Carrot-Apple-Fennel Salad with Walnuts

One of my most favorite autumn vegetables (as if they all are not my favorite) is fennel. I think fennel is the best in autumn, even though you can get it year round in mild climates. When raw, it is crisp and refreshing with a licorice like scent and flavor. When sliced paper thin, it's crunch really adds a wonderful texture to salads. My husband and I actually love just plain raw fennel salads dressed simply with lemon juice and olive oil and some parsley, delicious! It is also wonderful cooked too. If someone tells me they don't like fennel, I make them some simple roast fennel and they take back their words every time. When cooked, it will lose much of it's licorice like flavor.

In this salad, paper thin fennel slices are combined with sliced apples and shredded carrots for a beautiful, colorful combination. I add raw walnuts for a little nuttiness and extra fat (the walnuts can be toasted, but their omega-3 fatty acids will be damaged in the process). A simple dressing and some fresh herbs is all this salad needs to finish it off. I like to use the fennel's fronds as an herb, so if you buy your fennel with the stalks on, save the fronds for an herb and the stalks for vegetable stock.

This salad is great with any white fish, chicken, or even pork, or along side a tomato chickpea stew.

Sorry, no picture today, the camera is acting up and I can't get it to work. I will post one later if possible.

Carrot-Apple-Fennel Salad with Walnuts

 Serves 4-6
 Autumn
-2 large carrots, peeled and shredded
-1 sweet, crisp apple (such as Gala)
-1 bulb fennel, fronds removed and reserved
-2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
-1 tablespoon agave nectar
-1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-1 tablespoon chopped parsley
-1 tablespoon chopped fennel frond
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
-Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste



Place the shredded carrots into a large bowl and set aside.
Quarter the apple lengthwise and cut out the core. Halve the fennel bulb and cut out the core. Using a mandolin or very sharp knife, slice the apple and fennel thinly and add to the bowl with the carrots. Squeeze 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice over the vegetables and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl whisk together the agave nectar, apple cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, parsley, and fennel frond. Pour over the salad and toss to coat. Add in the walnuts. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper, and lemon juice if necessary.

Roasted Autumn Harvest Vegetable and Bulgar Wheat Salad

Autumn is the best time of year at the farmers market, especially here in SLO county. I have to say that September through November are probably the most abundant three months of the entire year, and I feel sorry for whom ever does not take advantage of it. Summer and autumn sort of crash into each other, and it seems like everything is in season. It is amazing to see autumn apples right next to dry farmed watermelons; pumpkins next to bell peppers and green beans; and tomatoes next to collard geens. I LOVE it!!! I have been so busy lately that I feel like autumn is passing me by way to quickly. I have hardly entered the kitchen except to throw something quick together (between teaching night culinary classes, my one year old, and my husband's two businesses, I feel quite swamped). This recipe sort of came out of using up what was left in the fridge before the next mornings trip to the farmers market. I really like it, but I have done bulgar wheat salads before. I love whole grain salads though... they are so easily adapted to any season, are nourishing and filling, and typically quite easy to prepare. Hope you like it!! Oh... and I know I have been using sheep milk feta and goat cheese way too much... I am going to try and incorporate some different cheeses in. It is just that they both are so good, especially with autumn fruits (by far the most unique of the year)!!!

Roasted Autumn Harvest Vegetable and Bulgar Wheat Salad
Serves 4 as a side dish
Autumn
-1 cup bulgar wheat
-1 3/4 cup vegetable stock or water
-1 bulb fennel cut into 1/2" wedges through the core
-1 small orange bell pepper, seeds removed and pepper quartered
-1 small red bell pepper, seeds removed and pepper quartered
-2 portobello mushrooms, sliced into 1 inch slices
-1 red onion, cut into 1/2" wedges
-1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-salt and fresh ground pepper

Combine the bulgar wheat and vegetable stock in a sauce pot. Add a good pinch of salt and bring to a boil, immediately turn down to a simmer, cover, and cook until the bulgar wheat has absorbed all liquid, about 10-15 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.

Pre-heat oven to 400 F. Toss cut autumn vegetables with the extra virgin olive oil, a good pinch of salt, and a few grindings of fresh pepper. Pour out onto a baking sheet or tray, and roast in the oven until tender and slightly browned in areas, about 20-25 minutes. Set aside to cool. Rough cut the vegetables into bite sized pieces. In a large bowl combine the vegetables with the bulgar wheat. Finish the recipe as follows...

To Finish
-1/2 cup toasted and chopped walnuts
-1/3 to 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese or sheep milk feta
-1/4 cup chopped basil
-Juice of 1 orange
-1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
-2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Toss the bulgar wheat and vegetables with all of the above ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary with salt and fresh ground pepper.

Warm Apricot and Toasty Goat Cheese Salad with Wild Arugula and Walnuts

Last Saturday some really terrific apricots showed up at the farmers market. They are very small with the largest being about the size of a golf ball. I decided to stuff the apricot halves with goat cheese and then put them under the broiler to slightly brown the top. Paired with some spicy and nutty wild arugula, this salad is probably one of my all time favorites. The arugula is dressed simply to taste with the best quality extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, coarse salt, and fresh ground white pepper.

Warm Apricot and Toasty Goat Cheese Salad with Wild Arugula and Walnuts
Serves 2-4
Mid Summer

-3-4 apricots, halved and pits removed
-2 ounces goat cheese at room temperature
-1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
-1 bunch wild arugula (also known as sylvetta), washed and spun dry
-Best quality extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar
-handful of toasted and chopped walnuts
salt and fresh ground white pepper

Pre-heat the broiler on high

Place the apricots cut side up in an oven proof baking dish. Mix the teaspoon of olive oil into the goat cheese and season to taste with salt and fresh ground white pepper. spoon the cheese into the apricot halves. Place under the broiler and cook until warm and the cheese has begun to brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.

In a large bowl, dress the arugula to taste with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and fresh ground white pepper. Arrange onto plates. Scatter a few walnuts onto each plate and divide the apricots accordingly. I like to drizzle a little more olive oil onto the plate.

Early Summer Vegetable and Kamut Berry Salad

This whole grain salad was made spur of the moment, and was delicious. The farmers market was just beautiful on Saturday, and this salad showcases some of the most recent new comers to the market. Kamut Berries (as well as spelt) are an ancient type of wheat, easily digestible, and hypoallergenic. Many people with wheat sensitivities find they can consume Kamut berries. Quick note about cooking Kamut, or any type of wheat berry; they are very chewy. It can be hard to tell when wheat berries are done. They will be tender, non chalky, very chewy, and void of any raw flavor.

Early Summer Vegetable and Kamut Berry Salad
Serves 4 as a side dish, 2 as a light lunch

-1 golden beet
- ½ cup kamut berries
- ¼ pound green beans, stemmed
-7-10 grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered
- ¼ cup minced red onion
-Handful chopped and toasted hazelnuts
-1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves
-1/2 tablespoon chopped tarragon
-1 tablespoon chopped parsley
-3-4 tablespoons Sherry Vinaigrette
-Salt and fresh ground white pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 350̊F.

Wash and trim the golden beet. Wrap in foil and place in the oven. Bake the beet, letting it steam in the foil, until tender, about 45-60 minutes. Un-wrap the foil and let cool. Peel and dice the beet into small cubes. Set aside.

In a small sauce pan, place the kamut berries and cover with 2 ½ cups water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until tender but still chewy, about 45-60 minutes depending on the age of the berries. Drain, cool, and set aside.
Cut the green beans into thirds. Steam or blanch until tender but still slightly crisp, about 4 minutes. Shock under cold running water and set aside.

Combined the diced beet, kamut berries, green beans, tomatoes, red onion, hazelnuts, mint, tarragon, parsley, and 3 tablespoons of the sherry vinaigrette in a large bowl. Mix well and taste for seasoning. If the salad seems dry, add a little more vinaigrette. Remember, you can always add more, but never take away. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and fresh ground white pepper.

Bulgur Wheat and Fava Bean Salad with Feta Cheese, Lemon Basil, and Mint

You know warm weather is coming when fresh fava beans show up at the farmers market. I feel that fresh fava beans our one of our last truly seasonal vegetables. By this I mean that you will almost never find them available in a grocery store or super market out of season (like we do tomatoes, asparagus, and artichokes).

The first of the season fava beans are the best. Even the large beans are tender, requiring only 3-4 minutes of blanching. If you have ever worked with fava beans, you know that they require affection and patience to work with. Only people who love favas actually cook with them. Fresh favas come in large, thick, hairy green pods. These pods must first be split open to reveal the beans inside. These beans then need to be dunked in boiling hot water for a few minutes (depends on their size and age) to make them tender, and to soften their leathery outer skin. This skin then needs to be peeled off (its easy, just pop the beans right out) before the bean can be used. All in all, fava beans have about an 80% loss when all is finished. 1 1/2 pounds of beans in pods will yeild roughly a cup of peeled beans. Fava beans are like artichokes; a bit of a hassle to work with, but sooooo worth the effort!

Fava beans go wonderfully with wheat, salty cheeses, fresh spring herbs, potatoes, artichokes, peas, and even early tomatoes. My favorite herbs to go with fava beans are tarragon, chives, parsley, basil, mint, chervil, and thyme. I have a mini basil garden going, and my lemon basil is flaunting a few beautful,leafy sprigs, which I decided to use in my first fava bean recipe of the year; Bulgur Wheat and Fava Bean Salad with Feta Cheese, Lemon Basil, and Mint. If lemon basil is not available, then any early basil will do. I really love the mint in this recipe as well. The salty and creamy feta cheese really ties the chewy bulgur wheat and tender favas together, while chopped walnuts add a nice toasty crunch. This is a really nice side dish. I used a full 3 tablespoons of exceptional extra virgin olive oil and the juice of two juicy lemons. If you feel the salad is too dry, add more oil or lemon juice if need be.

Bulgur Wheat with Fava Beans, Feta Cheese, Lemon Basil, and Mint Serves 4-6 as a side dish
Spring, Early Summer

-1 cup bulgur wheat
-1 ½ pounds fresh fava beans
-1 small shallot lobe, minced
-1 tablespoon minced fresh lemon basil
-1 tablespoon minced fresh mint leaves
-2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
-1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese*
-Juice of 2 lemons, or to taste
-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, or to taste
-Handful toasted and chopped walnuts
-salt and fresh ground white pepper to taste

Place the bulgur wheat in a 2 quart pot and cover with 1 ½ cups water and a large pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer, cover, and turn the heat down to low. Cook the bulgur wheat until it has absorbed all the water. Let rest ten minutes, off heat. Uncover, and fluff with a fork. Refrigerate the bulgur if not using with in the hour.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Remove the fava beans from their thick green pods. Add the fava beans to the boiling water. Blanch until the beans are tender and their skins slip right off, about 3-4 minutes for young, first of the season beans, a little longer for later season beans. Drain and immediately run under cold water until cool. Peel the fava beans. They are now ready to use.

Combine the bulgur wheat with the fava beans, minced shallot, lemon basil, mint, parsley, and a little salt and fresh ground white pepper. Stir to combine. Add in the feta cheese, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and chopped walnuts. Stir well to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary with salt, fresh ground white pepper, lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil.

*Note: If your feta cheese is very moist and creamy instead of dry and crumbly, add it at the end of mixing, after you have adjusted to taste, otherwise, this dish will get soggy and the feta will disappear into the bulgur wheat.

Red Romaine, Asparagus,and Radish Salad with Sweet and Creamy MeyerLemon-Tahini Dressing

Where do I start! I love salad (I think I have mentioned this before), and spring time is when I really get to enjoy salads almost on a daily basis.

Salads,in my mind, have to have certain components to be really good. For starters, all ingredients must be fresh, seasonal, and of the highest quality. Two; there needs to be a variety of colors, textures, and flavors, but of course,they need to compliment each other. And three; the dressing or vinaigrette needs to be good. I am sorry (not really), but no ranch dressing in my book. This salad meets all my required components. The red romaine (Clark Valley Farms), is beautiful; crunchy, juicy, red on the tips and outside leaves,and light green the closer you get towards the heart. This week is the first week that I have seen such beautiful radishes (again, Clark Valley), I couldn't resist. Their gorgeous red color just pulled me in. Sliced thin, they offer a little crunch, a little mouth feel, and a little spice. I also added steamed asparagus pieces, thinly sliced refreshing fennel, and good raw and fatty walnuts (radishes need a little fat to compliment their crunch and spice). The dressing is a mixture of local honey, local Meyer lemons, shallots, tahini (sesame seed paste), and excellent extra virgin olive oil.

Meyer lemons are my favorite acid to use in vinaigrettes and dressings during the spring. According to Food Lover's Companion (Herbst, S.T. 3rd edition. Barron's Educational Series, 2001), a Meyer lemon is a cross between a lemon and an orange. Compared to a regular lemon, Meyer lemons have very smooth skin; sweeter, less acidic juice; are quite fragrant; and are rounder in shape. This dressing can be used in any salad, and is especially good with wild rice and asparagus. If you don't have tahini, or you just don't like it, pureed avocado would be just as good. Once you make your own dressings and vinaigrette, you will never buy an already made one again!

I like to garnish this salad with raw walnuts (not toasted to preserve their precious omega-3s), and the fronds from the bulb of fennel. Tarragon leaves would also be a nice garnish here as well. I always add herbs to my salads; they add such a nice surprise in between bites!

Red Romaine, Asparagus, and Radish Salad with

Sweet and Creamy Meyer Lemon-Tahini Dressing

Serves 2-4 as a first course or last course

Spring

Dressing

-1 tablespoon minced shallot

-1 tablespoon honey

-juice of 2 Meyer Lemons

-1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar

-1 tablespoon tahini

-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, or to taste

In a pint sized glass mason jar, combine all ingredients except the extra virgin olive oil. Close the lid tight and shake well. Add the olive oil and shake well again. Set aside.

Salad

-1 head red romaine, cut into fork size pieces, washed and spun dry

-1/2 bulb fennel, core removed,sliced thin on a mandolin (a Benrinner mandolin is my favorite)

-3-4 Cherry Belle radishes, washed and sliced thin

-10 asparagus spears, cut into 1/2 inch lengths, steamed and quickly cooled

-Handful of chopped, raw walnuts

-Fennel fronds for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl or on a plate. Serve with the dressing on the side.

Our Favorite Summer Dinner

This beautiful platter of summer vegetables and feta cheese has become one my husband and I's favorite summer dinners. It is so easy to do and tastes wonderful. This is a great way to showcase all those amazing heirloom tomatoes available right now at the farmers market. Make sure you use a good quality feta cheese. The one I use is a sheep milk feta made in Israel. I buy it at Trader Joe's, and it is delicious (and free of hormones, even better!!). The secret here is to keep it simple and to season to taste, that is why there is no recipe, just guidelines. Let the vegetables and cheese speak for them selves. I consider items such as high quality extra virgin olive oil and good vinegars to be seasonings, so they should be added to personal taste. We usually eat this with toasted baguette, toasted whole grain country bread, or with whole wheat pita bread. You can put the platter together ahead of time, just do not season the tomatoes until last minute, including the drizzle of olive oil.

Our Favorite Summer Dinner

For the Tomatoes

-Heirloom tomatoes of all kinds, sliced or cut into wedges

-Chopped fresh basil

-High quality extra virgin olive oil

-Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Decoratively place the cut tomatoes onto a big platter. Drizzle with good extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with chopped fresh basil, salt, and fresh ground black pepper.

For the Feta

-1/2 block of sheep milk feta, sliced

-High quality extra virgin olive oil

-Sprinkling of red chili flakes

Place the feta slices next to the tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with red chili flakes.

For the Green Bean and Cucumber Salad

-Steamed green beans, cut into thirds (probably about 1/2 pound)

-1 cucumber, thinly sliced

-1/4 cup of quartered kalamata olives

-Drizzle of red wine vinegar (probably about 2-3 tablespoons)

-High quality extra virgin olive oil (about 3 tablespoons)

-Salt and fresh ground pepper

Toss the green beans, cucumber, and olives together. Drizzle with red wine vinegar and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and adjust vinegar and olive oil to desired taste.

Summer Panzanella Salad

Panzanella salad is traditionally an Italian bread salad made with tomatoes, onions, stale bread chunks, basil, vinegar, and olive oil. Some recipes call for soaking the stale bread in water to soften and then the water is squeezed out, while others prefer the bread crunchy or even toasted. Cucumbers, peppers, and other herbs may also be used.

I personally like to use bread chunks that have been tossed in a little olive oil and toasted in the oven. This allows the bread chunks to soak up the dressing and become slightly chewy. Bread soaked in water first and then squeezed out leads to a soggier salad. I also like to add cucumbers and peppers. In this recipe I used Armenian cucumbers. Armenian cucumbers are long, curled, and a very light green color with shallow grooves running the length of the cucumber. They are quite crunchy with smooth, firm flesh and thin skin that does not need to be peeled. Armenian cucumbers seem to be less watery than English cucumbers, so they do not leech lots of liquid once salted in a salad. But by all means, any cucumber will do for this recipe. I also used an Italian green pepper, which is a long, slightly twisted pepper with thin flesh and a small seed pocket. It does not resemble a green bell pepper at all, but does taste slightly similar. Italian green peppers are a bit stronger and more peppery, but with no heat. They kind of taste like a jalapeno that lacks heat. Again, any kind of pepper could be used here such as red or green bell peppers, or even a jalapeno or Serrano if you like a little heat. The only thing I ask of you if you make this recipe is to use fresh herbs and a high quality cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil. The quality of the olive oil is very important since the bread will be soaking it up.

Summer Panzanella Salad

-1 small shallot, minced
-1 small clove garlic, minced
-1 medium sized Armenian cucumber cut in half
and sliced thin
-1 ½ cups mixed small tomatoes, sliced in half
-1 Italian green pepper, seeds removed, sliced thin
-1 cup toasted or stale bread cubes
-2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
-2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

-1-1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

-Salt and black pepper

Combine everything in a large bowl and toss to mix thoroughly. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Let sit at least 15 minutes. Taste again and adjust seasoning if necessary, adding more extra virgin olive oil or balsamic vinegar if desired.

Portabello Mushroom, Arugula, and Pine Nut Salad

Your probably beginning to notice that I love salads. Salads can contain almost anything you like and do not have to be restricted to just greens and chopped vegetables. Salads can be composed of cooked grains, potatoes, and pastas; they can be hot, warm, or cold; and they can contain a variety of textures, colors, and flavors. This salad in particular combines warm, cooked mushrooms with cool, spicy arugula, sweet tomatoes, and creamy pine nuts. The vinaigrette utilizes the warm juices from the cooked mushrooms to give it a depth of savoriness that you could never find in a store bought dressing.

Please do not be afraid of the ingredients list, I know it seems involved. The salad comes together quite easily and quickly. You can also use grilled mushrooms instead of baked, chopped tomatoes instead of cherry or grape tomatoes, and walnuts instead of pine nuts. Roasted and chopped red peppers would also be delicious here. Ahh, the wheels are turning and the possibilities endless. Most of the prep work can be done a day ahead, just do not combine any of the salad ingredients until last minute to keep them from getting soggy. The mushroom can always be re-warmed right before tossing the salad.

Mushrooms

-2 large or 4 small portabello mushrooms, cleaned of any dirt
-1 clove garlic, minced

-1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

-1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

-salt and black pepper

Salad

-2 large handfuls baby arugula

-1 large handful baby spinach

-1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes

-1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

-1/4 cup lightly toasted pine nuts

Balsamic Vinaigrette

-1 tablespoon strained mushroom juice

-1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

-1 1/2 teaspoons stone ground mustard

-1 teaspoon agave syrup

-3 tablespoons cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

For the Mushrooms

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the mushrooms in a shallow baking dish, gill side up. Mix together the minced garlic, chopped parsley, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Generously brush this mixture over the mushrooms, using all of it. Lightly season with salt and black pepper. Cover the pan with foil and place in the oven. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender. Strain the juice that has collected in the pan and save. Set aside mushrooms and keep warm.

For the Balsamic Vinaigrette

In a bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of the reserved strained mushroom juice, the balsamic vinegar, mustard, and agave syrup. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, while constantly whisking, to create an emulsified vinaigrette. Alternately, combined everything but the olive oil in a small glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake vigorously. Add in the olive oil and shake vigorously again. This will not create a permanent emulsification, but it is much easier to mix up when needed.

To Compose the Salad

Slice the mushrooms thinly on a bias and place decoratively on a platter. Toss the arugula, spinach, tomatoes, basil, and pine nuts together gently. Lightly season with a little salt and black pepper. Drizzle on as much vinaigrette as you like, without saturating, and gently toss with your hands. Pile the dressed salad on the platter with the mushrooms and serve.

Lime and Peanut Bathed Soba Noodles

This dish is actually a soba noodle salad filled with crunchy vegetables, cooling herbs, and a tangy lime-peanut dressing. I just think it sounds nice to be bathed in lime and peanut! I have been making soba noodle salads for a long time, and there are so many ways to vary this one recipe. Use calcium packed almond butter or tahini in place of the peanut butter, and change the vegetables and herbs according to the seasons. Replacing part of the nut butter with a light or dark miso will give the dressing a more dynamic Japanese flavor, while leaving it as is keeps the dish on the South East Asian side.

Soba noodles are a terrific, versatile ingredient. They are Japanese in orgin, and are made from a mixture of buckwheat flour and wheat flour. Sometimes wild yam is also added. Soba noodles have a darker color and heartier flavor than traditional wheat and rice noodles, which also work perfectly in this dish. Using a thin rice noodle would be more traditional to the South East Asian flavors of the other ingredients in the recipe, but I like the additional nutrition and flavor that soba noodles offer.

Buckwheat itself is native to Russia, and the so called grain is actually the seed to the buckwheat plant which is weed like and related to rhubarb. Buckwheat is grown all over as a crop cover to replenish lost nutrients in soil. It thrives is cold climates. The sprouted greens are quite nutritious as well and make a great addition to any salad. They have a very mild, earthy flavor. The grain is very substantial and will fill you up fast. It also digests slowly, so is wonderful for anyone suffering from blood sugar imbalances. Buckwheat is particularly high thiamine, riboflavin, and other B-complex vitamins. It is also high in calcium and phosphorus, as well as other minerals, and boasts quite a high lysine content (6.1%), which is greater than any other cereal grain. Buckwheat is also considered a good blood builder, removes toxic wastes from the body, and is good for the kidneys.

Soba noodles can be used in many different preparations other than this salad. They are great anywhere that a rice noodle or wheat noodle would be used in any Asian inspired dish. I particularly love them in a hot broth with fresh basil, cilantro, and jalapeno slivers added right at the end, finished with a squirt of lime. Very tasty! For the salad, make sure your mung bean sprouts and herbs are as fresh as possible. I love mint and cilantro, but any kind of basil would also be fantastic in this dish. I use shoyu in this recipe, which is an unpasteurized, naturally fermented soy sauce, but you can use low-sodium soy sauce if you like. I also use agave nectar (a syrup made from the same plant as tequila) because of its neutral flavor and low impact on blood sugar levels. Agave can be found in any health food store or Trader Joe's, is an excellent substitute for sugar, and is much more of a whole food.

Lime and Peanut Bathed Soba Noodles

For this salad, slicing the raw vegetables thinly is very important. I suggest using a Benrinner mandolin, but a sharp knife will work just as well. I slice the carrots into thin planks on my mandolin, and them cut them into very fine strips with a sharp knife. You could also grate the carrots on a box grater, or even peel them into long strips with a wide peeler.

Salad:

-6 oz dry soba noodles cooked according to package directions and cooled

-2 small cucumbers, sliced thinly into half moons

-2 small to medium sized carrots, peeled and cut into fine strips on a mandolin

-1 1/2 cups very fresh mung bean sprouts

-6 leaves crunchy lettuce such as romaine, sliced into thin strips

-1/2 cup cilantro leaves

-1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves

-1/4 cup toasted and chopped peanuts (optional)

Dressing:
-1/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

-1/2 teaspoon chili paste, or more to taste (I personally like more)

-3 tablespoons agave nectar

-2 tablespoons shoyu (soy sauce)

-1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger root

-1 clove garlic, minced fine

-3 to 4 tablespoons smooth, organic, natural peanut butter (use more if you like a thicker, fattier dressing).

To Make the Salad:

Combine the cooked and cooled soba noodles with all of the vegetables, but not the herbs. Combine well in a large bowl and set aside. To make the dressing, whisk together all ingredients until completely smooth. Taste to adjust seasoning with agave syrup, shoyu, and chili paste if desired. More shoyu means more saltiness, and agave more sweetness. Pour the dressing over the noodles and vegetables and toss to completely coat. Add in the fresh herbs. Remove the salad with tongs from the large bowl to a serving dish or tray. Sprinkle with the chopped peanuts. Any dressing leftover in the bowl can be used on any other salad.

Red Oak Leaf, Nectarine, and Goats Cheese Salad

I could devour a big plate of salad every single night. Salads filled with greens, vegetables, fruits, and nuts are the perfect vehicles for all foods seasonal and fresh. Every season offers fantastic choices for composing a great salad. Farmers markets overflow with all kinds of beautiful and interesting salad greens, from red leafed lettuces, butter cos, romaines, loose leaf, and arugula.

At my central coast farmers market, red and green oak leaf lettuce is in full swing. Oak leaf lettuces look exactly like their name, like large, long oak leaves. The red variety is actually almost purple in color, with the leaves becoming green the closer you get to the heart of the head. I believe salads should be simple so that the true flavors of each vegetable stand out. This also means using a simple olive oil based dressing as well. The salad below was truly inspired completely by what was available at the farmers market. The first nectarines showed up at our market about a week ago and I just had to use them. I always try to include something crunchy in my salads such as a lightly toasted nut or seed. I lightly toast nuts and seeds to preserve their precious oils and flavors. The Sherry Vinaigrette makes a great all purpose dressing.

Red Oak Leaf, Nectarine, and Goats Cheese Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette

Copyright by Correne Quigley, 2007

-1 head Red or Green Oak Leaf lettuce, roughly chopped or torn, washed, and spun dry

-2 nectarines pitted and sliced thin

-2-4 oz chevre style goats cheese, crumbled
-1/2 cup lightly toasted pistachios

Sherry Vinaigrette

-1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
-1 tablespoon raw honey
-5 tablespoons sherry vinegar
-9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-Salt and pepper

In a large bowl or on a decorative platter, place the chopped and cleaned greens in a mound. Decoratively arrange the nectarine slices, and crumbled goat's cheese on or around the greens. Top with a scattering of the lightly toasted pistachios. Alternatively, toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. Be careful not to smash all the goat cheese crumbles. Make the dressing.

Combined the mustard, honey, and vinegar in a glass jar fitted with a lid. Shake well to combined. Pour in the oil and season with salt and pepper. Replace the lid and shake again to combined. Drizzle a few tablespoons of the dressing over the salad, and serve the rest on the side.

Golden Sunshine Slaw

Vibrant and colorful, golden beets and carrots are loaded with powerful antioxidants, especially beta-carotene, the vegetable form of vitamin A. Antioxidants, as well as phytochemicals, are what give colorful fruits and vegetables their distinctive colors and smells. Thousands of these chemicals are already known to researchers, with thousands more probably unknown . Plants produce these chemicals to help them fight off pests, disease, and pollution, and in turn, when we eat these foods, the same chemicals offer up the same protection for our bodies. Antioxidants and phytochemicals from whole foods are finally being recognized for their cancer fighting abilities. I say whole foods because antioxidants act differently when they become isolated in a supplement. An isolated antioxidant will not offer the same protection in supplement form as it will in whole foods form. One carrot, or one beet, has thousands of different protective properties within it, and all of them need each other to work efficiently. When one property is removed and isolated, it no longer has the help of the thousand other chemicals, and will not offer the same effective protection. Whole foods are always better than supplements.

I won't go into all the different antioxidants and phytochemicals within a beet or carrot, you will probably get overwhelmed. The most important thing to note is that all colorful fruits and vegetables are packed with these naturally occurring chemicals, and should be the backbone to any whole foods way of life. Reds, oranges, greens, purples, whites, and yellows; each color offers thousands of different protective properties. My best nutritional advice to anyone is to pay attention to the colors you eat throughout the day or week. Ask yourself, "did I eat something purple today?", or "did I have an orange fruit of vegetable?". Eating a range of colors guarantees a balance and variety of nutrients. In my perfect world, organic, in season, colorful fruits and vegetables would be the base of my food pyramid (but then again, my perfect world would not have a food pyramid! That is a different argument though).

On to the recipe! This slaw is the radiant colors of sunshine, hence the name. The colors are dramatic, the flavors bright, and the texture refreshing and crisp. Serving beta carotene rich foods along with a little fat helps the body to absorb the beta carotene more efficiently. Beta-carotene converts to vitamin A in the body, and fat from the olive oil helps to transport the vitamin A into our cells. Other fat soluble vitamins include D, E, and K. The olive oil also helps to slightly soften the fibers of the beets and carrots, as well as heighten their wonderful flavors. Fat is also a flavor transporter. If you can get hold of rainbow carrots (carrots in all different colors such as red, white, orange, and yellow) use them! Don't peel them, just give them a good scrubbing and then slice. The colors of this salad will be even more magnificent. We eat with our eyes first, so I believe food should be beautiful, and if you are using gorgeous farmer's market, in season produce, you won't have to do much to accomplish this. This slaw is great when served along side the Rosemary-Garlic Smothered Potatoes. I would say this recipe serves 2-4.

Golden Sunshine Slaw

-2 medium sized golden beets

-2 medium sized carrots

-Juice of 1 Myer lemon

-Juice of 1 orange

-1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar

-1 teaspoon agave nectar

-1/2 teaspoon whole grain mustard

-1/4 cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

-1/4 cup lightly toasted sunflower seeds

-Salt and fresh ground white pepper

Remove tops and woody bottoms from the beets. Save the tops for another use if desired. Peel the beets and the carrots. Using a sharp mandolin, such as a Bennriner mandolin, slice the beets into very thin circles. Make three different stacks of circles, and with a sharp knife, finely slice the stacks into very thin strips (like angel hair pasta but thinner). Place into a large bowl. Slice the carrots length wise on the mandolin the same thickness as the beets. Again, make three stacks, and slice thin to create very fine ribbons of carrot. Place into the bowl with the beets. Lightly season the beets and carrots with a little salt and freshly ground white pepper. Toss to coat.

In a separate bowl whisk together the citrus juices, apple cider vinegar, agave, and mustard until well combined. Add the olive oil to this mixture in a slow, steady stream while constantly whisking to create a semi-emulsified dressing. Pour about half of this dressing over the beets and carrots. Toss to coat. Taste to adjust seasoning of salt and pepper. Let the salad rest about 10 minutes and taste again. Add more dressing if needed, but about half is usually sufficient. The leftover dressing is great for green salads. Toss in the sunflower seeds and serve. This slaw will stay fresh about 2 days.

Asparagus and Wild Rice; A Beautiful Combo

I think spring may officially be here. Well, at least on the Central Coast of California it is. I spend about 45 minutes to an hour every Saturday morning at my local farmer's market buying food for my husband and I (me plus growing baby) for the week. About 75% of what we eat comes from this market, and we eat almost 100% seasonally. The California Central Coast is blessed climate wise and we have packed farmer's markets year round, brimming with seasonal produce. If you start to follow this blog, you will notice that almost all of my recipes are based upon the seasons and what produce is available at my market. That is not to say that I do not buy produce from other regions, for example tropical fruits. I do, but if a food is local to my region, I always opt to buy this first before any other.

The last two markets have been showing the promises of spring, with snap and shelling peas, asparagus, more varieties of greens than I can count, fava beans, and spring garlic and onions at every stand. We always have cauliflower, broccoli, radish, fennel, carrots, and beets (as I said, we are blessed) so these are usual foods on our weekly menus. I bought my first bunch of local asparagus and decided to make the below salad with it, one of my favorites. I wrote this recipe a little over a year ago and added it to a small vegan cookbook I wrote for a vegetarian cooking class I teach a couple times every spring.

Normally, I cook wild rice in the fall and winter, with its complex flavors and heady aromas comforting our chilly house, but this recipe is a good way to use wild rice in the spring. Wild rice is one of the few grains (actually, the seed to an aquatic grass) that is native to the Americas, the Great Lakes area to be exact. Most of the wild rice available to us today is actually commercially grown in California. This wild rice lacks the complexity of available colors and flavors of a true wild rice, but is still good, and is a little more consistent in size and cooking time. If you have some true wild rice available, use it, your salad will turn out a little more interesting. This salad is quite light on the stomach and I find the additions of Myer lemon and fennel to be crisp and refreshing. If asparagus is not available or unwanted (who doesn't like asparagus?), snap peas are just as good, and toasted sunflower seeds make a tasty replacement for hazelnuts. I also sometimes like to add thin slices of steamed beets to the bottom of the platter. I always save my ends that I remove from my asparagus spears to use in some kind of pureed soup where the stringy texture will not prevail. Most likely a recipe featuring these ends will come forth some time this week, so stay tuned and save yours. Hope you like the salad.

Wild Rice, Asparagus, and Hazelnut Salad with
Meyer Lemon-Shallot Dressing

Copyright by Correne Quigley, 2007

-½ cup wild rice
-15 asparagus spears with tough ends removed, cut into

¾ inch pieces and slightly blanched**
-½ cup finely minced fennel bulb
-½ cup toasted, chopped hazelnuts
-2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
-1 teaspoon minced tarragon
-1 tablespoon minced fennel frond

Dressing Ingredients:

-1 tablespoon minced shallot

-1/4 cup Myer lemon juice
-1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar

-2 teaspoons raw honey
-2 teaspoons white miso
-1/4 cup organic, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil

For the salad:
Combined the ½ cup wild rice with 1 ½ cups water and a pinch of salt in a medium sized pot. Bring to a boil and immediately turn down to a simmer and cover. Cook until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Pour the rice out onto a plate to cool. When cool, combine the cooked wild rice with the blanched asparagus spears**, minced fennel, and chopped hazelnuts. Season with a little salt and pepper, set aside.

For the dressing:
Place the minced shallots, Meyer lemon juice, vinegar, honey, and white miso in a medium sized glass jar fitted with a lid. Shake the jar to mix the ingredients and to incorporate the miso. Remove the lid and add in the olive oil. Shake vigorously again. Alternately, whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Slowly add the olive oil in a thin, steady stream, to evenly incorporate while constantly whisking.

Assemble the salad:
Pour about 4 tablespoons of the dressing over the rice mixture to moisten. Mix well and taste for seasoning of salt and white pepper. Let the salad stand a few minutes to absorb the dressing and taste again. If it is too dry and bland, add about 2 more tablespoons and repeat the same procedure, allowing the rice to absorb the dressing. This recipe usually takes about 6 tablespoons of dressing, but it is a good idea to add slow. You can always add more, but never take away. Add the herbs right before serving to preserve their bright flavors. This salad serves about 4 people as a side dish, or 2 as a main course.

** To blanch the asparagus pieces: Instead of dropping the pieces into lots of rapidly boiling salted water, instead, I place the pieces into a large bowl and cover with three times as much simmering water and cover. I leave this for about 3-4 minutes, or until the asparagus reach a crisp-tender texture. I then immediately drain the asparagus and run under cold water to cool quickly and preserve crunch and color. I like the asparagus just slightly crunchy for this dish, and I prefer the gentle cooking this method provides. Your asparagus will not turn brown from this unless you leave it in the hot water for a long time. This is the method I use when I want to just take away the raw edge from a vegetable.