Spring Fiddlehead Salad

All too often I gather up every vegetable in my refrigerator, cut them up, and throw them on top of some lettuce.

A literal "everything but the kitchen sink" type of salad.

Now, I'm not complaining.  Nor is a vegetable loaded salad a bad thing.  However, I forget about the delicious simplicity that comes out of just a few ingredients and a delicious dressing.  And this was the salad that reminded me of that whole "simplicity is key" thing. 

A vegetable, a fruit, a nut, and some dairy.  Seriously.  Could it get any more simple?

Before I let you in on the whole simplicity thing, we obviously need to chat about the whole fiddlehead fern thing.  I first had fiddleheads at Journeyman, an unbelievable little restaurant in Somerville (that I've probably already told you about).  They were served with a spruce panna cotta, morel mushrooms, and a spruce crumble.  Easy to say I was swooning as soon as the plate hit the table. 

They have this unbelievably earthy flavor (but nothing like eating dirt) that I can't compare to anything else, they have the perfect "crunch", and let's be honest...they are easily the most fun looking vegetable.

So go grab some fiddleheads.  They are a little hard to find so check your local farmers market or a local grocery store with a great produce section.  Don't wait though.  They have a short season and won't be around long!




Adapted from Roost

Makes: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

{Printable Recipe}

Ingredients
1 pint fresh fiddlehead ferns
spring mix lettuce
1 large orange, cut into chunks
handful of toasted almonds, roughly chopped
parmesan reggiano

for the dressing-
1 medium shallot, finely minced
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil.  Trim the stem off of the fiddleheads and wash thoroughly, gently rubbing them between your fingers.  Drain well.  Blanch fiddleheads until tender, about 5 minutes.  Pour into a strainer and run under ice cold water to halt the cooking.  Drain again and chill until ready to serve.
2. To make the dressing, combine the first four ingredients in a blender and pulse several times.  Slowly pour in the olive oil while on low speed.  Taste and adjust seasoning.
3. Toss the lettuce, orange, almonds, and fiddleheads in a large bowl.  Top with parmesan and toss with dressing.

Marinated Mushroom Salad with Walnut and Tahini Yogurt

Stop rubbing your eyes.

This is real.

I'm really posting.

However, I don't blame your doubt.

Seriously though.  I've just let this little blog be lonely for way too long.  But between the holidays, my sister's bachelorette party, entertaining family and working...I haven't had a ton of spare time on my hands.  So you've already forgiven me right?  Perfect.



As you could probably guess, vegetarian meals are quite a bit harder to come by in Missouri than they are in Boston.  Which is understandable and really my fault for not making my own.  But yesterday as I went to grab the last egg in the carton I decided I couldn't force down another egg and that I needed to utilize one of my new super wonderful cookbooks that I received for Christmas (don't fret, you'll be seeing all of them make an appearance in the near future) and make myself lunch.

I opened the pages of Plenty and started salivating immediately.  It took more time deciding what to make than it did to actually make the dish.  But we've talked about that little problem of mine once before.

I adapted the recipe slightly due to availability but I have only praises for how it turned out.  In the cookbook, the salad was served by itself.  But I decided to eat mine over a bed of baby bok choy.  And then I might have thrown some really pungent blue cheese over the top as a last minute decision.  Neither are necessary.  But highly recommended.  This would also make a great side dish or a quick lunch to drag to work.

Adapt it.  Devour it.  And of course remember to tell me how much you love it.



Adapted from the Plenty Cookbook

Makes: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Cook Time: None!
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

{Printable Recipe}

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• juice of 2 medium lemons
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• black pepper
• 3 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
• 2 cups shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 1/2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• 3 cups shelled edamame (fresh or frozen)
• 2/3 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chopped dill
• 1 tablespoon chopped mint
• baby bok choy (optional)
• your favorite cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Start by marinating the mushrooms.  Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup, the juice from one lemon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and some black pepper.  Pour this over the mushrooms in a large bowl and toss well, making sure all of the mushrooms are coated.  Leave them to marinate for an hour.
2. While the mushrooms are marinating, mix together the yogurt, tahini, garlic, juice from the other lemon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Use a fork or small whisk to whip everything together, forming a light paste.  Set aside.
3. After the mushrooms have marinated for an hour, add the edamame, toasted walnuts, and cumin to the bowl and stir to mix.  Taste and adjust the seasoning.
4. Serve the mushrooms in small bowls or on small places, each portion topped with a dollop of the tahini sauce and sprinkled with the fresh herbs.
5. OR serve over a bed of baby bok choy and top with your favorite cheese.

Mix these things together.

And pour over the mushrooms.

Toss well to coat and set aside to marinate for an hour.

Grab all of these ingredients.

And mix in a small bowl.  Set aside until the mushrooms are done.

After an hour, grab your mushrooms.

Add the shelled edamame.

And cumin.

And toasted walnuts.  Mix it all together.

Make your bed of baby bok choy if you want to be like me.

Spoon your salad inside.

Top with tahini yogurt and fresh herbs.

Enjoy!

Heirloom Tomato and Hearts of Palm Salad with Spicy Thai Dressing

Let's start this with an apology.

Because well...I feel a twinge of guilt for letting this little blog go by the wayside while I was in Missouri.  I had every intention of creating posts and even posting a few that have been sitting in the archives.  But it just didn't happen.  And I'm sorry about that.  Truly.

At this point I would normally move straight to the excuses.  But this time I'm not going to.  You don't need to hear them, right?  Right.

The good news is...I'm back.  And while I can't promise entirely regular posts, due to an incredibly busy semester + two jobs, I can promise at least a little more regularity than I displayed this past month.

Alright.  Everybody happy now?  Mmkay, good.

On to the good stuff.

Hearts of Palm.  Have you had them?  No?  That's okay.  Well, not really.  Because you need them in your life.  But I'll let it slide for approximately a week.  Or at least enough time for you to run to the grocery store and get a jar.

During a recent culinary adventure, I was able to spend an entire evening in the kitchen with a duo that loves food just as much if not more than I do.  We made delicious food (gazpacho, stuffed tomatoes, and salmon), drank plenty of wine, and enjoyed each others company well into the night.  At some point in the evening I was asked if I had ever tried hearts of palm.  I regrettably had to admit that I had not, to which I was met with a disappointed glare.  A glare that was immediately followed by a snarky comment suggesting that I had been living in a cave for the last 21 years. 

Facing that sort of disappointment I knew I had to immediately go out and find some of these things.

And I did just that.  Almost immediately after arriving in Boston I ran to Trader Joes and found myself a jar, came home, made a salad, and put them all over the top.

Swoon.

After devouring, swooning, and sending out thank yous I decided more could be done.  And this is what happened...

heirloom tomato and hearts of palm salad...   

with a spicy thai dressing

Recipe adapted from: Kalyn's Kitchen

Makes: 4-6 Servings  Prep Time: 10 minutes   Cook Time: None  Total Time: 10 minutes

{Printable Recipe}

Ingredients:
4 cups heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 can hearts of palm, sliced
1 avocado, diced
1/3 cup green onion, sliced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup mint, chopped

spicy thai dressing-
1-2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon sriracha (or less depending on how spicy you like it)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon red curry paste
1/2 teaspoon garlic puree
 1 tablespoon grapeseed or peanut oil

Directions:
After cutting the tomatoes into wedges place them in a colander to drain while you prepare the other ingredients.  Drain the hearts of palm and cut them into thick slices and then separate them into rings or cut in half if they don't break apart.  Slice green onions into slivers, chop the mint and cilantro, and combine everything in a large bowl.  Add the tomatoes after draining.

In a smaller bowl combine all dressing ingredients except for the oil and mix until the curry paste is incorporated.  Add the oil and taste.  If it tastes strong add more oil.  If you want it a bit more spicy add more sriracha.

Right before serving, pour in the dressing and stir to combine.  Serve immediately.