Edible Tulip

50 Salads For Everyday Eating #30: Bulgar with Stir-Fried Vegetables and Cashews

Even though spring has sort of lurched itself upon on so early and unsuspecting, and I can't wait to start showcasing salads with edible sprouts and fresh peas and the herbacious whiff of all things fresh from the season, this is a heartwarming salad that can be served warm or room temperature and is made from leftover stir-fried vegetables and tossed in a zingy Asian dressing of lemon juice, soy sauce and sesame oil with a grating of fresh ginger. It's an easy healthy lunch for someone who seeks comfort and gratitude in a bowl.

When you are making a stir fry one night, choose to make extras. I like my stir fries relatively simple and mostly green: chopped Swiss chard, green beans and asparagus, although diced carrots would work here too. As would red peppers. Keep the stir fry simple and saute in oil and garlic and ginger. Add cashews towards the end and toss them until they brown and release their flavour. Set aside the leftovers and refrigerate overnight.

For the salad, you just need to prepare the Bulgar. It's such a nutty pleasant grain and works better than rice in my opinion because it parcels itself into small nuggets and adds a toasted aroma. Bulgar only requires being steeped, rather than cooked. Follow the instructions on the package but I tend to use a cup of Bulgar and one and half cups of boiling water and let it soak together in a bowl. After 30 minutes, the grains are "cooked" and if there is extra water you can drain the Bulgar in a small holed sieve so it retains its fluffiness.

Make a dressing with fresh lemon juice, a bit of soy sauce or tamari, some sesame oil and then very conservatively dress the salad, adding tablespoons until you've reached the right amount of flavour. I like to add a bit of freshly grated ginger.

You could also include some chopped fresh cilantro, but I like it as it is. With no overly sharp flavours, just a lot of good, grounding oomph. It's delicious slightly warmed or room temperature but served too cold seems to take away from its simple glory.

50 Salads for Everyday Eating, The Vegetable Appendix: W is for Wild Leek (Allium tricoccum)

Wild leeks, or ramps, are a wild onion that grows all along the Eastern coast of Canada down to the Carolinas. It has an assertive, garlicky flavour and when they're in full bloom -- catch them if you can, their season is fickle and fleeting -- the air often hangs thick with the spring smell of wet earth and mild onion. It's really like a mini leek and it's the size of a scallion. I find it a bit offensive raw but love making wild leek risotto. At my parents house in the country, we fill buckets with the leek bulbs and their tender leaves and have a feast.

from May 2011

On Mother's Day weekend I took a walk in the forest around Creemore where my parents live and the only evidence of spring growth was the wild leek foliage - soft dangling fronds amidst a desolate expanse of mud. But it was all sort of in vain because I didn't have any tools* with me and digging up the stubborn rooted ramps is too difficult with only an index finger. So I left the clumps of edible matter behind and promised to return. Return I did but much too late. I walked those same forests yesterday and the wild leek leaves were difficult to find having been buried and overtaken by the splurge of spring - tall grasses and wild bits of who-knows-what everywhere. The trilliums were dying a slow death. But the violets were having a hey day: look at me look at me. It was all fresh and lovely and you could smell the damp cedar needles in the air and the river sparkled with cold run off and the light pushed through the new leaf cover and it's moments like this that make you catch your breath.

Anyway the ramps are dead. Done for the season. The leaves are caterpiller bitten and yellowing from so much rain. The bulbs are too mature, turning towards bitterness.

*Now I always carry a bag and trowel in my back pocket on walks.

50 Salads for Everyday Eating #29: Simmered Cauliflower and Bulgar with Pine nuts, Fresh Tarragon and Parsley

This is an equally great warm salad, cold salad, or a side to something like lamb kebabs or grilled white fish. It's about as minimalist as it gets as far as preparation and cooking.

Simmer a cup of bulgur and some roughly chopped cauliflower florets until tender, about 15 minutes. Then drain in a sieve. Toss with some chopped fresh tarragon and parsley (or either/or), a handful of pine nuts, and dress with a garlic/mustard/olive oil/lemon juice dressing.

Surprisingly and simplistically impressive.

50 Salads for Everyday Eating: #28 Jerusalem Artichokes with Shaved Fennel, Slices of Fuji Apple and Chopped Filberts

Hazelnuts/filberts aren't my usual go-to nut. They're powerful and fragrant with a woodsy, floral sort of flavour. They're obviously delicious with chocolate, both bitter and sweet, but they're also a fine match for fall fruit like apples and pears in a salad. I'm not a huge fan of fruit salad but I do like the succulent unexpected honeyed bite of a piece of apple, fig, chopped apricot, dried date in amongst the tangy, fresh, watery vegetables and lettuces of a traditional salad. And when there's fruit, dried or otherwise, nuts are a natural second act. Some sort of hard salty cheese is just icing on the cake.

Wash and scrub a piece of Jerusalem artichoke. You can try to peel it but good luck. I take off the stubby old ends and then make matchsticks out of the knot leaving very little skin exposed on any individual piece. I really love this vegetable. When people say it tastes like potato, they have no idea what an injustice they are doing to this poor thing, the ever surprising sun-choke.

Slice fennel and apple** about the same thickness. Or shave the fennel and complement it with larger pieces of apple.

Cut up a celery stalk then chop a generous handful of parsley and small head of radicchio. Toss everything together in a lemon-y mustard vinaigrette. And top with coarsely chopped hazelnuts.

A few bits of shaved pecorino cheese would be good here, as would a few sour dried cranberries if you like.

**The apples look a bit browned in the photo but it's not because they'd been sitting around exposed to oxygen but instead because in addition to lemon in my salad dressing I added a bit of a fig balsamic vinegar and it was so worth it.

The Jerusalem artichoke. It might not be pretty but it's exceptionally tasty.

50 Salads for Everyday Eating: #27 Simmered Choy Sum (baby bok choy) In A Garlic/Ginger Sesame Drizzle Served with Rice Vermicelli and Cilantro (super spicy peanut sauce, optional!)

This is great as a warm side to a main course of kebabs or fried blackened tofu or grilled fish. Or it can simply stand in for a traditional salad in a more Asian themed dinner. It's also good cooked as directed below but then roughly chopped, tossed with hot soba or rice Vietnamese vermicelli noodles, and drizzled in a peanut sauce. Lots of hot pepper flakes and generous amounts of cilantro make it festive and flavourful. Shredded chicken, pork or tofu would be welcome additions. As would bean sprouts for crunch.

There may have been a time when Asian greens like bok choy and gai lan were exotic and only to be found in restaurants deep in the heart of an urban Chinatown neighbourhood. Luckily, our landscape of food has changed with the shift of immigrant populations moving beyond city borders, and the increased blend of ethnicities that populate every pocket of Canada. Across most of Ontario, and increasingly in rural communities, you can find Asian greens in your supermarket. Or at least you should be able to since they're now being grown locally. In Toronto, you can't turn around in a green grocer without running into bok choy, and along Spadina Avenue or at any large Asian grocery, like T & T, you'll find an enormous variety of Asian greens - Chinese kale, flowering mustard, the sprightly and herbaceous yu choy, ... and an enormous bag's worth of greens will set you back less than 2 dollars.

Choy sum or bok choy is one of the mildest tasting of the Asian greens and a good one to try if you're hestitant about exotic green vegetables at the best of times. The baby bok choy is a miniature version, quick cooking, extremely tender, and served over a mound of chewy noodles with a spoonful of roasted peanut sauce, I can't imagine anyone, including a child, not finding it delightful. Or you can toss with cooled brown rice and stir fried pork or chicken or fried/baked tofu and it makes a great picnic lunch with a spicy lager.

Simmered Choy Sum, for 1

Cut four choy sum in half length-wise, soak them in cold water in your sink for 10 minutes to loosen any dirt. Rinse carefully. Place them cut-side down in a skillet of lightly salted simmering water and cook until bright green (the silent timer for most green vegetables!) and tender, about 4 minutes. Remove with tongs and place on a platter. Serve with a bit of grated ginger and garlic mixed with sesame oil and hot chile flakes. Or prepare with a side of soba noodles or Chinese egg noodles tossed with the delicious roasted peanut sauce, recipe below.

Peanut Dressing with Basil, serves 3 or makes 1/2 cup

1/4 cup roasted peanut oil (can be plain peanut oil but it doesn't carry the same aromatic intensity)

2 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon hot chile flakes or 1/2 teaspoon chile oil or 1/2 serrano chile, diced

2 scallions, including some of the greens, thinly sliced

8 mint leaves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped basil

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (optional)

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

All you need to do is pretty much add everything together (except the peanuts, they get added just before serving, as a topping), whisk with a fork, and toss with warm noodles. Sprinkle the peanuts over top.

50 Salads for Everyday Eating: #26 Edamame (or Fava), Red Cabbage and Quinoa Salad in a Sesame Orange Dressing

I like to cook the quinoa like bibimbap rice in this recipe--which means I over cook it so the bottom creates a crust, and adds a crunchy, slightly burnt and nutty taste. Then I empty it into a large serving bowl and blend the soft kernals with the harder ones and it's really, really delicious. But the plain, fluffy stuff works beautifully too.

I used edamame here (the shelled frozen variety), but cooked fava beans would also be tasty. I didn't add avocado but I regretted it afterwards. A little bit of sharp blue cheese might be interesting too as a strong counterpoint to the flavour of sesame oil and orange, although I kept the dressing very light and fruity. Otherwise, stick with the basics of this recipe and you'll find yourself with a nutritious, simple salad full of colour and texture.

If it were summer and we had farmers markets, I'd add all sorts of extra bits like heirloom radishes or purple cress or some sort of springy sprout but since it's winter, I just added a lot of fresh mint which helped liven things up a bit.

Serves 4 as a side, or 2 larger portions

1 cup quinoa

3 cups shelled edamame beans

1 cup grated or finely sliced purple cabbage

handful of grated or finely sliced brussels sprouts

about 10 mint leaves, chopped

Thoroughly rinse quinoa under running water for about 2 minutes. Place quinoa in a sauce pan with plenty of water, bring to a boil, simmer for about 8 minutes, then drain and set aside to cool. (If you want to cook it like I did, add less water, bring to a boil, turn down to medium, cover with a lid and let sit until you smell smoke, take off the burner, let cool, then scrap up the bottom and blend into the fluffy grains).

Bring the frozen edamame beans to a boil in a pan of boiling water, cook for 3 - 4 minutes, then drain.

Slice/grate the red cabbage and the brussels sprouts. Chop the mint.

Once the quinoa is dry, transfer it to a large serving bowl. Add the edamame, the cabbge, the brussels sprouts and the mint. Toss to blend. Add salad dressing sparingly, about 3 tablespoons. The quinoa soaks up the dressing readily, but you just want a fine coating of flavour.

Dressing, makes about 1 1/2 cups and keeps in the fridge for a week

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger root

 

1/2 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed

1/4 cup rice vinegar (or white wine)

4 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil

 

1 Tablespoon soy sauce/tamari

 

Blend everything together in a small blender, or whisk with a fork.

 

Spring. So close, I can smell it.

 

50 Salads for Everyday Eating: #25 Healthy Egg Salad

Mmm, egg salad on crispy romaine with a side of brined olives - sounds like a perfect lunch for a perfect sunny afternoon on a deck with a perfect view to the world. For a week in the summer I retreat to a cabin in the Adirondack woods with my parents where we sit at the edge of the earth which in this case is a bunch of thick planks forming a deck that abuts itself precariously over ancients rockfaces that fade and fall into Lake Champlain.The sun hits the water just so and the whole horizon explodes like a field of fireflies. When a storm sweeps by it's majestic and alarming and the sky turns black before it gives way to a rainbow, usually a double one. There's always something to spot. It's best to keep your eyes peeled at all times.

We eat well. We make picnics of summer bounty for dinners -- sometimes we eat a picnic meal for supper, othertimes we grill whole fishes and toss baby potatoes in a warm vinaigrette; we make spaghettini in the most tender tomato sauce with capers and black olives, and we grill pork tenderloin and make sweet potato fries. There is always a big bowl of fresh greens and platters of sliced tomatoes drizzled with basil and olive oil. For lunch, we eat healthy sandwiches and raw vegetables and salads made with nuts and fruit and proteins like chickpeas, tuna, hard boiled eggs. This is an easy lunch to prepare after, say, a wicked game of tennis on the clay courts, or a breathless swim in the frigid temperatures that is always Lake Champlain in July.

Egg salad typicallly goes between two pieces of bread but I prefer it on a bed of crunchy greens. Try it, I think you'll like it.

Healthy Egg Salad (two servings, with greens):

4 large eggs, hard-boiled, cooled and finely chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, tarragon, chervil or chives, or a mix of all four

1 green onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

1 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tbsp plain Greek yogurt + 1 tablespoon Hellmann’s mayonnaise (or 2 of one)

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon paprika

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine the first three ingredients in a bowl, mashing with a fork until fluffy. Meanwhile in a small cup or bowl, prepare the dressing by combining the lemon juice, vinegar, yogurt, maoyonnaise, mustard and paprika. Whisk until fully blended then fold into the egg mixture until everything is well combined.

Prepare two bowls of washed torn romaine lettuce. Add a dollop of egg salad to each. Add a hanful of mixed brined olives. Season with a sprinkling of fresh herbs and salt and pepper to taste!

Perfectly healthy lakeside eating. Sigh.

50 Salads for Everyday Eating: #24 Nasturtiums -- the edible flower

The first summer I worked as the chef at the Dunedin Art Retreat Centre nestled in a hamlet in the hills of the Niagara Escarpment, at the headway of three rivers, and with a view to Georgian Bay, I was shocked at the sudden explosion of colour on the back deck of the retreat centre in late July. There were these playful bobbing things of every vibrant colour you could imagine, the prettiest sweetest flowers, just flailing and bouncing in the wind. They were attached like grounded electrical wires to fragile leaves that looked like silver dollars barely holding on atop tiny stems. I found the entire thing enchanting. Then I learned it was all edible.

The flowers taste a touch sweet and the leaves are slightly peppery (think of them as a perfect cross between watercress and arugula), both equally delicious, especially when paired together. I encourage you to try to grow your own. My mother plants nasturtium seedlings in all of her vegetable gardens and some plants thrive, whereas others just wither. Last summer I planted some seedlings in a few different container boxes on my back deck and was thrilled as all get-go to see them bob and bounce and wave at the neighbours for about 5 months despite absolute inattentiveness on my part. A young man stopped me on his way to the back recycling bin one early cool fall afternoon and said "what are those things growing on your deck? Those pink and purple and red and orange and yellow flowers that look like they're having a party every afternoon. I come out and look at them every single day." Both the leaves and the flowers thrived from late spring until late fall when the first cruel frost hit Toronto. Until then I ate half and left half. They need full sun but otherwise they are hardly picky. I went away in the hottest part of the summer for a few weeks and when I returned almost all of my plants and herbs and vegetables were past resuscitation. But the nasturtiums? Oh ya, waving welcome back at me in full glory.

 Simply add nasturtium flowers and leaves to any of your favourite simple summer salads for a bit of playful elegance.

50 Salads For Everyday Eating: #23 Sliced Brussels Sprouts with Sugar Snap Peas and Fresh Mint in a Lemon Parmesan Dressing

Another sweet winter medley but this one's on rotation with finely sliced Brussels sprouts, fresh mint leaves and a lemony-Parmesan dressing.

Base of the salad starts with a few celery ribs chopped up and tossed into a bowl. Followed by some sugar snap peas, also chopped and tossed in. Then we take a few raw Brussels sprouts, peel off their outer layers and de-stem them, then we go to work and slice them thinly into oblivion. About the only legume that would work here is the mighty chickpea, preferably cooked from dry. You can omit the chickpeas and instead add toasted hazelnuts, pine nuts or almonds. Or you can just add them with the legumes -- delicious! Since Parmesan is the overwhelming flavour here, we're trying to keep everything else in her balance. Then I tossed in big leaves of fresh mint and fresh oregano.

I kept adding to this dish, grounding it out into a real salad with chopped radicchio and torn red leaf lettuce, but you could also go with arugula, spinach, or/and a whole head of chopped parsley for big flavour and fresh breath and WHAM!

celery, chopped

sugar snap peas, chopped

handful of Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced (super thinly!)

fresh mint leaves

fresh oregano leaves

a bit of super finely diced red onion

a handful of cooked garbanzo beans

OR: chopped toasted hazelnuts, almonds or pine nuts

a ton of fresh parsley chopped or some torn lettuce, or both

Dressing

1 1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

1/2 teaspoon sugar (this is for those who find lemon a bit too citrusy, but you can omit)

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan

1 small shallot (or not!), finely chopped

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, garlic, and shallot. Add the grated Parmesan, then drizzle in the oil and stir until thick and combined.

Add the salad ingredients, plus any greens (parley, lettuces) you want and toss to coat.

50 Salads for Everyday Eating: #22 Sweet Winter Medley (sugar snap peas, grated beets, slivered cabbage, pistachios)

This is another easy, assemble the night before salad to take to work that keeps for a few days and simply requires dressing just before eating. It's got most of my favourite flavours -- the sweet herbaceous crunch of sugar snap peas (those things that look like snow peas but are fatter), mint and cilantro (although one or the other or neither will do too), the rich grounding of nuts (I used pistachios but you could do roasted peanuts or candied macadamias or toasted almonds or any nut that you call your own). This salad has a bit of a Vietnamese face to it because it's bursting with freshness and perfectly combines sweet, sour and heat. Try it; you might just get addicted.

Remember that a lot of these recipes are purposely constructed to be loose and free flowing. Salads are one of those things, unlike cakes and pastries, that don't require exactitude of any sort. It's a combination of flavours that are generally willing to oblige alteration or even substitution. I encourage you to take away specific things that you dislike and experiment at finding replacements. Also remember that ingredients are measured out usually for a large single serving, what one person might eat as a healthy main lunch course. Salads are easily doubled, tripled, times 10.

Tips

1. I take my salad dressing to work in old mustard jars. They seal well enough that you can vigourously shake without wearing plastic covering.
2. Keep an assortment of nuts and dried fruit on hand in your pantry. They really do wonders for a simple salad. I buy a lot of raw nuts -- almonds, pecans, pistachios and sunflower seeds -- but try to make both caramelized/candied and chili/spicy varieties with the pecans and almonds. When you have a salad like a sweet dressed coleslaw the addition of chopped spicy salty nuts is incredible.

Ingredients

Handful of chopped pistachios

1/2 cup chopped Savoy cabbage

1/4 cup slivered green cabbage

Handful chopped sugar snap peas

1 celery rib, chopped

1 small beet, peeled and coarsely grated

1 tablespoon minced red onion

1 tablespoon each chopped mint and cilantro

Dressing (~ 1/2 cup to last for a few servings)

4 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons dark sesame oil

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon hot chili flakes

4 tablespoons light olive oil

1 teaspoon freshly grated raw ginger