A combination of a whole grain, light flavorful vinegarette, and lots of spring vegetables makes for a high protein, high fiber, vegetarian salad, side dish, or one bowl meal. Great as a side for Easter Ham or Lamb. Come on in Spring.
Feeds 8-10 as a side dish. Feeds 4-5 as base to a main course. Takes roughly 45 minutes to make.
1 cup of dried Barley, rinsed
2 cups of chopped, celery
1 small bunch of radish, cleaned and cut into matchsticks
5-6 green onions, sliced on the bias
Dill, 1/2 cup chopped
Dill pickles, 1/2 cup chopped
1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed
Dressing
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 T olive oil
2 T dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1 T agave syrup
1/2 tsp salt
generous cranks of black pepper
Boil water and cook barley according to package directions. Set aside to cool. To make dressing combine vinegar-black pepper and blend or whisk together until combined. Prepare all vegetables. When barley has cooled to room temp, add dressing and veg. Fold together to combine. Taste for salt and pepper, add if needed. If serving later you may add oil if salad seems to dry for you liking.
Make room on the holiday table for more fresh vegetables. This is a hearty salad perfect for cool weather, and pairs well with other traditional flavors of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Slightly bitter flavors of the greens and acidity of the dressing will cut the richness of some other holiday favorites (looking at you sweet potato casserole).
Feeds 6-8 as a side dish. Vegan and gluten free. Fairly quick to throw together but the rutabega does need roughly 60 min to roast. Good at room temperature but wait until ready to serve to add dressing.
Medium bunch of Frisse
1 small radicchio
2 small-medium rutabaga
? oz package of baby bella mushrooms
two small leeks
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 1/2 T agave syrup
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 garlic clove
1 T rosemary needles
1 tsp salt
black pepper
Preheat oven to 375. Wash frisse and radicchio and set aside to dry. Prepare the rutabaga for roasting by removing each end, and using a peeler, peel off the outer waxy layer. Cut each rutabaga into 1/2″ cubes, toss with a little oil and dash of salt and pepper. Spread on a lined and roast for close to 1 hour. Check after 30 min and toss around. Try to prevent rutabaga from getting too soft. After rutabaga is in the oven, remove the root end of leeks and wash well, making sure layers are free of dirt. Remove green end and slice the white portion in 1/4″ circles. Leave circle mostly intact for roasting to prevent burning. Place in a bowl. Slice mushrooms and add to the same bowl. Toss with a little oil and salt and spread on a lined baking sheet. Roast in preheated oven for 40-45 min, watching to not let the mushrooms shrivel too much. Tear 3-4 handfuls of frisse into managable pieces. Remove core from radicchio and thinly slice. To make dressing combine olive through pepper and blend or whisk vigorously. Lightly toast walnuts in a dry pan on the stove. Just before serving, combine frisse, radicchio, rutabaga, mushrooms and leeks in a large serving bowl. Add dressing (you may not need all of the dressing), and toss. Top with toasted walnuts and dried cranberries.
Is it salad with noodles or noodles with vegetables? There’s lots of flexibility here with your ratios of vegetables, noodles and dressing. Also with the vegetables and noodles that you use. This is a “choose your own adventure” recipe. You could make this gluten free by using rice noodles. Adding chopped or shredded chicken is also a good addition for meat eaters. For that matter, you could also add shrimp or steak. With the exception of the main ingredients in the dressing/sauce, play around.
Don’t forget to save your pasta water!
Recipe
Takes 30-45 min. Feeds 4.
Vegan, dairy-free, nut-free
1/2 package of Whole Wheat Linguine
2 cups of shredded red cabbage
3 cups finely chopped kale
1 1/2 cups grated or matchstick carrots
1/2 of an English cucumber sliced
1/2 cup sliced green onion
1 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped mint
3/4 cup tahini
1/3 cup + 1 T soy sauce or tamari
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup sesame oil
3 1/2 T agave
1 1/2 T chili garlic sauce (spicy optional ingredient)
Juice of 1 lime
2-3” of fresh, peeled ginger root. If using tube ginger or pre-grated, maybe use extra
3 garlic cloves
2 tsp salt or to taste
Start by prepping the vegetables and herbs and set those aside. You may not want to add vegetables, like cucumbers, until right before serving. Keep that in mind and keep vegetables separated as you prep.
For the tahini sauce, I put everything in a Ninja Blender, so I throw in whole cloves of garlic and big chunks of ginger. If you are whisking by hand or using an emersion blender, finely mince or grate garlic and ginger. Either way, combine tahini-salt and blend or whisk until smooth. You can adjust this to make it saltier, spicier or sweeter.
Cook your pasta according to package directions, save pasta water as you drain after cooking. Place pasta in a large bowl. Add a splash of pasta water and toss to combine. While pasta is still warm, add SOME of the tahini sauce and toss. This recipe makes about 2 1/2 cups of sauce-don’t feel pressured to use it all at once. When the pasta has cooled to room temp, add vegetables and herbs, and more sauce if desired. Toss, let it sit for 15-20 min. to let the flavors settle (taste for saltiness. If you’ve gone overboard you can add lime juice to counteract too much salt) and serve. Garnish with sesame seeds and more herbs if you’d like.
Save leftover sauce in a jar or plastic container, adding more to leftovers or using for a dipping sauce, dressing for other salads, or thin out with more soy and use for marinade.
KP The Real 