Asian Noodle Salad

It is Day Two of our return to healthy eating and on the menu for today is this rice noodle salad filled with all kinds of fresh nutrient-rich veggies.  Also, as a bonus it is gluten free!

Ingredients:
- 2T fresh grated ginger
- 4 cloves fresh grated garlic
- 5T sesame oil
- 1/4c soy sauce
- 1 package thin rice noodles
- 2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
- Handful of snow peas
- 8oz package sweet pea shoots (you can substitute any kind of sprouts for this)
- 1/4c cilantro, finely chopped
- 1/4c red skinned peanuts

Heat the sesame oil gently over low heat.  Sesame oil has a low smoke point, so be careful not to burn it.  When it is hot, add the ginger and garlic and allow to gently cook for about 3-4 minutes, until sweet.  Remove from the heat, slowly stream in the soy sauce, while whisking.

Thinly slice the peppers and cut the snow peas into about 1/4 inch segments, on a diagonal.  Put the vegetables, including shoots or sprouts, into a bowl and toss with the oil and soy sauce dressing.

Cook the rice noodles according to the package directions and then add to the vegetables in the bowl, while still hot.  I like to do this because it slightly cooks the vegetables, bringing out their sweetness and taking a little bit of the "edge" off of the snow peas.  Toss.  Add cilantro and peanuts.  Chill.

Back from Ireland! (and Broccoli Tomato Salad)

We are back from our whirlwind tour of Ireland!  It was a fabulous trip with lots of quality family time and also some alone time exploring the wild west of Ireland.  As always, Ireland was charming and wonderful, and we ate very well!  Too well, in fact.  So this week we're on a high-fiber, low-fat diet.  The first installment is this broccoli tomato salad, adapted from the Avoca Salads Cookbook. 

Ingredients:
- Florets from 2 heads of broccoli
- 1 pint cherry tomatos, quartered or halved, depending on the size
- 3T pine nuts, toasted
- 3T chevre
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4T red wine vinegar
- 1t dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper
- 2T sunflower oil (can substitute olive oil)

Cut up the broccoli and tomatos.  Toast your pine nuts.  I like to toast my seeds and nuts in a pan on the stovetop, but some prefer to put them under the broiler.  I like the stovetop because you can keep a very close eye on the nuts and toss them as needed.  The up-side of using the broiler is that you can really get it down to a science once you know your oven and how long each type of nut needs to toast.  Once toasted, add your pine nuts.  Use a spoon to cut up the chevre as you add it in, so that it's in small pieces that are easily distributed.

To make the dressing combine the garlic cloves, vinegar, mustard, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl or a small blender/food processor.  Slowly stream in the oil while whisking to make an emulsion.  Pour over the salad.

This recipe makes two perfect lunch portions, so hopefully soon we'll be back on track to feeling fiter and healthier!



French Salade Superb

My mom and I made this salad for a bridal shower we hosted about 2 years ago.  The recipe is adapted from one found in Rachel Ray's 365 30-Minute Meals.  My mom is hosting another shower next month and asked for this recipe.  So in a shameless attempt to get her to read my blog, I've posted it here.  This salad is very flavorful and substantive, and can be a good alternative to a standard lettuce salad, or can stand beside a regular letuce salad without seeming redundant.


Ingredients:
- 2.5 lbs red-skinned potatos
- 8 sliced bacon
- 3T olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
- 4c coarsely chopped kale (1 bunch)
- 3T red wine vinegar
- 1c stock (I have always omitted this ingredient)
- 1/4c finely chopped flat leaf parsley
- Large package of spinach leaves (can also use mixed greens or frissee)

Directions:

Put the potatos in a pot and cover with water, bring to a boil, salt the water, and add potatos.  Boil until cooked, about 15-18 minutes.  Drain potatos and when cooled enough to handle, cut into quarters.

Cook the green beans until just cooked but still crisp.

Crisp the bacon.

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat and add about 2T olive oil.  Add the red onion slices and saute until just tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the kale in small bunches until all is wilted down.  Add the vinegar (and broth, if desired) and remove from heat.

Toss the potatos, green beans, kale mixture, bacon, and spinach together.  If you are making this salad ahead of time, combine all ingredients except spinach and toss with spinach at the end.

Enjoy!