salad

Roasted Autumn Panzanella Salad.

October 28, 2011 · 94 comments

Remember last week when I took a sip of dish soap thinking that it was my bottle of water?

Well, I totally feel like I should do that today.

Not only for saying the “s” word on a Friday, but also because after yesterday I can’t stop thinking about brown butter. Or Ryan Gosling. Or Ryan Gosling drenched in brown butter.

I’ve never actually had a panzanella salad. This one time ~~at band camp~~ about four years ago I got really, really sick… I had done an insane upper body workout at the gym which led to me not being able to lift my arms over my head for one week straight (no lie) which then turned into a sinus infection which then turned into strept throat which then led me to wake up on the couch in a cold sweat at 4AM, weeping from pain and shuffling out to the kitchen to down some Advil since SOMEHOW there were nails scraping the back of my mouth. I took the Advil but my throat was so messed up that the ADVIL GOT LODGED INSIDE MY THROAT. I could still swallow, but it was stuck there and I could feel it which led to me having a massive panic attack and screaming on the kitchen floor, flipping out assuming I was going to die and making my mom call the doctor who assured her that if I could swallow I was FINE. Then the next day I had to get blood taken and I could still feel the pill in my throat and the minute I saw the nurse I’m all “OMG I have a pill stuck in my throat” and she didn’t really believe me or think it was a big deal, and then six months later when I got blood taken again I had the same nurse and she said “aw, you’re the girl who thought she had a gel capsule lodged in her throat! I guess you’re all better now,” to which I replied “um, no. I’m the girl who DID have a pill lodged my in throat for days and it scarred me for life. Now drain me of blood please.”

That’s all very relevant (or not) because while I was “becoming one” with the couch that week I was sick, I watched Rachael Ray make a panzanella salad. Then I went stir crazy and flipped out on my mom and was all “why didn’t YOU ever make a panzanella salad? God, why can’t we just be Italian? There is so much good food I’ve been deprived of!” Then I wailed for about 30 minutes before passing out for the next three days, which was probably the best thing that’s ever happened to my relationship because Mr. How Sweet witnessed my true colors that week.

Imagine when I woke up and was miraculously healed!

Needless to say… I never made that panzanella salad. I don’t even know what’s in a panzanella salad. What makes it so special? I’m sure I did this wrong. Is it just a panzanella salad because it has bread?

Oh well… it is now.

I ate this for lunch this week. Want to know why? I’m sure you’re dyyyying to know because my life is so interesting. Really.

I’m going on week three of playing single lady and while I secretly (or… not so secretly) freaking love it, it’s starting to make me lose my mahrbles. That’s “marbles.” Said with an “h” in it. ‘Case you didn’t get it.

A positive? There has been a nice lack of Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders plastered on my TV screen. A negative? Phone calls at 12:30AM regarding the “benefits” of Beavis and Butthead being back on MTV. I’ll never be sold on that.

So… I ate this salad because Mr. How Sweet sent me a text message that begged “can you please, pretty pretty please make me the beer bbq chicken for lunch when I get home Friday? And can we eat it with the beer mac and cheese? That just sounds soooo good. I miss your cooking so much! And can we have the bacon-roasted brussels sprouts as a side too? You know I need sides. And… and… maybe if it’s not too much to ask, you can make me some chocolate chip cookies? Maybe even those ones with coffee… err, toffee, because I know you loved them.”

Oh. Sure! I’ll make this entire meal filled with beer and butter and bacon and butter and cheese. Sounds good! Because we aren’t approaching the holiday season or anything. Because it’s not like we bought Halloween candy last week (the big bars, of course) and I accidentally on purpose tore in to it… on Monday. Maybe afterwards we can go take our blood pressure, get a stress test and check our cholesterol levels? Cool.

In his defense, he didn’t really use all those words like “pretty please.” He’s much cooler than that. And I swear he didn’t pay me to say that with a new pair of heels or anything. Definitely not.

Roasted Autumn Panzanella Salad

serves 2 as an entree, 4 as a starter/side dish

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 apples, chopped (I left the skin on)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3-4 cups fresh arugula

4-5 thick slices multigrain bread, cut into chunks

1/3 cup pomegranate arils (or the arils from one pomegranate)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix salt, pepper, chili powder, cinnamon, and garlic powder in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, mix sweet potato and squash chunks, then drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil on top and mix to coat with your hands. Add about 3/4 of the spice mixture, and mix again to coat. Lay on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, flipping once.

After 20 minutes, toss apple chunks with remaining spice mixture. Add apple to the baking sheet and bake for another 25 minutes, tossing once or twice.

Let squash, potatoes and apple cool, then add bread chunks to the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden and crispy. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil if desired.

In a large bowl, combine arugula with roasted fruit, veg and bread cubes. Toss with about 1/4 cup of dressing (or more/less) then sprinkle with pom arils. Serve immediately.

Spiced Pomegranate Vinaigrette

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon honey

1/4 cup pomegranate juice

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

pinches of: salt, pepper & nutmeg

Combine mustard, honey, pom juice, vinegar, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a bowl and whisk. Stream in olive oil while constantly whisking until dressing emulsifies. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Now you see why I needed all those pictures. I had a lot to say. Hmmpf.

{ 94 comments }

Layered Autumn Quinoa Salad.

October 3, 2011 · 112 comments

{Note: I’m donating a batch of my better-than-crack brownies for The Spiffy Cookie’s bake sale that runs through tomorrow. Click here to win!}

Saturday was weird.

I woke up four hours later than usual.

Ate three apples between the hours of 11AM and 4PM.

Made this quinoa because I wanted a fourth apple… but not plain.

Literally stayed in my pajamas until 8PM. (Uh, why did I get out of them?)

Drank a bottle of wine while watching the history channel… all by myself.

Spent a good 45 minutes after that searching for another JFK special to air.

Then watched my husband ingest an entire 1/2 gallon of fruit punch that he bought, spiked with rum.

He had to wear two Breathe Right strips to bed that night because have you ever slept next to a chronic snorer after they’ve had a few drinks? I could take my sleeping bag out to the nearest tarmac and receive a better night’s rest. That is no lie.

And while I really found the highlight of that day to be my combined wine consumption and TV education (history was my major when I entered college…), lunch/dinner came in at a close second. Maybe it was because I am so obsessed with apples at the moment or maybe it was because I was generally starving or… maaaaaybe because it was the only substantial food that I ingested throughout the day (unless cookies count)… but it was good.

During one of our lunches last week in Sonoma, we were served this incredible quinoa salad with some sort of citrus vinaigrette. It was so delicious that I instantly inhaled it and have been craving more ever since. Saturday seemed the perfect day to attempt a throw-together quinoa bowl given that it was only one week prior that I was sitting on top of a terrace looking at thousands of acres of vineyards… which you know, is basically comparable to sitting inside my house while the rain pours down outside, unshowered, undressed, and freezing because I refuse to turn on the heat yet.

At least I got the wine part right.

Couple all of that with the honeycrisp apples I found tumbling down the produce shelves in recent days, and I am in heaven. This time of year, I actually wake up in the morning craving juicy apples. It might just mean I’m dehydrated from all of that wine, but whatever… they are freaking delicious. And so was this.

Layered Autumn Quinoa Salad

serves 4

2 cups spring greens

2 cups cooked quinoa

2 medium apples, chopped

1 pear, chopped

1 large tomato, chopped

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1 pomegranate, seeded

1/4 red onion, chopped

1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cook quinoa according to directions, then toss with tomatoes, red pepper, apple, pear, pom seeds, onion, cilantro, salt and pepper. In a bowl, layer about 1/2 cup of spring greens then top with another 1/2 cup of quinoa. Finish by drizzling vinaigrette over top.

Citrus Vinaigrette

1/2 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

In a bowl, whisk vinegar, lemon juice and zest, mustard, salt and pepper together. Stream in olive oil while constantly mixing until dressing has emulsified and thickened. Drizzle on quinoa.

I love Fall.

{ 112 comments }

Quick Caprese Quinoa with Homemade Basil Oil.

July 1, 2011 · 106 comments

I like you.

I like quinoa.

I like caprese.

I like chewing basil leaves.

I like… no, I love Father of the Bride. This has nothing to do with anything besides the fact that I’m currently watching it and the scene where George needs 12 hot dog buns is on, but they only sell the buns in packages of 8 so he steals 4 from another package and gets carted off to jail. Hi. Larious. Laugh with me.

I also like salads that barely have any vegetables. They obviously were made just for me. Don’t you agree?

I mean, salads with a lot of vegetables? Uh… no thanks. I’d rather have this.

So… remember when I when to Trader Joe’s last week and got a boatload of groceries? Yeah. Then I got sick and all I wanted to eat were handfuls of cereal out of the box and ice cream cones and cinnamon sugared toast? That happened.

And here I am over a week later with a packed fridge of rotting produce. Something obviously needed to be done because I rely on food retail therapy to put a smile on my face every weekend and drain my bank account. Hey – you can’t take it with you.

I got lucky that it was single lady week because this was my dinner Monday night. And it was deeeeelicious. And nutritious!

Aren’t these little mozzarella pearls adorable?? If you ask me, they are much cuter in the quinoa than they are on my kitchen floor. And the mini heirloom tomatoes? Love! So flipping charming that I want to freaking eat them up. Good thing I know what to do with my food.

Caprese Quinoa

makes about 3 cups worth

1 cup uncooked quinoa

16 oz container of grape tomatoes, quartered

3/4 cup fresh mozzarella pearls (or just buy a fresh mozzarella ball and cut it into chunks)

10 large basil leaves, cut into ribbons

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Prepare quinoa according to directions on box (which is most likely: 2 cups water + 1 cup quinoa, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes). Depending on whether you want your quinoa hot or cold (it’s great both ways) either let it cool completely or immediately add in the tomatoes, cheese, basil, salt and pepper. Drizzle about 2-3 tablespoons of basil oil over top and serve!

Homemade Basil Oil

from myrecipes

1 cup olive oil

1 1/2 cups packed basil leaves (I used 3 handfuls), coarsely chopped

Blend oil and basil leaves in a blender or food processor for 30-60 seconds, just until the two are mix. Pour mixture into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat, just until bubbles appear around the edges. Heat for about 5 minutes, the remove from heat and let cool completely. Once cool, pour through a fine mesh strainer and press on the basil leaves to release all the oil. Store in an airtight container for 2-3 weeks – stays fresh best if set in the fridge.

I’m gonna go take a bath in that basil oil. See ya on the flip side.

{ 106 comments }

Greek Grilled Chicken Salad.

Greek Grilled Chicken Salad serves 2-4 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 3/4 cup chopped tomato 1/3 cup chopped red onion 3/4 cup chopped cucumber 1/4 cup feta (I used creamy feta, you can use crumbled) for chicken marinade: 1/4 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon lemon zest 2 garlic cloves, minced salt & pepper for quick tzatziki 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt 1 teaspoon olive oil 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice 1 garlic clove, minced 2 tablespoons chopped cucumber 1 teaspoon fresh dill salt and pepper, if desired 30 minutes to 2 hours before servings, season chicken with salt and pepper. Place in a ziplock bag or baking dish and cover with the marinade ingredients (oil, lemon, zest, garlic) and marinate. While chicken is marinating, combine the tzatziki ingredients (yogurt, oil, lemon, cucumber, garlic and dill) in a bowl and mix. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside or back in the fridge until ready to use. Once chicken is ready to cook, heat the grill (or a grill pan) to medium-high heat and grill chicken about 5-6 minutes per side. Set aside and let cool, then cut into chunks. In a large bowl, combine cucumber, tomato, onion and [...]

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Warm Strawberry Bacon Orzo Salad.

Hello lover. That’s some pretty good lookin’ bacon, don’t you think? And those pecans up there? They are really special. Extra special, in fact. Want to know why? They were toasted in bacon grease. I’m a freak. A bacon loving freak. And this was amazing. I didn’t even know what to call it. A salad? I guess it’s a form of a salad, but I don’t really like to associate the food I eat with the word “salad.” Because vegetables stink. Plain and simple. Sadly, salad won out in the end. But I need to tell you about all the deliciousness going on here, especially since I couldn’t fit it in the title: crispy bacon, toasted pecans, sweet strawberries, sauteed spinach and garlic, whole wheat orzo, creamy goat cheese, caramelized onions and fresh basil. So much better than the boring, old salad you expected when you saw the title, right? Yes, I just kept throwing things into the mix. Yes, the flavors were incredible together. Yes, everything was basically sauteed in bacon grease. And no, I didn’t share! P.S. I could live off this. Warm Strawberry Spinach Salad serves 2 1/2 cup uncooked whole wheat orzo (or any other [...]

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Shredded Sprouts Salad.

I told you it was coming. More sprouts! When I initially posted about brussels sprouts (shocking all), many of you chimed in and suggested shredding the sprouts into a salad of sorts. For some crazy reason, this sounded incredibly appetizing to me. And it was fun. Seeing the sprouts go from firm rounds to tiny shreds amused my simple mind. If I’m being truthful, I must admit that I’ve been eating the original sprouts mixture without the bacon grease or the bacon. Great news, no? I pan roast them with a bit of olive oil and balsamic, salt and pepper, and am good to go. But I must start slowly with a new recipe. So I added one simple slice of bacon and just a tiny bit of cheese – nothing too heavy. Makes a world of difference on these sweet teeth. We all know how much I dislike vegetables and this was such a fabulous dish. It could be because I really enjoy chopped salads. Or bacon. Or cheese. Or it could just be because it is utterly delicious. Scrumptious. Delectable. I truly believe that even the biggest veggie-hater (me) would love the shredded sprouts salad. Shredded Sprouts Salad [...]

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Warm Autumn Salad.

Hold on to your bacon, folks. This is one of two recipes that I will be sharing this week that include brussels sprouts. I think I’ve been abducted by aliens. I can handle a dish a like this because… let’s be honest – onions get sweet, apples get sweet, squash is basically like a potato, which I hardly can compare to a green veggie, and when things are sweet, I eat them. I devour them. It’s super simple too. Roast the goods, throw a handful of cheese on top, a pinch of fresh, chopped parsley, and you’re good to go. I roasted my squash, apples and onions with pumpkin seed oil to give it an extra kick, but I think olive oil would work perfectly too. Toasted pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top would also be delicious. I had a big bowl on hand, but I… forgot them. I’m getting old. Don’t worry, I ate them all anyway. Warm Autumn Salad serves 4 1 small butternut squash, chopped 2 apples, chopped (I used gala) 1/2 red onion, chopped 1 cup chopped brussels sprouts 2 tablespoons olive oil (I used pumpkin seed oil) 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese 1/4 teaspoon cardamom chopped [...]

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Roasted Apple, Pecan and Chicken Spinach Salad.

The apple obsession continues! This time it’s a super simple dish that you can throw together in no time. And it includes cucumbers. Yes, cucumbers. Cucumbers are a veggie that have never made an appearance here because they used to make me want to vomit. Then I bought some sweet cucumbers from Trader Joe’s and juiced them with an apple. And the juice was full of deliciousness. So I attempted to add these cucumbers in said salad. They were okay. I enjoyed them most when the bite was paired with the apple or pecans. No surprise there, right? I wonder if a day will come when I actually dump chocolate sauce on vegetables. All this means is that you will love the cucumbers on the salad. I am not normal. You must try this combo! I have waxed poetic about how I am a fan of sweet and savory mixes in the same dish, and this salad doesn’t disappoint. Sweet apples and crunchy pecans definitely makes this salad much easier for me to choke down burst with flavor. Roasted Apple, Pecan and Chicken Spinach Salad 2 cups baby spinch 1/4 cup cucumber slices, chopped 1 apple, chopped 1 teaspoon cinnamon [...]

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BBQ Chicken Nacho Salad.

This is my compromise. I love nachos, but nachos don’t always love me. Or my thighs. But for some reason, salads love me. Trust me, the feeling is not mutual. I toasted my own tortilla chips, but that was simply because we didn’t have any others in the house. I find the best tortillas for getting crispy are corn tortillas. And anytime I make something BBQ-flavored, I love using smoked cheese. Well, I love using smoked cheese all the time, especially when I feel like consuming half a brick while mindlessly watching trashy TV. But believe me, smoked cheese is the way to go. This salad (nachos?) is also a great way to get in some greens! At least for me it is. We all know I have trouble with that. I chopped some arugula and spinach and just layered it on top of the chips. The crunchy chips, sweet caramelized onion and smoky cheese helped the greens go down. It was truly delicious. I’m kinda wishing I could eat it for breakfast. Too bad I’m lazy. BBQ Chicken Nacho Salad serves 1 1-2 whole wheat tortillas (depending on how many chips you want) 3-4 ounces grilled chicken, [...]

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Grilled Shrimp Salad.

Salad and I have a rocky relationship. I’m sure you assumed as much, but these days we’ve been disagreeing more than usual. I don’t think anything can be done to save the relationship either. But when I make salads like these, they offer a bit of therapy. It may be a favorite out of all the salads I’ve made. It’s no secret that my piles of lettuce aren’t exactly veggie-filled. In my opinion, that’s what makes them better. Duh. And you know I can’t have a salad without cheese and bacon. As well as the token fruit – which in this case was mango and quite possibly the most delicious mango I’ve ever had. I think I’ve said that before. But only once. This was only my second “perfect” mango. I wish you could have seen how I attacked it. I also threw on one of the heirloom tomatoes I bought on Saturday. It was beautiful and juicy and seedy and vegetabley. If you catch my drift. Eh, so I may have picked around the one vegetable on the plate. Sue me. I needed more crunch than just the bacon alone, so I added some toasted tortilla strips. Coupled with [...]

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