Posts Tagged “Salad”
Simple, but thoughtful vegetable salads are one of my favorite things to both make and eat. I love pairing two or three vegetables together with a simple dressing that lets the produce shine. I especially like taking an ethnic influence to marry the flavors, like I did in this Japanese combination.
I make chopped salads just about everyday. They are a great way to enjoy vegetables. I love leafy green salads, but sometimes I would rather skip the greens and focus on other veggies.
I have probably enjoyed more kale in the last year, than all my previous years combined. Kale is a nutritious and delicious vegetable that is gaining popularity among people looking to add healthy foods to their diet. Kale can be prepared in many ways, but to preserve as many nutrients as possible, I try to enjoy it raw.
Kale Family Values
Wild grassy kale, the ancestor of today’s big leafy green kale, is the mother of the entire cabbage family.
In the Dragon Bowl recipe I posted the other day, I mentioned you might have leftover Dragon Dressing. If you didn’t see this post, the dressing is a Japanese inspired creamy tahini vinaigrette.
Many dressings can be made in advance and stored for week or so. I suggest using dressings that contain raw ginger and garlic within 5 days.
A dragon bowl, sometimes called a Buddha bowl, is typically an Asian inspired mixture of rice or noodles, with various veggies and a tasty sauce or light broth. This is a “night off” dish I’ve been making for years. The bowl has evolved and split off into different ethnic direction. This recipe is my Japanese inspired version with winter ingredients.
Considering Ingredients
When shopping for soba noodles, make sure the ingredient lists 100% BUCKWHEAT SOBA if you are following a gluten free diet.
Cauliflower is one of my favorite members of the cabbage family. The season is over at the end of February, so I’m going to try to enjoy it a few more times over the next two weeks. I won’t enjoy cauliflower again till it is in season again in the fall. Though it is lower in vitamins than its close cousin with super food status – broccoli, it is still a healthy addition to everyone’s diet. Because cauliflower is quite mild, it takes on dressings and spices quite nicely. By the way, we’ll get beck to our discussion of dried spices soon. Today, I’m in the mood for some Mediterranean cauliflower.
I inherited a my love for cauliflower from my mom. It’s her all time favorite vegetable.
