Posts Tagged 'salad'

Green Bean and Potato Salad with a Lemon-Dijon Dressing

Published July 25, 2010 Uncategorized 2 Comments
Tags: , , ,

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

My Dad spends a lot of his free time in the backyard during the warmer months of the year, although instead of half-nakedly basking in the sun and doing crosswords as per usual, this year he has devoted much of his time toiling away in his new vegetable garden. I was really proud of his little backyard project when he started planting it, and especially now that the first harvest of vegetables are popping up. He’s got two types of beans growing back there, but these tender green beans were ready for picking about a week ago, so I took a commuter train back to Oakville on my day off and loaded up. The end result was this green bean and potato salad, which I was pretty pleased with, because of how well all the flavours paired with each other; both the dill and the lemony dressing compliment the potatoes nicely and the same goes for the toasted almonds and the green beans. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon sugar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup sliced almonds, toasted
2 pounds new potatoes (I used a mixture of baby red and white potatoes)
½ pound green beans, blanched and cut in half
2 stalks green onion, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh dill, chopped

Instructions:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, lemon juice, sugar, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the olive oil and whisk until incorporated. Set dressing aside for later.
2. To toast the almonds, heat a pan over low to medium heat and toss them in. Stir them frequently and keep an eye on them, because they can burn easily. Should only take a few minutes.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until fork tender, about 8-12 minutes, depending on the size. With a slotted spoon, remove the potatoes and run them under cold water until cool enough to handle. Cut potatoes in half (or quarters if they’re bigger) and set aside.
4. In the same boiling water, add the green beans and blanche for about a minute. Remove the beans from the cooking water and throw them into a large bowl filled with ice to stop them from cooking (this way they’ll retain their vibrant green colour. You could also run them under really cold water for a bit). Once cool, cut them in half.
5. In a large mixing bowl, combine the potatoes, green beans, almonds, green onions, and dill. Stir in the dressing and mix well. Season to taste with more salt and pepper. Drizzle with a touch more lemon juice and olive oil before serving.
Makes: 4 servings

Roasted Beet and Barley Salad

Published June 23, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: , ,

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted something. I took a summer course this year so that I could finish my degree quicker and since the semester is just finishing up, I’ve been quite occupied with studying/essay writing. Between school and work, I’ve been an awfully busy boy. Even though I’ve been dreaming up plenty of berry-related recipes with it being June and all, I’m pretty stoked on this recipe, because it’s been a long time since I’ve cooked with beets. I had originally made a version where I boiled the beets in their skins, peeled and diced them up, and then marinated them before adding them to the barley salad, but it ended up kind of lame. So I figured that since roasted root vegetables are almost always delicious if done right, I went this route instead. Oh yeah, this recipe is for my buddy Dave (a.k.a. blog superfan), to whom I promised I could think of a better use for beets than shredding them raw and putting them into a mixed greens salad!

Ingredients:
1 cup barley
3 cups water
2 medium or large beets, peeled and cut into thin wedges
1 cup walnuts*
2 green onions, sliced
Handful fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed orange juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a saucepan bring the barley and the water to a boil. Once boiling, immediately turn heat down to low, cover, and let simmer for about 45 to 50 minutes, until the barley is cooked and has absorbed most of the water. If the barley is already cooked after 50 minutes and there’s still some water floating around the saucepan, just drain the grains in a metal strainer over the sink.
3. Meanwhile, toss the beet wedges with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and spread them out onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Season with a nice pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Throw them into the oven and let them roast for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until they’re cooked through and just beginning to blacked around the edges. Be sure to shake them about halfway though so they don’t burn on one side.
4. Let beets cool a bit before handling. In a large bowl, stir together the beets and cooked barley with the walnuts, green onion, basil, 1 tablespoon olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and orange juice. Generously season with a bit more salt and pepper.
Serves: 3 to 5

*If you’re using raw and not roasted walnuts, just toast them in a pan over medium-heat until fragrant. Be careful not to burn them.

Shaved Asparagus and Fennel Salad

Published June 6, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: , , ,

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I really liked the way this fresh spring salad turned out, which is good, because I really like asparagus. It’s been in season since early May, but the good local stuff should only be around for another couple weeks, so I’ve been loading up on it lately. This salad is suspiciously similar to a previous fennel salad post, but whatever, I bet none of you would have even noticed if I hadn’t just said that… um, enjoy!

Ingredients:
10 stalks asparagus
1 navel orange, peeled and cut into segments
2 teaspoons orange zest
1/2 bulb fennel, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
2 to 3 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted in a saucepan over medium-heat
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. Remove the tough, woody stems from the asparagus stalks and cut the tips off. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil and blanch the asparagus tips for about 10 seconds. Drain into a strainer and immediately run the tips under cold water until cool. Into a large bowl, shave the asparagus lengthwise using a vegetable peeler. Add the blanched tips to the bowl.
2. If you don’t know how to segment an orange, watch this video. However, before peeling the orange and segmenting it, zest it with a fine grater or scraping it with a seraded knife. Add the segments and the orange zest to the asparagus bowl.
3. Add the fennel, orange juice, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, and pine nuts. Mix together gently with your fingertips until well-combined. Season to taste with a bbig pinch of salt and a bit of black pepper.
Serves: 3 to 4

Potato and Cucumber Salad

Published April 28, 2010 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Tags: , , ,

So Brooks and I had another giant dinner party last week. I got a chance to fire up the BBQ for the first time this season and it was another success. We fed about 30 people, it was nuts. I remember making Brooks take some photos, so once I get around to hassling him for them, I’ll probably put them up on here to share with you. Or Brooks, if you’re reading this, which you probably are, just send those over. Thanks, buddy.

Anyway, I made a variation of this dish at the BBQ as an appetizer salad, only I used chickpeas instead of potatoes. You could always throw in some chickpeas to beef up the protein, but I want to keep this one simple and the dill goes so good with the cucumber and potatoes that it’s all you really need. I probably should have made it with potatoes at Brooks’, but I made veggie kebabs that already had potatoes on them and I didn’t want to get redundant, you know? The kebabs were definitely one of the crowd favourites, I think. I basted them with the miso glaze from this recipe and I borrowed an awesome recipe from Vegan Dad for some seitan ‘beef’ chunks that I skewered with the veggies. Vegan Dad rules and I suggest everyone reading this check out his webspace.

The baby potatoes used in the recipe are also called ‘new potatoes.’ Basically, these tiny tubers are miniature varieties of potatoes which are harvested immaturely in either the spring of summer. It’s the same deal as baby corn, but not creepy looking. New potatoes are usually available in all different kinds of varieties. The young skins are super thin, so you don’t have to bother peeling them, which would be tedious anyway. I used white potatoes in this recipe, because Yukon Golds weren’t available at the grocery I was at last night and didn’t really want to wait another day before making this recipe! Also, make sure you give your potatoes a good scrub under running water before cooking them.

Ingredients:
18 to 20 baby Yukon Gold potatoes, washed (red potatoes are good too)
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup water
1/2 clove garlic, finely minced or grated
2 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon organic cane sugar
Sea salt, to taste
4 cups cucumber, diced
8 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
3 stalks green onion, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh dill, chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. Fill a large saucepan with well salted water and bring to a boil. Add the whole baby potatoes and cook until fork tender, about 13 or 14 minutes. Drain and let cool to room temperature.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, water, garlic, lemon juice, and sugar with a fork until well combined. Season with a good pinch of salt.
3. Once the potatoes have cooled, cut them in half. In a large mixing bowl, combine the potatoes, cucumber, tomatoes, and green onions. Pour in the tahini dressing and mix well.
4. Stir in the fresh dill, olive oil, and smoked paprika. Season with a nice, fat pinch of salt and a few grinds from your pepper mill.
Serves: 3 to 4

Fennel and Apple Salad

Published March 14, 2010 Uncategorized 2 Comments
Tags: , ,

Simple and tasty. This salad might be the best salad I’ve ever made. Either that, or I just really, really love fresh thyme in lemony dressed salads. Actually, it’s probably both. I originally made this about a week and half ago as part of a meal for a dinner date; she liked it so much that I’m sure it was one of the deciding factors in wanting to see me again!

Fennel is kind of a funky looking vegetable, but don’t be afraid of it. What you want is the large white bulb part. Cut the greenish stalks off and discard them, but keep the leafy little fronds and use them as a garnish for the salad. The fronds are pretty looking and retain some the anise flavour of the vegetable. Take the layered bulb, cut it in half, and then remove the tough inner core at the base with your knife.

Ingredients:
¼ cup pine nuts
½ bulb fennel, cut into thin strips (a little more than 2 cups)
1 small apple (I used a Gala apple), cut into matchstick sized pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
1½ tablespoons fresh thyme, minced
Small handful fresh parsley, chopped
Juice of half a lemon (or a bit less, mine was super lemony)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. In a small skillet over medium-low heat, toast the pine nuts until fragrant and beginning to brown. Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients (including the toasted pine nuts) with a big pinch of salt and a few turns from your pepper mill. Gently toss it all together with your fingers.
3. Arrange each serving on your plate or bowl and garnish with a few of the leafy fennel fronds.
Servings: 2 to 4

Quinoa Tabouli

Published January 31, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: , , ,

Tabouli is a popular Middle Eastern salad. Traditionally, it consists of two main ingredients: parsley and cooked bulgur (a cereal grain made from wheat). I ditched the bulgur and went with quinoa, because everyone loves it and no one can pronounce it… just kidding (sort of), I really used quinoa here because its delicious, nutritious, and I cook with it a lot. In the last kitchen I worked at, we used to make a similar tabouli-type grain salad as a salad topping with leftover quinoa from the day before. I especially like this dish, because it’s pretty versatile and makes lots of leftovers; you can use it as a side or  a main, top green salads with it, stuff it into roasted tomatoes, etc. I ate it alongside some cooked green beans and garlicky roasted sweet potatoes. Although, don’t be fooled by the moderately sized, photogenic portion to the left: my real dinner serving was much more… generous. I’m hungry. Let’s eat.

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa, well rinsed
1½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth or water
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced or finely grated
1/3 cup red onion, minced (if you don’t like raw onions that much, use scallions)
1/2 cup red and/or green bell pepper, diced
1 medium-sized tomato, diced
1/2 cup cucumber, diced
1/3 cup dried cranberries*
1½ cups fresh parsley, minced
1/2 cup fresh mint, minced
2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of one lemon
1/4 cup pistachios or walnuts (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. In a small saucepan, combine the quinoa and vegetable broth/water. Add a 1/4 teaspoon salt and turn heat to high. Once boiling, immediately turn heat down to low, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and let sit, still covered, for another 15 minutes. Remove lid and fluff with fork. Let cool to room temperature.
3. Place cooked quinoa into a large mixing bowl. Add the garlic, red onion, bell pepper, tomato, cucumber, cranberries, parsley, mint, olive oil, lemon juice, optional nuts, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper, to taste. Mix well with a spoon or fork. If needed, season to taste with extra mint, lemon juice, and/or salt.
Serves: 3 or 4 mains, 6 or 7 sides

*For the gluten-free option, make sure the dried cranberries aren’t dusted in flour by the manufacturer to prevent them from sticking.

Soba Salad with a Spicy Sesame-Tahini Dressing

Published January 19, 2010 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Tags: , , , ,

So my good friend Anthony (a.k.a. Tony from Welland, Tones, WPT, etc.) brought to my attention that it might be a good idea if I were to feature consecutive recipes that used similar main ingredients. I suppose the practicality of this idea was so that whoever reading the blog would have something else to make with the ingredients that they had previously bought for the prior recipe. Regardless of the fact that Tony is probably the only person who actually makes nearly everything I post on this tiny web space, this seems like a pretty good idea! So Tones, this recipe is for you. And I hope you remember it when, during the aftermath of the nuclear holocaust of 2012 in which every individual is fending for her/himself in a ‘survival of the fittest’ environment, you’re tempted to forcibly overthrow the Corder family compound in order to plunder our increasingly valuable preserves, rations, and ammunition… Love you, Tones!

So yeah, more soba noodles with this one. Truth be told, I wasn’t really overwhelmed with the way this dish turned out. It was pretty good, but I think I set the bar too high in my head, since I had been thinking of doing a soba salad with a tahini-based dressing for a long time. It’s still decent though! Feel free to mess around and add/substract whatever salad toppings you like. I originally wanted to do it with some shelled edamame, but I couldn’t be bothered to drive to Whole Foods after not finding them at the nearest two generic suburban supermarkets… ugh, welcome to suburbia: Whole Foods and Metro/Sobeys. Which is worse? I need to get out of my parents’ house and back into the city. Anyway, I digress. The carrots and red pepper are tasty and add a good crunch, but feel free to add things like avocado, marinated tofu, cooked green beans, toasted nuts or seeds, etc. Also, if you want, double up the tahini dressing recipe and save the other half for future salads. It should hold up in the fridge for about 5 days or so!

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups cooked soba
1 cup snow peas
1/4 cup tahini
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon good quality soy sauce
2 teaspoons agave nectar (or 2 teaspoons organic cane sugar)
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek (or other hot chili sauce)
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Sea salt, to taste
1/3 cup carrot, thinly sliced vertically
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons green onion, sliced
Black and white sesame seeds, garnish (optional)

Instructions:
1. Cook the soba according to package instructions. Drain and run under cold water until chilled.
2. Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the snow peas and quickly blanch for about 5 seconds. Immediately drain and run under cold water. Set aside for later.
2. In a bowl, combine the tahini, water, soy sauce, agave (or sugar), rice vinegar, sambal, sesame oil, and a pinch of salt. Whisk together until well incorporated.
3. In a mixing bowl, toss together the cold soba noodles and tahini dressing. Once well dressed, mix in the snow peas, carrot, red bell pepper, and green onions.
4. Garnish each serving with a bit more green onions and some of the optional sesame seeds.
Makes: 2 to 4 servings

Roasted Pear and Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

Published January 6, 2010 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Tags: , , , ,

Alright, so if you’re not into quinoa, get into it now! This whole grain is simple, quick, delicious, and really good for you. Quinoa has been around forever in parts of South America, where it originated. It’s become super popular more recently in North America, mostly because of its health benefits. Not only is it higher in protein than most whole grains, its also a complete protein source because of its balance of essential amino acids… well, that’s what Wikipedia says anyway. Whatever, I trust them… the internet never lies!

When preparing quinoa, make sure you rinse the uncooked grains very well under running water for a few minutes, preferably in a very fine metal strainer (thrifty chefs see: the dollar store). Quinoa grains have a slightly bitter coating and taste a lot better cooked when most of the bitter part is washed off.

This quinoa dish was the other salad that I served along with the candied pecan and apple salad at a party earlier last week. After I mentioned it in another blog entry, a few people asked for the recipe. So here it is, friends!

Oh, I should also point out that I was inspired by a similar recipe at the awesome blog, FatFree Vegan, so I can’t really take full credit for this recipe!

Ingredients:
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh thyme leaves, minced
2 Bosc pears, peeled and cubed
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 shallots, diced
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 1/2 cup low sodium or homemade vegetable broth or water (if not using homemade broth, I swear by the low sodium organic one from Imagine)
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Juice of half a lemon
2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted in a skillet over medium heat (about 5 minutes)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, toss the pear and butternut squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, and a few turns from your pepper mill. Roast for 35 minutes, turning about halfway through the cooking time. Add a couple good pinches of the minced fresh thyme and roast for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium/medium-low heat. Add shallots and garlic. Sauté for about 3 or 4 minutes, stirring often, until shallots are softening and garlic is fragrant (add a tablespoon or so of water if it begins to stick).
3. Add quinoa, 1 tablespoon of the minced fresh thyme, and big pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Sauté for another 2 or 3 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add vegetable broth or water, turn heat up to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, immediately turn heat to low, cover saucepan, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit with the lid still on for another 10 minutes. Uncover, fluff gently with a fork and let cool for about 10 minutes.
5. In a large bowl, gently toss together the cooked quinoa, pear, butternut squash, parsley, lemon juice, pine nuts, 1/4 teaspoon more minced fresh thyme, and tiny drizzle of olive oil. Season to taste with bit more sea salt and black pepper.
Serves: 3 to 5

Candied Pecan and Apple Salad with a Simple Dijon Vinaigrette

Published January 4, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: , , , ,

I made this salad for a party at my friend’s house last Tuesday, which I blogged about a few days ago. I loved the sweet and salty roasted pecans so much that I’d definitely serve them on their own as an easy snack sometime in the future. If I were to make this salad again, I probably would have used all Granny Smith green apples, because I really liked their tartness with the sweetness of the pecans. Mmmmmm. Regardless of what Homer had to say, you can win friends with salad!

My dad, the designated wine guy for the blog, says that a good wine pairing for this salad would be either a glass of Jackson-Triggs’ Sparkling Chardonnay Brut or their 2007 Unoaked Chardonnay. All wines are certified vegan-friendly according to the database over at Barnivore.com!

For the Dijon vinaigrette:
1/2 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon organic cane sugar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.
2. Add the olive oil and whisk until emulsified.

For the salad:
1 cup raw pecans
1/3 cup pure maple syrup (don’t you dare use generic table syrup)
Sea salt
5 oz. package (142 grams) of mixed greens (I used a mix with radicchio and frisée for a nice crisp texture)
2 apples, cut into thin strips (I used one Royal Gala and one Granny Smith)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, very thinly sliced
1/2 cup dried apricots, thinly sliced
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced diagonally
1/8 cup red onion, very thinly sliced

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the pecans with the maple syrup. Spread onto a baking tray lined with aluminum foil and throw into the oven for about 16 minutes, until the nuts smell nice and roasted, but not burnt. Make sure to turn them after about 8 minutes.
3. Once the pecans are roasted, remove from oven and sprinkle evenly with a tiny pinch of sea salt. Let cool and peel off of the aluminum foil. They might stick a bit, but you should be able to get them all off!
4. In a large salad bowl, combine the cooled candied pecans with the mixed greens, apples, fresh mint, dried apricots, celery, red onion, and the Dijon vinaigrette. Delicately mix together with both your hands, without letting all the heavier ingredients sink to the bottom! Season each plated serving with another tiny pinch of sea salt.
Serves: 3 to 5

Nada’s Easy Chickpeasy Salad!

Published December 27, 2009 Uncategorized 3 Comments
Tags: , , , ,

My dear friend, Nada Alic, who co-writes an awesome music blog called ‘Friends With Both Arms,’ is heading south for an indefinite period of time to live and work in The City of Angels. She will be missed. With whom will I listen to Coast to Coast on late night drives? Or argue with about the ethics of pornography? Or laugh with about the absurdity of mismatching socks?! It’s going to be tough. But hey, now I’ve got a pretty good reason to visit Southern California; a place I haven’t yet been. Imagine? Some pasty-white Canadian hoser trying to steady himself on a surfboard, but spending more time choking on salt water instead?! What a wonderfully hilarious sight that will be!

I knew Nada would like this super simple, easy-to-make bean salad, which is why this lil’ recipe is dedicated to her. Also, if you want to up the nutritional value to this dish, add a heaping tablespoon of flax seeds.

Ingredients:
19 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
12 cherry tomatoes, halved (or about a cup of diced tomatoes)
1/3 cup red onion, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of ground cumin
Juice of half a big lemon
Big handful of fresh herbs, chopped (I used a combination of cilantro and basil, but parsley or mint would be great too)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Intsructions:
1. Combine all the ingredients into a big bowl. Season to taste with a nice, big pinch of the salt and a few turns from your pepper mill.
2. Mix it all up real good and enjoy!

Serves: 3-5

Welcome!

My name is Ross. I'm a food loving vegan and these are some of my recipes. I'm also the owner of Hot Beans vegan takeout in Kensington Market, Toronto. Check out my 'about' page for more info. Enjoy!

Follow blog and Hot Beans updates on Twitter!

@VeganEatsBlog @hotbeansvegan
All images and recipes (unless otherwise noted) Copyright © Ross Corder and Vegan Eats Blog, 2009-2012. All rights reserved. Please do not re-post or otherwise duplicate without permission. Thanks! Also, the "gluten-free" recipe tag is meant primarily for cataloging purposes and does not necessarily ensure that the recipe is completely gluten-free. Be careful to read the labels of any pre-packaged products to ensure that they are indeed gluten-free!
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 32 other followers