Tag Archives: salad

Barley yummmmmm

How could I have forgotten about barley?! Having chef-extraordinaire, Elizabeth Germain, visiting for two weeks upped my game in the kitchen some. I learned that my burners don’t get quite hot enough (who knew?). That I wasn’t cooking my chicken thighs quite long enough (sorry, guys!). And that barley is terrific for cold weather eating.
wintersalad-barley-deemallonThis salad is an adaptation from an America’s Test Kitchen recipe. Their’s featured oat berries and feta cheese. I used barley and pomegranate seeds instead.  I think pine nuts would be good here, too. Here’s the recipe.

Two handfuls arugula
1 c. cooked barley
2 roasted peppers, skinned & chopped
14 oz. can of chic peas
seeds of 1/2 pomegranate
2 scallions, chopped

Dressing:
1 lemon, squeezed
splash of rice vinegar
about 3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic
S&P
dash cayenne
1/8 t paprika
1/8 – 1/4 t cumin
salad-barley-pomegranate seeds-deemallon
This salad is terrific the next day, which leads me to think the arugula should be added in by plate. Barley is not gluten free but may be less aggravating to some with sensitivities.
IMG_1153

Spring cleanse salad

 

IMG_9247Any salad with bitter greens and lemon juice fits the bill.  Mine features broccoli sprouts, watercress, lettuce and cabbage.
IMG_9245If you are in a more ‘serious’ cleanse, skip the olive oil and spritz with lemon only.
IMG_9242This mild cabbage partnered well with the watercress and tangy broccoli sprouts.

Enjoy!

Chicken and Rice Winter Salad

IMG_7595From my plate to yours – Chicken with Wild Rice and Walnuts. I am eating some right now and it is out of this world!

When I make chicken stock with a whole bird, I like to use about half of the meat for something other than soup… in this case a salad that is richly flavored and full of protein — perfect for a cold New England day!!  If you make this salad while preparing the soup, there is a nice economy of effort, since you’ll be chopping onions, parsley, and celery for both dishes.

IMG_7600Chicken with Wild Rice and Walnuts

Chicken — roughly 1/2 of a small bird (5-ish lbs) — chopped
Be sure to use half of the bird’s tender breast meat
1 cup cooked rice — I used mostly brown, with some grains of wild
3 stalks celery — chopped
3-4 tablespoons white onion — diced
1/4 c walnuts — chopped
1/2 cup parsley — chopped
olive oil and salt and pepper

There is so much flavor here, that a generous sprinkling of a fruity, extra virgin olive oil, plus a little S&P, is all the dressing needed.

You can skip the inclusion of wild rice (though I love the color!), but you will sacrifice too much taste and toothsome texture if you substitute white rice (I have some wonderful white rice salads for the summer).

Variation: If you are in the mood for a richer, creamier salad, you could use a more classic mayonnaise-based dressing.

Enjoy!

Cabbage and Parsley Salad

IMG_7360You probably didn’t know this about me, but I’m somewhat of a salad genius. I know it’s not that unique a thing — I can name at least two OTHER geniuses off the top of my head, without even thinking that hard. Nevertheless, I’ve decided to start sharing some of these combos. Today seemed like a good day to start, if for no other reason than I am craving the color green (need I write? it’s snowing again . . .)
IMG_7382Cabbage and Parsley Salad
Serves four as a side; two as a main course
I like to use parsley as a green in the winter.  In addition to being a good source of Vitamin C, it’s pretty. Cabbage adds a tangy contrast to the lettuce and if you use a mandolin to slice it, you’ll get an especially thin ribbon. Most of my celery tops go straight into the freezer for eventual use in stock production, but here they are chopped in with the parsley.

Bowlful of iceberg lettuce
Handful of grape tomatoes, sliced in half
Handful of black olives
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped parsley and celery tops, mixed
Wedge of cabbage, sliced thin

Vinaigrette (1/4 c olive oil; 1/4 c white vinegar; 1 T mustard, chopped garlic and salt and pepper)
IMG_7380Celery tops add a refreshing piquancy.
IMG_7379IMG_7390When paired with red quinoa and a batch of sauteed peppers, onions, and zucchini — a very satisfying winter meal!

Friday mishmash

I am stitching with lots of lights on today, because it is cloudy and dark.  Leaves litter the front lawn — bright yellow decals that will fall as fast as we can rake them up for the next few weeks.  Thankfully, D. tackles them now, earning movie-ticket money.

A few hours ago, I had lunch with friends from the elementary school days and we all wondered (without having to answer our own question), why we don’t do so more often.  It is always an informative, ‘pick me up’ to chat frankly with parents who have kids the same age as yours.  Somehow this is the case even as we report troubles and worries.  Why is that so?  Is the recognition that we are not alone THAT important?!  Does it help to see that some angst is universal?

On a lighter note, for reasons I don’t understand or have forgotten, this circle of women is comprised of an unusually high proportion of  foodies, and that means ANOTHER KIND OF SATISFACTION – delicious, homemade food.

Here’s what I brought:

To make this a true MishMash post (is this a new tradition?), I’ll add an INSPIRATION LINK —  Maryline Collioud Robert Quilts — and a very short ANIMAL VIDEO that is hilarious: Life as a Dog   . . . just to demonstrate that I can be serious and silly in the same paragraph.

What kinds of off the wall or ridiculous things do you like to discover online? Inspiring, or otherwise?

Have a great weekend everybody!

 

Green Tomato and Eggplant Salad

5 or 6 green tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 Eggplant, cut into cubes
1 Zucchini, cubed
1 Small onion, cut into half-moons
1 Green pepper, sliced
5 Cloves of garlic
Olive oil, salt and pepper, fresh oregano, parsley, and thyme

Roast green tomatoes after coating with olive oil in salt in a hot oven (425 degree) for 45m to an hour.  Then roast onions, eggplant, pepper, and zucchini (also with salt and olive oil), but for closer to ½ hour.  Smash garlic and chop with some fresh herbs .  Mix well into vegetables.  Add pepper, and additional salt, to taste.

Serve at room temperature with garlic toasts.

(P.S.  If my mother was somewhat of a decorating genius – resourceful, with a wonderful sense of color and scale – I am somewhat of a salad genius… )