Quinoa and Asparagus Salad

This is another one of those insanely easy side dishes that would be well suited for taking to a summer picnic.  I made the quinoa earlier in the week during a cooking frenzy so when it was time prepare this recipe all I did was toss it together and eat.  It's filling, delicious, and just spicy enough to keep things interesting.  I of course made it vegan my using dairy free butter spread but I'm sure it's even better with the real thing.

I didn't change a thing so this very short post is brought to you by my love for 101Cookbooks where you can find the recipe for this simple salad.  Go check it out if you've been hiding under a rock and haven't discovered this trove of healthy whole food recipes.

Sun Dried Tomato Salad

Another day another perfect summer salad.  This one is courtesy of the Lisa's Kitchen Blog where there is no shortage of out of this world vegetarian recipes.  Whenever I want to cook a really unique curry this is the blog I go to because this is perhaps the only other person as obsessed with Indian cooking as I am.  She has some of the coolest recipes and flavor combinations, stuff I'd never think to cook.


Like this salad, I was a little leery of the cooked beans, raw veggies and lots of sun dried tomatoes combo but after I poured on the sun dried tomato dressing I became a believer.  The flavors are just what I was looking for an a warm afternoon when I didn't want to turn on the stove for more than 5 minutes.  The tomatoes and balsamic vinegar create a nice tangy edge for the beans. 

The fella who isn't a huge fan of tomatoes wouldn't stop eating this.  He said it was like a less evil version of mayo encased potato salad.  And he's right the parmesan cheese (I used a half nutritional yeast half ground almonds substitute for vegan parm) and garlic create a pleasant creaminess that reminded us both of mayo but without the heaviness and the fat.  And because there is no mayo involved this would be a killer salad for a picnic. 

This is another salad that is going into heavy rotation on my summer menus.

Vegetarian Mexican Salad

This is me trying something new in the hopes of posting more often.

When I cook something unfortunate or something that didn't work for me I'm going to post it and link to the recipe in case you want to give it a try and in the hopes you'll have better luck cooking it than I did.  Maybe you will cook it and love it then tell me where I went wrong.  I make plenty of mistakes I just don't usually take the time to post about them unless they are particularly epic.

And when I make something fabulous that was amazing but the recipe was perfect I'll just do an easy cheater post and point you in the direction of the talented blogger that created it.  This Mexican salad which is a knock off of a dish at Chipotle restaurant is a perfect example.  It comes from the Healthy Irishmen Blog  where chef Gavan Murphy, and sometimes his wife, post fabulous healthy recipes using fresh organic produce.  They  have some great recipes to browse through and aside from the potato and bread dishes most of his recipes are French diet friendly.

The recipe for Vegetarian Mexican Salad is especially worth checking out.  This is the kind of salad that always looks appealing at restaurants but I never think to try to make at home where I can control the fat and salt content.  Now that I know how I will be making this beauty all summer.  The super spicy and tangy dressing is my favorite part but if you aren't into breathing fire you'll want to take the amount of peppers down a notch.  I also cheated to make this salad even easier by buying some jarred salsa (because the fella won't eat raw tomatoes and I was lazy), mashing an avocado on my lettuce rather than making guacamole, and then sprinkling organic canned corn and some cilantro on the salad rather than making the corn salsa. And if you're on the weight loss phase you'll want to skip the corn all together since it has a high GI but there are so many other tasty things on this salad you won't be missing anything.

Orange, Olive and Argan Oil Salad

Being a non traditionalist instead of planning a romantic Valentine's Day dinner the fella and I had six of our favorite people over for dinner this past weekend.  And to trick us all into forgetting it is still the deepest darkest days of winter I cooked all Moroccan dishes.  The colorful highly spiced dishes and all the amazing wine made it feel like summer for a few wonderful hours around my table. 

And if you've been following my posts at Forkful of News you will already know that my obsession with Moroccan cooking has been going on for a little while.  If nothing else go read my post about argan oil which besides being an amazingly cool oil also plays a huge role in the recipe for the starter course of my meal.  Plus there are hilarious pictures of tree climbing goats so it is just about a requirement that you go find out about argan oil.  It's worth a few minutes of your time I promise, the goats will make your day.

I decided to start dinner out with this simple orange and olive salad.  The thing I love most about Moroccan dishes is so often all it requires is gathering, measuring, cutting the ingredients, adding heat, waiting for amazing food to happen.  It requires very little maintenance.  This salad doesn't even need heat, it just needs tossing and then you instantly have awesome.

The citrus was made somehow more amazing with the hint of cumin and paprika and the nutty argan oil made it even better.  You could just use a high quality olive oil if you're not in the mood to track down and invest in yet another oil with pretty much the same result.  And a crisp not too grassy Bogle Sauvignon Blanc courtesy of my foodie friends Tim and Jess was an excellent compliment to the salad. 

I was super decadent and served this beautiful salad alone in tiny plates so that there was no other food on the table to steal it's glory.  It was that pretty that I was willing to do extra dishes for it.  Also I felt fancy serving dinner in semi-proper courses.  And of course I got to stun all my friends by serving them something with such an exotic ingredient and tell them the story of it.  A very excellent start to a successful dinner.

Also included in this meal:

Sundried Tomato Tapenade

Salty Roasted Tomatoes

Crockpot Beef Tagine

Red Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables

Rice Crepes and Amlou

 

Orange, Olive and Argan Oil Salad

4 oranges, peeled and cut in into bite sized pieces
16 black or kalamata olives
1/ 2 red onion, finely chopped

1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons argan oil
1 tablespoon olive oil (you can do all olive oil if investing in argan oil is not in your budget)
salt, to taste
1/ 2 teaspoon cumin
1/ teaspoon paprika
pinch chili powder

2 tablespoons parsley

Put chopped oranges in a serving bowl along with the olives and chopped onion.  Toss well.

Make the dressing by whisking together all the remaining ingredients except for the parsley. 

If making ahead of time store the dressing separately and pour over salad at the very last minute.  If serving right away pour dressing over salad and toss well then sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

Makes enough to serve a party of 8 a starter size portion.

From Claudia Roden's Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon.

The Best Ever Beet Salad

One of the hazards of living under the same roof with me is you never know just what you're going to come home to. 

There is a good chance of coming home to me napping on the dog and just as fair a chance I will come running at the fella to insist he taste whatever thing it is that I'm cooking.  But every once in a while just to remind him that he lives with a crazy person he will come home to me doing something absolutely nutty with food. 

On this particular evening he came home to me yelling from the kitchen “Hey honey come in here and take a picture of this, it's awesome.”  He knows enough to enter rooms with a certain amount of trepidation when I'm talking to the food so who knows what he thought he was getting into.  It's been a while since I shaved celery so he probably thought he was safe.

“Doesn't this look like a bowl of guts?  And it's purple!”  I said with glee in my voice while thrusting at him  this giant bowl of shredded beets that did indeed look rather grotesque and bloody.  The fella took some pictures while keeping a safe distance from my mess, all the while giving me the face reserved for moments when you wonder what you've gotten yourself into and how soon you get get out of them.

The fun of making this meal however doesn't end there, the best thing about these shredded beets is they were about to get even more interesting.  Did you know that when you add tahini, yogurt and lemon juice to beets not only do you get an amazing salad but the beets turn the most unbelievable shade of magenta?  And there are few things I love more than eating purple things so you can only imagine how many times I've submitting the men in my life to this beet creation since I discovered it.  I mean what is not to love?  It is easy, very tasty and almost painfully good for you.  Thank you once Mark Bittman, master of the exciting salad!

If you don't enjoy being purple as much as I do borrow a child or a food processor attachment that will do the dirty work of beet shredding for you.  But believe me when I say this salad is worth the mess.  And it goes particularly well with some chicken thighs or bone in chicken pieces dredged in zatar seasoning and put in the oven until cooked through.  A dash of salt and pepper on the chicken and you have a richly flavored bit of chicken that took no effort.  This is my new favorite meal, I never imagined falling in love with beets like this.

What kind of wine possibly pairs with this crazy meal?  Um, who cares I was in the mood for Torrontes the Norto being a delicious but subtle tangy tropical fruit bomb with just enough bit to make it interesting but such well balanced fruit its a little to easy to drink.  And at about $10 it is a great value.  I'll save the pricey but amazing Michel Torino's Don David also known as the best Torrontes for a special occasion and gladly stick to the Norto for a weekday dinner.

These three things came together better than I could have hoped and made for a small Middle Eastern tinged food vacation.  Just what I could use in the middle of a winter that seems like it will never end. 

So don't give up on beets until you give a try to this salad or Lindsay's orzo dish up over on Forkful of News.  They are both so tasty you will forget you are eating vegetables.  And while you're over there check out my article about Argan oil, a crazy little known oil that just might change the way you cook.  It's worth clicking on especially if you're having a bad day, if only to look at the pictures of tree climbing goats.

Best Ever Beet Salad

3 large beets, peeled

1/2 cup yogurt

1/2 cup tahini

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon zatar seasoning

Grate the beets by hand or with a food processor and then place in a large mixing bowl.

Whisk together the yogurt and tahini in a separate small bowl.  When well combined add lemon juice and zatar seasoning and stir well.  Toss the yogurt mixture into the grated beets.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper is desired.

From Mark Bittman's 101 Salads article in the New York Times.

Quinoa Salad with Pomegranate

Apparently the winter has finally gotten to me and I'm starting to snap.  In the midst of my Monday cooking frenzy I realized everything on my recipe list this week leaned toward Mediterranean foods.  Not that there is anything at all wrong with that.  It was just an odd moment to realize I had totally subconsciously arranged for myself to eat delicious slightly summery light foods.  You know you need a vacation when your taste buds create one for you.

The big hit of the slew of things I made today was this salad.  I've made it before but this time I played with the dressing and changed up the proportions to fit what I was in the mood for to make the salad just that much better.

I've already raved about quinoa but I'll do so again for a couple seconds in case there is still anyone that hasn't tried it.  Quinoa is similar in texture to couscous and is prepared in much the same way but is a grain from a grassy South American plant rather than processed wheat.  It has an interesting slightly bitter taste that makes it a great contrast to a bright citrusy salad like this one.  And it's perfect for the Montignac Method because at 35 it has the lowest GI of any of the grains I've looked into.

I buy mine in the bulk bins at Whole Foods where it's about $3 a pound which is a pretty great deal considering my mother said a couple ounces of it is around $5 at her local grocery store.  It's just nice to have around for quick salads, a rice substitute or as an oatmeal type breakfast with a much better texture.

Unfortunately not everything I made today came out as well as this salad.  Next time I will share with the world how I failed at my fourth soufflé in a row.  It wasn't meant to be I guess and I now know not to try again.   I'll stick to less high maintenance food thank you very much.

 

Quinoa Salad with Pomegranate

1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water

1 cup pomegranate seeds
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lemon, zested
1 teaspoon agave nectar
1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup pinenuts, toasted
1/ 4 scant cup cilantro leaves, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

Bring quinoa and water to boil in medium pot.  After allowing to cook on a rolling boil for a couple minutes, reduce heat to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until quinoa is al dente.  Set aside off heat to allow quinoa to cool.

Add the pomegranate seeds to the cooled quinoa in a large bowl. In a small bowl whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, agave nectar, and mustard until blended. Drizzle over quinoa mixture. Add the remaining ingredients and toss. Season with salt & pepper to taste. 

Modified from Enlightened Cooking blog. 

Cinnamon Pumpkin Seeds

The end of CSA season meant I've had seemingly one of every kind of squash in existence sitting in my kitchen waiting for me to be inspired to do something with them. Then the chef brought over a couple more squash just to mock me the other day. At that point there was no point in delaying it any longer, I took a knife to every squash in the kitchen and roasted them. This will force me to find something to do with their various roasted flesh as every time I open the fridge there they are tempting me. Tonight I simply warmed the acorn squash in some butter in a frying pan and was very happy with it.

However I'm very much my mother's daughter (no worries, I mean it in a good way mom) and the thought of all those squash seeds going to waste was unthinkable, I had to do something with them. I've never made roasted squash seeds before so it was fun to grab the first spice that came to me out of the spice cupboard. Cinnamon with salt sounded divine and it was. I was very pleasantly surprised with the results and made this same combination twice since then.

Even better than the cinnamony seeds themselves is that they are awesome in a salad. I've been hooked on throwing them in mixed greens and spinach with feta cheese and a vinaigrette of olive oil and fig vinegar. It's tastes way too good to be that simple.

Cinnamon Pumpkin Seeds

pumpkin seeds
olive oil
salt
cinnamon

Reserve however many seeds you get from pumpkins and other random squashes you have around for cooking. Toss the slimy pits from around the seeds. Rinse the seeds then spread them over a baking sheet.

Heat oven to 350. Put just enough oil over the seeds so that they are coated. Sprinkle with salt and cinnamon to suit your taste.

Bake for 20 minutes or until well toasted.

Cherry Tomato Salad

I am a raw tomato addict. It runs in the family.

The story goes that all my mother ate when she was pregnant with me was raw tomatoes so the lust for them must have been transferred to me while still in the womb. And for as long as I can remember the ushering in of summer in my childhood home involved finding massive amounts of tomatoes, taking them home, slicing them, and standing around in the kitchen eating them. All of us looming around a puddled cutting board of juicy red tomatoes, the liquid running down our arms while we devour these succulent bits of red tomato flesh.

There were also a lot of tomato, Miracle Whip and white bread toast sandwiches involved. Which has consistently been one of my favorite things to eat. I could have one everyday for weeks and never get sick of them. When I read Tom Robbin's essay about tomato, mayonnaise and white bread sandwiches being the best food on earth I fell a little in love with him. It's called Til Lunch Do Us Part and you can read part of it in the book preview on Amazon if you want to thoroughly understand the term “food porn.” Then you should read Skinny Legs and All or one his other novels because he's a genius.

Tom Robbins was the first person outside of my family I'd ever heard talk about the joy of raw tomatoes, almost everyone else I've encountered finds eating them as if they were candy an unusual thing. It's something the fella and I tease one another about on a regular basis. He hates them, I love them, how can we possibly stay together with such opposed views on such an important issue. Somehow we soldier on, obviously we just stay together for the dog.

Sadly bread, white or otherwise is not part of this French diet so I've been feeling the lack of my favorite sandwich for some time now. I do still have tomatoes however which our CSA share has been providing us in great abundance. There are pounds of them in the kitchen at the moment and more keep coming every week. I finally hit the too many tomatoes point this week, when I started dreading just eating them raw and had to start finding things to put them in.

Luckily Mark Bittman has a very handy recipe for easily taking care of large amounts cherry tomatoes in a yummy way. It seems too easy to be that good but it really is. And yes I will eventually start posting something other than salads soon. I've just been short on free time and not feeling up to turning on the stove now that summer here in Wisconsin has finally decided to start. So for now here is another salad sans lettuce.

Cherry Tomato Salad

2 handfuls cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 large dash dark sesame oil
1 sprig cilantro

Cut tomatoes in half. Place in bowl.

Whisk together soy sauce and sesame oil. Pour over tomatoes and toss thoroughly.

Garnish with coarsely chopped cilantro.

This is even better the second day after it has sat chilling out in the fridge over night marinating until the tomatoes are little salty tart bombs that explode on your tongue.

Recipe from Mark Bittman in The New York Times.

Fennel and Apple Salad

Salads don't get any easier than this. Even better it has no pesky lettuce in it so it will even please you lettuce haters out there. This has become my new go to recipe for using fennel, which I usually don't love raw. But between the sour apple and the mustard the fennel becomes much less intense and works to bring together all the flavors nicely.

My other recent discovery was this Shiraz and Mourvedre blend from Penfolds. It manages to be rich, dry, and just fruity enough all at once. And for $11-ish a bottle it drinks like a much pricier wine. I've had to resist the urge to open a bottle of it every night this week.

Fennel and Apple Salad

1 bulb fennel, sliced thin
1-2 tart green apples (depending on how big your fennel bulb is), sliced thin

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 tablespoon mustard

parsley


Slice very thin equal portions of fennel and tart apple and toss in a bowl.

Whisk together oil, vinegar, and mustard then toss over salad.

Top with parsley.

Recipe from Mark Bittman in The New York Times.

Steak, Kale and Olive Salad

If this salad doesn't make you love or at least learn to tolerate kale there is no hope for you.

Kale and I aren't best friends but we visit on special occasions. Those special occasions being thick filling soups in the middle of winter. We get along pretty well as long as kale doesn't draw too much attention to itself which unfortunately it usually does. I totally understand why most people never invite it to their parties, kale is a bitter creature on a good day and an evening killer on bad ones.

This salad changed all that. The only reason I made it was kale came in the latest CSA box and there was steak in it so even if the kale was a failure there was still the yummy steak for dinner. I figured it was a win win type situation. But even as I wilted the big juicy organic kale leaves I was still hesitant about how much I was going to like this dinner. I was rushing to make it and take it in tupperware to my second job of the day, if I didn't like it I would be stuck at a coffee ship with nothing but scones to munch on.

Fortunately all the worry was for naught. Steak, vinegar, and salty olives turned the kale into a very delicious unassuming salad green. I wouldn't have even known it was a bitter green if I hadn't of chopped it up myself. This salad might not look like much but it's great and filling and not at all like any other kale dish I've ever dutifully forced myself to work my way through. The only way it would have been better is if I had decent sherry vinegar. Time to visit my friend at the fancy vinegar store on my next day off.

Steak, Kale and Olive Salad

1 pound steak, whatever cut floats your boat
1 bunch kale, thinly chopped
1 handful black olives, the saltier the better

equal portions olive oil and sherry vinegar


Season steak with salt and pepper then sear in in a nice sized pan to the level of doneness you prefer. Remove from pan to let cool a bit before slicing into bite sized pieces.

Put kale in pan with steak drippings and cook just until wilted. Remove pan from heat and toss in olives and sliced steak.

Whisk together oil and vinegar then pour over salad and toss.

Recipe from Mark Bittman in the New York Times.

Tapenade Salad

This salad is summer in a bowl. The only way it could be better is in the middle of the actual summer, eating outside and drinking it with a light semi chilled red or a sweet Vouvray. On a bright spring day after a long afternoon chasing the dog around the park it was perfect. I know already that I will be making this again and again. And I usually have a thing against large amounts of raw vegetables piled in one place.

It was somewhat labor intensive but thankfully I have a wonderful sous chef who took over the pain staking job of pitting olives for a half hour. After that the tapenade came together nicely. I didn't put in nearly as many basil leaves at the recipe called for and liked it better that way and I totally omitted the garlic clove as I wasn't feeling up to raw garlic that day. The end resent was a creamy salty delicious tapenade. The recipe makes a much bigger portion than is necessary for the salad so half it or be prepared to have a bunch of very tasty tapenade left over. If I could eat bread I'd be slathering it over a baguette right about now. I'll never buy tapenade again.

The salad itself takes a lot of chopping with the typical fussy Boulud twist on each vegetable. It's gotten to the point that I find his details instructions comforting, I don't have to decide how to cut something up, Boulud has already given it more thought that I ever would. The very thinly sliced fennel really makes the salad, the rest of the veggies combine with it well. I would have put slightly less lemon juice on the salad however, as it was a bit tart and it made the vegetables give off their juices making the bottom portion of the salad soggy and unable to hold on to the tapenade.

Put together and topped with some toasted pine nuts, the raw veggie salad and tapenade was a treat. This recipe made dealing with Boulud's anal retentive cooking style worth it. Sadly it's time to take him back to the library and move on to Julia Child.

Tapenade Salad

TAPENADE:
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 cup kalamata olives, pitted
1/2 cup oil
20 basil leaves (used 5 huge leaves and even that was a bit much)
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and dried
1/2 clove garlic, peeled and germ removed (I left this out)
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

In a small pan over medium-high heat toast the pine nuts until browned on all sides. (If you're doing the salad too, this would be a good time to toast 2 additional tablespoons pine nuts to top salad.)

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and whir, scraping down the sides as needed until the olives are pureed and ingredients are blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste, with the capers and olives it probably won't need to be salted.

Will last a week in the refrigerator up to a week when tightly sealed.


SALAD:
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and fronds removed
8 res radishes, trimmed, dried and thinly sliced
1 roasted red pepper, cut into 8 pieces
1 roasted yellow pepper, cut into 8 pieces (I used 2 canned red peppers to save time)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut thin in 2-inch lengths
1 scallion, white part only, thinly sliced on bias (I left this out)
1 bunch arugula, stems removed, dried (I used 2 handfuls baby spinach)
1 stalk celery, trimmed and thinly sliced on bias
1 lemon, finely grated zest and juiced

Cut the fennel in quarters and using mandoline shave it into thin slices. Toss fennel in large mixing bowl with all the other vegetables. Season salad with lemon zest, juice, pepper and sea salt.

TO SERVE:
shaved Parmesan cheese (I thought this was a bit much with the rich tapenade)
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Arrange the salad on chilled plates, top with the cheese and pine nuts. Dot the plates with the tapenade and spoon the rest in a bowl to place at the table in case more is needed to flavor salads.

Original recipe from Cafe Boulud Cookbook.

Zucchini-Ricotta Layers with Pesto

Okay, he won me over again. Boulud and I are back on speaking terms.

I think I finally figured out how to do this French cooking thing while retaining what little sanity I have and eating before 9PM. It's simple really, I stopped making every picky little thing the recipe called for, concentrating instead on the main bit of the meal. I never thought I'd be celebrating the use of pre-packaged ingredients but it saved the meal tonight and we ate at 7:30 which left us time to watch the new show with Nathan Fillion in it. This is always a good thing.

The only semi complicated thing I involved myself in was making tuiles which was exciting and afforded me the opportunity to say the word tuiles oh about three dozen times in a single evening. As soon as the fella walked in the door I couldn't help but scream, “Come to the kitchen, my tuiles let me show you them.” At which point two of them fell on the floor, a sacrifice to our canine vacuum cleaner.

However I did not get involved in the pesto making which included blanching zucchini and doing other multi stepped complicated things to it. I just bought a decent jar of pesto I know I will use for other recipes. I also did not let myself get pulled into the two page recipe for tomato confit, it sounds delicious but sundried tomatoes worked just as well.

The zucchini and ricotta bits were a snap and while the zucchini was roasting I had time to make rosemary lemon chicken. It all got done at the same time, wonder of wonders. And it was all delicious, I didn't even mind the esoteric plating ritual to create the layers the recipe called for. I will make this again and if I have the time I might even give the pesto making a go.

It's so pretty it's making me hungry all over again.

Zucchini-Ricotta Layers with Zucchini Pesto


TUILES:
1/2 cup fined grated Parmesan cheese


Preheat oven to 300 and center a rack in the middle of the oven.


On a non stick baking sheet make eight circles, each about 2 to 3 inches in diameter, sprinkling cheese in an even layer until you can't see the pan through the cheese. Bake for about 2 minutes (it took about 5 minutes in my oven) or until cheese melts and just begins to brown. Very carefully use a plastic scraper to ease the rounds off the pan. If you want them flat let them cool on the pan after loosing them. For curved tuiles drape them over a rolling pin quickly before they cool and become fragile.


Set aside to top zucchini layers with.


ZUCCHINI:
3 tablespoons oil
2 medium zucchini
4 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 sprig thyme, leaves removed


RICOTTA:
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon parsley
1 egg yolk (optional-I skipped it)
1 tablespoon oil


12 pieces sun dried tomato
black olives and pine nuts for garnish


Raise heat of oven to 375. Line large baking sheet with foil and use about 1 tablespoon of oil to grease foil.


Cut the zucchini on the bias into slices that are about 3 inches long and ¼ inch thick. Arrange the slices in single layers on the baking sheet, brush the tops with the remaining oil then season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle garlic and thyme leaves over zucchini. Bake about 12 minutes or until just tender.


Meanwhile make ricotta mix by whisking together all the ricotta ingredients in a small bowl, then salt and pepper to taste.


To serve construct on a small dinner plate. Spoon some pesto into the center of the plate and top with 3 zucchini slices, then a spoonful of ricotta, and 2 pieces of tomato to make first layer. Then 3 more zucchini slices, another spoonful of ricotta, and another piece of tomato. Circle plate with more pesto and top it all with olive halves, pine nuts and cheese tuiles.


Original recipe from Cafe Boulud Cookbook.

Chicken Satay Salad

Anything involving peanut butter is a winner in my book and this did not disappoint. Added bonus was that it was insanely easy. We made it even easier still seeing as the fella roasted a whole chicken the day before, stuffing it with garlic, parsley, onion, sage, rosemary, and lemon grass to create the best extremely juicy bird in recent memory. We used the carcass to make stock and the left over meat for this recipe, totally skipping the chicken skewer preparation.

Tada dinner in 5 minutes.

This was a welcome change from recent overly complicated meals which I will be returning to tomorrow. Until then I've had quite the evening of rude yuppies at the wine store and then the cork broke in my bottle or Carmenere so I believe the world it not so gently telling me to go to bed.

Chicken Satay Salad


2 chicken breasts
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 garlic clove, diced
1 tablespoon, canola oil
wooden skewers, soaked in water


8 ounces of arugula or baby spinach
1 cup bean sprouts
2 carrots, ribboned
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped


DRESSING:
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons oil


Soak about a dozen wooden skewers in water for around 20 minutes so they won't scorch under broiler. Slice chicken into long strips. Toss chicken pieces in ginger, garlic, and oil then season with black pepper. Heat the broiler. Twist chicken strips in half and thread on the skewers. Broil for about 10 minutes, turning halfway through cooking time.


Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Combine arugula, bean sprouts, carrots and cilantro, divide evening among salad bowls. Top with chicken skewers and drizzle with dressing to serve.


Original recipe from The Big GL Plus Diet Planner.