and hoisin sauce and cook, tossing, until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

 Broccoli, Orange, and Olive Salad

This recipe is probably the one I was least interested in trying. As a matter of fact, if I hadn't had the hair brained idea (and an overabundance of bunches of broccoli), I never would have bothered with it. Somehow, reading the recipe didn't excite me too much. There are more ingredients than some of the others, but somehow they didn't seem like enough. The recipe uses all things that I love (broccoli, olives, oranges), but somehow the combination didn't feel like it was going to be so fabulous. And guess what? It may be that I set myself up to dislike it, but whether it was a self-fulfilling prophecy or not, I didn't love it. The flavors weren't strong enough, so I went back and added a bit more salt and pepper. All that gave me was a case of sneezing. Oy vey. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't... much.

Steam 1 bunch broccoli (cut into florets, 6 cups) until tender, 5 to 7 minutes; rinse with cold water to cool. In a large bowl, toss with 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives (chopped), 2 tablespoons olive oil, and the grated zest and cut-out segments from 1 orange (squeeze in any juice remaining in the membranes); season with salt and pepper.

Creamy broccoli and apple slaw and broccoli and blue cheese salad

This week is "Broccoli Ten Ways in Five Days" where I am trying out all 10 recipe suggestions Real Simple Magazine highlighted for broccoli in their September 2011 issue. Today is day three. You can browse day one and two if you'd like.

Today I have two salads for you, and once again they are very different. One is made with steamed broccoli and topped with a creamy blue cheese dressing; the other is a raw broccoli slaw, that has a bit of tang to it. I loved them both, but I came to the realization that I am a slaw lover. I like the way it is chopped fine, which makes for easy eating. I also love that the dressing is evenly distributed, and it keeps well. That makes it super convenient to make ahead. I never miss lunch when I have some slaw in the fridge. I can just pull it out and it is ready to eat... so even if I only have 2 minutes for lunch (which seems all too often) I still have a decent lunch, filled with fresh veggies.

Creamy Broccoli and Apple Slaw

This was just divine. I didn't change anything from the recipe, and when I make it again, I won't change anything then, either.

In a large bowl, mix together 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, and 1 chopped small shallot; season with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 bunch finely chopped broccoli (3 cups), 1/2 finely chopped apple, 1/4 cup dried cranberries, and 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts and toss to combine.

Broccoli and Blue Cheese Salad

I was SO looking forward to trying this one because, well, blue cheese. Yum. I did love it, but I think if I were to make it again, I wouldn't steam the broccoli. I would leave it raw and chop it more finely. The steamed broccoli just tends to leak water forever, and that kind of ruins the look of it all. I don't like broccoli water swirling with creamy dressing. Call me crazy. The flavor was excellent, though! That dressing is going on a lot of salads around here, I can assure you.

Steam 1 bunch broccoli (cut into florets, 6 cups) until tender, 5 to 7 minutes; rinse with cold water to cool. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup buttermilk, 2 tablespoons sour cream, 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese, 1 sliced scallion, and 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Top the broccoli with the buttermilk dressing and 1/2 cup toasted walnuts.

watermelon radish

I'm coming up on a year of eating from the box, and I truly thought there would be no more surprises. We have been through all four seasons. What else could those farmers possibly pull out of their fields?  

The watermelon radish, it turns out.


It is named because of it's amazing coloring... greenish on the outside, and a beautiful red inside flesh.

This radish, although huge, is surprisingly sweet. Of course, it still tastes radish-y, but not as peppery as many other kinds. It is about the size of a softball, and with a very long set of greens, it is an imposing presence. Especially since it crashed the party.

How would you feel if you met this guy before your morning cup of coffee?

Not knowing what to do with this behemoth, I went a google-ing, and found a salad recipe at "Healthy, Happy, LIfe" I am not sure I am going to recommend you all go buy a watermelon radish just to try this, unless you happen to be a radish lover. I'm not even sure you could go buy a watermelon radish. Do they actually sell these? But, if you happen to get one in your own box of produce, this is a nice, fresh, sweet and tart salad that goes nicely with chicken, potatoes, beef, etc.


I have to admit that, since I am leaving for the weekend, I am in a bit of a rush to get all the veggies cooked and eaten early this week. I didn't experiment at all with this recipe, or change a thing.


Sweet Pickled Onion Watermelon Radish Salad

1 large watermelon radish, sliced into thin rounds
1 small white onion, sliced into thin rounds
1/3 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper (fresh ground)
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
splash of rice wine vinegar (optional - adds an extra layer of tart-sweetness)

Directions:
1. Slice your onion and radish. Place in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add the remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl - toss well.
3. Place in fridge to chill overnight.
4. Serve! 

Bok choy and carrot slaw

As I promised yesterday, here is my recipe for bok choy slaw. It has soy and sugar in the dressing, which turns out to be a really awesome combination of sweet and salty.

My inspiration for this slaw (other than the fact that I had a head of bok choy in my Abundant Harvest Organics box to use up) was twofold. One, I just had no desire for sautéing or stir-frying the bok choy. I just wasn't int he mood for limp greens. Two, it was one of those days where I needed most of the meal to be prepared ahead of time, so that I could get dinner all wrapped up and served in just a few minutes once we got home from lessons, classes, and clubs.

It seems, more and more, like most days are one of those days. Oy vey.

Anyway, this slaw was a hit. It was just what I needed... crisp and flavorful, easy to make, and holds up well in the fridge. As a matter of fact, after serving my husband and myself one serving each for dinner, I ate the rest of it with lunch the next two days. I didn't share, and I don't feel bad about it. It held up well for two days, but I doubt it would do much beyond that. The bok choy was absorbing enough of the dressing by the second day that it was starting to go limp.

It would work well as a salad to bring to a pot luck, as you can toss it and dress it ahead of time without it going yucky.


Bok Choy Slaw
from Maine Food and Lifestyle

1 large head of bok choy, cut cross-wise into thin strips
2-3 carrots, shredded
1/4 cup finely chopped chives
1/c cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

4 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon soy sauce or tamari

1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil

¼-½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger 

Cut the bok choy into thin strips by rolling the leaves tightly together and cutting thin slices off of the end of the roll. Shred the carrots. Toss the bok choy, carrots, chives, almonds and sesame seeds in a large bowl and set aside.

Make the dressing by whisking together the remaining ingredients.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to make sure the dressing gets evenly distributed.

This is good served right away, and even better a few hours later!

spaghetti squash salad with tomato and basil

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time (or if you know me in "real" life and you have been hearing me whine), you won't be surprised to know that sometimes I get overwhelmed by a particular vegetable in the Abundant Harvest box.

Last year I vaguely remember having a period where there was a ton of broccoli... and this summer there was most definitely a zucchini surplus.

It's not that it is a yucky vegetable. Or that I don't know how to prepare it. It is just that sometimes I just don't know what to do with so much of it. At points I felt like I might turn into broccoli from eating it so often.

This week, it is spaghetti squash. Up until now, the only way I have ever prepared it is to turn it into a spaghetti-like dish (with red sauce and meat). I did that last week. And this week, I was rewarded with two new, large, spaghetti squash. I can serve it one more time as a main dish, but any more than that? My husband and kids would be rightly justified in walking out on me. For good.

So, enter creativity mode!

Hey, if spaghetti squash takes the place of spaghetti, why shouldn't it take the place of other pastas Like...say... couscous?


I made a sort of spaghetti-squash, semi-caprese, semi pasta-salad salad.

Spaghetti Squash Salad with tomato and basil
(plan ahead to cook the squash and let it completely cool before assembling the salad)

1 spaghetti squash
3 small tomatoes, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 small yellow squash, chopped (about 1 cup)
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds and pulp. Place face down into a pan filled with about 1 inch of water.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the shell of the squash is browned and the insides are very soft.

Let it cool completely. Once it is cool, you will be able to easily scrape the flesh out into spaghetti-like strands.

Mix together the squash, feta and vegetables. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste.

Like many pasta salads, this tastes even better after being refrigerated for a few hours, so go ahead and make it the morning before you need it!

Served in a half of an avocado, it makes and especially filling, healthy, delicious lunch!

Tomato, Basil, and Feta Salad

Although yesterday I admitted to buying a whole bunch of fruit just before we head out of town for a week, I really am working furiously to get all of the perishable fruits and veggies eaten up before we leave them to die a lonely death in an unoccupied home.

Plus, there is just something about a picnic at the beach that begs to include a nice crisp cool veggie salad.

As luck would have it, I happened to glance down at the Abundant Harvest Organics newsletter while I was bustling around in the kitchen doing way too many things at the same time. And, as luck would have it, there was a recipe for Tomato, Basil, and Feta salad right there at the bottom of the newsletter. Asking only for things I already had on hand. Especially cucumbers. I had just gotten ahold of the zucchini population when I was overwhelmed with the cucumbers. I need to use up the cucumbers.

So, I quickly abandoned everything else going on in the kitchen, got out my trusty cutting board, and got to work slicing and dicing.

The results? A cool, fresh salad that travels well, tastes delicious, and makes you feel good about stuffing yourself silly.

Tomato, Basil, and Feta Salad

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes or 3-4 tomatoes halved and diced
• 1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves cut into thin strips
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl toss together tomatoes, cucumber, olive oil, basil, onion, balsamic vinegar, and feta cheese. Season with salt and pepper. 

I enjoyed this salad immediately, a few hours later, and the next day at the beach. I have to say it is good fresh and after a day of sitting. Feel free to make it ahead if you want!

In other exciting news, the route to our secret campground takes us directly past the Peterson Family Farms, where Vernon Peterson reigns supreme. What? You don't know Uncle Vern? You're missing out. He's the wonderful man who had a vision for people to be able to afford good, fresh, organic produce without paying a premium for the pleasure. He started and runs Abundant Harvest Organics. In other words, he has changed my life for the better. And, I'd be willing to bet, thousands of others.

Since his farm is right on my path to camping bliss, I have arranged to meet him at his farm and let the kids see from whence their produce comes. I am so excited!!!  I hope to have pictures to show you when we get back. Plus, we'll be picking up our weekly box of produce on our way out of town, so after I get back, perhaps I will have some pictures and descriptions of how we tackled the box in the great outdoors.

Meanwhile, I am hoping to get a couple of posts done ahead of time to keep you coming around while I'm gone.  After all, I have been furiously cookin' up the surplus around here!

Quinoa Caprese Salad

For most of the summer, I spend my Friday afternoons at the pool. Quite a few mothers (the number ranges from 5-15 on any given Friday) and anywhere between 10 and 40 kids take over the neighborhood pool for a few hours. There is no structure to our afternoon... other than the fact that there are always more hot dogs than there are kids, plenty of junk food to go along with the hot dogs, and something a wee bit more nutritious for us moms to eat.  


If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time whatsoever, it will not surprise you to learn that I usually volunteer to bring some sort of salad or vegetable to our poolside potlucks. 


Last week, it was Quinoa Caprese Salad. I love tomatoes and fresh basil, and both are flourishing in my garden (and my AHO box) this week.  I decided to combine the tomatoes and basil with some quinoa to make a salad that would be easy to transport to the pool, gets better and better as it sits and the flavors meld, and is fresh and yummy. Of course, since there are always plenty of extra veggies around here, I added in a few others. Why not, eh? You can add more veggies if you have them, or skip some if you don't. I had zucchini, celery, and shallots in the fridge, so that is what I used. You could also add diced bell peppers, corn, parsley, peas, or really anything else you want. I don't think there is a possible way to ruin this one.

Quinoa Caprese Salad

1 cup uncooked quinoa

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 small shallot (minced)

1 medium zucchini (diced)

2 ribs of celery (diced)

8 ounces grape tomatoes (cut in half)

8 ounces fresh mozzarella (cut into small cubes)

about 10-12 leaves of basil, chopped finely

salt and pepper to taste

Cook the quinoa well ahead of time, to give it time to cool. Bring two cups of water to a boil. As soon as it boils, add the quinoa, lower the heat to low, cover and let it simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, fluff it with a fork. Let it cool completely.

Stir the olive oil and vinegar into the quinoa. Chop the veggie and cheese and stir them in. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Chill completely before serving.