cupSoba Noodles with Canned Wild Salmon and Soy-Ginger Dressing
Potato, Green Bean, and Radish Salad with Creamy Herb Dressing
Cannellini Bean Salad with Tomato-Garlic Vinaigrette
Bean Cooking Method That Yields Maximum Flavor
Wheat Berry Salad with Roasted Beets, Kale, Toasted Walnuts, and Simple Sesame Tahini Dressing
IF CHAPTER ONE IS THE FOUNDATION of your homemade kitchen, Chapter Two serves as the bricks you’ll use to build it. We’ll explore the numerous ways to combine the items in this book to make simple and quick meals from what you have on hand. Learn four basic salad dressings and what kinds of salads they complement best. Look for tips on varying the dressings for different dishes, or turning them into marinades or sauces that move effortlessly from the snack table to the dinner table.
The Great Salad Toss-Up Guide is a fun, mix-and-match method for choosing the proper main ingredients, dressings, seasonal vegetables, and embellishments to create stellar salads that are both healthful and satisfying.
Try this dressing on everything from green salads to Soba Noodles with Canned Wild Salmon to brown rice salad to grilled fish. I like to keep it around to drizzle over steamed vegetables for a super-quick lunch.
TIME REQUIRED: 10 minutes active
YIELD: about cup
6 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
¼ cup vegetable oil (such as peanut or sunflower)
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, ginger, soy sauce, garlic, and sesame oil. Pour in the vegetable oil gradually while whisking continuously, until the dressing comes together. Transfer to a jar and cover. The dressing will keep, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.
Need a balanced dinner in less than twenty minutes? Here’s a streamlined salad that makes a great pantry meal when you’re feeling rushed. I always keep a few cans of wild Alaskan salmon in the cupboard for just such occasions. It’s an affordable, sustainable seafood choice. Nori is the dried seaweed used in sushi rolls. It’s readily available in many grocery stores and keeps well in the pantry. It has a savory flavor that adds a lot of character to a simple dish like this. The vegetable component can be varied according to the season and your inclination.
TIME REQUIRED: 20 minutes or less active (excluding dressing preparation)
YIELD: 2 light-meal servings
6 ounces dry soba noodles
8 asparagus spears, or 1 head baby bok choy
1 sheet nori seaweed
One 7.5-ounce can wild salmon, skin and bones removed, flaked
cup Soy-Ginger Dressing
1 green onion, sliced on the diagonal (green and white parts)
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
In a medium saucepan, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until tender, according to package instructions.
Meanwhile, if using asparagus, hold one end of each asparagus spear in either hand and snap each spear at its natural breaking point, discarding the tough bottom section of each spear. Cut the remaining parts of the spears into 1-inch pieces. If using bok choy, separate the leaves from the core and wash and slice the leaves into ribbons.
During the last 2 minutes of the noodle cooking time, add the asparagus or bok choy directly to the boiling water and cook along with the noodles. Drain the noodles and vegetables, rinse quickly with cool water, and set aside to drain well in the colander.
Turn one burner of a gas or electric stove to medium. Using tongs, hold the nori sheet over the burner and toast it until crisp and fragrant, moving frequently to avoid burning, about 2 seconds per section on both sides. Do not let it smoke. Set aside.
Transfer the cooled and drained noodles and vegetables to a bowl (pat dry if they still have water clinging to them) and add the salmon. Pour the dressing over and toss well. Using kitchen shears, cut the nori sheet into strips directly over the noodle salad, reserving a little for garnish. Add the green onion and toss. Divide the salad evenly between 2 bowls and garnish with the sesame seeds and the reserved nori. Serve immediately.
Here’s a dressing that’s super-easy to whip up at a moment’s notice and is wonderful on a variety of different salads, such as Potato, Green Bean, and Radish Salad); just about any pasta salad; freshly steamed vegetables like spring peas and asparagus; or a green romaine salad. It also makes a very nice marinade for chicken or fish. If the dressing is too tart for your taste, add a tiny bit of honey to balance it. If you want something more like a classic green goddess dressing, increase the herbs and add minced anchovies and garlic.
TIME REQUIRED: 10 minutes active (excluding yogurt, crème fraîche, and mustard preparation)
YIELD: 1½ cups
1½ cups Yogurt or Crème Fraîche
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon Honey Mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chervil or dill
1 teaspoon chopped fresh lemon thyme or regular thyme
½ teaspoon honey (optional)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Whisk together the yogurt, parsley, mustard, mint, chervil, thyme, and honey (if using). Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a jar and cover. The dressing will keep, refrigerated, for about 1 week.
Creamy Herb Dressing makes a wonderfully fresh dressing for this or any potato salad. Vary the vegetables according to the season. Spring’s asparagus can stand in for summer’s green beans. Cherry tomatoes and cucumbers also make nice additions. Steaming the potatoes whole makes for a better potato salad. It’s super-easy, very fast, and it cooks the potatoes evenly without making them waterlogged.
TIME REQUIRED: about 30 minutes active (excluding dressing preparation)
YIELD: 6 servings
1½ pounds small new potatoes (fingerlings or Yukon golds work wonderfully)
½ pound green beans, stemmed
1 bunch radishes, halved and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
About 1 cup Creamy Herb Dressing
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Scrub the potatoes and put them whole and unpeeled in a steamer basket. Steam over boiling water until tender, about 15 minutes (depending on their size). Test for doneness by inserting a paring knife into them. Remove and let the potatoes cool, reserving the water.
Add more water to the steamer if necessary and add the green beans. Steam until crisp-tender and bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Rinse with cold water, then plunge them into a small bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.
When the potatoes are cool, cut them into bite-sized pieces and transfer to a large bowl. Drain the green beans and pat dry, and then cut them into 1½-inch lengths. Add them to the bowl with the potatoes. Add the radishes and the dressing. Toss until the vegetables are evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
This salad is best served right away because the moisture from the vegetables can cause the dressing to become watery. If you want to make it ahead, assemble the components separately, refrigerate them, and add the dressing at the last moment.
√ NO-WASTE TIP: Not only does steaming potatoes make a better potato salad, but it’s a smart way to save water and energy. Steaming requires less water than boiling and allows you to reuse the same water to steam the green beans and other vegetables. Also, your stove requires less energy to heat a small amount of water than it does to heat a large pot.
Everyone needs a simple dressing to have on hand for everyday green salads, potato salads, pasta, and beans. Why buy it at the grocery store when it’s so easy to make? I’ve named this “best ever” because when it’s made with your own Red Wine Vinegar and Grainy Prepared Mustard, it is. And the Tomato-Garlic variation is particularly good on bean and grain salads. Use the best olive oil you can afford and buy local or domestic if you can. If you find an imported extra-virgin olive oil that seems too cheap, it probably is. Counterfeiting is common in the global olive oil industry. What you think is pure olive oil may actually contain soybean oils or other cheap oils. See Sources for domestic producers.
TIME REQUIRED: 10 minutes active (excluding vinegar and mustard preparation)
YIELD: about ¾ cup
3 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice (for a lighter salad)
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon any variation Grainy Prepared Mustard
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Whisk together the vinegar, shallot, and mustard. Slowly drizzle in the oil, while whisking continuously, until the dressing comes together. Season with salt and pepper. Store in a covered jar refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
TOMATO-GARLIC VINAIGRETTE
Add tomatoes and garlic to the Basic Best-Ever Vinaigrette and you’ve got a versatile dressing for bean, grain, or pasta salads, or for marinating or drizzling over cooked fish or chicken.
IN ADDITION TO THE BASIC VINAIGRETTE INGREDIENTS:
1 garlic clove, peeled and left whole
Salt
2 fresh Roma tomatoes, peeled, or 2 canned Roma tomatoes
In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic to a paste along with a pinch of salt. Add the tomatoes and pound them until smooth. Add to the finished basic vinaigrette.
This is just one example of the versatility that can be achieved by combining cooked dried beans with seasonal vegetables and a great homemade vinaigrette. A freshly made warm bean salad can serve as an economical and substantial meal when paired with a grain, or bread and cheese. As a side dish, beans go well with grilled or roasted meats like Texas-Style Barbecued Brisket and they’re great to take to a potluck. This salad is best in winter, when radicchio is at its peak. In spring, you might include baby artichokes or asparagus; summer might call for cherry tomatoes and green beans; fall may bring roasted red peppers and eggplant from the garden. The Tomato-Garlic Vinaigrette goes well with any of the above combinations. Make sure you drain the beans thoroughly to prevent your salad from tasting watery.
TIME REQUIRED: about 15 minutes active; 6 hours passive to soak and cook beans, (excluding dressing preparation)
YIELD: 6 to 8 servings
4 cups cooked and drained cannellini beans
2 celery ribs, cut in half lengthwise and sliced thinly on the diagonal
½ small head radicchio, cut in half, cored, and sliced thinly
½ red onion, sliced thinly
About 12 pitted green olives (1 ounce), quartered
½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram
½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
½ to ¾ cup Tomato-Garlic Vinaigrette
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
In a large bowl, combine the beans, celery, radicchio, onion, olives, parsley, marjoram, and rosemary. Add the vinaigrette (starting with ½ cup), and toss well. Season with salt and pepper, adding a little more vinaigrette if desired. Serve at room temperature within 3 hours, or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature and taste for salt before serving salad that has been refrigerated.
Leftover beans are great to have around for quick meals and snacks. They can be added to soups; tucked into quesadillas or tacos; eaten with eggs for breakfast or a light meal; pureed in the food processor with garlic, herbs, and olive oil to make a spread or dip; or tossed into a green salad with vegetables for a fast, nutritious meal.
YIELD: about 6 cups beans
1 pound dried beans, picked through for stones and rinsed thoroughly (see Tip, below)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped (optional)
2 to 3 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt
Soak the beans in cold water to cover for at least 4 hours or overnight, if time allows.
Heat the oil in a large pot and add the onion, celery (if using), and garlic. Sauté until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the beans and their soaking water to the pot, unless the water looks dirty, then drain, rinse, and start with fresh water. Add water as needed to cover the beans by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Lower the heat to a bare simmer, cover partially, and cook until the beans are tender, but hold their shape, 45 minutes to 3½ hours (depending on the size and age of the beans), stirring occasionally. You may need to add water to keep the beans submerged.
Season with salt when the beans are nearly soft. Do not add tomatoes or any other type of acidic ingredient until the beans are nearly done, because acid inhibits their cooking. Remove from the heat and let the beans cool in their liquid. Cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
√ TIP: Because dried beans that have been harvested within a year cook more evenly and have superior texture and flavor, choose beans from the bulk bins of a busy store or buy from a grower at your farmers’ market.
Besides being tasty on grain and Asian noodle salads, this dressing is also fantastic drizzled over grilled fish or chicken or fresh sliced tomatoes, or used as a sandwich spread. Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds, used often in Middle Eastern cuisine (it’s one of the essential ingredients in hummus). You can find tahini in both raw and roasted versions, in either jars or cans. It is produced both domestically and overseas. Look for it in health food and specialty stores and in the world foods aisle in some grocery stores. Any type of tahini can be used in this recipe. I buy locally produced organic, raw tahini from Artisana. Tahini should be refrigerated after opening as it goes rancid quickly.
TIME REQUIRED: about 10 minutes active
YIELD: about ¾ cup
2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
Salt
cup sesame tahini paste
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
With a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt. In a blender, combine the garlic paste, tahini, cup water, the lemon juice, honey, soy sauce, and sesame oil and blend until smooth. Season with salt. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
This is just one of many different seasonal grain salads that can be made with the Simple Sesame Tahini Dressing. You can vary the grain by using brown or other types of rice, farro, quinoa, or kamut. Likewise, vary the vegetables seasonally. In summer, you’ll want to use tomatoes, green beans, and cucumbers; in fall, roasted squash and pumpkin seeds; in spring, sweet peas, asparagus, or fava beans. You could also add shredded leftover chicken, canned wild salmon, or hard-cooked eggs for protein.
TIME REQUIRED: about 45 minutes active; 1 hour passive
YIELD: 6 servings
4 small to medium beets (see Tip)
½ cup (about 2 ounces) walnut halves, coarsely chopped
1 cup wheat berries, soaked for 4 to 5 hours or overnight and drained
Salt
1 bunch Lacinato or green or red kale
¾ cup Simple Sesame Tahini Dressing
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Trim the beets and wrap them in one or two foil packets, depending on their size, keeping like-sized beets with like-sized beets. Put them in a baking dish to prevent beet juice from leaking into your oven and roast until tender and fragrant, 35 to 40 minutes. Use a small paring knife or skewer to check for doneness. The knife or skewer should go in easily with a small amount of resistance. Set them aside to steam in their foil packets. When they are cool enough to handle, peel them by rubbing the skins off with your fingertips, and then cut the beets into bite-sized wedges. Alternatively, the beets can be roasted up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated, left in their foil wrappers, until ready to use.
Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
In a small baking dish, arrange the walnuts in a single layer. Toast until brown and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
While the beets are roasting and the walnuts are toasting, set a medium saucepan with 3 cups of water over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and add the wheat berries and a pinch of salt. Lower the heat to a slow simmer, cover partially, and cook until tender and pleasantly chewy, 45 to 50 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the wheat berries sit until you are ready to assemble the salad.
Meanwhile, trim, stem, and wash the kale and put it in a vegetable steamer set over boiling water. Steam until tender and wilted, but still bright green, about 5 minutes. Remove immediately to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and squeeze out excess moisture. Chop coarsely and set aside.
When all the ingredients are ready, drain the wheat berries and transfer them to a serving bowl. Add the beet wedges, kale, and walnuts. Add the dressing and toss thoroughly. Taste and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper and serve immediately or within 2 hours at room temperature. The salad can also be covered and refrigerated for 3 to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
√ TIP: I like to roast beets this way whenever I have the oven on for something else. It’s an energy-saving strategy and a great way to have cooked beets on hand for adding to salads anytime.
Do you want to eat more seasonally, locally, sustainably, and healthfully, and avoid falling back on supermarket takeout or restaurants after a busy day? Here’s a system to do that, but first you must banish the image of a typical green salad from your mind.
Shop your farmers’ market and buy a variety of seasonal vegetables to have on hand. Keep your pantry stocked with grains and legumes. Cook one variety of grain and legume each over the weekend to have on hand for the week, and you’ll be able to create flavorful, balanced salad meals very quickly.
Make extra and brown-bag your lunch. Think of meat as an occasional embellishment, use up leftover cooked vegetables from other meals, and you’ll have a zero-waste, economical, and sustainable kitchen, and you’ll get plenty of vegetables in your diet without even trying.
Look at the four salad recipes in this chapter, read the seasonal suggestions in their head notes, and consider the tips below to begin to get a feel for good combinations. Pretty soon you’ll be creating your own favorites by instinct and by the season.
Use the lists to follow this four-step system for creating endless salads whatever the season or your mood.
1. Choose 1 salad base (or combine a grain and legume).
2. Add 2 or 3 vegetable and/or protein additions, depending on what’s in season and what sounds good to you.
3. Add 1 or 2 garnishes and embellishments.
4. Choose your dressing, and toss.
SEVEN WINNING SALAD COMBINATIONS
Lentils, roasted beets, slivered fennel, arugula, feta, and Basic Best-Ever Vinaigrette made with lemon juice
Brown rice, corn, cherry tomatoes, sautéed summer squash, Fresh Whole-Milk Soft Cheese, and Tomato-Garlic Vinaigrette
Quinoa with sautéed mushrooms, mustard greens, sugar snap peas, Spicy Kimchi, sesame oil, and Soy-Ginger Dressing
Potatoes with roasted asparagus, radishes, mixed fresh herbs, and Creamy Herb Dressing
Chickpeas with roasted red peppers, green beans, avocado, olives, and Simple Sesame Tahini Dressing
Rice noodles with shredded Mustard and Bourbon-Glazed Pork Roast, sugar snap peas, green onions, sesame oil, and Soy-Ginger Dressing
Wheat berries, roasted butternut squash cubes, sautéed chard, toasted walnuts or pumpkin seeds, goat cheese, and Basic Best-Ever Vinaigrette
THE PROBLEM WITH TUNA
You may have noticed that I recommend canned wild salmon, herring, and sardines, but not tuna. That’s because many species of tuna are endangered and others are caught using methods that harm the environment. Also, larger, longer-lived species of tuna can have high levels of mercury. Since it’s hard to know which type of tuna is in those little cans or how it was caught, I usually avoid it unless I can find hook-and-line caught (but not long-line caught) skipjack or some other small breed of tuna. Go to www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx to learn more about choosing sustainable seafood.
• Beans and legumes: any kind, from black beans to lentils to chickpeas
• Potatoes: new potatoes, fingerlings, small red potatoes, and sweet Yukon golds are fantastic for salads
• Grains: wheat berries, quinoa, brown rice, farro, kamut, barley
• Soba and rice noodles
VEGETABLE AND PROTEIN ADDITIONS
• Roasted beets
• Roasted red peppers
• Arugula, endive, or radicchio
• Steamed or roasted asparagus
• Sautéed or steamed chard, kale, mustard greens, or collards
• Sautéed mushrooms
• Steamed green beans, snow peas, or sugar snap peas
• Roasted cubed squash or sweet potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Corn, cut off the cob
• Thinly sliced fennel
• Sautéed summer squash
• Radishes
• Sea vegetables, such as wakame or hijiki
• Hard-cooked egg
• Canned fish: wild salmon, mackerel, or sardines
• Leftover shredded chicken, pork, or beef
• Micro greens or sprouts
• Gomashio (a flavorful mixture of sesame seeds, salt, and sometimes seaweed that is used in Japanese and macrobiotic cooking)
• Toasted nori
• Green onions
• Sesame oil
• Fresh Whole-Milk Soft Cheese, feta, blue cheese, or creamy goat cheese
• Fresh herbs: basil, chervil, savory, cilantro, and parsley
• Olives
• Avocado
• Toasted nuts and seeds dressings
DRESSINGS
• Basic Best-Ever Vinaigrette with lemon, vinegar, or Tomato-Garlic Vinaigrette
