Salads

May 4th, 2010

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Summer Salads

summer salads

There are few things more satisfying than a low fat salad picked straight from the garden (or farmers market). It’s also the perfect meal in summer, when turning on the oven is something we’d all rather avoid.

You can dress up the quintessential green salad with leftover grilled meats or tofu to make it a heartier meal. Keep with a theme like Mexican, Thai, or Chinese, by topping your crisp greens with beans, bean sprouts or even using raw Chinese cabbage as your base. Everyone loves crisp lo mein noodles or crushed tortilla chips used in place of the usual croutons. Plus, they all look amazing plated up on Noritake colorwave accent plates.

Try making your own dressings with different bases such as olive oil, egg-less mayo, or even silken tofu. All you need is a blender or food processor and a sense of adventure. If you can, pick (or buy) some fresh herbs like bails, cilantro, thyme, and garlic chives to add amazing flavor to your new house dressing.

Pasta salads are another perfect choice for a warm weather meal. Try adding your own special dressings to these salads as well. It’s amazing how much they elevate plain old pasta. I like to add soft cheeses in pasta salad dressing like goat or boursin. It’s a perfect palette to use us bits and pieces of leftover cooked veggies from the week. No one will recognize them tucked away in their favorite salad.

Leftover grains also make a nice chilled salad base. Just make sure they aren’t too dry. Personally, I hate crunchy rice salads. If your grains are a little tough reheat with a little water to freshen it up before you make your salad. This is still faster than cooking it from scratch. Also, add extra salad dressing if you’re planning on having leftovers. That way it won’t dry out as quick.

Even if you add leftover cooked veggies, make sure the rest you are using are farm fresh for low fat salad recipes. It will keep those vibrant colors and healthy salads benefits right on your favorite dinnerware.

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Pesto

April 6th, 2010

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It’s Pesto Time

One of my favorite things is pesto. It’s super easy to make and it makes any dish feel elegant and special. Typically, we think of a traditional basil pesto that we eat at the height of summer. It’s the time that basil is at its peak and we all crave something that requires little cooking. But, there are variations you can eat every season.

All pesto starts out with an herb or green, cheese, nut, and oil. You can leave out the cheese if you want or make a fat free version, but until you have tried a few of the traditional ones, I’d leave a little oil in it to blend to the proper consistency. I love the dark green color contrasted with wheat pasta. It looks amazing when served on a sengWare Blueberry square dinnerware plate. Plus, the square shape is unique and fun.

Pesto is great on pasta, and used as a sandwich spread it really makes your other ingredients seem special. I like to make a bath of pesto and freeze it in ice cube trays for use all through the year. This works especially well for traditional basil pesto since basil is only available during the warm months. Dropping a couple of pesto cubes in a winter stew really brings you back to the summer. It’s so much better than just using some dried basil.

There are no absolutes in making pesto, but use about 2 cups basil to 1/2 cup cheese and 1/3 cup nuts, and blend in a food processor or blender with about 1/2 cup olive oil. Adding raw garlic is a must to a traditional pesto, so throw in a couple of whole, peeled garlic cloves.

Here are some combinations to try and lots of good reason to grow some herbs this year!