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Hi there, I'm Rose. I love to cook food - and eat it. If you have any questions concerning any of my recipes, drop me a line at:
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rose [at] avocadobravado.net
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I adore lentils. Recently, I feel like I’ve seen a lot of food bloggers bemoaning how ugly lentils are, but I’m so blinded by my love for lentils it doesn’t matter to me what they look like. A touch of pomegranate molasses is the secret ingredient to this salad, as it adds a wonderfully sweet and tart kick. Pomegranate molasses can easily be found at Middle Eastern groceries, co-ops, and gourmet groceries like Whole Foods. There’s always the option of making your own pomegranate molasses. In fact, it’s not even molasses at all, but a syrup made from pomegranate juice and sugar. Elise of Simply Recipes has a recipe for it here. Also, I found that this salad needed very little salt, since feta cheese is so salty.
Lentil Salad with Feta and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
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1 cup black beluga lentils (brown lentils and French green lentils can be used as substitutes)
1 small red onion, chopped
water, for soaking (optional)
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup freshly chopped herbs (one or more of the following: parsley, mint, basil)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste
Give the lentils a quick rinse and add them to a stockpot with three cups of salted water. Bring the water to a gentle boil and simmer the lentils for 15-20 minutes, or until ‘al dente’.
Meanwhile, chop the onions, place them in a colander, and give them a quick rinse in cold water. This step is completely optional, but doing this helps take off the edge from eating the onions raw. Transfer the onions to a large mixing bowl.
Now, chop the tomatoes and the herbs and toss them in the large bowl, along with the feta cheese. Once the lentils are ready, drain them in a colander and gently fold them into the mixing bowl. Gently stir in the pomegranate molasses, olive oil, salt, and pepper until everything is coated. Season to taste, adding a little more oil or salt, if needed. Serve warm or cold.
Serves 4-6
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A couple weekends ago, Cory and I made the trek to the Mission to pay a visit to Rainbow Grocery, a food co-op. We only make a few trips to Rainbow a year, so whenever we’re there we stock up on stock up on pantry staples such as lentils, quinoa, couscous, oats, wheat berry, coconut flakes, coconut oil, honey and sweet treats like dried fruits. I rarely ever stray outside of the bulk section (which by the way, is massive), but I was lured into the produce section and quickly laid my eyes on a beautiful bunch of red Russian kale and tossed it in my shopping basket. By the time we arrived home, we were hungry and I quickly prepared this salad to serve with leftover chicken and roasted broccoli. I loved the salad so much that it became a recurring side dish for the rest of the week. It almost feels like a cheat to post this here since it’s so simple, but it was such a delicious and no fuss salad. And of course, I don’t need to tell you how good kale is for you. We quickly ran out of red Russian kale over the course of a few days, so I bought green kale to make even more of this salad and that worked just as well.
Kale Salad with Honey Dressing and Pine Nuts
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For the salad
1 bunch kale (green or red Russian)
1/4 cup pine nuts
For the dressing
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
salt & pepper, to taste
red pepper flakes (optional), to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Chop the kale by folding the leaves in half and slicing off the ribs. Cut the kale into small pieces and transfer to a large bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using). Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking constantly. Take a taste and adjust the flavors, if necessary.
Heat a skillet over medium-low heat (there’s no need to add any extra oils). When hot, add the pine nuts. Stir them constantly for 3-5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from heat.
Toss the dressing to into the kale. Serve on individual plates and garnish with pine nuts.
Serves 6-8, as a side dish
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This recipe has come a long way before making its way here and like the school game of “telephone” there have been some changes along the way. I adapted it from Tastespace who found it from Smitten Kitchen who adapted it from Gwyneth Paltrow’s newsletter GOOP.com – which features meal plans and recipes of the celebrity’s strict detox diet. Whenever I see the words “master cleanse”, “detox”, and “toxins” my immediate reaction is an eyeroll. Sigh. Of course you’re going to lose weight if you consume only 1,000 calories a day. I digress, though. I’ll save all my rage for Kevin Trudeau. In any case, the salad dressing is wonderful. It’s light, slightly spicy, and the ginger lends a sweet, warm medicinal taste. The original recipe called for white miso, which I left out. I don’t cook Japanese food very often and couldn’t justify purchasing something I’d only use once or twice. Serve with any greens of your choice.
Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
(adapted from Tastespace)
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For the salad:
Greens of your choice (head of romaine, green leaf, red leaf, spinach)
1 cup walnuts, chopped
croutons
For the dressing:
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 small shallot or 1/4 of a red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon white miso (I left this out)
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup oil (grapeseed, safflower, canola, olive oil)
2 tablespoons water
Pulse the carrot, shallot or onion, and ginger in a blender until finely chopped. Add the white miso, rice vinegar, sesame oil, cayenne pepper, and sugar and pulse until blended. Transfer the dressing to a large bowl and slowly drizzle in the oil, stirring constantly. Stir in the water.
Arrange the lettuce into individual bowls, top with the dressing, chopped walnuts, and croutons.
Serves 4-5
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Since the weather has warmed up (um, sort of), I’ve been wanting to incorporate more leafy green salads into my diet. I always associate cucumbers with the beginning of summer, since that’s when they are first ripe for the pickin’ in my dad’s garden. I was inspired by the traditional Greek summer salad, but used what I had on hand – including lettuce, which traditionally is not included.
Tips:
- Rinse the red onions briefly in cold water. This helps take off the edge from eating them raw. Alternatively, toss the onions in some olive oil and roast them at 450F on a baking sheet, just until the onion is beginning to brown. This will bring out the natural sweetness of the onions. Definitely worth the extra step.
- I only added a pinch of salt to the dressing. I found the the salad to be salty enough with the feta and olives.
Feta and Cucumber Salad
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1 head of romaine, red leaf, or green leaf lettuce, washed thoroughly and chopped into small pieces
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut into small pieces
1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
For the dressing:
1-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon dill
1/3 cup white wine or red wine vinegar
2/3 cup olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste
Toss together the oregano, dill, salt, pepper, and vinegar in a bowl. Slowly pour in the olive oil, stirring constantly. Continue mixing until blended. Add a little more salt and pepper, if necessary.
In a large bowl, toss together the lettuce, onions, cucumber, and tomatoes. Gently toss in the dressing, lightly coating everything with the dressing. Divide the salad into bowls and top with feta and olives.
Serves 5-6
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It was warm today. By warm, I mean 61 degrees (16 Celsius) without a single cloud in the sky. The warmest months in San Francisco are September and October. So spring and summer days when the sky is brilliantly blue and relatively warm are sacred and must be taken advantage of. I assembled a quick lunch, mostly consisting of leftovers – salmon salad sandwiches, candied cashews, an orange, and this potato salad. Then Cory and I headed to a nearby park on Haight street and basked in the sun for two hours, nibbling on food, reading books, and people watching. In typical Rose fashion, I “basked in the sun” in black boots, a black sweater, and a scarf. Clearly, I haven’t changed much since my days as a teenage goth. Well, except I no longer dab my face with white powder, black lipstick, or write bad poetry. Whew, glad that part of my life is over.
Though Salad Olivieh is a Persian potato salad, the actual origin of the dish is thought to be Russian. I turned my nose up to potato salad for most of my life, but I now have a soft spot for it. I loved the contrasting flavors in this dish, the sourness from the lemons, saltiness from the pickles, and the sweetness from the peas. Definitely a new summer favorite.
Salad Olivieh
(adapted from Turmeric and Saffron)
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6 large potatoes (boiled, peeled, and chopped into bite-sized pieces)
2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped into bite sized pieces
1 1/2 cups-2 cups mayonnaise
4 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
3 dill pickles, chopped
1 cup frozen baby peas
1 cup frozen chopped carrots
salt & pepper, to taste
juice of 1-2 lemons
2 tablespoons olive oil
In a large bowl, mix together mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Season to taste. Fold in the potatoes, chicken breasts, eggs, pickles, peas, and carrots. Chill for at least an hour before serving. Optionally, garnish with extra vegetables.
Serves 6-8
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