Chop Chop...

Or sliver slice. I whipped up a quick vegetable salad today for a dinner of fresh whole-wheat pizza (which was delicious but I cannot take credit for). The salad was cool and refreshing - a good balance to the richness of a well cheesed (mozzarella, feta) and saucy pie enjoyed. I needed to use up my vegetables in the fridge so what better way than to make a quick slaw-salad?

Sliced Summer Slaw
1 cup pre-shredded broccoli (for a yet-made slaw)
1 cucumber, slivered thin
1 zucchini, shaved thinly
1 tbsp cilantro
14-20 cherry tomatoes, quartered
the juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp or so thyme
2 tsp ground or finely chopped rosemary
pepper to taste

Toss together and serve chilled!
Enjoi

The Beets...

I was in Montreal a few weeks ago - had some delicious Quiche, Crepes, and Beet salads. Comfortable with the first two, I haven't had much experience with Beets in the kitchen, and so I thought I'd have a go at making my own beet salads. I think I got a good dressing down last week when I first experimented (I however used red carrots - they're what I had) and so now I think I will apply Beets to the aptly named Sweet, Beet Salad (oh, how clever I am with names...).

A simple wrap of Yves and veggies... with it

Sweet, Beet Salad

8 medium sized beets, peeled

2 relatively hard pears

4 pieces of candied ginger (or 3 quarter-sized fresh pieces - to taste, it's strong!)

2 tbsp chopped walnuts

1/2 tsp cardamom

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 to 1 tsp pie spice (nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves)

About 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar (a healthy 1/4 cup)

1 tbsp agave nectar (or honey, if thats what you have)

Large pinch ginger powder

Pepper to taste

Water

Boil the beets, draining of most of the liquid (careful it stains, gets everywhere - save it for Red Velvet Cake :D ) and slice into small chunks when cooled. Slice the pear into pieces slightly smaller than the beets (or very near the same size I suppose...) and combine in container you intend to store in.

Add chopped walnuts and slice the ginger into small pieces (the candied variety is harder to slice, so it will be larger, fear not).

Pour in vinegar, trying to pour it over all of the ingredients evenly. Add spices and agave nectar. Add water to bring the water level into sight (this depends on your container, mine being about 4 inches deep needed about 3/4 cup of water I estimate). Mix all ingredients to evenly distribute and coat liquid and spices among the salad pieces.

Add a bit more water, mix/slosh it around (careful not to spill!) and then pour about 3/4 of the liquid out. the Vinegar will become too strong if you leave it in more than about 24 hours, so feel free to let it soak, I just like the beets' natural flavor.

Stores for about a week covered in the fridge!

Fruit on the Plate...Repost

For anyone who wants to find that sausage-y goodness from back in the meat eating times but just wants to try something that isn’t made from soy (I love soy, that said) there’s a wonderful company called Field Roast. I wanted to pick up one of their celebration roasts to freeze for Christmas or Thanksgiving this year (I’m tired of the prodding glare telling me to eat turkey). Stopping in Burlington Vermont (a teriffic college town by the way, filled with wonderful restaurants - go to Stone Soup if you’re ever there - and all sorts of stores) on my way back from a Montreal vacation, I ran across the company’s products in a large Co-Op market. I bought that roast and some of their delicious sausage - Sage Apple - and decided that I needed to make something summery to go with them. Grilling them simply, I served them with whole wheat Crepes - a personal favorite and, at the moment, of particular interest after my visit to Montreal - a delicious Avocado, Tomato, Onion salad from Clare’s Corner Copia in New Haven CT (Or their cookbook I should say) with added Bulgur Wheat, and a sweet fruit salsa I found atFat-Free Vegan Kitchen.

The sausage pre-made, the crepes simple to whip up, I’ll share the two recipes that accompanied and truly made the meal.

Blueberry-Peach Salsa (fromFat-Free Vegan Kitchen)

1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries

1 peach

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 seeded and minced jalapeno pepper (or to taste)

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/2 teaspoon maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon salt

Put blueberries in food processor. Pulse 4-5 times until berries are coarsely chopped. (Some berries will remain whole; do not over-chop.) Cut peach into 1/2-inch cubes. Combine berries and peach in a medium-sized bowl with remaining ingredients. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Servings: 8

Yield: 3 cups

Avocado, Tomato, Onion (and Bulgur) Salad

(From the ever-wonderfulClaire’s Corner Copia)

3 Large Tomatoes (I used solely cherry tomatoes, because my garden has been churning so many out this summer - about 2-3 cups, sliced into quarters)

1 Large avocado, ripe, peeled and sliced

1/4 small red onion (2-inch diameter, I made that mistake…) sliced into thin rings

3 tablespoons Olive Oil

Juice of 1/2 lemon (soft, roll it around before you cut it to help squeeze all of the juice out)

6 fresh basil leaves, chopped

salt to taste (1/2 tsp. or so)

1/2 tsp. pepper

And… I added about 1/2 cup of bulgur wheat, cooked, to the salad - to add some whole grain. The nuttiness surpasses that of brown rice, and it just fits nicely.

Cut each tomato (if using regular beefsteak… cut in half lengthwise, and cut each half into 6 wedges). Cut the avocado in half, and slice lengthwise, about 4-6 pieces per half. Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix, careful not to mash the tomato or avocado slices.

A delicious dish, relatively easy to prepare, and simple to plate elegantly.