sides – KP The Real

Spring Barley Salad

March 30, 2024Leave a comment

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.

Frisse and Radicchio Salad with Roasted Rutabaga, Mushrooms and Leeks

November 18, 2023November 18, 2023Leave a comment

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.

Butternut Squash and Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad

November 17, 2023November 18, 2023Leave a comment

Another salad to lighten up the holiday table. Cheese can be left out to make this a vegan friendly dish to share and it’s also gluten free. Can be made a day before but not dressed and served at room temperature to optimize oven space; adding dressing and toppings just before serving.

Butternut Squash and Brussel Sprout Salad. Gluten free healthy side dish option for the holidays.

1 # brussel sprouts (cooking spray)
1 medium butternut squash
3-4 stalks of celery, sliced
1/3 pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 T maple syrup
1 tsp miso paste
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. With a sharp knife, remove the ends of the squash. Cut the squash in half where the round end starts to straighten out. Using the knife, carefully remove the outer skin of both halves. Cut the round end in half long ways, and remove seeds. Cut the squash into 1/2″ pieces and place in a bowl. Toss with a little oil and salt then spread onto a foil lined baking sheet. Roast squash for 15-20 minutes, checking and removing from the oven before it gets mushy. While squash is cooking, remove the tough ends of the brussel sprouts and slice thinly, placing in a bowl as you go. In batches, cook sliced brussels in cooking spray over medium heat, in a large non stick pan, just until tender. Set aside when finished. Wipe out the pan and place pumpkin seeds in a dry pan, toasting just until they begin to pop. Remove from pan and set aside. To make the dressing combine cider vinegar through salt in a bowl or blender and mix or blend until well combined. When all components are done. Place squash, brussel sprouts, and celery in a large bowl and toss with dressing. Once that is in it’s serving bowl. Top with pumpkin seeds and crumbled cheese. Salad can be served at room temperature but wait until just before serving to add dressing.

Kale and Farro Salad with Golden Beets

November 17, 2023November 18, 2023Leave a comment

Perfect salad for fall and winter. Great for a Thanksgiving or Holiday side dish.

Vegetarian. Cheese could be omitted for a vegan dish. Special equipment: Spiralizer. Takes 45 minutes.

Feeds 6-8 as side dish

1 1/2 cups dried farro
4-5 cups shredded kale
1# parsnips
1 small red onion (1 T sugar, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 cup white wine vinegar)
1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1 medium golden beet
1/2 cup chopped brazil nuts
1/4-1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tsp agave syrup
1 tsp dijon mustard
leaves of 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 clove of garlic
1/2 tsp kosher salt
fresh black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash the parsnips well. There is no need to peel them. Discarding each end, cut the parsnips into 1/2″ chunks and place in a medium bowl. Toss with a dash of olive oil and salt, and spread onto a foil lined baking sheet. Place in the preheated oven and roast for 25 min. While parsnips roast, cook farro according to package directions. Drain, and set aside. To make the dressing; combine vinegar through pepper and whisk or blend. To make a quick pickled red onion, slice red onion thinly and place in a bowl with sugar, salt, and vinegar. Let sit while you prepare the rest of the salad. Place chopped brazil nuts in a dry pan and toast just until fragrant. Wash beets well, and remove stem and root end. Using a peeler, peel off outer layer. Using a sprializer with the thin ribbon blade, make 2″-3″ spirals out of the beet, placing in a bowl.

You should now have all of the salad components ready: Cooked farro, roasted parsnips, shredded kale, chopped parsley, pickled red onion (drained), toasted brazil nuts, crumbled cheese, and dressing. In a large bowls, toss farro, kale. and parsnips with dressing. Top with nuts, goat cheese crumbles, and pickled onions. Arrange beet spirals on top. You could also just toss it all together in a bowl.

Kale and farro salad with golden beets. A great holiday side dish.

Summer Wedge Salad with Creamy BBQ Dressing

August 28, 2023September 27, 2023Leave a comment

A summery twist on the average wedge salad. The BBQ dressing is creamy but light, using a low sugar BBQ sauce for big flavor and low fat yogurt for a creamy texture.

summer wedge salad with creamy bbq dressing

Feeds 4-6. 30-45 minutes

Recipe

1 head of iceberg lettuce
2 ears corn, kernels removed
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup chopped banana peppers
Big pinch kosher salt
1 5.3 oz container of plain, low fat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup low sugar BBQ sauce
1 tsp cider or rice vinegar
1 T water
Heaping 1/4 tsp salt

Start by hard boiling eggs. Bring salted water to a boil in a small sauce pan. Slide eggs into pan of boiling water, turn off heat, cover pan and let sit for 9-10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Combine corn through kosher salt in a small bowl and toss to combine. Set aside. To make dressing, combine yogurt through salt and whisk until combined. Peel cooled eggs and cut each in half. Cut iceberg lettuce into wedges. Place each wedge on a plate, drizzle with dressing. Toss corn, then spoon over each wedge. Place egg halves on each plate, drizzle with more dressing, if desired, and serve.

This wedge salad makes the brings all the fresh flavors of summer to one filling, high fiber salad.

Chipotle Pasta Salad

October 25, 2022September 29, 2023Leave a comment

This recipe was insprired by a dear friend that loves pasta and mexican food, but his diet lacks nutrition. This is picky eater recipe. It’s easy, flavorful, high fiber, and provides some pops of fresh herbs and vegetables-providing some vitamins and minerals.

Southwest pasta salad. Great for picky eaters

Makes about 6 side dish servings. Takes about 30 minutes to make.

Recipe

8 oz dried pasta
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 can of corn
1 can black beans
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 big chipotle pepper + some liquid from a can of chipotles in adobo
5.3 oz Chobani Plain Non-fat yogurt
2 T mayonnaise product (you could also omit this and use more yogurt)
Salt

Make it your own. Reduce amount of pasta and amp up amount of veg for more of a salad with pasta. Or mix and match with additional optional mix-ins: olives, shredded cheese, avacado, sun dried tomatoes. Get crazy.

Start by boiling salted water for the pasta. When water comes to a boil, cook pasta according to package directions. When pasta is done reserve some pasta water. While pasta cooks, open and drain corn and beans. Dice red pepper and chop cilantro. To make the chipotle dressing, I combine the chipotle plus some adobo sauce, yogurt, mayo, and salt to taste, in the mixing cup that came with my emersion blender. You could also use a small Ninja or even a blender for this. Some how, mix together the chipotle – salt. Put the pasta and a splash of the reserved cooking liquid in a large bowl, stir. Add remaining ingredients and chipotle dressing to the pasta, and toss until combined. Taste and add salt if necessary. If you’ve added too much salt, add a little lime or lemon juice to counteract.