BROWN BUTTER TOMATO SALAD

Posted in Salads, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

This is the simplest salad you will ever make. If you read Portuguese, or don’t mind the butchering that google translate occasionally causes, jump over to Fer’s blog (Chucrute com Salsicha) to see where I got the idea for this great side dish. I echo her words, and urge you to use the best possible tomatoes you can find. They need to be juicy, packed with flavor, and you must cut them in thick slices to stand the warm shower of the brown butter. You also must enjoy this salad right away. Am I bossy today or what? 😉 But, once you comply with my demands, you will thank Fer for bringing this to our attention…
Looking for the recipe? There is no recipe, too simple for that. Grab the best tomatoes you can find (have I made that clear enough? ;-)). Cut them in thick slices, and arrange them on a plate.

Melt some butter, gently. On low heat, allow it to get a brownish color, by that time a nutty, wonderful smell should make you smile in anticipation. Spoon some of the brown butter over the tomatoes, season with Maldon salt (for that added crunch), black pepper, and serve right away.

Leftovers? Toast some rustic sourdough bread, and while the bread is still hot from the toaster (or grill), place a nice slice of brown butter tomato on top… Take a bite. Then another. And have happy thoughts.

Fer, obrigada pela super receita! Seu ginger ale esta’ na fila para uma proxima empreitada…

I close this post offering you a link with NINETY recipes for healthy, no-heat lunches to take to work. Kalyn, a veteran food blogger recently assembled this collection and I immediately bookmarked it. A wealth of information!
Click here and ENJOY!

ONE YEAR AGO: Spelt and Cornmeal Rolls

TWO YEARS AGO: Roasted Potato and Olive Focaccia

THREE YEARS AGO: Multigrain Bread Extraordinaire

23Aug2012

FORGIVE ME, FOR I HAVE SINNED

Posted in Salads, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

The perfect food blogger would never resort to using pre-washed greens, buying instead produce exclusively from the farmer’s market, each leaf washed with loving care. However, I am not ashamed to confess this particular sin. Quite the contrary, the bag of organic “mixed greens” found in most grocery stores is one of my best friends, because it makes life so much easier. To my delight, the latest issue of Fine Cooking had an article devoted to redeeming sinners like me: it offered several options of salad recipes that, starting from those handy bags, turn them up into something special. I intend to try all of them, but my first choice was the one featuring a ginger-yogurt dressing and fresh cucumber. I can never resist the call of ginger. 😉

MIXED GREEN SALAD WITH CUCUMBER, ALMONDS, AND GINGER-YOGURT VINAIGRETTE
(adapted from Fine Cooking magazine, July 2012)

1-1/2 Tbs. rice vinegar
1 Tbs. finely chopped shallot
2 tsp. freshly grated ginger
2 tsp. thinly sliced mint leaves
salt and black pepper to taste
1/3 cup plain non-fat yogurt
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
5 oz. (5 cups) mixed baby greens
1 small English cucumber, peeled, sliced
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, shallot, ginger, mint, salt, and black pepper. Stir in the yogurt and olive oil.

In a large bowl, season the greens and cucumbers with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper and toss with enough dressing to lightly coat. Sprinkle the toasted almonds on top, and serve right away.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

The original recipe called for sesame seeds instead of almonds, but I like to have extra crunch in my salad, and felt that the sesame seeds would more or less disappear through the mix. I also used non-fat yogurt in place of low-fat, because that’s what we had laying around in the fridge. The dressing turned out light, with the mint and ginger bringing a nice zing to it. Great, simple salad, perfect way to doctor up those bags that may find their way into your grocery cart… 😉 Extra-vinaigrette keeps well for a day, the flavors intensify a bit.

Because Fine Cooking doesn’t make their recipes available online for non-subscribers, a while ago I contacted the magazine to know their thoughts on copyright issues. Here’s the deal: they don’t mind bloggers publishing any of their recipes, as long as full credit is given and a link to the magazine is included, so that’s what I’ve been doing, without guilty feelings. Except, of course, the guilt of buying that eventual bag of salad greens. Pre-washed. 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Cracked Wheat Sandwich Bread

TWO YEARS AGO: Au Revoir, my Bewitching Kitchen

THREE YEARS AGO: French Bread

29Jun2012

SUNNY KAMUT SALAD WITH ROASTED LEMON VINAIGRETTE

Posted in Rice and Grains, Salads, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

If you have cholesterol-issues, omit the egg on top, otherwise go for it! I actually do a lighter version of the “sunny-side-up” using a trick I read somewhere last year. I spray a very small amount of olive oil on a non-stick pan, once it’s very hot I place the egg, and season it with salt and pepper. When the bottom part is setting up, I quickly pour 1 tablespoon of water on the side of the egg, and cover the pan with a lid. It works best with a lid smaller than the frying pan, so that the egg is fully enclosed by a shot of steam. This makes the top of the yolk set nicely without that slimy white that turns most people off… and the amount of fat in this “pseudo-fried” egg is pretty negligible. Eggs are a great source of protein, and since I have super low cholesterol, I enjoy them many times per week. And now, let’s go straight to the heart of the matter…

SUNNY KAMUT SALAD WITH ROASTED LEMON VINAIGRETTE
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

to cook the grain:
1 cup kamut , soaked in water (6 hours to overnight)
4 cups water for cooking
1/2 tsp salt

recipe for dressing:
click here

for the salad:
asparagus, finely sliced in tiny “coins”
diced tomatoes
diced cucumber
sliced celery stalks

Cook the soaked kamut by mixing it with water and salt in a saucepan, bringing it to a boil and gently simmering it for 45 minutes to 1 hour (taste to decide when it’s fully cooked, but don’t let it get mushy). Once the grain is cooked to your liking, drain the water. Cool it to room temperature.

Make the salad dressing as described in the “roasted lemon vinaigrette” link. Reserve.

Add the asparagus, cucumbers, and celery slices to a small bowl, moisten with some of the salad dressing, mixing to lightly coat the veggies. Amounts are flexible, use as much or as little of each veggie as you feel like.

When ready to serve the salad, mix the cooked kamut with the veggie/vinaigrette mixture, add the tomatoes, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. If you like, add some lemon zest on top. Enjoy it as a side dish for meats, or with a “figure-friendly” sunny-side egg on top. It is also excellent all by itself.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Kamut is a close relative to farro, so you can use either one. Sometimes farro is hard to find, whereas I never have any trouble getting kamut. I am quite fond of salads made with grains because they are filling, nutritious, and lighter than most types of side-dishes one would pair with meat.

Is this post coming from the new Bewitching Kitchen? No, not yet. Life is extremely frantic and won’t get much better in the near future. Until the dust settles, I will be publishing posts from stuff made before our move. Rest assured, there will be quite a bit of blog-noise when the first post from the new kitchen is up! 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Pane de Casa & Crostini

TWO YEARS AGO: Down-home Dig-in Chili (fantastic recipe, by the way!)

THREE YEARS AGO: Cinnamon Rolls

15May2012

RED THEME FOR A SALAD

Posted in Salads, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

As the weather gets warmer, I opt for a light lunch whenever possible. However, after a workout session with Tony Horton, I need a lot more than a serving of lettuce with some parsley sprinkled all over it. 😉 Last week I prepared a salad based on red quinoa with a bit more substance, but still compatible with the 90F day. It turned out delicious! It lasted a couple of days in the fridge, and got even better. If you do that, just bring it to room temperature half an hour or so before lunch time.

QUINOA SALAD WITH ROASTED BEETS
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

for ginger-orange vinaigrette
1/8 cup rice vinegar
1/8 cup fresh orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
1 Tbs sugar (or less, if you prefer)
1 Tbs grated ginger
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
salt and pepper to taste

for salad:
1 cup red quinoa, rinsed
2 medium beets, peeled and cut in large chunks
olive oil
salt and pepper
2 celery stalks. diced
fresh mozzarella cheese. diced
walnut pieces, toasted

Place the rinsed quinoa in a rice cooker, add 2 cups of water and a little salt. Cook, adding a little more water if when the machine turns off you think the quinoa is too crunchy for your taste. It should be ready in 15 to 20 minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork, and let it cool. Reserve.

In a medium bowl, place the pieces of beets, add a little olive oil just enough to coat the pieces, season with salt and pepper. Transfer the pieces to a baking sheet, and place in a 400 – 420 F oven to roast until done (about 40 minutes, depending on the size). Reserve.

Prepare the vinaigrette by mixing the vinegar, orange juice and zest and the sugar, until the sugar dissolves. Add the oil slowly to form an emulsion, and season with salt and pepper. You won’t need to use it all, save the leftover in the fridge, it keeps for about 1 week.

Assemble the salad by mixing all the ingredients and adding as much dressing as you like. Adjust seasoning, and serve.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

My little rice cooker does a great job cooking all sorts of grains (and seeds, like quinoa). I usually don’t bother with precise amounts of water, I try to add less rather than too much. In case the cooker turns off but the grains are not exactly how I want them, I add a small amount of water and switch it back on for a few minutes.

I wanted to have this salad over a bed of baby spinach, but forgot all about it when I first made it. On the following day, with the spinach, the salad looked really nice, but then I forgot to take pictures. Such is life. But, please feel free to use your imagination! 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Couscous Salad with Zucchini and Pine Nuts

TWO YEARS AGO: A Simple Salad a la Jacques Pepin

(that proves that three years in a row I’ve got salad in my mind! ;-))

4Mar2012

WATERCRESS SALAD

Posted in Salads, Side dishes, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

In case you haven’t noticed, I have a weak spot for words. I fall in love with certain words (no matter what’s the idiom) the very first time I hear or read them. Watercress is one of those. I just love to say it, and I love to see it written with the twin s’s at the end shushing along hand in hand. And I also love the veggie, but where we live it’s hard to find. Plus, when we do find watercress it’s pricey, and sold in plastic containers that require a degree in Puzzle Solving to open. It’s precious stuff! When I found a carton at the grocery store the other day I gently placed it in my cart, hurried home and made a salad that received intense nods of approval from all guests. Full disclosure: there were two guests, me and my beloved. 😉

WATERCRESS SALAD WITH GINGER VINAIGRETTE
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

Watercress, preferably young leaves
Orange segments
1 avocado, sliced
cherry tomatoes, cut in half, lightly salted
squeeze of lemon juice

for ginger vinaigrette
1/8 cup rice vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp grated ginger (or use 1 Dorot cube)
salt and black pepper to taste
1/8 cup grapeseed oil

Start by making the vinaigrette. Dissolve the sugar in the rice vinegar, add the ginger, salt, and pepper, and whisk. Leave it at room temperature for 10 minutes while you prepare the salad. Right before dressing the salad, you will add the oil, form an emulsion by vigorously mixing it.

Cut the avocado and sprinkle the slices with lemon juice to prevent oxidation. On a serving plate, distribute the watercress leaves, the avocado slices, tomatoes, and orange segments.

Add the dressing (you may not need it all, save leftovers for later), adjust seasoning, and….

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

If you don’t like ginger, this vinaigrette is definitely not for you… Both rice vinegar and grapeseed oil are very mild in taste, so you need something to perk this dressing up. If ginger is a no-no, add some lime zest and a little squeeze of lime juice. That should do it.

Blood oranges are perfect if you find them in your markets. In that case, I’d probably use yellow grape tomatoes, just to mix the colors. Chow-mein noodles are another great addition to this salad. I avoid bringing them home, though, because they usually win the battle against my will power.

ONE YEAR AGO: Carrot and Sweet Potato Puree

TWO YEARS AGO: Chocolate Bread