Roasted Butternut Squash with Quinoa and Beet Salad

This summer,we have been eating a lot of salad lately. Perhaps it's my excuse for being tired after the long drive home from work. I am glad that John is not a picky eater and he enjoyed most of what I cooked. This is mostly how it goes the minute I got home from work: feed the cat, check on the chicken for eggs, picked some greens or whatever is available from the garden. Then it's back to the kitchen to whip up something simple for dinner. Here's one of my version of a summer salad using leftovers from the fridge.

Fresh Figs with Mixed Greens

Figs is one of my favorite summer fruits as it is full of flavor and nutritious. It is rich in potassium, calcium and fiber. It is great eaten fresh, dried or cooked like a sauce to flavor other meats. I like mine served with a simple dressing. You can tossed in your favorite cheese and nuts of your choice. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 pack of fresh mixed greens or arugula
3-4 fresh figs
Feta cheese (optional)
chopped walnuts (optional)
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. extra virgin oil
2 tsp. orange juice
pepper to taste
Method:
1) Washed and wipe figs clean, remove stem and sliced lengthwise. Mix vinegar, oil, and orange juice, season to taste.
2) Place a handful of greens on plate, arrange figs and drizzle with dressing. Toss some feta cheese and walnuts on top and serve.

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Ruby Beets with Feta Cheese and Maple Glazed Pecans

Here is a simple and delicious salad that uses beets and cheese. You can add leftovers roasted chicken or turkey and you have a wholesome and satisfying meal.
Ingredients:
5 medium sized beets, scrubbed clean
1 package mixed fresh baby salad greens, washed and drained
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup fresh orange juice
4 Tbsp. feta or goat cheese
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
¼ cup pecans
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1. Steam beets with enough water until tender. Drain and cool, peeled and slice in ½-inch slices.
2. Place pecans in a saucepan over medium heat to toast. When it starts to brown, stir in the maple syrup to coat evenly. Remove from heat on freezer paper.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil to make the dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. In individual plates, arrange greens and beets. Sprinkle cheese and pecans over greens. Drizzle with dressing or serve on the side.
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Mixed Salad with Edible Flowers

Nasturtiums, pancies, and marigolds are all edible flowers. It is great served with other greens, such as arugula, or frisée lettuce tossed with a simple dressing.
Ingredients:
1 small bunch frisée lettuce
4 ozs arugula
fresh tarragon sprigs
fresh chives
½ cup freshly picked flowers (nasturtiums or marigolds)
Dressing:
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. red wine winegar
½ tsp. French Dijon mustard
1 tsp. garlic, minced
pinch of sugar or ½ tsp. honey
Method:
1. Wash and drained salad greens and flowers. Toss it in a large mixing bowl. In a another bowl mix all the ingredients for the dressing and serve it on the side with the salad.

Tomato and Endive Salad with Anchovy Vinaigrette

If you love anchovies in your salad, this might be interesting to serve on any occasions. The vinaigrette is also great on toasty bread if you have leftovers. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 small endive
3 ripe and firm tomatoes
sea salt and pepper
Vinaigrette:
2 ozs. fillet of anchovies (Star brand)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
small handful of fresh basil leaves
4 Tbsp. brown rice vinegar (or white will do)
Method:
1.Rinsed and washed off excess oil from anchovies. In a food processor add half of the anchovies, garlic, vinegar, and blend. Slowly add oil and then the basil leaves till fine and smooth texture. Chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the greens.
2. Gently peel and washed the endive leaves and drained well. Cut tomatoes into wedges or slices. Arrange the tomatoes, endives, anchovies, and onions on a platter or individual plate. Drizzle with vinaigrette over the salad and season with pepper. Serve immediately.
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Chinese Fish Salad/Yee Sang

 

"Yee Sang" (鱼生; pinyin: yúshēng) in Cantonese means raw fish and this salad is another auspicious dish to present on the 7th day of Chinese New Year. It is an assortment of shredded vegetables, raw fish (sashimi), tossed with a sweet and tangy dressing served on a big platter. Generally, the tradition is to stand around the dish to mix, blend, and gently lifting the ingredients up from the bottom using a pair of chopstick. "Lo hei" (撈起 or 捞起), literary means prosperity and an increased in abundance. Normally, I would prepare and season the raw fish (sashimi) myself, but this time I ordered the sashimi from our regular Japanese restaurant instead.
Note: If you decide to prepare the sashimi at home, be sure to buy it from a reputable market as it has to be very fresh and of good quality. You cannot go wrong if you purchase it from either Berkeley Bowl in the East Bay, or from a Japanese grocery market. I packed the fish in ice pack to keep it fresh. Wash the fish well and pat dry. Season and rub fish with salt and some brandy. Wrapped in plastic and keep refrigerated for later. Before serving, rinse well with boiled drinking water.
Ingredients: (4-6)
20 or more pieces of fresh salmon or tuna (sliced thinly, and chill it refrigerator)
Dressing:
2 Tbsp. plum sauce
2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
3 tsp. honey
2 tsp. sesame seed paste
¼ cup lemon juice
sesame seed oil
Garnishing:
1 radish, peeled and shredded
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced thinly
1 small papaya, peeled and shredded
½ pomelo, cut and remove the rind around the segments
½ cup roasted peanuts, chopped finely
2 tsp. roasted sesame seeds
cilantro, chopped
3 slices ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red chilli, sliced thinly
½ cup thin rice sticks noodles or vermicelli, break in half
cooking oil

Method:
1. Season the papaya and radish with a little salt and put in separate bowl, set aside for about 5 minutes. Squeezed out most of the juices and put aside. Colored half of the radish and papaya in red.
2. Heat enough oil on high in a small saucepan, when it's hot turn to medium heat, then add in a small amount of rice sticks to oil to puff up the noodles. Use a sieve or slotted spoon to remove it quickly when the rice sticks has puff up and white in color. Drained well on paper towels. Remove and discard used oil.
3. Heat the same saucepan with 2 tsp. oil and brown slightly the ginger and garlic. Remove and set aside. In a bowl mix the hoisin sauce, plum sauce, honey, sesame seed paste to a smooth paste.
4. In a another clean saucepan simmer ingredients for the dressing on medium heat, stirring to remove lumps. Add 2 drops of seseame seed oil, lemon juice and season to taste. Add a little more honey or lemon juice if needed. The taste should be sweet and tangy.
5. To assemble: In a large platter, arrange the ingredients, garnishing, and put the raw fish in the center of the platter.

6. Mix in the dressing, ginger and garlic oil, peanuts, and sesame seeds. Using a chopstick mix and blend in the ingredients. Serve immediately.

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President's Day Salad

I brought in a basketful of leafy lettuce from the garden this morning. These were last year's crop and they must have reseed again--perfect for a colorful salad.
Ingredients:
½ cup baked Kabocha, cut into bite-sized

1 small fillet of salmon

1 medium-sized tomato, sliced

1 small bunch of leaf lettuce

½ tsp. light soya sauce

sesame seeds for garnishing

Dressing:

¼ cup olive oil

1 tsp. brown rice vinegar

1½Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

½ tsp. dill

salt and pepper to taste

pinch of sugar

Method:

1. Cut fish into 1-inch strips, season with pepper and soya sauce. Heat pan with oil and cook fish on both sides till brown.

2. Mix the ingredients for the dressing and refrigerate to keep cool.

3. Washed and tossed dry salad greens and arrange on a plate. Add the cooked fish, tomatoes and Kabocha on top. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve with dressing.

Baked Kabocha Pumpkin Salad

Kabocha, a member of the pumpkin family is commonly called Japanese Pumpkin or "katakana." It is a green pumpkin with a thick-skin and ranges about 6-12 inches in diameter. A Japanese lady once told me that they comes in orange too--I am yet to see one. Inside the hard skin, is a semi-firm flesh that is rich and sweet in flavor. It is rich in beta carotena, iron, vitamin C and potassium, calcium, folic acid and vitamin B. It is great baked, grilled or even wonderful for dessert. You can be creative by adding toasted pine nuts, almonds, or walnuts, and even leftovers chicken breast. Here's my version of it for a salad.

Ingredients:
1 medium sized Kabocha Squash
Salad mix greens
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut pumpkin in half, remove seeds and place the outer skin face down on the baking tray. Bake for about 30-45 minutes or more--depending on the size. Remove to cool and cut in serving size, removing the rind.
2, Place olive oil, honey, cider, lemon juice in a bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and adjust the rest of the ingredients to your taste.
3, Assemble salad greens and pumpkin on plate. Drizzled dressing on top.

 

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