Will Run For Sushi (Salad) Bowl with Wasabi Ginger Dressing

salad bowl

sushi bowl

Have you ever gone to one of your favourite restaurants only to be sadly disappointed by your meal (or overhear the cook complaining about the mouse problem)?  Farmer & I decided to take a mini road trip in the name of one of my favourite Asian Fusion restaurants and some shopping. Unfortunately, the best part of my meal was the wasabi ginger dressing on my avocado salad.  

There is however, nothing disappointing about this sushi (salad) bowl.  It's one of those meals that you can throw together with  whatever you happen to have in your fridge.  Farmer loves sushi and I am in love with the new PC Organics kale/chard/spinach salad mix so it was a quick fix.  Plus it was a great meal after I was all hopped up on post-run endorphins.  I love pavement.  And my i-pod.  And my new skull socks.

  Wasabi Ginger Dressing

(serves 2)

2 T rice wine vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 T sunflower seed butter

1/4 tsp wasabi paste

*1 T minced pickled ginger

In a mason jar combine rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, sunflower seed butter and wasabi paste.  Shake it up until ingredients are well combined.   Stir in minced ginger.  Alternatively, you could combine ingredients in a blender.

Sushi (Salad) Bowl

Add any combination of the following ingredients or some of your own favourites.

sticky rice or PC Organics kale/chard/spinach salad mix

black & white sesame seeds

marinated tempeh or tofu

edamame

pickled ginger

steamed asparagus

steamed mushrooms

avocado

steamed sweet potato

nori strips

Vegetable Pasta Salad

Team Spartan took our training to the next level today.  We battled bogs (maybe it was a really large puddle), a vicious dog (a Chihuahua?), bees and the dreaded burpee (stand, plank, wheeze, moan, jump...you get the idea).  We survived without any chafing, leeches, and only a minimal amount of ego bruising.  It was a pretty good run.

How we looked/felt after the run

After seeing the delicious looking pasta salad that Farmer brought to a bbq yesterday and stealing dill from PB's garden I thought I would try my own take on pasta salad.  This salad is really more of a vegetable salad with a few pieces of gratuitous wholewheat pasta added in for good measure but it was pretty delicious none the less.

Pasta Salad

(4 servings)

12 Cups mixed vegetables (broccoli, carrots, asparagus, mushrooms, peppers, peas)

1 cup shelled steamed edamame 
1 1/2 C cooked wholewheat pasta (3/4 C uncooked)


Dressing

3T olive oil

2 T apple cider vinegar

1 T lemon juice

1T fresh basil minced

1T fresh dill minced

1 large pinch dried oregano

1/2 - 1 tsp dried red pepper flakes

1T diced red onion

Salad Topper

1/4 C nutritional yeast(or parmesan cheese)

1-2 T hulled hemp seed

Instructions


Choose a large pot (big enough for vegetables & pasta).
While waiting impatiently for your pasta to cook prepare vegetables cutting them into bite sized pieces.
 Set mushrooms, peas, and peppers aside.  
When pasta is 1-2 minutes away from being cooked add vegetables to pasta water.
Prepare dressing by whisking all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.

Drain pasta & vegetables. 
 Add mushrooms, peas, and peppers.

Add dressing.

Top with salad topper if desired.

Will Run for Waldorf(ish) Salad

There is nothing quite like being in a change room trapped in a pink shirt with floral applique (how do I even know that word?).  Note to self: a pocket knife isn't a bad idea when clothes shopping.

  I'm in the habit of trying on ridiculous pieces of clothing.  Imagine a polkadot bikini top with ruffles on someone who occasionally gets mistaken for an adolescent boy at the grocery store amongst other places (Farmer loves it when people think that I'm her son helping her bag groceries).

After narrowly escaping a kicking and screaming tantrum while trapped in a bright pink shirt that almost needed to be surgically removed and a pile of pants that I needed to grease myself to get into I thought a salad for supper wasn't such a bad idea (and I LOVE  this variation of waldorf salad).

While this recipe makes a 1/2 cup of dressing and salad for one (excellent for a week worth of lunches) the salad quantities can easily be doubled, tripled, etc. when you feel like you should share.

Waldorf(ish) Salad

Apple Cider Dressing

(approximately 1/2 C)

1/3 C apple cider

3 T apple cider vinegar

1 garlic clove pressed

1T buckwheat honey (or maple syrup or sugar)

1/4 C olive oil

Combine ingredients in a small saucepan over low to medium heat until mixture begins to simmer.  Allow dressing to cool.

Salad

(1 meal sized salad)

1-2 cups iceberg lettuce

2  ribs celery sliced

1/2 C sliced strawberries

1/2 C grapes sliced in half

2 T toasted pecans

1 pink lady apple diced with skin on (Macintosh apples also work well)

4 Gardein crispy tenders sliced or 1/2 C roasted chickpeas

Combine celery, strawberries, grapes, pecans, crispy tender and iceberg lettuce.  Top with desired amount of apple cider dressing (1-2 T).

* If you are feeling a little more adventurous you could try adding hydrated chia seeds (2 tsp of chia seeds + 1/4 C & 2 T of water that has sat long enough to become a gel) to the dressing. I haven't tried this yet so it could be a disaster (similar to mud all over your kitchen because you took my advice on using a old pillowcase to spin salad greens disaster).

Will Run For Broccoli Salad

I'm not quite sure how broccoli salad goes from mayonnaise, cheddar cheese, and bacon bits to tangy tofu dressing, dried raisins, smoked almonds, sunflower seeds and hemp hearts.  Just like I'm not sure if it was Farmer or Housemate who left me with four measly pieces of broccoli where there once was delicious broccoli salad.

Broccoli Salad

Tangy Tofu Dressing

Adapted from Fresh Mayo

(2- 2 1/2 C)

1/2 sweet onion roughly chopped

1 clove chopped garlic

1/4 tsp dried dill

1T water

2 tsp white balsamic vinegar

1 C soft silken tofu

2 T & 2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp sunflower oil

1 T organic sugar

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp miso

2 tsp dijon mustard

4 T white balsamic vinegar

1.  Cook onion, garlic, dill, water, and 2 tsp balsamic vinegar in a frying pan over medium heat until liquid has evaporated.

2.  Remove from heat and place in blender along with onion tofu, olive and sunflower oil, sugar, apple cider vinegar, miso paste, dijon mustard and 4 T white balsamic vinegar.  Blend until desired consistency is reached.  Add additional water as needed.  Place in refrigerator until cool or until your broccoli is ready. 

Broccoli Salad   

4 small heads of broccoli chopped

1/4 C raisins

1/4 C cranberries (or use raisins)

1/4 - 1/2 C sunflower seeds

1/4 C chopped smoked almonds (salted almonds also work)

1-2 T hemp hearts

1 recipe tangy tofu dressing.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Hide from housemates.  Enjoy.

Will Run For Spicy Spelt Berry Salad

Sunday was clean out the fridge day.  It was also curse, swear, & stomp your feet day because the water line connected to your fridge leaked all over your hardwood floor causing it to swell, heave and discolour.  If that wasn't reason enough for cursing, swearing and stomping (difficult to do all at once) water leaking through your basement ceiling is definately reason enough to throw yourself to the floor with arms and legs flailing (slipping in the puddle in front of the refrigerator will also have the same effect). 

Luckily the spelt berry salad came before the leaking, heaving, cursing, swearing and stomping otherwise this post would have been about chocolate cake or Wild Turkey (how that got in the liquor cabinet I don't know.  I think it might have been a house warming gift.  They must have know what we would need it). 

 Spicy Spelt Berry Salad

Dressing

(makes 1/4 C)

juice from one freshly squeezed lemon (approximately 1/4 C)

2 tsp maple syrup

1 tsp garam masala 

Salad

(makes 5-6 cups)

3 C cooked spelt berries (1 1/2 C dry spelt berries)

1 roasted red pepper cut into strips

1/2 C fresh cilantro

1/4 C fresh chives

10 spears of grilled asparagus

19 oz roasted chickpeas (1 tsp of olive oil, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp chipotle powder roasted for approximately 30 minutes @ 375) 

1/2-1 tsp sea salt

Begin by roasting your chickpeas and cooking your spelt berries.  Cooking the spelt for 40-45 minutes gives it a great chewy texture.

spelt berries

Roast red pepper.  Turn your oven to broil.  Slice pepper in half, scrape out seeds and brush lightly with olive oil.  Allow to cook until dark splotches begin to appear. Turn and allow to cook until dark splotches appear on the other side.  Use tongs and place peppers in a bowl with a lid and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes.  Peel off skin and slice into thin strips.

roasted red pepper

While waiting impatiently whisk together lemon juice, maple syrup and garam masala to make dressing.

Grill asparagus (lightly brush with olive oil and either use an indoor grill or roast in oven alongside peppers).

Combine cooked spelt berries, peppers, fresh herbs, asparagus, sea salt and dressing.

spicy spelt berry salad

I'm beginning to think that a cold cellar is the way to go.  Forget setting up the fridge I'll be busy digging a hole in the back yard.  Luckily I have three helpers who would be more than happy to dig.

Will work for treats

Will Run For Summer Salad With Strawberry Vinaigrette

The only thing better than picking fruits and vegetables out of your own garden is picking fruits and vegetables out of a garden that you didn't have to weed.  However,  I can occasionally be convinced to weed if I'm allowed to sample the produce as I weed.  Luckily, this time there was no weeding involved (or bugs, or snakes, or dirt caked under my nails) only two delicious baskets of strawberries.

If baskets of strawberries weren't enough my nasturtium flowers are finally in full bloom.  My garden at home this year consists of kale, spinach, nasturtiums, rosemary, mint and lavender (and even then I can't really be trusted to weed or water).  

Summer Salad

(serves 2)

This salad makes me think of my grandmother.  She will take iceberg lettuce over 'weeds' anyway so I can hear her saying 'no thank you' (code for I would rather eat my own leg) to this salad.  For those of us who are a little more adventurous this salad is delicious!

Ingredients

4 C mixed greens

*1/4 C spiced nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts)

1/4 C diced dates (approximately 7)

1 orange 

*strawberry vinaigrette

10-15 nasturtium flowers & leaves

Gently rinse greens, nasturtium flowers and leaves (unless you don't mind little critters in your salad bowl).   Add diced dates, spiced nuts, and thinly sliced orange slices.  Drizzle with strawberry vinaigrette.

Strawberry Vinaigrette

(3/4 Cup)

After making some pretty bland salad dressings (and feeding them to dinner guests) I thought I would try something a little more exciting.  I came across an interesting recipe at www.wellpreserved.ca but decided to tweak it a little (any excuse to eat maple syrup, lime juice and sunflower oil).

Ingredients

1 C strawberries

1Tbsp maple syrup (not table syrup)

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp sunflower oil

1 tsp poppy seeds

In a small bowl combine strawberries and maple syrup.  Let stand for approximately 1 hour so that the sugar will pull the juices from the berries.

In a blender combine strawberries, maple syrup, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, olive and sunflower oils.  Blend until desired consistency is reached.

Add poppy seeds and enjoy.

Spiced Nuts

(1 C)

Ingredients

1 1/2 tsp earth balance

1 cup nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds)

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp chile powder

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

pinch chipotle powder

Melt earth balance in skillet.

Add nuts and stir until nuts are coated with butter.

Stir in maple syrup until nuts are coated.  Add spices.

Transfer to a baking stone (I covered mine with a silicone mat).   Roast at 300F for 5-10 minutes (watch carefully).