Spring Herb Vinaigrette

Ever wish you could bottle up the essence of spring? We do too, and this is basically the best we could do: a zesty vinaigrette filled with finely chopped spring herbs.

We are always looking for a good dressing to add a little panache to a ho-hum side salad at dinner. With springy chives, mint, and basil, this dressing will adoring our salads all season along, and perhaps beyond. You should use a mixture of whatever herbs you have on hand, as this recipe is easily adaptable. Don't have a shallot? No worries. Leave it out, or sub in a clove of garlic. Anything goes.

Spring Herb Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 Tb Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup loosely packed chives, mint, and basil, finely chopped
• 1 small shallot

1. Combine vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper in a bowl. In a slow and steady stream, add the olive oil to the bowl, whisking until blended. Whisk in herbs and shallot.
2. Use right away, or refrigerate up to a day. Mix well before serving.
Makes one cup.

Sugar Snap Pea and Radish Salad

While wondering what I was going to make for lunch, I stumbled upon this recipe on Bon Appetit's website. Sugar snap peas? Radishes? A little mint? This was just the spring fix that I needed. Add a little crumbled cheese, and I am pretty much in heaven.

 I was surprised to see that the original recipe called for boiling the sugar snap peas. To me, snap peas are in their perfect state when raw, and nobody wants to turn on the stovetop if they don't have to, so that step was omitted. Now this dish is just spring perfection. Crunchy, a little sweet, creamy, radishy, fresh. So fresh.

If you have some hard-boiled eggs left over from Easter (and do I ever!), they go extremely well with this salad. We served this up for lunch, and modified it only slightly to put together an excellent kids' lunch for our 3 year olds. All it took was removing the offending radish slices, subbing in some orange pepper slices on the side, and these kids gobbled up their meals.

Sugar Snap Pea and Radish Salad

adapted from Bon Appetit

• 3 Tbs olive oil
• 1 Tb fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp sumac 
• 1 1/2 lbs sugar snap peas, trimmed, stringed, cut in half on diagonal
• 1 bunch radishes, trimmed, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces feta, crumbled
• 2 Tbs coarsely chopped fresh mint 
• Freshly ground black pepper
• kosher salt

1. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, and sumac. 

2. Toss together snap peas, radishes, feta, and mint cheese in a large bowl.  Pour dressing over, and mix together to coat evenly. Season with salt and pepper.

Roasted Cauliflower, Olive, and Israeli Couscous Salad

I have a confession to make: I have been a food blogger for a couple years now, but until embarrassingly recently I just wasn't that into food blogs. My co-blogger was (and is). But I just gave her a blank stare when she would ask me if I read any number of really popular blogs. It is really only the past couple of months that I have jumped on board, and this may go hand in hand with the purchase of my iPad. Now I'm surfing away in the kitchen, and discovering new (or not so new) and fabulous food blogs making what I want to eat. (Wow, who would have thought? Yes, as I said... embarrassing.) This recipe for delicious warm cauliflower and Israeli couscous, which has become a staple in my kitchen, comes from one of the new-to-me blogs that I have been enjoying.

Oh My Veggies has earned its place on my meager reading list. It is a vegetarian food blog, and I am not vegetarian, but I have always eaten vegetarian more often than not. Kiersten, OMV blogger, is funny and personable, but better yet, her recipes are tasty and accessible - just what I'm after. This recipe uses mostly pantry staples (love that!), so when I grab a head of cauliflower at the market, I know that I can whip this up. The thing that makes this priceless is that my preschooler eats it too. That guarantees a repeat recipe in this household.

I highly recommend bolstering this dish with a little side of harissa (here is our tasty homemade version). It gives the dish a spicy kick-in-the-pants that makes me happy.

Roasted Cauliflower, Olive, and Israeli Couscous Salad

adapted from Oh My Veggies

• 3 tbs olive oil, divided
• 1 medium cauliflower, broken into florets
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamatas, halved
• 1 cup Israeli couscous, uncooked
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Spread cauliflower over a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil (saving 2 remaining tablespoons oil for later) and stir to coat. Sprinkle with some salt. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown.

3. Meanwhile, add Israeli couscous and 1 1/2 cup water to pan and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes, until water is absorbed. Remove from heat. (Check the directions on your Israeli couscous -- they are often different.)

4. Combine couscous, roasted cauliflower, olives, and parsley in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tbs olive oil, lemon juice, and pressed garlic. Pour over the salad, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Olive & Tomato Quinoa Salad

Ripe red tomatoes, salty black olives, and fresh mozzarella are tossed with quinoa and a simple vinaigrette for an easy summertime meal.

 I’m an admirer of French cuisine (this and this are some of my cookbook staples) and I have a soft spot in my heart for summertime Provencal recipes. The kind of recipe that calls for fresh garden produce, lots of herbs, olive oil, and expensive cheese.  And of course - minimal cooking. I think this may be due to reading too many Peter Mayle novels. Is anyone with me?

Anyhow, this recipe fills the bill for summertime.  Quinoa cooks quickly so you don’t need to slave over a hot stove.  Everything else is fresh and delicious – requiring just a quick chop, then a stir into the warm quinoa. 
Don’t forget your glass of icy Pastis.

Olive & Tomato Quinoa Salad

• 1 cup dry quinoa (cooked)
  
• 1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
  
• 1 cup chopped salty black olives
  
• 1 1/2 cups fresh mozzarella (we used bocconcini; the little balls)
  
• large handful chopped fresh basil
  
• scant 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
  
• scant 1/3 cup olive oil

Cook quinoa as usual (add 2 cups water, simmer for 15-20 minutes or until all water is absorbed). 
Coarsely chop cherry tomatoes, olives, fresh mozzarella, and basil.  Set aside.
Whisk oil & vinegar together in liquid measuring cup or small bowl.  Drizzle over the hot cooked quinoa and stir to combine.  Wait until the quinoa is not too hot (you don’t want to melt the mozzarella), then stir in all the chopped veggies and herbs.  Top with a pretty cherry tomato & sprig of basil and serve.

Basic Walnut Oil Vinaigrette

Summer salads are a staple around here, and one of my favorite types of dressing is a basic vinaigrette.  I’ve always made them with olive oil, but this summer I’ve discovered walnut oil and the pleasant nutty flavor it brings to a simple vinaigrette.  This dressing is so simple to pull together – only 3 ingredients.  The subtle toasty walnut flavor here is a great complement to anything from spicy greens, quinoa based salads, and bean or lentil summer salads. 

Oh, and let me come clean on my level of general laziness:  one of the reasons I’m a big vinaigrette fan is the fact that they’re so fast to pull together.  I recently got this nifty little tool which means I can make a vinaigrette in my liquid measuring cup – only one dirty dish!  Speaking of time and busy-ness and ‘laziness’ as a virtue…have you read this article from the NY Times?  A very interesting read.

Anyhow, next time you want to make a simple dressing but are wanting something a little different, give this walnut oil based vinaigrette a try.  I have been loving it on brown lentil salads, if you’re into that kind of thing!

Basic Walnut Oil Vinaigrette

• 1/2 c walnut oil
• 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp dijon mustard

Put balsamic vinegar and mustard in a liquid measuring cup.  Whisk together well, then drizzle in walnut oil while continuing to whisk.  Dressing will emulsify as you add the oil.  Store in the fridge; will keep for at least a month.

Lentil Goat Cheese Salad

Discs of plump brown lentils are tossed in a dijon vinaigrette alongside thinly sliced sweet carrots, fresh parsley, and tangy goat cheese. It’s the goat cheese crumbled over the top that makes this one special. And in second place is the dijon vinaigrette.

But honestly you can’t do without the sweetness of the carrots or the fresh parsley either. So don’t try to leave anything out, ok? I like this one because it’s a salad (toss everything together, exact quantities really don’t matter) and it can be served right away warm, or saved in the fridge and eaten cold anytime you want.

I got this from a Runner’s World a few years ago (so it is basically health food and appropriate for any of you marathon trainers out there). I don’t remember the exact recipe, but this is my rendition of it after making it many times over the years.

Lentil Goat Cheese Salad

• 1 cup brown (or Le Puy or Beluga) lentils, cooked
  
• 1 cup thinly sliced carrots (about 4 carrots)
  
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
  
• 1/2 cup crumbed goat cheese
  
• 1/2 cup dijon vinaigrette (recipe below)

Cook the brown lentils in simmering water for approx 45 minutes, or until tender but not mushy.
Slice the carrots thinly, chop the parsley finely, add to a large bowl. Add warm cooked lentils, then drizzle the dijon vinaigrette over everything. Toss well, then sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese. Season with salt to to taste. Serve.

Dijon Vinaigrette

• 1/3 cup olive oil
  
• 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
  
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Whisk the mustard and red wine vinegar together in a large bowl, then continue to whisk as you drizzle in the olive oil. 

Winter Citrus Salad with Mint Sugar

This incredibly simple and colorful dish takes full advantage of the culinary highlight of January: bright, juicy citrus in January -- topped with a light sprinkle of mint sugar.

This is insanely fast and easy to pull together, impressive to serve at a brunch party, and nicely fresh which is a nice change after the sugar rush of the holidays. 

We sliced the citrus to show off its sparkling beauty, then topped it with just a pinch of mint sugar.  Any citrus – the more color the better – works here, but we went with grapefruit, tangerine, clementine, and a little lime.

Winter Citrus Salad with Mint Sugar

• 1 grapefruit
• 2 tangerines
• 2 clementines
• 1 lime
• generous sprinkling of mint sugar (approx 2 Tbsp)
• mint leaves as garnish

Remove rind from citrus with a sharp knife, then cut citrus crosswise to reveal the star pattern.  Admittedly, this isn’t the way to cut citrus for the fastest/easiest eating experience.  We chose to go with the cross sections for beauty, but if you want a fast-to-eat salad you could cut the citrus a little differently.
Arrange citrus slices on a serving platter, sprinkle with mint sugar (we used about 2 Tbsp), and garnish with mint leaves.  Serve!

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Summer in Colorado has been HOT this year.  I’ve been wracking my brain trying to think of ways to use fresh vegetables that don’t require roasting or extended cooking of any sort (because this has the unfortunate side effect of making my house feel like an oven for the rest of the day).

I have happily settled on this quinoa salad.  It is filling, cool, and full of fresh Mediterranean flavors:  tomatoes, olives, feta, red onion, and any big handfuls of herbs you care to trim from your garden.  I used chives, mint, basil, and parsley.



Another fun fact: this is a really great recipe to deliver to new mothers.  Dulcie and I have each made this recipe for a friend with a newborn (Hi Rachel! Hi Kristi!) and it was a hit…we think!  It doesn’t need to be eaten immediately, is meant to be eaten cold or room temperature, and is low on the sorts of things some nursing mothers need to avoid (gluten, soy, egg, and dairy -- the feta is easily omitted).

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Dressing:

• 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar (although I’ve made it with white balsamic and think I might actually prefer that, so feel free to experiment here)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• juice from 1 lemon
• 3 Tbsp olive oil

Salad:

• 1 1/2 c. quinoa (measured dry, then cooked according to usual directions)
• 1/2 c. chopped kalamata olives
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 c. fresh tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 c. (or more, to taste) crumbled feta cheese
• 1 c. chopped mixed herbs (parsley, mint, basil, cilantro, and chives are all excellent)

Cook quinoa according to usual directions (I do 1:2 ratio of quinoa to water).  Fluff and let quinoa cool as you prepare the other ingredients.
For dressing: combine all ingredients in a large liquid measuring cup and whisk.  Feel free to use a fork if you want to save a dirty dish – I did.
Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl, pour over the dressing, and toss to combine.

Lemon Thyme Dressing

Summer is here!  It’s hot, it’s sometimes humid (weird for Colorado), and so obviously you need a nice fresh dressing.

This is my current favorite summer salad dressing. It’s a traditional vinaigrette base fancied up with lemon zest and fresh thyme from the garden.


We enjoyed it as part of our July Dinner Party (both on the salad, and on the arugula that graced the prosciutto gruyere tart).  We finished it off the very next day on a bag of spicy greens from our CSA.  It is very easy to make – just combine everything in the blender and then pour into a lovely little glass jar.  Done!

Lemon Thyme Dressing

• Zest of one lemon
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• Juice of one lemon (about 2 Tbsp)
• 2 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Blend all ingredients but olive oil in a blender until smooth.  Then drizzle in the olive oil slowly while the blender is running – this helps emulsify the dressing so it doesn’t separate.  Store in fridge for up to 4 weeks.

Lemony Barley Salad

After making homemade ricotta, we were left with a lot of whey.  It seemed so wasteful to throw it all away.  Unfortunately I have no desire to dehydrate the whey and then throw the powder into super-protein shakes, and I do not have any farm animals to feed the nutritious whey to (much to my dismay).
I finally decided to try cooking a grain – barley – in the whey.  I was pleasantly surprised with the results.  Whey is a clear yellowish liquid by-product from cheese making with a tart and tangy taste.  When you cook barley in it, then add lemon juice and zest plus a few southwestern ingredients, you get a really delicious warm grain salad. 

I finely chopped about 1/2 small head of red cabbage.  I love red cabbage because of its bright color, and the crunchiness of it was perfect with this grain based salad.

The brightness of the lemon zest really complements the tanginess of the warm grain salad.

Lemony Barley Salad

• 1 cup dry barley
  
• 2 cups whey (or water if you haven’t recently made ricotta at home!)
  
• 1 lemon, zest removed
  
• 1/2 red cabbage
  
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
  
• 1/2 c. queso fresco
  
• drizzle olive oil

Combine the barley and whey (or water) in a saucepan and simmer for 40 minutes, or until barley is tender.
Zest the lemon, reserve zest.  Drizzle the juice of the lemon over the warm barley. 
Finely chop 1/2 small head of red cabbage and 1/2 bunch cilantro.  Crumble the 1/2 c queso fresco cheese.  Toss the lemony barley together with the vegetables and cheese, add the lemon zest during the tossing, then drizzle with olive oil to taste.
Serve!