salad Archives - Page 2 of 6 -

October 15, 2015

Chicken Farro Salad with Apples and Walnuts

Once the temperatures cool and the leaves begin to fall, most people gravitate towards soups and stews for cozying up and I am no different. We’ve already had our first chili and cornbread dinner gathering of the season and the crock pot has been put to good weekday use. Sometimes however, when afternoons turn warm and those vibrant fall leaves glisten in the sunlight, I crave a crisp autumn salad.

October 1, 2015

Roasted Delicata Squash with Baby Kale and Balsamic Molasses Vinaigrette

Our most recent weekend was filled with visits to the cider mill and apple orchard and the apple pie and crisp baking has begun. It feels good to be settling into these cooler autumn days. Now that squash season is upon us, the number of squash from our CSA have been piling up on our kitchen island and yesterday I decided it was finally time to start doing something with them. I began with the delicata squash– oblong, beautiful, and especially wonderful because you can keep the skin on for eating. It’s roasted to draw out the sweetness, along with some red onions, then tossed together with some tender baby kale, crispy radishes, toasty pepitas, and tossed with a balsamic molasses vinaigrette. Happy fall, my friends!

June 10, 2015

Roasted Tomatoes and Greens with Shallot Vinaigrette

June in Michigan is such a wonderful time of the year for cooking. There’s an abundance of fresh produce everywhere and the weather is still fairly moderate so I don’t mind being at the stove or turning on the oven. The cooler mornings and evenings keep me in the mood for baking and the warm sunny afternoons inspire a myriad of colorful salads. These days are perfect for roasting all of those early summer fruits and vegetables. Lately we’ve been enjoying our fair share of roasted cherry tomatoes in our pastas and salads. Like any roasted fruit, cherry tomatoes become intensely sweet and even more beautiful after being roasted. It may take a little bit of time to roast the tomatoes, but the extra effort is worth it in the end. This salad is a glorious combination of textures and flavors- soft and juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, crunchy pepitas, creamy crumbly feta, and chewy spelt grains. Adding whole grains to salads is a wonderful solution for making salads more substantial and filling. I’ve used spelt here, but any whole grain such as farro, quinoa, or barley will do. I brought this to a teacher’s appreciation luncheon at my daughter’s school a few weeks ago and it quickly disappeared!

Roasted Tomatoes and Greens with Shallot Vinaigrette

Serves: 6 side portions

Ingredients

Salad

1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 cup spelt, soaked 4-6 hours, drained and rinsed
1 bunch kale, stems removed, leaves shredded
1 English cucumber, diced
⅓ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
¾ cup crumbled feta, plus extra for sprinkling on top

Dressing

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic white vinegar
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 shallots, minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise and toss with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread tomatoes evenly on prepared baking sheet and roast for 25-28 minutes, until tomatoes are softened and slightly shriveled.
In a small saucepan, combine the spelt and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil then simmer spelt until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
In the bowl of a food processor, blend dressing ingredients until well combined and smooth.
Toss kale, cucumbers, pepitas, and spelt with half the dressing. Gently toss in feta, tomatoes, and additional dressing to taste. If needed, season with additional salt and pepper. Garnish with additional feta and pepitas.