Vegetarian Chef’s Salad — Meatless Monday | FN Dish – Food Network Blog

Vegetarian Chef’s Salad — Meatless Monday by Maria Russo in Recipes, August 12th, 2013

Vegetarian Chef's Salad

The key to enjoying a salad as an entree is making sure you beef up the dish with more than just leafy greens, croutons and dressing. Hearty protein, plus cheese, vegetables, olives and eggs, turn a simple salad into a complete lunch or dinner. But when you remove the meat from the plate, finding substitute ingredients can be challenging and often leads to an unsatisfying meal. Food Network Magazine, however, reinvented the chef’s salad — one such main course salad traditionally packed with deli meats — into a meatless plate that won’t leave you disappointed.

Instead of turkey, ham or chicken, the star protein in Food Network Magazine’s Vegetarian Chef’s Salad (pictured above) is tofu, either your favorite smoked or baked variety. Tender roasted mushrooms add an earthy flavor, while crisp-tender wax beans — conveniently cooked in the same pot of hot water used to hard-boil the eggs — and prepared beets add texture. Puree a few of the remaining roasted mushrooms with tangy plain yogurt, olive oil and vinegar to prepare a smooth topping, then mix the topping with the greens, and assemble the vegetables, eggs, cheddar cheese and crunchy sunflower seeds on top for a classic chef’s salad presentation.

KS

Labor Day Chickpea Veggie Salad Recipe- www.celebrations.com

There’s nothing quite like a satisfying side dish to accompany any traditional Labor Day picnic. Not only is this chickpea veggie salad delicious, but it’s also packed with loads of healthy ingredients.

Beyond it’s nutritional value, the best part are the festive colors that will pop on your dinner table!

Ingredients:

1 can garbanzo beans

4 ears of fresh corn cut off of the cob (or 1 can of corn)

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 cups grape or cherry tomatoes

1 cucumber

1/2 cup fresh basil

1/2 cup parsley

Salt and/or fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

Rinse and drain garbanzo beans and corn. Pour into a large bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar and fresh lemon juice.

Chop tomatoes and cucumber into mini pieces, then add to bowl.

Wash basil and parsley; dry completely. Finely chop herbs and add into bowl with other salad ingredients.

Put 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive in a small bowl; whisk together until combined. Pour dressing onto salad and gently mix together and add salt and/or pepper to taste.

Allow salad to marinate for about an hour before serving.

Kale & Avocado Salad : Healthy Recipes and Real Food by Amy Jo

Kale and Avocado Salad

Kale Avocado Salad Garlic

My love for avocados continue. On and on. And on. Whether I’m whipping up chocolate pie, key lime pie, chocolate milkshakes or a simple kale salad, I bite into one of these beauties every.single.day. Their creamy texture and skin enhancing perks are only two of the reasons avocados have become a kitchen necessity. They are pretty much the perfect food, go with just about everything, and take on the flavor of the food you add to them. This week, I have been eating them with scrambled eggs. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and I am utterly satisfied. My friend, Jeff, now calls me Avocado Amy, after watching me devour every last bite of one at Kerbey Lane and witnessing my enthusiasm for the rich, green darlings.

My affection for kale is no secret. My body begs for it and will revolt when I’ve gone more than two days without raw greens. Because I have not been craving my go-to green smoothies this week, I needed a way of getting some kale into my diet in non-beverage form. This salad is so simple to put together and full of antioxidants. I massaged the kale with lemon juice for easy digestion and added some red onion, avocado and fresh garlic for flavor, texture and nutrition. It makes a great, filling lunch and will keep for a day or two in the fridge.

Kale Avocado Salad

Kale Salad Red Onion

Kale Avocado Onion

Kale Avocado Onion Salad

Kale and Avocado Salad (Serves 4)

1 head of kale (about 8 cups, chopped)

1/2 red onion

2 garlic cloves

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 avocado

1. Remove stems from kale leaves. Chop leaves into small pieces. Place in large bowl.

2. Finely chop 1/2 red onion into small pieces. Add to bowl.

3. Mash garlic cloves and chop into tiny pieces. Add to kale leaves.

4. In a small bowl, add lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir well with a fork. Add to kale salad and massage with hands until leaves are thoroughly covered.

5. Chop avocado into small pieces. Add to salad.

6. Serve and enjoy!

Summer Bean Salads – NYTimes.com

Summer Bean Salad by Toby Bilanow

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Bean salads are a great choice for summer picnics, and most recipes can easily be adapted to accommodate any vegans in the crowd. This week the Recipes for Health columnist Martha Rose Shulman turns to summer bean salads:

As the weather heats up and our hunger for comforting stews gives way to a desire for lighter fare, beans can still be the backbone of a meal, but I’m more inclined to make them the focus of a main dish salad than a simmering ragout. I love the way they soak up tart salad dressings and the way their velvety textures play against the crunch of other salad ingredients, like fresh green beans, celery or fennel.

Here are five new ways to prepare bean salads.

Black-Eyed Pea Salad With Fennel and Dill: A great dish that can be made with or without tomatoes.

Red Bean and Green Bean Salad – NYTimes.com

Red Bean and Green Bean Salad

The first time I made this, I used some delicious small red beans that my housekeeper, Ana, brought from El Salvador. I also tested it with canned beans; of course I liked the Salvadoran red beans better, but not having them shouldn’t deter you from making this substantial salad.

1 cup small red beans or red kidney beans, washed, picked over and soaked for 6 hours or overnight

1/2 onion

3 garlic cloves, 2 of them unpeeled and crushed, 1 of them minced or puréed

1 bay leaf

Salt to taste

3/4 pound green beans, stem ends trimmed

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon chopped chives

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt or broth from the beans

Freshly ground pepper

Optional: 1 to 2 ounces crumbled feta

1. Drain the beans, rinse and place in a heavy saucepan with the onion, the crushed whole cloves of garlic, the bay leaf and enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add salt to taste and continue to simmer for an hour to an hour and a half more, until the beans are tender but intact. Turn off the heat and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Remove and discard the onion, garlic cloves and bay leaf. Place a strainer over a bowl and drain the beans. Transfer the beans to a salad bowl.

Note: You can substitute canned beans, but make sure to rinse them and to season them well. You will need 2 1/3 cups beans.

2. While the beans are simmering, blanch the green beans in salted boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes, or steam them. They should be tender but still have some snap to them. Cut into 2- or 3-inch pieces.

3. Toss together the red beans and the herbs. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, olive oil and 3 tablespoons broth from the beans (or yogurt, if you used canned beans). If you have time, allow the mixture to marinate, in or out of the refrigerator, for 30 minutes before adding the green beans and serving. Add the green beans and toss again just before serving.

Yield: 4 generous servings

Advance preparation: This will keep for 2 or 3 days in the refrigerator, but the green beans will lose their bright color.

Nutritional information per serving: 267 calories; 11 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 milligram cholesterol; 33 grams carbohydrates; 13 grams dietary fiber; 70 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 13 grams protein

Martha Rose Shulman is the author of “The Very Best of Recipes for Health.”

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THE PERFECT SUMMER SALAD – A House In The Hills

Summer Salad

our amazing and talented friends juan and farra helped with the food for lou’s birthday party (god i love them!). and when i was in panic mode and couldn’t come up with an idea for a salad to serve with tacos they suggested a watermelon, watercress, pepita and cotija salad with a lime cilantro vinaigrette. genius, right? i left out the cotija to keep it dairy free but it’s amazing with or without. light, refreshing, healthy, full of flavor and so easy to throw together! what else could you want from a summer salad? hope you love as much as i do. more after the jump! xx- sarah

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch watercress

2 cups cubed watermelon

1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

1/8 cup grapeseed oil

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1/2 lime

METHOD:

– if possible make the dressing in advance by combining the grapeseed oil, lime juice, sea salt, cilantro, and maple syrup. i added one extra solid pinch of salt at the end too, but taste and season to your preference!

– rinse and dry the watercress, combine in a large serving bowl with the watermelon and toss with the dressing.

– in a skillet toast the pepitas over medium heat with the juice of 1/2 lime and a solid pinch of salt

– add pepitas to salad and serve!

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A Humble Lentil Dish Not Just for Hippies – NYTimes.com

The menu at the Lebanese restaurant didn’t do the dish any favors. “Vegetarian brown lentils and rice cooked with onions,” the description read. It sounded like a dreary incarnation of 1960s hippie cuisine: salubrious, drab, bland.

But we were in need of a meatless main course, so we ordered it anyway. And that’s when I fell in love with mujadara.

The menu’s description of the dish was technically correct. But the lentils and rice were headily perfumed with cumin and allspice. The onions were fried in olive oil until burnished and crackling, adding texture and a gentle sweetness to the mix. We all devoured it, vegetarians and omnivores alike.

Cookbooks will tell you that, in the Middle East, mujadara is the essence of comfort food, a humble dish made from pantry staples. To that I will add how easy it is to make.

The only part that needs some attention is the frying of the onions (or in this case, leeks). To get them crisp, you have to cook them until they are deeply brown and darker than you might be comfortable with. But without the deep color, you don’t get the crunch. Just make sure to take them off the heat before they burn. You want the majority to be mahogany, not black (though a few black strands would be O.K.).

While a pot full of mujadara is satisfying enough to be a whole meal, I always yearn for vegetables alongside to round it out. A leafy salad, maybe one adorned with orange segments and olives, often fills that void.

But when I made mujadara recently, I took another tack and added an entire bunch of spring mustard greens directly to the pot. The greens were tender things, delicate enough to eat raw. I very coarsely chopped them up, and then, during the last five minutes of cooking, added them to the pot. They wilted in the steam while the mujadara finished cooking.

The mustard greens lightened the rice and lentils and turned the dish into a one-pot meal rich in vegetable matter. You could use any tender greens: spinach, Swiss chard, beet greens. Kale would work, too, though you might want to chop it more finely if it seems tough.

The greens also help the visual appeal of the dish, which may still be healthful but could never be bland.

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With The Grain from NY Times

By MARK BITTMAN

Grains bring different characters to different seasons. When it’s cold, they’re mostly porridge, or beds for stews and stir-fries. But as spring turns to summer, it’s time to think about grains in salads. And these salads make for a terrific transition to the time, which will be here soon enough, when you wish you didn’t have to use the stove at all.

Grain salad is more of a concept than a “dish” — there are virtually infinite variations. But the current season could not be more ideal, replete with late-spring and early-summer vegetables that require only chopping, slicing or grating. All that you’ll need to cook are the grains, which neither demand very much of your attention nor heat up very much of your kitchen.

I typically opt for heartier grains that retain a chewy texture when cooked, like farro, brown or wild rice, pearled barley, wheat berries, bulgur or steel-cut oats. For grains with a bit more tenderness, quinoa, couscous and white rice are all excellent options.

The method I use to cook almost every grain — bulgur, couscous and wild rice are exceptions — is simple: Put 2 cups of the grain in a small to medium saucepan with a large pinch of salt and water to cover by about an inch. Bring it to a boil, then adjust the heat so that the mixture bubbles gently. Cook, stirring occasionally and adding boiling water if necessary to keep the grains covered; when they’re tender, they’re done. Depending on the grain you’ve chosen, this could take anywhere from 15 minutes (pearled barley) to an hour (wheat berries). If there is water remaining in the pot when you’re done, strain it. Remember that even after you toss the salad, the warm grains will continue to cook, so err slightly on the side of undercooking. Overcooked grains become gummy.

While the grains are cooking, whisk together any vinaigrette you like in the bottom of a large bowl, then prepare whatever veggies and flavorings you’re using, and toss them all together. Leftover grains work fine here, though it’s nice to toss the salad while the grains are still warm, so that they soak in the vinaigrette and intensify the flavor of the other ingredients. Warm food is good at this alchemy, and there’s time remaining to take advantage before it gets too hot.

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The Assembly: Combine about 2 cups cooked grains from above with 1 cup raw vegetables, fruit or both and flavorful accents. Toss with a vinaigrette, and serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 4.

The Dressing: Basic vinaigrette of 3 parts olive oil, 1 part lemon juice, plus salt and pepper.

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