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Bittman Salad 29: Balsamic Cherries & Bitter Greens

August 1, 2009 By kellypea

Rainier Cherries

There are any number of reasons I’ve decided to chop and chew my way through the 101 “Simple Salads” Mark Bittman conjured up for the summer season. Julie & Julia has been simmering in my mind since I finished reading the book a month or two ago, and as the movie opening date approaches and the resulting hubbub ensues, I guess I’ve spent quite a bit of time thinking about not only cooking my way through something to ground myself, but cooking period.  Sadly, my kitchen hasn’t been getting the workout it’s used to.  Does making salad count as cooking? Will Mr. Bittman deem it a stunt and suggest I’m a less than serious salad maker?  Is it possible that food snobs everywhere will comment on my efforts and suggest I’m not worthy of sampling this treasure trove of healthy minimalist fare?

Or, perhaps, there is the real reason I’ve decided to embark on this quest:   I will benefit from all the lovely green things I’m ingesting and could lose weight in the process.  Think about it:  101 salads in 101 days.  That’s a bit of roughage.  It’s healthy, easy and because I’ve scanned all the combinations Bittman suggests, I know I’ll find something new to add to my old standards.

I have some planning to do with organizing the salads into groups with common ingredients to make shopping more manageable, but in the meantime, I’ve begun with #29.  Why?  Because I had  Rainier Cherries in the fridge that were in desperate need of use.  I’m thinking that’s as good a reason as any.

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Filed Under: Fruit, Gluten-Free, Meatless, Method, Quick & Easy Meal, Salads, Soup, Salad and Sandwiches, Summer, Vegetables, Weight loss Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Pink Slaw

June 22, 2009 By kellypea

Pink Slaw I’ve gotten to the point in my life that I’ve begun to notice my tastes have changed.  It’s not so much that I prefer some tastes over others, but more that I crave things I never have before, and look less forward to other tastes I’ve always loved.

Let’s talk cabbage, shall we?

My mother makes a mean cole slaw:  chopped green cabbage, mayonnaise, a few other ingredients I’m not too sure of, and pickle juice.  There always seemed to be cole slaw at picnics and parties in the summer and I never understood completely why people enjoyed it.  It was nearly colorless and somewhat soupy.  But the pickle juice saved it for me, so if I happened upon a cole slaw that didn’t have pickle juice, then forget about it.  None of that cloyingly sweet stuff for me.  Definitely nothing with Miracle Whip.  Goodness.  No, it was the slight tartness I was attracted to.

Now?  Well, I’m all about that tartness.  I love raw cabbage.  I love the crunch.  I love the not sweet, but slightly briney quality of a very good slaw — one you’d want to heap onto a plate of ribs, or a knockwurst.

Serve me up.

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Filed Under: Barbeque, Cookbooks and Magazines, Gluten-Free, Gourmet, Make Ahead, Meatless, No Cook, Salads, Sauce, salsa, & condiments, Seasonal, Soup, Salad and Sandwiches, Summer, Vegetables Tagged With: ,

Spicy Shrimp Salad

May 30, 2009 By kellypea

Spicy Shrimp Salad 3 I’d love to say it’s salad weather here, but if you are fortunate to be a resident of San Diego, then you know that not only have we been experiencing the typical overcast weather we lovingly refer to as May Grey, but are definitely headed into a serious June Gloom.  Although I am one who doesn’t need the sun shining each day, the marine layer is extremely thick right now, and temperatures have been in the low 60s.  It’s more like sweater weather and is quite gloomy.  In fact today, it’s been drizzling all morning, and I can’t help but wonder about the outcome of  outdoor plans made by those who expect our normally perfect weather, and are now disappointed.

We are salad lovers, and that means salad is a year round treat regardless of the weather.  Recently, my husband said he needed to lose a few pounds, so that usually translates to salad for dinner with no carbs on the side.  That doesn’t mean I make more salad than I normally would.  Instead, it means I’m able to try new combinations of flavor, adding more ingredients, and warming it up a bit with something cooked.

I’ve heard others mention they don’t care for warm salads, and far be it from me to criticize someone’s taste for salad — with the exception of the “canned pea-Velveeta cubes- smothered in Miracle Whip” concoction which leaves me nearly speechless.

This shrimp and spinach salad has more than one kind of “heat.”  If you’re not one for cooking your salad ingredients, then consider what chili heat can do for your taste buds.  It’s satisfying and healthy.

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Filed Under: Cookbooks and Magazines, Food and Wine, Gluten-Free, Herbs and Spices, Meatless, Quick & Easy Meal, Salads, Seafood, Soup, Salad and Sandwiches, Vegetables, Weight loss Tagged With: , , ,

Spring Salad with Dandelion Greens, Asparagus and Fresh Peas

March 31, 2009 By kellypea

Dandelion4 If there was ever a salad season, Spring would be it. Baby veggies and greens are everywhere and just opening a food magazine has me craving salad more than I normally do. I’ve never lived above the 36th latitude in my life, so I could argue that it’s salad season all year long, but I’ve concluded others don’t necessarily feel that way.

Having spent the last couple of years learning about people’s food preferences on the web, I can sadly say that most of you would rather gaze at a piece of cake than a salad — or any vegetable, for that matter.

What is it about vegetables? Is it the pervasive greenness? The sometimes startling flavor of certain varieties? Or, is it more a childhood of over-cooked, badly seasoned peas, canned greens, and worse, wilted salads of flavorless iceberg lettuce drowning in bottled thousand island salad dressing, and peppered with a few bland pieces of tomato long stored in the vegetable bin of a fridge?

I say all of the above. Thankfully, I escaped it all — except at school when I was served the ubiquitous sage colored canned peas, forcefully spooned on the plastic tray by one of the less than friendly cafeteria ladies. I’d stare at those peas after finding my place at one of the long benches and hear my step-father’s voice telling me that I had to clean my plate because there were people starving in the world out there, and I was fortunate to have food to eat.

But I’d leave those peas on my tray. I’d leave them because they weren’t fit for human consumption, and I’d be surprised if any of the nutritional value originally in them was left at all. Besides, nobody at home would know I joined all the other kids in dumping them in the trash before running out to recess.

Thankfully, my mother avoided canned peas in our home meals, opting for frozen instead. And salads were routine so it’s no surprise that I love my veggies even if my younger sister mysteriously didn’t. With each passing year, I look forward to what new ingredients are featured, or interesting combinations that will make my salads a meal in themselves.

My husband and sons refer to my salads as “feed” but eat them without complaint. Maybe it’s because I’ve worked hard to teach them what nutrients the greens and brightly colored veggies in that bowl contain, and how those nutrients affect their bodies and overall health. Or maybe it’s because they’re just plain good.

Have you ever had dandelion greens and fresh English peas in a salad?  Add some lovely asparagus and a Gordon Ramsay tomato vinaigrette and dinner is served.

My taste buds sang all night long…                                        peas

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Filed Under: Gluten-Free, Local Resources, Meatless, Salads, Soup, Salad and Sandwiches, Vegetables, Weight loss Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Vegetables Galore!

March 3, 2009 By kellypea

SpecProdVeg
One of the difficulties that arises when I cook is not being able to find particular ingredients.  Most often, the item is one of a few featured in a recent issue of a food magazine I enjoy, and because the content is seasonal, one would believe that finding those ingredients might be easier.

Unfortunately, it isn't true, and when it comes time for me to cook something new, I have to drive to several stores to find what I'm looking for — if I can find it at all.  When I am able to locate that one special ingredient, I'm left wondering where it was grown, and by whom, annoyed that most often, it isn't from anywhere near San Diego.  Thankfully, I have a new venue to track down those one of a kind ingredients when it comes to fresh fruit or vegetables:  Specialty Produce.

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit Specialty Produce and tour their facility in Middletown, an industrial sort of neighborhood relatively close to the airport and downtown.  It's a bustling place where employees are either wheeling unique merchandise through the warehouse, or monitoring phones and computers taking orders from local chefs and other merchants.

Here was finally a place I could get chervil, or purslane, or chanterelles when no one else has them.  And there's a great section with produce from area growers with items I've never seen before — like Red Frill Mustard and Watermelon Radishes.  It was like being in a candy shop when you're a veggie lover like me — the only drawback is that one can only purchase so much fresh food and still be able to enjoy it within the next day or so.

The best way to utilize this great San Diego resource if you're an avid home cook like me is to check out what's in stock using their website.  It will tell you not only what's in stock, but what's in peak season and at the height of quality.  Nutritional information is also available which is something I always keep my eye on.

Along with the mustard and radishes I mentioned above, I brought home Black Kale, Yellow Foot Chanterelles, Green Garlic, Oro Blanco Grapefruit, and some cute little Hauer Pippin from Windrose Farm in Paso Robles.

Oh the fun I've had cooking with this food…

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Filed Under: Local Resources, Mushrooms, Salads, Soup, Salad and Sandwiches, Vegetables Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash and Hazelnuts

January 13, 2009 By kellypea

The weather here has been remarkable for the past few days with temperatures reaching nearly 80.  Blue skies stretch on forever, and because it's so dry, visibility is about as clear as I've seen it in a while.  I've had the patio door open during the day, and a few windows open at night to move the air around and keep the house from getting stuffy.

But wonder of all wonders?

I actually got off my rump and went for a walk today, pounding the asphalt of my old route back and forth through the neighborhood across the street — the one that affords me a breathtaking view of the San Diego skyline, Mission Bay, and the beach each time I make it to the end of a street.  Down the hill and back takes me about 45 or 50 minutes, and I'm proud to say that although I haven't walked for more than a month — make that two –  everything seems just fine.  No aches or pains — yet.  When I got back home, I put a salad together just for me.

Although I finally broke down yesterday and went to the grocery store for some produce and other necessities, I did have half a butternut squash in the fridge left over from the scarlet runner bean soup I made last week. 

Wait.  Squash in a salad? 

That's what I thought until I saw the piece in next month's issue of Food & Wine in "Six Hearty Winter Salads."  The Butternut Squash Salad with Hazelnuts had my name all over it.  And if you're too chilled about the prospect of a salad in the wintertime — it's a warm salad.

How can you refuse?  Mumbling about not liking squash doesn't count.

  Warm winter salad

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Filed Under: Cookbooks and Magazines, Food and Wine, Gluten-Free, Nuts, Salads, Soup, Salad and Sandwiches, Vegetables Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
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