Roasted Beets with Barley, Greens and Feta

This is the last time I'm going to expend any more energy urging you to give beets a chance. I've already shared two of my favorite beet dishes here and here; if they weren't enough to convince you, I'm unsure that this dish will. Maybe you need to read my top 3 reasons to eat beets: 

1. They're pink! Or is it purple? Somewhere in between.
2. They're full of tons of vitamins and minerals, including folate, manganese, beta keratin, anti oxidants, and lots of fiber.
3. They taste good when you eat them. (especially when they've been roasted into sweet tenderness rather than pickled in a can). 

Are you convinced?  

Turkish Carrot Salad

After spending 2 weeks in Turkey during June, I have two major regrets: 1) that I got dreadfully sunburned, making the idea of a scrub down and massage at a Turkish bath sound an awful lot like torture. So no Turkish bath for me; 2) that I never ate Turkish carrot salad even once. The first time I ever had it, I'll admit I was a little afraid of the consistency/appearance (shredded carrots + yogurt really doesn't look very pretty), but since one of my Turkish students had made it, I felt obliged to try it. After my first few bites, I was looking for reasons to finish the pan.

We ate a lot of other delicious things, mostly fresh from the market. I swear Turkish peaches have more flavor and juice than the ones found in American supermarkets. I wish I could share some of the kilos of pistachios, figs, or apricots that I brought home with me, but since I couldn't, think of this recipe as my gift to you. And while you're at it, please enjoy a scene from the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul. It will make you feel a little like you're in Turkey...the air there really does smell like spices. 

Turkish Carrot Salad
Recipe by Kelly's Turkish student
Picture by Kelly

2 cups plain Greek yogurt*
4 cups shredded carrots
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
parsley or mint, for garnish

1. On medium low heat, heat 2 tablespoons oil and minced garlic together. Cook garlic until fragrant and just beginning to brown (don't burn it!). Remove garlic bits and add to yogurt. 
2. Pour remaining oil in the pan and heat on medium. Add carrots and sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender, but not soft, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool about 10 minutes.
3. Combine carrots, yogurt, and salt in a large bowl. Chill at least 30 minutes and serve topped with roughly chopped parsley or mint.

*You can use regular plain yogurt in this salad as well, but it must be strained or your salad will be too soupy. Use a very fine mesh sieve or, preferably, line a colander with muslin or a coffee filter and place in a bowl. Pour in the yogurt and let it sit and drain for about 20 minutes before adding to carrots.

Creamy Coleslaw

This is a very basic, creamy coleslaw, nothing fancy here. But it is beautiful, with bright greens, purples, and orange. And it makes a great side to really almost anything, so it is a great go-to recipe.

And because this really is a basic recipe you can feel free to add other flavors to make it your own. This particular batch I added caraway seeds. You might try adding fresh ground pepper, dill or perhaps even some oregano. Oh yeah, one last thing, because this recipe is basically just fresh vegetables it is good for you!

Kale and Cucumber Salad With Avocado-Tahini Dressing

I don't mean to brag, but I have 5 tomatoes happily ripening on one of my tomato plants in my garden that doesn't get quite enough sun and has struggled with a serious aphid problem. Five. And one looks like it just might be ready in the next week or so. I can hardly wait- the first crops of the season! Hurrah! (If you're from Arizona, please don't rub it in that you can have tomatoes all stinking year. It's at least 140 degrees there all summer which basically makes it uninhabitable in my opinion. If it weren't for that, I'd move just for the lemon trees). My smaller-than-usual-garden is also working on: some kind of butter lettuce (that claims to be slightly sweet but is quite bitter), Swiss chard, arugula, bush beans, 2 other tomato plants, a bell pepper, and 2 eggplants (which are struggling. Perhaps the lack of sun). I used to have marigolds, but they were eaten by a mysterious rodent...possibly squirrels.

Citrus Carrot Slaw

You're probably looking at this picture in awe of my chopping abilities. So even, so small, so thin. And with carrots, even. Aren't I awesome? Almost as if I'd been practicing...

But let's face it--anyone who has ever cooked with me knows that I'm a dreadful vegetable chopper. My sister is constantly getting after me for making my pieces too large. And when my Russian friend (the one who brought us this tasty Borsch recipe), saw the huge potato and beet pieces in my version of her Borsch, she was a little shocked; I had corrupted the soup with my lazy chopping. But I just can't help it. There are so many more interesting things in the kitchen to do than chop things small.

So the truth of the matter: I cheated. I bought these carrots pre-packaged and ready to go. And may I just say that this stuff was a great deal tastier because I didn't have to fight with my crummy knives to get the carrots this size.

Southwestern Avocado and Black Bean Salad

The other night I was craving a fresh salad, something summery, but not the typical vegetable or strawberry with poppy seed dressing type salad. We were also having some tamales that night, so I wanted something that would go alongside that as well. 

Luckily I had just the thing as I had gone to the library a few days earlier (more about that in the next paragraph)- a lovely salad with a slight southwestern flair.

Mediterranean Barley Salad

It was 94 degrees today. Ninety four. Not to mention the humidity. And tomorrow it's supposed to be 103! With a heat index of 110! I'm going to melt into a puddle and evaporate upon contact with the ground. Yes, I'm flipping out a little. But it's just so hot! When I left Utah to come out here, it was barely spring and now I find myself in the tropics!

Anyway, enough complaining. Luckily I made a boat load of this nice cool refreshing salad, so tomorrow there will be no cooking. There won't be much of anything besides lounging around with a water-misting fan (my apartment, sadly, does not have AC) and trying to move as little as possible.

Corn and Red Pepper Couscous

I love couscous. But for some reason, my husband doesn't (I know- I can hardly believe it either). I did discover, however, that he tolerates, and maybe even likes Israeli couscous. Huzzah! So our dinner the other night consisted of Brazilian cabbage vinaigrette and this delish and slightly exotic tasting couscous dish.

Now Israeli couscous is larger than the Moroccan variety with which you're probably more familiar; it's pearl shaped and similar to acini di pepe pasta- the tiny "pastina" you've probably seen in the Barilla pasta packages. I think my husband likes them for their larger shape and being easier to scoop up with a fork. I love them both, though this dish is significantly better with the larger type. 

Brazilian Cabbage Vinaigrette

I have almost three heads of cabbage in my fridge. Well, two and 1/3, now that I've made this salad. Why, you say? Because each Saturday I get a Bountiful Basket which means that sometimes I end up with a lot of one thing. But even though I have cabbage coming out my ears, I don't mind. Because bountiful baskets is one of the best things to happen to my grocery bill. For $16.50, I get 2 large recyclable-sized bags  (or a laundry basket's worth) full of a random selection of fruits and vegetables. It's a food co-op. And it's awesome. But it did mean that I have a bit too much cabbage lying around right now.

Luckily I have the perfect remedy to that. I've mentioned before that my sister married a Brazilian, and this is another one of the tasty Brazilian sides that I'm so fond of. It's fresh and healthy and pretty. It's also versatile- my recipe calls for red, yellow, and orange peppers (because they're the best!) but considering the usual price of non-green peppers, you may not want to use such a variety of color. Add a green or use all red peppers instead of colors if you want to save on the cost.

Sushi Salad

About a year ago, the university where I teach added a sushi counter to their meager selection of lunch options. Huzzah, thought I, finally some food worth eating! It took about 2 weeks for it to be all the rage on campus, which, naturally, equaled really expensive sushi. But still people bought it, myself included. I thought about making some myself at home, but knowing I'd have to roll it up and manage to make it look moderately attractive seemed like a daunting task.

And then I found this recipe on the back of my rice bag- no rolling required. Perf. I felt a little pang of guilt for lack of authenticity eating "sushi" as a salad instead of a slices from a roll, but the lack of effort made it totally worth it.

Now the day I made this I did a very stupid thing involving a large blob of wasabi (Japanese horseradish) on a very inexperienced tongue. I've eaten a fair amount of wasabi in my day, but seldom purchased it. As this salad definitely requires some good strong horseradish, I went to the store and bought the first tube I could find, opened it up, squeezed out a bit onto my finger, and stuck it in my mouth. Begin fire in the mouth. It started with a burning sensation on my tongue and in my mouth, flowed back down my throat, and then swooshed back up through my mouth and into my sinuses. I nearly exploded. And then, just like that, the burning was gone. Truth be told, it was a pretty awesome experience, but not one I intend to repeat any time in the near future. It will be small dots of wasabi from now on- if you've never had wasabi, I really recommend trying it out. Just do so with caution.

Grilled Balsamic Chicken Cutlets over Spinach Salad with Warm Shallot Vinaigrette

Yes, this is an extremely long name for a salad, I agree, but it does provide you with an excellent description of what to expect. Only it leaves out the fact that there is bacon in this salad, which I feel is really a shortcoming, because when you know something has bacon in it, it immediately becomes more exciting, or at least it does in our house.

I made this a few nights ago for me and my husband. We both love, love the Summer Salad with Grilled Salmon recipe we have, especially the dressing. In fact I use this dressing on other salads just because it is so dang good and will last in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.

Shaved Zucchini Salad

 

This is an easy and lovely no-cook salad that is sure to impress any dinner guests. Something about eating your food in the shape of ribbons seems to do that. But don't worry- it's not hard. All you need is a regular old vegetable peelers and suddenly your boring old zucchini aren't so boring. And remember how I mentioned uncooked zucchini are delicious in the Zucchini Orzo Salad? Well, if you didn't believe me then, you simply must try this one. 

Chicken Salad with Grapes and Walnuts

I told you we were entering salad season.

As I was making this, my husband told me that as a kid, he considered chicken salad to be half a step above a tuna sandwich. Apparently whoever fed it to him (and I don't think it was his mother) would use canned chicken with nothing but mayo. Ick. So when I started making this one with real chicken and added yogurt, not just mayo, and grapes and walnuts and celery (ie. food with texture AND flavor), he was quite intrigued. Surely this isn't the same beast served in small-town elementary schools!

Nope, not really. This chicken salad is full of flavor and texture and crunch. I would even eat it plain. I ate it for both lunch and dinner yesterday, and I think my husband is going to take it horseback riding today. I'm sure all the other guys will be very jealous.

Broccoli Salad

Enter the season of salads. It has been well over 90 for well over two weeks now, and even though my husband finally put our ac in the window, I can't bring myself to cook anything that takes longer than boiling water (I think my husband is hoping to escape forced vegetarianism by cooling our house down to a balmy 78, but he might end up disappointed unless I get a grill in the near future). I did have to briefly turn on the stove today, but it ended up being worth it.

My Auntie K is a pro at broccoli salad. Since she was so good at it, I can't remember my mom ever making it on her own; it was just understood that Auntie would be bringing it to any family gathering hosted during the summer. And believe me, it only lasted a few minutes on the table before my dozens of ravenous cousins snarfed it down. My pickiest sister (who doesn't like anything delicious aside from chocolate) would even occasionally have a bite. 
 

I feel like a bad niece in confessing that being too lazy to dig up my aunt's phone number resulted in this being my very own concoction. But I think I've done a pretty good job replicating the flavor, aside from 1 minor change: I substituted some of the mayo for plain yogurt, but I don't think anyone would be able to tell the difference (I just can't stomach the idea of consuming a whole cup of FAT in one bowl). As far as the salad itself goes, you can pretty much add/omit things as you like. My aunt always added cheddar cheese to her salad, but I did not. I've also had it without almonds or with grapes instead of raisins. Have fun with it!

Zucchini Orzo Salad

A few weeks ago, I had the questionable pleasure of throwing a baby shower for a friend, questionable because I'm not what most would consider a real party-planning type. I don't know if our friends realized this and therefore volunteered to share the burden or if they're just great like that, but I didn't really end up doing a whole lot. The games/prizes were planned by someone else (thank heavens!) and several of them even brought food, including a delicious pasta salad that gave me the inspiration for this one.

The thing I found most interesting about this salad is that the zucchini isn't cooked. It had never occurred to me to eat zucchini uncooked. I don't know why; it just seemed weird. Shouldn't zucchini always be sauteed in a hearty amount of butter or breaded or grilled? Raw zucchini weeps and becomes as slimy as a cucumber, but without the flavor. Right?

Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern salad dish from the Levantine area (Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria). Its primary ingredient is called "bulgur," which may sound unappetizing, but is surprisingly delicious and has a light nutty flavor. It's also packed with protein and fiber.

As a child, my mother used to make us bulgur for breakfast, and all of us would moan and groan that we were eating a meal that sounded alarmingly like the something found on a used tissue. Things between my sister and bulgur eventually escalated to the point that bulgur disappeared from our table for about a year. The next winter we were introduced to a new hot cereal called "cracked wheat" which tasted suspiciously like our former breakfast cereal, but sounded much more appetizing. 

So here's the truth of the matter: bulgur and cracked wheat are actually not the same thing, but many people confuse the two of them. You could probably use either one in this recipe, but finding bulgur shouldn't be a problem. Most grocery stores carry it with hot cereals or in the natural food section ( I bought a small bag of Bob's Red Mill bulgur). Serve tabbouleh as a side at your next bbq or as a healthy lunch. 

Cottage-Cheese Egg Salad

Summer time means it is time for picnics. This egg salad recipe is a healthier variation on your typical egg-salad using cottage-cheese for moisture rather than mayonnaise. It is not quite as tangy as you may be used to, but the dill adds a fantastic flavor and the celery adds a nice crunch. Put this egg salad on some good quality whole-wheat bread, add a slice of watermelon, and you have yourself a well rounded picnic lunch.

Asian Pear Salad with Honey-Balsamic Vinaigrette

A few days ago a friend of mine brought me a rather large and imposing bag of Asian pears. Why imposing? Because I had very little idea of what to do with an Asian pear. Sure, you can eat them like an apple, but to be honest, they're not my favorite type of pear to eat plain. So what to do with them...after considerable thought, I realized they would probably make an excellent addition to a salad. And I was right. Regular pears tend to get a bit smashed and overly juicy in a tossed salad, but Asian pears, being much firmer, hold up nicely. Plus, the flavor of the vinaigrette is a nice contrast to the super sweet pear.

Try serving with fettuccine with chicken mushroom and arugula or jerk chicken.

Asian Pear Salad with Honey-Balsamic Vinaigrette
Recipe by Kelly
Pictures by Caroline
Serves 4-6

Asian Pear Salad
1 bag mixed greens
1/2 cup lightly toasted pecans or walnuts
2 Asian pears, thinly sliced
1/4 cup crumbled blue or orgonzola cheese

1. Lightly toast pecans or walnuts by sauteing on low heat just until fragrant. Remove from heat.
   
2. In a large bowl, toss mixed greens.
   
3. Add pears, nuts, and cheese.
4. Drizzle vinaigrette over the top (to taste- just do so gradually so you don't end up with salad soup) and toss to coat.

Vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil

2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

dash pepper

1 tablespoon water

1. In a salad dressing cup or mason jar with lid, mix all ingredients.
   
2. Shake well to combine. Serve.
   

Roasted Vegetable Salad with Goat Cheese

I made this salad about a week ago for a family gathering, and I was very worried about it. I was worried that the lemon was going to be too strong, that it might be too oily, or that the overall combination might be too mild. I had taken another recipe and added a few more flavors and vegetables, left out a few ingriedents, and this is what I came up with - which I admit turned out to be quite tasty. The combination of flavors is unique and although it might be surprising to find roasted vegetables on a green salad, it is good, at least that is what the family told me, and they wouldn't lie, right?

Roasted Vegetable Salad with Goat Cheese
Recipe and pictures by Caroline

2 red, yellow, or green bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 banana pepper, seeded and cut into ½-inch pieces
4 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 bunch green leaf lettuce
½ to 1 cup crumbled goat cheese

1. Preheat the broiler. In a large bowl, toss vegetables with 3 tablespoons olive oil and rosemary; season generously with salt and pepper. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil; broil, turning vegetables halfway through, until tender and browned, about 15 minutes. Watch closely as they can easily burn. Let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together remaining tablespoon olive oil, lemon juice, and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Add roasted vegetables and arugula; toss well. Serve sprinkled with goat cheese.

Tomato Cucumber Salad

Last week Caroline and I were trying to think of a good side to go with this fish dish when we decided to post this recipe (which I sometimes don't consider to be a real recipe because it's ridiculously easy). But we both had a sneaky suspicion that we had posted it before. We spent the next several minutes perusing through our blog trying to find this salad..and couldn't find it. So naturally we decided to put it up since everyone should have a quick go-to salad.

But then this morning I accidentally set this to post in 2008 rather than 2009, went hunting for it on our blog history, and found the same recipe (with minor variations) posted just this past June! The horror of a duplicated recipe!

I decided to leave it up for two reasons: (1) The pictures are much better on this one than the one from June. (2) It's a good salad and you may have forgotten about it or never tried it on the original posting. So here's your chance!

Tomato Cucumber Salad
Recipe by Kelly
Pictures by Caroline

Serves 4

1 medium cucumber, very thinly sliced
2 medium tomatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 tablespoons red onion, thinly sliced
3-4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar*
1 tablespoon freshly chopped basil
salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients together. Stir well and let sit 5-10 minutes. Serve.

*If you find the flavor of the vinegar to be too strong, add 1 tablespoon water. You can also use white vinegar, though I prefer the apple cider.