Endive and Spinach Salad | Day 28 of 31 Days of Salad

Saturday, January 28, 2012




Kara and I met at church when we lived in Santa Cruz. She and I connected over food and parenting. She is the mama to two beautiful little girls, Ada and Lola. Kara is a total sweetheart, and didn't make fun of me for not knowing anything about American football when we watched the superbowl together at her house, and she also didn't seem to mind that I devoured all the snacks she had made. You can follow her on her blog, Kara in the Kitchen  for some tasty recipes and also on Facebook. 

Hello Kitchen Corners readers! I am so excited to be a part of Damaris' 31 days of salad. I first met her when my family and I moved to Santa Cruz. I'd been wanting to start a food blog for a while, and when I found out that she had one, I told her so. She said, "Do it!" So I did. And here I am, almost one year later -- cooking, baking, and blogging away. I hope you all enjoy this salad, it is my own re-creation and combination of two salads that I love. Let's start off with the correct pronunciation of endive. It's on-DEEV, not on-DIVE. My French-speaking husband says so. Plus, doesn't it make you feel refined? "I'll have the ondeeeev salad, please." So fancy.




Endive & Spinach Salad

2 endives 
2 handfuls baby spinach 
1 apple or pear, thinly sliced (optional) 
1 oz. walnuts, chopped 
1/4 c. Craisins 
1/4 c. blue cheese crumbles 

In a medium bowl, toss endives, spinach, and apple. Sprinkle with walnuts, Craisins, and blue cheese crumbles. 

For the Creamy Mustard Vinaigrette 
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar 
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar 
1 Tablespoon stone ground mustard 
1 teaspoon brown sugar 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
1 cup extra virgin olive oil 

Combine ingredients and puree using an immersion blender, food processor, or blender. Serve atop salad and enjoy!



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The Leftover Salad | Day 27 of 31 Days of Salad

Friday, January 27, 2012



Today I cooked for a total of 1 minute. I made a salad using leftovers. I do that a lot actually. I don't make elaborate meals every day. In fact most days our meals are simple, repetitive, reliable. Things I know the kids will eat. Basically we eat a lot of rice and beans.

It's not everyday that dinner is center stage. Usually dancing in the living room is center stage. Or building a fort, or going to the beach, reading books, those sorts of things. And then when we need a break we sit down as a family, give thanks to God for our food, our life, our family, and we eat, we clean up, and we go right back to where we left off.

Today my 1 minute of cooking was the 1 minute I needed to assemble this salad.




I didn't even bother to make any for the kids or for anyone else. It's rare when I get the chance to do that. Usually someone needs me. But at that exact moment everyone was fine. They were either dancing or cuddling.

I use leftovers on salads pretty often. It's easy to throw some black beans on top of some arugula and quickly slice some tomatoes. These are my favorite kinds of salads actually. There's something psychologically satisfying in using leftovers.

Today, no recipe. Just a quick hi.

p.s Enzo and Iris were dancing to the tune of this little gem when I snapped that shot. If you need a little song to carry you over to the weekend I think that song will do the trick.

xoxo







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Great Ingredients to Add to your Salad | Day 26 of 31 Days of Salad

Thursday, January 26, 2012


I met Marie last year in Mexico at Food Blog Camp. She introduced me to two very addicting things - the game Angry Birds and the books The Hunger Games. Marie is super fun. She's also super smart and a great writer, photographer, and cook. You have to check out her blog Meandering Eats. You can also find Marie on Facebook and Twitter. Thanks Marie your your great post.

I recently visited my sister-in-law to celebrate her baby shower. She's been telling me that pregnancy can be rough, but at least the clothes are comfortable. Loose dresses, empire-waisted tops, and pants that look like everyday jeans or cordoroys (and fit like them), but are equipped with elastic waist bands. To my husband's dismay, I may have explored the possibility of buying a pair of these pants. Clearly, I'm in need of a few weeks of cleansing salads to get myself back into shape.

So, when Da asked for a guest post, I was happy to oblige for the sake of a swift kick in the non-elastic-waisted pants. Yet, at the latter part of a month of salads, I was a little stumped as to an interesting salad recipe. I thought I'd talk a little about my favorite salad ingredients. Some can add a few calories, but they also add a lot of flavor, which helps me stick to a healthier regimen. One of the best ways to bring lots of flavor, but not a lot of crud, to a salad is to make vinaigrette. Store-bought salad dressings tend to have a lot of sodium, fat, and other unhealthy ingredients, so making your own ensures control over what goes into the salad. I like Mark Bittman's super-simple vinaigrette and scale the ingredients down for a single serving in a jar. Put the lid on, take it to work, and shake it up when I'm ready for lunch. Dried fruits, like cranberries, raisins, or currants, are fantastic additions whether or not fresh fruit is available. I find that dried fruits pair excellently with nuts. Pictured above are pistachios and candied walnuts.


On the other hand, we're extremely lucky here in California to have fresh fruit year-round. In January, citrus is the most common, but so are apples and pears. I love adding fruit to a salad. Healthy, simple, and a sweet contrast to the saltier dressing. Also, fruit can be added to the vinaigrette. Think about raspberry vinegars or lemon oils. Cheese is an excellent topper, but too much defeats the point of a salad. I love a simple chevre and for more flavor, mixed in dukkah seasoning. The dukkah is smoky and nutty, which works perfectly with tart goat cheese.


Root veggies like beets and fennel taste fantastic. I like to roast them and I know some like to add the raw fennel fronds to salad. One of my favorite salads is arugula, roasted beets, grapefruit, chevre, and another favorite topping: fresh mint. Top with a simple vinaigrette and it's a salad that is flavorful and filling. In the summer, add pine nuts and swap out the grapefruit for watermelon. Salads like these keep me out of the maternity-wear stores... although those elastic-waistbands are still extremely tempting.



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Arugula with Yogurt Dressing and Granola Salad | Day 25 of 31 Days of Salad

Wednesday, January 25, 2012


Since our month of salads is coming to an end I'm feeling a little daring and willing to expose some of my salad secrets. I love salad with granola. Please don't think I'm weird, because I promise you arugula and granola go so, so, well together.

Arugula (or as the British call it, rocket) is my favorite leafy edible green, which is strange because I'm a total wimp when it comes to hot spicy food, and arugula is a bit spicy, just a teeny bit. But I love how my mouth tingles when I eat it, and I love how crunchy and refreshing it is all at the same time. Add some yogurt dressing and some granola and you've got yourself a great salad.





Arugula with Yogurt Dressing and Granola
(printable version)
serves 2


Arugula, enough for 1 small salad bowl (I personally like using hydroponic arugula)
1 tablespoon plain yogurt
1/2 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons granola


Gently rinse out and dry the arugula. Mix the yogurt with lime juice to make the dressing. Gently toss the arugula with the dressing and add the granola on top.





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Mango Salsa Salad | Day 24 of 31 Days of Salad

Tuesday, January 24, 2012


The first time I had mango salsa was on my wedding day. My brother-in-law Danny made a big bowl of mango salsa to serve at our reception. There's a little wedding video (gosh where is that by the way?) and about 5 minutes of it is Christian eating mango salsa. I think the whole video is like 7 minutes long.

Another fact - In Brazil it is very untraditional to eat avocado in savory dishes and even more untraditional to eat mangoes in savory dishes. We've made mango salsa a couple of times here in Bahia and my little sister won't even come near it. More for us!

And yet another fact-  I call mango salsa mango salsa salad because to me salsa calls for tortillas which is something I don't normally have whereas salad can be an anytime deal.






I love eating mango salad with fish, and fish is something we have plenty of here. And I love eating mango salsa with fajitas, something we don't get much of.

But when we do it looks like this.
And it tastes so good.



And then the next day when the tortillas are gone, because they go quickly, salsa becomes salad again. I eat it plain, or with white rice and some fried fish. Seriously, one of my favorite salads ever.


Mango Salsa Salad
(printable version)


3 medium sized ripe, but firm, mangoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into cubes
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup lime juice
1/2 of a red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste


In a small salad bowl combine all of the ingredients and gently toss.











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