Spicy Orange Salad

This is awesome: simple, awesome, and summery. And awesome. It’s based on a salad common in Morocco, Spain, and places between.

Sweet oranges give a tang that enhances the spiciness of green onion and chili pepper, and pepitas add a bit of crunch. This is ased on the recipe here, plus some tweaks based on 2 orange salad recipes in the NY Times.

We made this for Mother’s Day along with the gouda-red-onion quesadillas and garlicky black beans.

Ingredients:

• 5 blood oranges or navel oranges, peeled thoroughly, quartered, and sliced 1/4″ width-wise
• 2 green onions, chopped up to about 1/4″ or thinner using kitchen scissors (for the white parts, first remove and discard oot nubbin and halve the white part lengthwise)
• 1/2 tsp dried crushed red chili pepper
• 1 1/2 Tbsp etra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 to 1/2 c pepitas (uncooked pumpkin seeds) or other toasted nuts such as walnuts
• 1/4 to 1/2 c dried raisins

Method:

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss thoroughly.
• Cover and chill in refrigerator for a minimum of 30min (also delicious the day after).
• Serve chilled.

Beet Salad

I found this recipe for stuffed beets. I made them and decided that stuffing them is only worthwhile for feeding other people, because peeled beets are slimy and hard to hollow out and you end up with extra stuffing anyway. If you’re like me and tend to feed yourself by standing half-clothed in the kitchen eating mostly with your fingers because you live by yourself so goddamit you’re gonna do whatever you want—then just chop up the beets and make a salad. It’s quite scrumptious.

So here is a recipe for beet salad, modified from Diana Bauman’s Stuffed Beets recipe (found here)

Beet Salad
Recipe adapted from “A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa”, which she adapted from “1,080 Recipes”

Ingredients:

• 4 cooked beets
• 2 hard-boiled eggs
• 1/2 small red onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Rinse the beets and put them whole in a pan of cold water.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 1 hour or until the beets are tender.
2. Once the beets are tender, remove them from the water and let them cool a few minutes.  Their skins should slip off.
3. Peel the beets and dice them.
4. Scoop the yolks out of the hard boiled eggs and set aside.
5. Finely chop the whites.
6. Combine the diced beet, egg whites, onion and cilantro in a bowl.
7. Whisk together the vinegar and oil in another bowl, stir in the egg yolks, and season with salt and pepper, then pour over the beet mixture.
8. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Curried Rice Salad

Main-course salad with plenty of flavor and fiber. Make sure to let it sit for at least an hour before serving; also excellent the day after. Recipe adapted from the one in Simple Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin (LOVE this book!) — starred items are my additions. Make the rice a day ahead and undercook slightly.

Curried Rice Salad with Apples and “Smoky” Tofu

For the Tofu (optional)*:

• 1/2 package tofu, squeezed, drained, and cubed evenly into cubes 1/2″ to 1″
• 1/3 c olive oil
• 1 Tsbp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke / hickory smoke flavor
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce

For the Salad:

• 2 1/2 – 3c cold cooked long-grain brown rice (made from 1 cup rice boiled in 2 cups water; OR use 1 2-cup package pre-cooked microwave-pouch brown rice
• 1 red-skinned apple (fuji, pink lady, jazz; or gala, red delicious), cut into 1/2″ dice
• 1/3 c chopped dry roasted peanuts
• 1 c thawed frozen peas
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced (or 1 shallot or 1/4 small yellow onion), minced superfine
• 1/2 jar (about 3 oz) roasted red peppers, chopped finely*
• 1 sm. or med. Roma tomato, chopped small*
• 10 snow peas cut into thin strips the short way using kitchen scissors
• 1/2 to 1 full cup crumbled feta cheese*

The Dressing

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger root (peeled & minced)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Generous season freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil

(For stronger dressing, use instead: 4 Tbsp lemon, 2 1/2 – 3 tsp ginger root, 3 garlic cloves, 3 tsp curry powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/3c olive oil.

1. For tofu, if using: combine liquid ingredients for tofu in a small bowl and whisk vigorously. Add in tofu cubes, swish around, and let sit 5-30 minutes. Meanwhile, chop other ingredients and heat very-nonstick skillet over medium. Add tofu and remaining liquid ingredients for tofu and brown on each side (turn every few minutes). Set aside.
2. Combine the rice, raisins, apple, peanuts, peas, scallions and snow peas in a large bowl and toss well.
3. Combine all the dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously. Pour the dressing on the salad and toss to coat well. Add tofu.
4. Chill at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours; bring to room temperature before serving.

Quinoa Salad

High-protein meets high simplicity. My mom makes something like this for potlucks, and people rave about it. The gist: cook & cool quinoa, chop up whatever veggies you want in there (quinoa to veggies ratio 2:1 – 1:1), and toss with olive oil & lemon. Pretty much any variation on that turns out great.

The protein-rich quinoa makes this filling enough that it can stand on its own as a simple meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 c dry quinoa (I use 1/2 c white and 3/4 cup red)
• 2-3 bell peppers, chopped small
• 2 tsp to 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 3 tsp)
• 1 tsp soy sauce (optional)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin (optional. Alternative: replace with paprika & cut the cilantro)
• 1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• 3 scallions, snipped small using scissors (or 1/2 normal onion, chopped & sautéed for 3- 5 min)
• 2-3 roasted red bell peppers or 1 roma tomato, chopped small
• 2 1″ square cubes feta cheese (optional), crumbled
• 2-4 c spinach or arugula, barely wilted in a pan over med/ med-high heat in 2 tsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Prepare quinoa per package directions. I prefer it a little crunchy, so I use 2/3 the water they call for, then cook it for a shorter time. Quinoa has more of a tendency to burn than rice does, so watch it — when it gets to the point that the top is flat except for the holes where the steam is escaping, remove from heat and transfer to a bowl that can take the heat. You can cook it in a rice cooker, but unplug the thing and remove the inner bowl as soon as it’s done, or it’ll stick.
2. While quinoa is cooking, chop up everything else. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, cayenne, & cilantro in a small bowl. Wilt spinach or arugula in pan & set aside.
3. Optional: shape quinoa into a donut shape in the bowl and let it cool in fridge.
4. Toss quinoa with oil-spices mix. Test & add more olive oil or lemon as necessary.
5. Mix in veggies.
6. Eat!

Also good in this: celery (2 stalks), garbanzo beans (1/2 can), cucumber (1/2 – 1 c, peeled and chopped small), a little mirin / sherry / apple cider vinegar instead of the soy (adjust spices accordingly).

Other good quinoa recipes:
The salad in the photo — quinoa, pine nuts, cucumber, tomato, onion, parsley, olive oil, lemon.
Salmon Florentine with Quinoa
Easy Quinoa recipes on Epicurious