“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
I’m fairly certain that I have endorsed salad and other “non-breakfast foods” elsewhere on my blog. But if you missed it, here it is again. I can and will happily eat most anything.
I like to start my day with healthy & delicious food. Getting a head start on the day’s vegetables isn’t a bad idea either.
Today, I had one of my favorite breakfast salads, including an ingredient I’ve never used on salad. Actually, I haven’t used a lot of chia seeds, but I am trying to incorporate them into our food more often. Not sure I can get into the gelatinous texture that chia provides when allowed to sit and gel, but they were great on my salad.
You’ll need a fork and a spoon for this dish-a fork for the salad on top, and a spoon to scrape up the delicious yogurt at the bottom of the bowl. The yogurt mingles with your dressing, and any other flavors that make their way downward.
You can build a breakfast salad any way you like, including adding an egg on top, which I didn’t do this time, but it is delicious. This is the salad I created this morning…
Yogurt on the Bottom Breakfast Salad
Nancy’s Whole Milk Plain Organic Yogurt- a few spoonfuls, no more than 1/4 cup
Salad greens-I used curly green leaf & baby beet greens
Onion- thinly sliced pole to pole {my favorite cut for salad}
Tomatoes- I used cherry tomatoes from my lanai garden
Avocado- as much as you like
Fresh herbs- I used tarragon, dill & cilantro from my lanai garden
Fruit- I used 2 dried plums {a.k.a. prunes}
Freshly ground salt & pepper
Red wine vinegar {or your favorite vinegar}
Extra virgin olive oil
Plop a few spoonfuls of yogurt at the bottom of your bowl-if you put too much, it can overwhelm your salad.
Add greens, onion, tomatoes, avocado & fresh herbs. Season with freshly ground salt & pepper. Drizzle red wine vinegar and olive oil over all. Garnish with a few prunes, admire your creation & enjoy with toast, or a Ry-Vita buttered with organic pasture butter and tea as I did.
“Gleaming skin; a plump elongated shape; the eggplant is a vegetable you’d want to caress with your eyes and fingers, even if you didn’t know its luscious flavor.” by Roger Verge
Although it is a vegetable {actually, it is a fruit, but that’s another discussion} with varied preparations, eggplant parmigiana is the quintessential eggplant dish for many, however it is not one of my favorite ways to enjoy eggplant. My mom used to sauté eggplant slices until they were golden brown, and I loved eating them with catsup {not a kid thing…I still love catsup & so does my husband}. Sometimes I roast thick slices of eggplant & happily enjoy them dipped into organic catsup. I prefer Italian Globe eggplants, over the other slender varieties {Thai, Indian, Japanese, etc.}.
Eggplant is one of those foods that, I suspect, prompts strong feelings. While I have not researched this matter, I think people tend to love or hate eggplant. The Flavor Bible {have you seen this book yet?} describes eggplant’s taste as “bitter,” a taste which does not have as many fans as sweet, salty, sour, etc.
Many years ago, Erika, a friend & coworker, introduced me to vegetarian food by way of Laurel’s Kitchen, a book from which I prepared & enjoyed many dishes. In fact, it was my “go to” cookbook for a long time. I made Laurel’s falafel recipe & had my first taste of Middle Eastern food, which I now consider the cuisine I most want to eat. Which brings me back to eggplant. One of my new favorite ways of enjoying eggplant comes from Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbook Plenty. It is quick to make, stunning on a platter & super delicious. Regardless of your feelings toward eggplant, I am of the opinion that you should make this recipe; just try it. I think Eggplant Tricolore may have the power to turn you into a lover of eggplant. Perhaps the dressing balances the eggplant’s inherent bitterness, which makes this a dish that goes down easily, like a fine wine. My husband & I can polish off 2 eggplants in one sitting!
If you make this, snap a photo & send it with a comment on how you liked it.
Eggplant Slices Ready for Roasting
Roasted Eggplant Slices
Eggplant Tricolore
Eggplant Tricolore {and more} adapted from Plenty {Ottolenghi}
2-3 medium eggplants {preferably Italian globe variety}
olive oil
Maldon sea salt & black pepper
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 3/8” dice
10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 1/2 tbsp capers, plus 1 tbsp of the caper brine
5 oz. top-quality buffalo mozzarella
1 cup picked coriander {cilantro} leaves
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the eggplants widthwise into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Place the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Brush them generously on both sides with plenty of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 25”-35,” or until the eggplants are soft and golden brown. Allow to cool down.
Mix together the bell pepper, tomatoes, vinegar, capers, caper brine and 2 tbsp of olive oil. Set aside for at least 30” {the mix can be kept refrigerated for several days; the flavors will deepen over time}.
To serve, arrange the eggplant slices, slightly overlapping, on a serving dish {a meat platter is the perfect size for 2 medium eggplants}. Break the cheese up and scatter on top. Spoon over the dressing and scatter with the cilantro. Enjoy!
Notes:
I always use extra virgin olive oil
I always use freshly ground pepper
Maldon salt is worth seeking out, but you can substitute another crunchy salt such as Fleur de Sel
yellow or orange peppers work best color-wise, but use what you have
I have used tomatoes other than cherry tomatoes, with excellent results
The eggplant can be roasted up to a day ahead and refrigerated
I have always used lebni {Lebanese kefir cheese} instead of mozzarella & it is delicious. Soft goat cheese would also be delicious!
Salting eggplant for 30” or so is supposed to draw out the bitterness, but I usually do not do this. Possibly this is valuable for older eggplants with large seeds, but ours come from the farmers’ market and are recently picked.
You can use fresh basil instead of cilantro if you desire
Plate Salad with Salmon & Red Wine Vinaigrette or Homemade Thousand Island Dressing
There is no such thing as too much salad. We love salads and eat a lot of them. Main dish salads are called “plate salads” at our house. A plate salad is big, beautiful, healthy and delicious, and they are a great way use up odds and ends you have lurking in your refrigerator, as well as vegetables {and fruits too!} specifically prepared for a salad. We baked a salmon for dinner a few nights ago, so for lunch we had a plate salad with leftover salmon and a few other vegetables to add color, crunch and flavor. Every now and then my husband gets in the mood for a creamy dressing, so I made Thousand Island Dressing for him. I enjoy creamy dressings, but a red wine vinaigrette sounded right to me, so I whisked up a few ingredients and had a delightfully sharp dressing for my salad. I don’t use recipes for these dressings, but the general idea is written below. It’s simple to whip up your own fresh salad dressings, and certainly tastier than purchased dressings. Not to mention a lot less expensive and better for you. What a deal!!
You can take this salad any way you want, depending on what you have handy. The base of our salad is a mix of romaine, red leaf lettuce and quite a bit of cilantro. If you are a member of the “I hate cilantro set,” feel free to leave it out or substitute another fresh herb{s} that you enjoy. Top the greens with diced celery, sliced jalapeños, grated raw beet, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts {packed in water}, sliced onions and salmon. Season with good quality salt {kosher, sea salt, Maldon, Fleur de Sel, etc.} and freshly ground pepper.
Minced onion {just a bit, because there is onion in the pickle relish}
A few shakes of Worcestershire Sauce {can be left out if you don’t have it}
A few drops of apple cider vinegar, if you want a bit of tartness
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
A pinch of sweet paprika
Freshly ground black pepper
A shake {or more} of Tabasco Sauce
Put enough mayonnaise in a bowl to make the amount of dressing you want. Add enough ketchup to make it as pink as you think it should be. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Voila! You have homemade Thousand Island dressing.
Red Wine Vinaigrette for 1 Plate Salad
2 anchovies
Small clove of garlic
Kosher salt
Dijon mustard, about 2 tsp
Red wine vinegar, about 1 tbsp
Extra virgin olive oil, about 3 tbsp
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
In a mortar and pestle, or on a cutting board, mash together anchovies, garlic and salt until they are a paste. If your mortar is large enough, whisk in Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil to taste. Otherwise, scrape paste into a small bowl and whisk in remaining ingredients.
Notes:
Jalapeños are interesting in that they can taste super hot when eaten alone, but sliced in a salad, they are mellow, crunchy and deliciously green {my favorite flavor!}. Not exactly sure how this works, but it’s an observation I have made. It doesn’t always hold true, but in my experience, it usually does.
My husband and I have speculated that Thousand Island dressing got its name because of the pickle relish, which represents the “islands,” but this link, as well as a few others do not support our hypothesis. We still like our theory!
The pickle relish doesn’t have to be drained well; a little liquid is good for thinning the dressing a bit, making it easier to distribute over your salad.
One of my favorite additions to my cookbook collection in 2014 is David Leibovitz’s My Paris Kitchen. It is on my headboard for bedtime reading, and I am almost finished reading it from start to finish. Each recipe is one to two pages and is enhanced with a story. So far, I have only prepared this carrot salad, but I will definitely be making many more recipes from this book. . . Shakshuka, buckwheat crepes with ham, cheese and egg, French lentil salad with goat cheese and walnuts. . .where shall I begin?
According to Leibovitz, everyone of French ancestry has the knowledge to make grated carrot salad in their DNA; recipes can vary from person to person, because there is no one recipe that everyone uses. We enjoy Leibovitz’s take on this French classic. My husband added tart dried cherries & pine nuts to the carrot salad one night and it tasted great; I highly recommend it! The dried fruit adds a lovely sweet counterpoint to the tart dressing, and the pine nuts are a little earthy. . .a great combination. It’s a bright & pretty salad that is quick to make & lasts for a few days in the refrigerator. If you have an abundance of carrots, it’s a fast way to use them up quickly. Give it a try & see what you think.
Grated Carrot Salad from David Leibovitz’s My Paris Kitchen
2 lbs {900 gm} carrots, scrubbed and peeled
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp granulated sugar or honey
3 tbsp minced fresh Italian parsley, chervil or chives
Grate the carrots on the large holes of a box grater, or in a food processor fitted with a large shredding disk.
In a large bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, salt, mustard and sugar or honey. Toss the grated carrots & the fresh herbs in the dressing. Serve on plates garnished with additional fresh herbs.
Serves 6
Notes:
Meyer lemon juice works great here, if you have one.
Grated Carrot Salad with Cherries & Pine Nuts slightly adapted from David Leibovitz’s My Paris Kitchen
2 lbs {900 gm} carrots, scrubbed and peeled
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp granulated sugar or honey
dried tart cherries, as many as you’d like
pine nuts, as many as you’d like
Grate the carrots on the large holes of a box grater, or in a food processor fitted with a large shredding disk.
In a large bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, salt, mustard and sugar or honey. Toss the grated carrots, cherries and pine nuts in the dressing.
Serves 6
Notes:
Raisins are great here, if that’s what you have.
Another nut can stand in for pine nuts, if you prefer.
I cannot tell you how many days weeks I have hopped out of bed thinking that I would be writing a new blog post that day. Truth be told, I rarely “hop” out of bed, but rather leisurely climb out from my night’s comfort. It’s been a little harder to get up recently because it’s been a tad chilly in the morning here in Maui. I’m not expecting any sympathy from my Mainland friends or family, who have experienced temperatures down in the 20’s, before winter has even thought about making an appearance. But remember that when there is no heater in your house, it’s cold when it hits the mid-low 60’s. Of course, the sun is warm and the house warms up quickly, so enough whimpering about chilly tropical island weather.
If the proverbial genie were to arrive on the scene, wafting out of the bottle say, right now, my first wish would definitely be for more time {I also need more thyme; better plan a trip to the garden store for another plant or 2.} and to be more efficient with the time I have. Honestly, I do not know where the days go, but I do know that I need more hours in every one of them. Having nothing to do is never a problem for me!
This kale salad is one I just came up with and we think it’s delicious. There are quite a few ingredients, but they are not out of the ordinary, so you may have most in your refrigerator at the moment. There are a few unique ingredients that you will probably have to make or buy, but it’s worth it. One of the ingredients is pickled celery, and it’s very tasty. I made pickled celery as a part of this egg salad recipe from Smitten Kitchen. The egg salad was very good, but I like mine better. I don’t make egg salad very often, but the next time I do, I’ll be adding some pickled celery. The reason I like my egg salad better is because the flavors are sharper with mustard and vinegar, so the pickled celery will just add another bit of tartness, which I love. But I digress. Here is my newest iteration of kale salad. Feel free to adjust amounts to suit your taste or what you have on hand. This salad has a variety of tastes & textures that make it a winner. The kale plays nicely with the sweetness from the potatoes, prunes and tomatoes. Throw in a little tart from the pickled celery and fermented vegetables, and some creamy goat cheese that mingles with the dressing and you have one tasty salad.
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Kale Salad of Many Delicious Bites
Kale, washed thoroughly, dried and torn into bite size pieces
Canned tuna {we use tuna packed in olive oil}, drained
Green onions, 2, thinly sliced
Steamed potato {white or yams are great}, cut into bite size chunks, about 12
Sun dried tomatoes, about 12, cut into bite size pieces
Prunes {aka dried plums}, 4, cut into bite size pieces
Pumpkin seeds toasted in coconut oil & fine sea salt
Pickled celery, about 2 tablespoons drained
Soft goat cheese, crumbled
Blenheim apricot white balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Fermented vegetables, optional, but highly recommended
Put a bed of kale on a dinner plate and add other ingredients in the order listed. Season with salt and pepper, then drizzle with apricot white balsamic and extra virgin olive oil.
Notes:
Salads are a great place to use leftover steamed or roasted potatoes.
The yams shown here were cut in large chunks, tossed with melted coconut oil and seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper. They were then drizzled with some delicious Maui honey and roasted at 375 degrees.
We buy the sun dried tomatoes in olive oil at Costco. I have never been a fan of the herbs in these tomatoes, because they taste too strong to me. I recently discovered a way to prep these tomatoes which I think makes them taste better. I put however many tomatoes I think I’ll use over the course of the week in a bowl, then cover them with boiling water. Let them stand for 5” or so, and then drain them on a paper towel. Blot them to get most of the moisture off & store them in a jar or other covered container.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds: Melt a couple teaspoons of coconut oil in a small skillet. When the oil is hot, add about a 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds. Toss to coat & cook until the seeds begin to brown & pop, being careful not to let them burn. Season with fine sea salt {I used Pink Himalayan Salt}. You can use sunflower seeds if you prefer.
Swap out the prunes with dried tart cherries or apricots if desired.
I bought the Blenheim apricot white balsamic from the Lively Olive, a wonderful little shop in Port Townsend, WA. It was my first experience in an olive oil/balsamic vinegar tasting bar, & I loved it. If you don’t have access to apricot balsamic, any fruity vinegar or red wine vinegar would be great.
Pickled Celery {from Smitten Kitchen}:
2 stalks celery, small dice
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
Combine vinegar, water, salt & sugar and shake to combine. Pickle celery for at least 30″ and up to one hour. Stores in the refrigerator for a few weeks, for your eating pleasure.
Our morning began with the required glass of Freshly Pressed Ginger Kombucha, then a relaxing stroll on Baldwin Beach in Paia, which is about 15 minutes down the slope of Haleakala from our home. Lifeguards were not yet on duty, and we shared the beach with fewer than two dozen early risers who wished to start their day with a soundtrack of gentle waves crashing and then receding into the vast Pacific. The temperature was somewhere in the high 70s, with the perfect level of skin caressing breeze. A double rainbow spanned the western sky, although the second one was camouflaged by clouds.
Of course, there were the usual dogs running willy nilly, some playing in the salty ocean, and others happily chasing each other in the sand {How did I not photograph the dogs??}. My husband spotted one of those fluorescent green tennis balls in the sand, which he donated to a lucky dog who passed by at just the right moment; the dog, whose mannerisms reminded us of our dog Max {an Australian shepherd who passed away a few years ago}, was delighted by his good fortune. It’s a little over two miles to walk the entire beach. . .I highly recommend it if you are in the neighborhood.
After our walk, we went for coffee at Maui Coffee Roasters in Kahului. My husband has a number of free drinks on his card, so that was the perfect way to top off our walk.
Next stop was home for breakfast. I’ve shared my breakfast salads with you before, and for those of you who are okay with eating salad for breakfast, this one is a winner. My husband bought some gorgeous beets from the farmers’ market last Saturday, so those definitely had a place in the salad. There are blueberries in the freezer, which play nicely with beets and goat cheese, so in they went. And there is more. . .
This is more of a guideline than a recipe, so play around with ingredients & make it your own. For me, the key components are the beets, berries, goat cheese and nuts. The black currant balsamic adds a lovely fruitiness which I highly recommend, if you can get your hands on some. This shouldn’t be difficult, because it seems that olive oil and vinegar tasting stores are cropping up all around. I read about such a place here on Maui, Wailea to be exact, several months ago in our local paper. The first one I visited, however, was in Port Townsend, WA. We moved to Maui in the summer of 2011, but I had not gone back to visit until this year, when I went twice in two months. What fun I had! Anyway, in Port Townsend, there it was, this fabulous store {Lively Olive} that had kegs of extra virgin olive oils and vinegars begging to be tasted. I love vinegar and olive oil, so I was thrilled to stumble upon this place. I brought home a bottle each of Blenheim apricot white balsamic and black currant balsamic. I thought the black currant would be great with the blueberries and it did not disappoint. After returning home, I thought I should visit the store in Wailea {Fustini’s Oils and Vinegars}. The sales people were offering up all kinds of deliciousness in the form of taste combinations: coconut balsamic + Persian lime extra virgin olive oil was the one I was particularly smitten with, so I purchased the coconut balsamic. I decided I would make my own lime olive oil, and make some kind of salad that involved soft Manoa lettuce, sweet onion and mango, among other things. If you are a Hawaii resident, Fustini’s offers a kamaaina discount! Feel free to use another vinegar if you can’t find black currant balsamic. . .I’m sure your salad will be delicious!
Beet, Blueberry & Goat Cheese Salad with Black Currant Vinaigrette
Salad greens, washed & thoroughly dried {I used kale and romaine}
Beets, cooked, peeled and diced
Blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed if frozen
Onions, thinly sliced
Fresh herbs, torn or julienned {I used basil and mint}
Soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled
Walnuts, toasted & broken
Eggs, prepared however you like them, optional
Extra virgin olive oil
Black Currant Balsamic
Salt & freshly ground pepper
I like to build meal size salads on a dinner plate, but you can use whatever you like. The lettuce goes down first, and is topped by the fresh herbs. Add beets, blueberries, onions and goat cheese. Top with walnuts, salt and pepper. Drizzle salad with black currant balsamic and olive oil. If you are putting an egg on your salad, add it right now. Enjoy!
There are occasions when I just don’t know what I want for breakfast. This phenomenon does not occur for lunch or dinner; just breakfast. My husband doesn’t understand it; he eats the same yogurt most mornings, except the days when we make eggs or maybe hot cereal. I’ve never been one to eat the same thing everyday for any meal; there is too much delicious food out there to limit oneself to the same meal all the time. Lately I have not been into what most people call “breakfast food.” Any food qualifies as breakfast food as far as I’m concerned, the exception being cold pizza. I don’t know what percent of the population loves cold pizza, but I am not in their company. The draw to cold pizza, with its cold, solidified cheese escapes me. Anyway, one of my new favorite breakfasts, a meal which will also make appearances at lunch and dinner, is this salad of French green lentils topped with greens, goat cheese & wine vinegar. The only improvement I could have made would be the addition of a delicious slice of chewy, whole grain bread with butter {of course!}.
Lentils are quick cooking and healthy. French green lentils are my lentil of choice, because they are shiny green and gorgeous and they hold their shape after cooking. This makes them a great choice for salads because they do not become mushy. Note: “This just in from David Lebovitz’s wonderful food blog. . .” Check out David’s take on Lentilles du Puy, the caviar of lentils. During the writing of this post, I decided to find out if there is a difference between French green lentils and lentils du Puy, and according to David Lebovitz, whom I trust implicitly, there is indeed a huge difference. I’m thinking that I may not have the caviar of lentils here in my kitchen, but instead their less desirable cousin. Still delicious, I will use them up and then buy the real Mccoy. No worries!
This salad goes together quickly if you have a bowl of already cooked lentils in your refrigerator. And as you are eating it, you have the delightful surprise of finding warm, delicious and buttery lentils under those crispy greens!
French Green Lentils
1 1/2 cups French green lentils, or lentils du Puy, sorted and rinsed {make sure there are no rocks or bad lentils}
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
Put lentils into a medium saucepan with bay leaves and salt. Bring to a boil & then lower heat to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, until the lentils are tender, but still hold their shape. If you prefer, drain off any water that is not absorbed during cooking, but I usually keep it with the lentils as it is a tasty broth. Lentils cook quickly, and will be tender in about 25 minutes.
French Green Lentils with Greens, Goat Cheese and Red Wine Vinegar
Warm cooked lentils
Butter
Freshly ground pepper
Greens, washed and spun dry
Fresh herbs {basil, parsley or whatever you like and have on hand}
Soft fresh goat cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Freshly ground salt and pepper
Put some warm lentils in a bowl {I used about 3/4 cup lentils for myself}. Add a pat of butter and freshly ground pepper. Stir to melt and distribute the butter. Top with greens and herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Crumble some soft goat cheese over and drizzle with red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Eat now. . .yum!
Apologies for the extended hiatus from this blog!! When I saw the date of my last post…GASP! I knew it had been a while, but I didn’t realize that I had been away for almost 2 months. I did take a trip to the Mainland, which I will share soon, but that was only 10 days. As I have mentioned before, time gets away from me on an almost daily basis, so there you have it. And on to salad!
I love salads of all kinds, and can eat them any time of the day. Salad for breakfast? No problem! This salad is simple, quick to assemble and delicious. What made it so good was the combination of roasted beets, creamy goat cheese and walnuts. Dress with a homemade vinaigrette {recipe from my friend Barb} and enjoy. It doesn’t require many ingredients or much effort to create a tasty salad dressing, sans additives that you probably don’t want.
Mixed Greens Salad with Roasted Beets, Goat Cheese & Walnuts
Mixed greens, washed and spun dry
Roasted beets {you can use steamed beets if you prefer}
Onion, thinly sliced {sweet or red onions are good here}
Soft fresh goat cheese
Walnuts, broken
Salt & freshly ground pepper
Put mixed greens of your choice into a bowl or plate {I used arugula and romaine}. Top with roasted beets, onions, goat cheese and broken walnuts. If you have some whole walnut halves, put one on top for a pretty garnish. Season salad with salt and pepper and drizzle with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette.
Roasted Beets {from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone}
Peel 2 large beets and cut into 1/2 inch dice
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place diced beets on a foil-lined sheet pan, so they are not over-crowded {or they will steam instead of roast}. Toss beets with just enough olive oil to lightly coat {too much oil will yield greasy beets}. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Roast the beets for 25-30 minutes, until the juices begin to caramelize and the beets are tender but firm.
Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp Meyer lemon juice {regular lemon is fine}
3 tbsp maple syrup or brown sugar
Combine all ingredients in a jar & shake to blend.
Notes:
On my trip to Washington State, I had a salad almost identical to this one, but it included fresh blueberries. I highly recommend the addition of berries to this salad.
I am a huge fan of maple syrup, so I generally use it over brown sugar.
“Those who think they have no time for healthy eating will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” ~ modified from Edward Stanley
Tis the season for salads! Welcome Summer! Even here in Maui, where it always feels like summer during the day, we have growing seasons for our locally grown fruits and vegetables. Truth be told, we eat salads all year long, and did even in the depths {and despair} of cold, rainy Pacific Northwest winters {paired with something hot and hearty, of course}. The fresh flavors and textures of salads, created from myriad ingredients, including vegetables, fruits, herbs and grains cannot be beat. Salads need not be complicated to be delicious. They can be as simple as arugula with thinly sliced onion, salt, pepper, fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. This is one of my favorite flavor combinations. Today’s lunch salad was not only gorgeous, it was a gastronomic delight! Select whatever greens you like, but I think it is best with a tender lettuce like red leaf, Manoa, butter or some other soft variety. Once you cut the fruit off the mango, use your impeccably clean hands to squeeze the pit, because it will release a lot of delicious juice that will become part of the dressing; I hold it over my salad and squeeze until it has given up all it has to give. It is impossible to cut every bit of flesh off of a mango, so this is my way of getting every last bit of goodness from this tasty fruit.
Salad of Greens, Mangoes, Tomatoes, Purslane and Steak
Salad greens, washed and spun dry {your choice}
Green onions, thinly sliced
Tomatoes, diced
Mangoes, diced
Steak, cut into bite size pieces
Cilantro leaves, fronds & blossoms Purslane clusters
Champagne vinegar, or other mild white vinegar {white wine, unseasoned rice}
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Put greens in a bowl and top with onions, tomatoes & their juices, mangoes and steak. Top with a few purslane clusters and cilantro leaves, fronds & blossoms. Season salad with salt and pepper. Squeeze the mango pit over the salad to release all the juice you can. Drizzle with champagne vinegar and extra virgin olive oil to taste. Enjoy!
Notes:
If you don’t have green onions, a sweet onion like Maui, Vidalia, Walla Walla Sweet, etc. would be delicious.
Add any protein you want, or none at all. Chicken, salmon or shrimp would all be nice.
I used cilantro fronds & blossoms because I have one overachieving plant that has outgrown all the others, which are too small to harvest, and I am trying to use the whole plant. Use whatever you have. Mint and/or basil would be fabulous!
If you don’t have purslane in your garden, try to get some from the farmers’ market. If you see little black seeds around the leaves, lucky you! Plant those seeds and grow your own purslane, which is what I did. It is doing quite well, thank you very much.
Papaya would also be good in this salad, but you won’t have any juice like with mango.
Cilantro-don’t forget to use the fronds and blossoms; they are pretty & delicious!
Purslane is easy to grow. In fact, you may have some in your yard, as it is considered a weed {a healthy weed}.
“If you’re busy, never cook for one meal; always cook for two or three. Put it in the freezer, but it doesn’t have to encore in the same form.” Lynne Rossetto Kasper
Kula Black Raspberries
Who knew? Not me. I had no idea that some nice farmer is growing black raspberries, on Maui, for our eating pleasure {in November!!!}. My husband purchased these beauties at the Upcountry Farmers Market. What a pleasant surprise!
Luscious Fresh Berries
Black Raspberries with Cream & Powdered Sugar
We love fresh berries with a dribble of heavy organic cream and a flurry of powdered
sugar. . .pure bliss.
Unlike other easier to eat berries, cranberries elicit strong opinions from those who either love them or loathe them. We happen to enjoy cranberries, and have a few favorite ways to use them. I should say that I am talking about fresh cranberries, not the dried ones. We do like dried cranberries, but they are not the same healthy powerhouse as the fresh variety.
Fresh Cranberries
Once the berries are dried, the sugar and calorie content skyrocket. Fresh berries are only available a few months of the year, so if you want them year round, you will need to buy them now and squirrel them away for another day. We like to rinse fresh cranberries in a colander, blot them dry and then put them on a parchment-lined sheet pan for a short stint in the freezer; this will prevent them from freezing into a solid block of cranberries, which will not be user friendly. If you do not have parchment paper, a flexible cutting board works well, but I do not recommend using waxed paper, as it tears easily from being wet and it will be harder to remove the frozen berries. Once the berries are frozen, pop them into a freezer bag and enjoy them whenever you like, in breads, cookies, hot cereal, smoothies or relish.
Ready for the freezer!
One of our favorite cranberry recipes is for fresh cranberry orange relish. We also like cooked cranberry relish, but this is what we make most often. We have significantly reduced the sugar for our tastes, but you can certainly adjust it for yours. I enjoy this relish the most on plain yogurt {yum!} with big pieces of walnuts. It is also good to have a spoonful on a green salad, or with any traditional cranberry-friendly foods.
Cranberry Orange Relish
Fresh Cranberry Orange Relish
adapted from Superfoods Rx.: Fourteen Foods that will Change Your Life {Steven Pratt, M.D. and Kathy Matthews}
12 ounces fresh or *frozen cranberries, rinsed and drained
1 unpeeled orange {preferably organic}, washed, cut into eighths and seeded
1/3 cup sugar {the original recipe calls for 3/4 cup}
Put the cranberries, orange slices and sugar into a food processor. Process until everything is evenly chopped. Chill until ready to eat. *If you use frozen cranberries, partially thaw them before processing, or you will end up with a big cranberry orange ice ball.
The relish gets better as it sits and the flavors mingle.
Makes about 3 cups
Kale Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette
We enjoyed several kale salads last week, all of them with cranberry vinaigrette. The tart-sweet of the vinaigrette pairs perfectly with kale’s bitterness and the creaminess of fresh goat cheese. A few other ingredients make this salad a winner. Not to mention the fact that the dressing is a gorgeous hue of creamy cranberry pink. It looks kind of like raspberry gelato. I apologize for the lack of photo-we ate all the dressing.
Kale Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette I made several versions of this salad recently, this being the most elaborate with the addition of canned tuna.You can put in whatever you like, but I think the most important additions are the goat cheese {for creaminess} & the toasted walnuts {pair excellently with the goat cheese and cranberries, and for a toasty CRUNCH}.
Kale, enough for 2 salads, washed, dried well & torn into bite-size pieces
Thinly sliced sweet onion {or red}
1 avocado
1 can tuna {we use Wild Planet}; optional Fuyu persimmon, washed and thinly sliced {I don’t peel them, but you can if you like.}
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
Toasted walnuts
Fresh goat cheese, crumbled
Cranberry Vinaigrette {recipe below}
Put the kale into 2 bowls and dribble with enough dressing to moisten. Top with onion, avocado, tuna {if using}, tomatoes, crumbled goat cheese and walnuts. Put a ring of persimmon slices around the edge of the bowl. Add a grind of salt & pepper then top with dressing.
2 servings
Cranberry Vinaigrette 2/3 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (or tangerine juice)
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Combine cranberries, sugar, and vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook about 5-10 minutes, or until the cranberries pop. Remove from the heat and let cool. Pour cooled cranberry mixture into a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Add the mustard and orange juice and blend. With the motor running, stream in the olive oil. Season dressing with salt and pepper.
Makes about 2 cups dressing
Did you know that. . .
Fresh cranberries:
* are low in calories {44/cup}
* are high in fiber
* are low in sugar
* aid in the prevention of urinary tract infections {UTIs} by preventing bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract lining
* are high in phenols which are plant chemicals known to be highly protective against many health problems {i.e. toxic to cancer tumor cells}
* helps to prevent bacterial adhesion to teeth and the stomach lining, preventing dental plaque and ulcers, respectively
Information from: The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth {Jonny Bowden, Ph. D., C.N.S.}
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
Maui Girl Cooks 