Good Real Food

Yet another salad to make and keep cold in the fridge, to pull out and serve with weekend grilled things, or to take to a spur of the moment potluck or picnic. Take two cups peas, two cups lima beans, and two cups of edamame beans and steam them for just about 5 minutes or untill just tender. Toss with olive oil, red onion, white wine vinegar, fresh garlic, salt, pepper and whatever fresh herbs you happen to have around. It is a fun take on the traditional bean salad as no one ever thinks that lima beans are much to squawk about.

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I started out with the best intentions to make a traditional tabouli salad…but the great veggies in the fridge kept calling until I had created a new favorite salad.

What I used (veggies can vary)
-1 cup bulgur
-2 cups hot water
-juice of one lemon
-3 cloves garlic smashed with the back of a knife
-1/2 cucumber cubed
-4 radishes cubed
-7 cherry tomatoes, quartered
-1/2 red pepper chopped
-1 handful parsley chopped
-1/2 avocado chopped
-1/2 cup corn (fresh or thawed)
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 tbsp olive oil
Squeeze the lemon into a stainless steel bowl. Add smashed garlic and dry bulgur. Cover with the boiling hot water and let stand for 1/2 hour. In the meantime, chop all the veggies. Add them to the cooked bulgur, toss with salt and olive oil and serve luke warm or put in the fridge for an hour to cool before serving.

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This is such a fun winter party salad. I found it hard to get all the skins off the beets, but my co-worker Jenny swears that they will slip right off if you plunge them in very cold water after you roast them. I will try this next time, as my hands are still a bit pink from hand peeling them!

Ingredients:

• 3 bunches beets, mixed colors
• 3/4 C extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp. whole cumin seeds
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas, drained
• 1/4 cup shallots, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup black olives
• 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/4 lb. ricotta salata cheese (I have used feta as well in a pinch)

To prepare:

Preheat oven to 400F. Toss cleaned beets with 2 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tsp. salt. Place in a roasting pan with 1/4 inch water and cover with foil. Roast for 40-50 minutes until tender. Let cool and remove skins. Slice into slabs and put in a bowl.

As the beets roast, toast cumin seeds in a pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Pound half of the seeds into a powder and mix with remaining cumin, 1/4 tsp. salt, red wine vinegar, and lemon juice. Whisk in 1/2 cup olive oil.

Heat 2 tbsp. of olive oil in a pan and add chickpeas when very hot. Fry for 4-5 minutes shaking pan often, until crispy. Drain on a paper towel.

Add shallots and beets to the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Toss in chickpeas, olives, and parsley. Cut ricotta into slabs and layer into the salad.

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This is one of my favorite vegetarian/vegan party dishes. Folks keep asking me for the recipe, so here it is!

• 1 1/2 cups basmati rice, washed in a few changes of water and soaked for 30 minutes
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 3 tbs vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds (unsalted, unroasted)
• 1/2 cup shelled pistachios
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1/2 cup raw unsalted peanuts or cashews
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1 large or two small onions, chopped
• 1 tbsp peeled finely chopped fresh ginger
• 2 cloves finely chopped garlic
• 8-10 green cardamom pods, pounded lightly to break the skin
• One-to-two cinnamon sticks
• 2 tsp black peppercorns
• veggie options, choose as many as you want: cauliflower or broccoli florets, diced red bell pepper, frozen peas, or small pieces of squash.
• salt to taste

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over high heat and cook the nuts, stiring, until they are lightly golden. Remove to paper towels and drain. Add the raisins and cook until they puff up then remove to the paper towels with the nuts.

2. In the same oil over moderate heat, cook, stiring the onion, garlic, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and peppercorns until onion is golden.

3. Stir in vegetables and cook for a few minutes then add the rice and water. Stir and bring to a boil, then bring down to a simmer and cover until the rice is done (10-15 minutes). Just before serving, stir in the nuts and raisins and salt to taste.

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