Old-Fashioned (but not for long)

I like the look of Carrot-Raisin Salad and the sweet hit it gives on my plate that is otherwise all about savoury food.  What I dislike is the deli-style mayonnaise-based carrot-raisin salad that is typically the version that springs to one's mind.  To update this old classic, citrus and raw ginger give this dish a fresh and zesty new lease on life.

Carrot-Raisin Salad
(from Clean Food by Terry Walters, pp. 56 - with some modification by me)
Serves 4

1/4 cup nuts or seeds (try walnuts, sunflower seeds, or pine nuts)
3 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins
4 cups boiling water
Zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon
Juice of 2 oranges
Zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

Toast nuts or seeds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until fragrant and toasted shaking the pan occasionally to avoid burning (approx. 5 minutes).  Remove from heat and let cool. OR skip this step and just sprinkle raw nuts or seeds on top of the salad before serving.

In a large bowl, combine carrots and raisins.  Cover with boiling water, let sit for 30 seconds, drain, rinse with cold water and drain completely.  Stir in juices, zests, ginger, and salt.  Refrigerate until cold.  Sprinkle with the toasted (or raw) nuts or seeds just before serving (otherwise they'll get soft and lose their crunch).

Yes, Broccoli Stalks!

I always buy organic broccoli so I'll be dammed if I'm going to pay all that money and then throw away the stalk.  To use it, all you have to do is use your vegetable peeler to peel away the tough outer layer.  I usually cut the broccoli stalks quite thin if I want them raw for a salad (say, 1/8-inch thick) or thicker (say, 1/4-inch thick) if I plan to put them alongside the broccoli florets in my steamer.  They're also great added in a stir fry!  And, hey, what do you know...it takes like broccoli!

Broccoli Stalk, Celery, and Radish Salad
(Fine Cooking magazine, Issue #117, pp. 39)

3 or 4 large broccoli stalks (from 2 to 3 lb. broccoli)
6 medium radishes, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 celery heart (about 3/4 lb.), trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal (including the leaves)
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1-1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano, shaved with a vegetable peeler (about 3/4 cup)

Using a paring knife or vegetable peeler, peel away the tough outer layer of the broccoli stalks, leaving only the tender interiors.  Trim the tough ends of the stalks (about 1/2 inch), halve the stalks lengthwise if they are more than 1 inch in diameter, and slice the stalks on the diagonal about 1/8-inch thick.  Transfer to a medium bowl

Add the radishes, celery, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and toss to combine.  Serve garnished with the shaved Parmigiano.

Summer Grain Salad

As most of you know, I'm a big fan of Fine Cooking magazine.  They often publish a master recipe that provides you with lots of flavour options so you can create your own recipe that suits your tastes.  The June/July 2012 issue (issue #117) has a Summer Grain Salad recipe that allows you to do just that.  Below is the recipe I created to pair with black bean veggie burgers for dinner tonight.

Summer Grain Salad: Sandra-Style
(serves 8-10)

2 cups quinoa
Kosher salt
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 cup oil-paced artichoke hearts, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 cup celery, cut diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 cup red and yellow peppers, cut into medium dice
1/4 cup green onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh sieve.  Put into a medium size pot and add enough water to cover the quinoa by 1 inch.  Add a pinch of Kosher salt and bring to a boil over medium heat; then cover, reduce heat and simmer for approximately 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and let stand for another 5 minutes.  Remove lid and transfer the quinoa onto a rimmed baking sheet to cool completely at room temperature.

Prepare the chopped vegetables and herbs.


For the dressing, put vinegar, olive oil, tahini, salt and pepper in a jar and blitz with immersion/stick blender.  Add the lemon zest and whisk to combine.  

Place cooled quinoa in a large bowl and fluff with a fork to break up clumps.  Add the vegetables, herbs, and approximately half of the dressing.  Toss and taste.  Season with more dressing and/or salt and/or pepper as needed.

Let the salad sit at room temperature and season with more dressing (and salt and pepper, if needed) before serving.

Running Hot & Cold

Now that the hot weather has finally arrived, there's nothing quite like a cold soup to ward off the heat.  The beauty of cold soups is they can be made up to a day or two in advance and left to sit in your fridge so you can enjoy them at any time and the flavour benefits from having the time to mingle.

(photo courtesy of www.finecooking.com)

Chilled Cucumber-Buttermilk Soup

Fine Cooking magazine, issue 117, pp. 65

1-1/2 ­lb. cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
2 medium celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 small shallot, coarsely chopped
1/4­ cup extra-virgin olive oil, more to garnish
Kosher salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 ­cup buttermilk
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped chives, to garnish

In a blender, purée the cucumber, celery, shallots, olive oil, and 1 tsp. kosher salt until smooth. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Whisk in the sour cream and buttermilk and season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour. Serve drizzled with olive oil and garnished with chives.

Warm Up to Summer

As summer hasn't quite yet shown up on Canada's West Coast, I've been starting most days off with a warm bowl of oatmeal.  This Toasted Four-Grain Cereal recipe is a welcome change from just my usual whole oat groats.

(photo from www.finecooking.com)

Toasted Four-Grain Cereal
(Source: www.101cookbooks.com)
Makes enough for 4 batches of cereal; each batch yielding 2-3 servings

Cereal Blend:
1 cup oat flakes
1 cup rye flakes
1 cup barley flakes
1 cup spelt flakes

Make a jar of four-grain cereal blend by combining the above ingredients.  Store in an airtight container and you'll have enough to make four batches with each batch yielding 2-3 servings.

The night before you want the cereal for breakfast, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan.  Add 1 cup of the four-grain cereal mixture and stir well to coat.  Add 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt and continue to cook, stirring often, until the grains have really toasted and are quite fragrant.  They'll give off a lovely, nutty aroma (approximately 5-7 minutes).  Remove from heat, add 2-2/3 cups of water and leave overnight.

In the morning, heat the cereal over medium-high heat until itcomes to a simmer.  Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often until the cereal is cooked through.  The longer you leave it, the thicker it will get so remove from heat when it's to your liking.  If it gets too thick, just thin by adding a little water.

To keep it interesting add any toppings or sweeteners of your choice.

Refreshing Bites

I love having a little nibble with a drink before sitting down to dinner with friends, but it's difficult to find an easy appy recipe that's simple to prepare and isn't going to fill everyone up before the meal.  These little cucumber-feta-olive-tomato skewers are just the ticket!  The recipe originally hails from a complimentary booklet I received through my Fine Cooking magazine subscription a couple of years back.  I make these time and time again because they're fresh, flavourful, and fast!  It isn't cooking, it's food assembly.

Greek Salad Skewers

(serves 4-6)

One-quarter English cucumber
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 lb. feta cheese, cut into 16 small cubes
8 pitted Kalamata olives, halved
8 ripe grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

Cut four 1/2-inch-thick diagonal slices from the cucumber and then quarter each slice. Set the cucumber pieces on a large serving platter and season with 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper. Top each with a piece of feta and then an olive half. Stab a toothpick through a tomato half and then thread through one of the cucumber stacks, pushing the toothpick down to secure it. Drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with some more black pepper, and serve.

Indian Salad

A good friend of mine gave me a lovely Indian cookbook by Noorbanu Nimji called A Spicy Touch (Volume III) - a fusion of East African and Indian cuisine.  It contains many wonderful recipes and the Avocado, Mango & Almond Salad served up a treat when I was invited to friends for dinner that asked if I could bring a salad to match up with the Indian main course they had planned. The sweetness of the fruit combined with the crunch of the peppers and subtle flavour of the avocado make this salad sing.

Avocado, Mango & Almond Salad
(A Spicy Touch by Noorbanu Nimji ~ with some slight changes by me)
4 servings

Salad:
2 cups mixed salad greens (washed well and dried well)
1 mango, ripe but firm, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 green bell pepper, julienned
2 oranges, segmented
2 avocados, diced
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup green onions,chopped
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Dressing:
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Arrange the salad greens in a large, shallow bowl or serving platter.  Arrange the mangoes, bell peppers, and oranges on top of the salad greens.  Peel and chop the avocado and place in a small bowl.  Immediately cover with the lemon juice to prevent the avocados from browning.  Arrange the avocado on top of the salad and sprinkle with the green onions.

Put all of the ingredients for the salad dressing in a jar and shake well.  Pour the dressing over the salad and garnish with the toasted almonds.  (To toast slivered almonds: put the almonds on a baking tray and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven.  Toast for about 7-10 minutes or until the nuts are a very light, golden colour shaking the pan halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and transfer to a plate until ready to use.)