Two Salads on Friday

I woke  up this morning with that stupid song 'The Friday Song' in my head. I am hearing one of my students- albeit one of my favorite students, but she lost likability points for singing this song every bloody Friday!- singing it. Ugh. At least it has a completely different meaning to me during the summer. Friday now means it's time to pick up my farm share. It also means I have to deal with whatever I haven't used from last week's share, and let's face it- we all have some left! 

I still have kale and corn. Earlier this week I made a Kale and Yellow Bean salad that was really refreshing and lasted a few days. I added some canned pink beans and cannelini beans. I think I'll do it again, twisting the flavors a bit, and add the corn. Here is also a recipe for a Broccoli and Chicken Curry Salad. The Curry Salad started out with an idea of a sort of Waldorf Salad- celery, apples, apples, nuts-- and add the broccoli with a mayonnaise-based dressing. But that was boring. So I added some curry, lime and yogurt. And that was good, but not quite where I wanted it to be-- adding the grilled chicken brought a smokiness that did the trick. Fried Wonton Noodles are a great crunchy contrast.

Broccoli Chicken Curry Salad 

If you briefly cook your broccoli, making sure to refresh it in ice water to stop the cooking, it’s ready for lots of different recipes, to toss in a salad, or add to a stir-fry or quiche. Leftover grilled chicken adds a nice smokiness to this salad.

1 bunch broccoli

1 large or 2 medium apples

1 cooked (preferably grilled) chicken breast

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/ cup plain yogurt

2 Tablespoons mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 Tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon sweet curry (or more, to taste)

salt and pepper to taste

nuts or fried wonton noodles

1. Trim the broccoli and cut into l-inch pieces. Put a pan of water on to boil and get a bowl of ice water ready. When the water comes to a boil, add the broccoli and cook for 4 minutes. Drain and plunge into the ice water. When it’s cool, drain.

2. Wash the apples and cut into quarters from root to stem. Cut out the core and cut the apple into medium dice. 

3. Remove the skin from the chicken, if necessary, and cut into medium dice.

4. Combine the yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, honey, curry, and salt and pepper. Toss the broccoli, apple, chicken, and raisins with the dressing. Garnish with nuts (almonds or pistachios would be good, but so would walnuts or peanuts) or wonton noodles.

Bean and Kale Salad

The traditional dressing for Three Bean Salad is loaded with sugar. This dressing is slightly sweet, but not overpoweringly so-giving it time to marinate is key. This can be doubled or tripled. Good at room temperature, it’s great for a pot- luck or barbeque.

1 pound fresh green or yellow beans

4 leaves of kale

1/2 red onion

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans 

1 (15 ounce) can white (cannelloni) beans

1 cup pimento-stuffed green olives

3 Tablespoons oil

2 Tablespoons cider vinegar

1 scant Tablespoon honey or agave

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Trim the fresh beans and cut into 1-inch pieces. Wash the kale and trim off the stems. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Thinly slice the onion.

2. Bring a pot of water to boil and have ready a bowl of ice water. When the water is boiling rapidly, add the beans and kale. Boil for 3 minutes. Plunge into the ice water to stop cooking.

3. Drain and rinse the canned beans and coarsely chop the olives. 

4. Put all the beans, the kale, the onion and olives in a bowl and toss. 

5. Whisk together the oil, vinegar and sweetener. Pour over the bean mixture and toss well. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Taste and add sea salt and pepper as needed.

Kale and Corn Salad

A variation of Bean and Kale Salad, this one has a little kick. 

2 ears cooked corn

4 leaves of kale

1/2 red onion

1 small hot pepper, such as jalapeno

1 (15 ounce) can black beans 

1 cup black olives

3 Tablespoons extra virginoil

2 Tablespoons lime juice

1 scant Tablespoon honey or agave

1/4 teaspoon cumin

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Cut the kernels from the corn. Wash the kale and trim off the stems. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Thinly slice the onion. Cut the pepper in half and remove the seeds and veins, and then mince (you might want to wear gloves for this).

2. Bring a pot of water to boil and have ready a bowl of ice water. When the water is boiling rapidly, add the kale. Boil for 3 minutes. Plunge into the ice water to stop cooking.

3. Drain and rinse the canned beans and coarsely chop the olives. 

4. Put all the beans, the kale, the onion, pepper and olives in a bowl and toss. 

5. Whisk together the oil, lime juice, cumin, and sweetener. Pour over the bean mixture and toss well. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. 

6. Taste and add sea salt and pepper as needed.

I know Stacia emailed us what's in our box, but I don't want to peek- I want it to be a surprise. Have a great week!

Broccoli Chicken Curry Salad

What to do with slightly wilted lettuce, and other stuff

The beginning of the growing season is both exciting and challenging, from a culinary perspective. Great fresh things are coming from the garden, sometimes faster than you can actually cook and eat them!
Lettuce is a great example. It grows in abundance early in the season, and is not fresh and crispy for very long.
So, what to do with the slightly wilted lettuce?
Hopefully you've stored it well. But if it is looking a bit worse for wear, try sauteeing it or braising it.
Sauteeing simply means cooking it at a high heat for a brief amount of time. Braising is a 'combination' cooking method, which means it is cooked by a dry method first, then a wet method. Think pot roast (seared in oil then simmered in a liquid) or any kind of stew (including chili!). Cooking lettuce that is not-yet-garbage-but-not-showcase-material is a good way to enjoy the product.
You can change the character or personality of the dish with the kind of fat you use or the cooking liquid, or the herbs you choose. I've included some samples below.
Tonight for dinner we had braised lettuce with Cajun Baked Tofu and BBQ dipping sauce and baked potatoes. Instead of tofu, chicken could be substituted.

Cajun Baked Tofu

Substitute chicken breasts or thighs and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

1 package firm tofu
1 Tablespoon Cajun seasoning
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
Cooking oil spray
BBQ sauce (optional)
1. Place the tofu on a plate and place another plate on top of the tofu. Place something heavy on the plate (such as canned goods) as a weight. Let stand 10 minutes to press out excess water.
2. Whisk together the Cajun seasoning, canola oil and soy sauce in a large shallow bowl or glass pie pan. Cut the tofu into 3 large slabs, and then cut each slab on the diagonal into 6 triangles. Place the tofu triangles in the marinade and turn them over to coat all sides. Let marinate 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
4. Place the tofu triangles on a baking sheet. Bake 15- 20  minutes until crisp. Serve with barbeque sauce, if desired.
Leftover Sandwich: Toast a whole wheat hamburger roll. Slice 1/2 a tomato and a radish. Sandwich the tofu, radish and tomato in the roll, sprinkled with a bit of kosher salt.

Cheers!