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Do the
words "healthy" and "delicious" sound good
to you? In anticipation of the family reunion, Chris Matthews,
a friend from Food, Etc. shares three fabulous salad recipes that
fit that description perfectly. Clockwise from the left, we have:
Spinach Salad
with Blueberry Compote:
Ingredients:
- ½
lb. Baby spinach, well-rinsed
- pint of
blueberries
- ½
cup balsamic vinegar
- ½
cup brown sugar
- pinch of
cloves
- pinch of
fresh thyme
- sour dough
croutons
- zest of
one lemon
- olive oil
- popcorn
sprouts (*available at specialty food markets)
Fill a bowl
with baby spinach leaves.
Place blueberries, vinegar, sugar, and cloves in a small saucepot.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes
(until you get a nice syrup). Set aside to cool, then add to spinach
leaves.
If making your own croutons, marinate them with olive oil and
lemon zest. Bake in oven at 350º for 10 minutes.
Add to salad.
Add popcorn sprouts (*they may be difficult to find; if you can't,
it's okay to leave them out).
Sprinkle thyme on top, and serve at once.
Yellow Black
Bean Salad with Watermelon Salsa:
Ingredients:
- ½
lb. yellow wax beans, washed, snipped
-
1 lb green
beans, washed, snipped
- ½
lb black beans, (canned or boiled)
- 2 cups
watermelon, chopped
- ½
bunch fresh mint, coarsely chopped
- 2 tbsps
white sugar
- juice of
one lime
- crushed
black peppercorns
- 4 sheets
filo pastry
- butter
- honey
Arrange
yellow and green beans in a bowl, bird's nest style. Add black beans.
In a separate bowl, mix watermelon, mint, sugar, lime juice, and
peppercorns.
Add grapeseed oil. Add to beans.
Bake filo pastry, brushed with butter and honey.
Add to salad, arranging around the edge.
Serve at once.
Wild Rice Salad with Roasted Yellow Tomatoes
and Beets:
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. wild
rice
- 1 pint
yellow tear drop tomatoes, quartered
- 1 lb yellow
tomatoes, quartered
- fresh ginger
- fresh garlic
- black peppercorns
- beets,
boiled, sliced
- chives
- macadamia
nuts, toasted (optional)
- sesame
oil
Cook off the
rice for about 40-45 minutes, adding a bit of water occasionally
if necessary.
In a bowl, marinate tomatoes in ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and
peppercorns. Add to wild rice. Scatter beets, chives, and macadamia
nuts over top and serve at once.
All three
salads are so easy to create, and, an added bonus is that they
can be made a couple of days in advance and then dressed at the
last minute. Enjoy!
Special Thanks:
Chris Matthews, Food, Etc., Toronto, ON (416) 410-0821
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