Citrus Lentil Salad

(recipe from The Kinfolk Table by Nathan Williams)

1 cup dried lentils, picked over
6 scallions, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. white wine or apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Grated zest of 1 lemon or orange
1 Tbsp. sugar (I used honey)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the lentils in a medium saucepan and add enough cold water to cover by 3 inches.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

Drain the lentils and place them in a large bowl.  Add the scallions, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, zest, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.

Let the salad rest for at least 20 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.  Serve.  The salad can be stored, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Note: The scallions may be replaced by 1/2 red onion or 2 shallots.

Cauliflower Slaw

(recipe from smittenkitchen.com)

1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds
Juice of half a lemon (about 1 Tbsp.), plus more to taste
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. sea salt, plus more to taste
3 Tbsp. dried currants
5 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more for frying
2 Tbsp. brined or salt-packed capers
1 small, compact-looking head of cauliflower (about 1 1/4 lbs.)
Freshly ground pepper
3 scallions, thinly sliced (use green and white parts)
2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional, mostly for color)

Heat oven to 350F.  Spread almonds on a tray and toast them until they're a deep golden color, tossing them once or twice to ensure even cooking.  This will take 10 to 14 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, place lemon juice, vinegar, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a small bowl.  Add currants; set aside and let them soak while you prepare the other ingredients.

If using brined capers, drain and spread them on paper towels until most of their moisture has wicked out, about 5 minutes.  If using salt-packed capers, soak them in water for 10 minutes to remove the saltiness, then drain, rinse, and pat dry on paper towels.  Pour 1/2-inch of olive oil, or another oil that you prefer to fry in, in a small skillet or saucepan.  Heat it over medium-high heat.  When hot enough that a droplet of water added to the oil hisses, carefully add the capers and step back - they're going to sputter a bit for the first 10 seconds.  Once it's safe to get closer, give them a stir.  Depending on how dry they were, it can take 1 to 2 minutes for them to get lightly golden at the edges and then crisp.  Remove with a slotted spoon.  Drain on paper towels.

Trim cauliflower leaves and cut the head into quarters.  Cut stems and florets into 1/4-inch slices.  Add to a large bowl.

Scoop currants from vinegar mixture with a slotted spoon and add to bowl with cauliflower, along with almonds, capers, scallions, and parsley.  Slowly whisk 5 Tbsp. olive oil into remaining vinegar mixture in a thin stream.  Add several turns of freshly ground black pepper.  Pour over cauliflower and other ingredients and turn gently to coat.  Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more lemon juice, salt, or pepper to taste.  Serve.

(Really different, crisp and tasty.  I didn't mess with all of the rinsing and draining of the capers - I just drained quickly and sautéed in a pan.)

Ginger Coconut Milk Soup

(recipe from 101 Cookbooks)

Two 14-oz. cans full-fat coconut milk
One 14-oz. can water (use the coconut milk can to measure)
2-inch knob of ginger, peeled and minced
3 large shallots, minced
1 tsp. salt, or to taste

Lots of seasonal vegetables, for example (use a bit of each to fill up the broth):
squash (summer or winter)
broccoli florets
asparagus, chopped
scallions, sliced
mushrooms, sliced

to serve:
lots of fresh lime juice and cilantro


In a large soup pot, over medium heat, bring the coconut milk, water, ginger, shallots, and salt to a gentle boil.  Dial back the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Add the vegetables to the simmering coconut milk, and cook until tender. 

Can be served alone, or over egg noodles or rice.  Finish with a generous squeeze of lime juice and lots of cilantro.

(This is my new favorite soup!  I've made it a couple of times now, it's so easy and flexible!  Just add any veggies you have on hand to the broth, really.  I add the lime juice and cilantro right into the soup pot at the end.  I've used broccoli, butternut squash, asparagus, mushrooms, and scallions in varying groupings, but I can't imagine many veggies that wouldn't taste fabulous with this savory, tangy coconut broth.)

Lemony Gumbo Z'herbes

(recipe from Food 52)

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery (reserve any leaves for later)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 large clove garlic, minced
4 cups water or vegetable stock
2 lbs. assorted greens: collards, turnip, beet, mustard, chard, kale, or spinach, coarsely chopped
All the celery leaves from your head of celery, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves (I used dried)
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary leaves (I used dried)
2 bay leaves
One lemon
1 to 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce (I used soy sauce)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 scallion, finely chopped

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering.  Add onions, celery, bell pepper, and salt and sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned.  Stir in garlic and let it sweat with the other vegetables for a minute or two.  Add water or stock; raise heat until it comes to just below boiling.  Add greens and celery leaves a little at a time, until they are all wilted into the soup.  Add thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves.  Halve and juice the lemon, and add juice as well as both lemon halves into the soup.  Add 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce.  Reduce heat to low and simmer soup, covered, for at least 1 hour.  The vegetables will become mushy and the soup will be very green.  Taste and add salt, pepper, or Worcestershire sauce, if needed.  Fish out bay leaves and lemon halves and discard them. 

Serve sprinkled with scallions.  Can serve over rice.

(This soup is delicious!  I added more onions, celery, and bell pepper than called for, and added the scallions right into the soup instead of as garnish.  The flavor is spicy and lemony and packed with soft greens.)

Creamy Orange-Avocado Dressing

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

3 green onions, roughly chopped
1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 cup orange juice
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Puree all ingredients in a blender.

(This makes a nice dip for veggies, too!  Tasted great with carrots!  Is thick, clings well.)

Thai Veggie Salad

(recipe from PureWow)

Salad:
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
3 cups snow peas, thinly sliced
3 carrots, thinly sliced or shredded
1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced or shredded
1/4 red cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded
1/2 English cucumber, cut into strips
1 cup dried mango, thinly sliced
2/3 cup peanuts, chopped
3/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

Dressing:
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
1 Tbsp. sesame oil (I used olive oil)
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Sriracha sauce
1/2 cup seasoned rice-wine vinegar
1/3 cup peanut butter (I used tahini)

Make the salad:  Toss all the salad ingredients together in a large bowl.

Make the dressing:  In a medium bowl, whisk all ingredients together until the dressing is smooth.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.  The salad gets better as it sits, and will keep up to three days in an airtight container in the fridge.

(Awesome salad!  I love chopping veggies, and that is a time-consuming part of this recipe.  I did use a food processor for the carrots.  Brought this salad to an island gathering by putting all the veggies mixed in a large ziplock bag and keeping the dressing separate in a small jar.  When ready for dinner, simply combined and served.  So easy!  A nice and convenient alternative to leafy greens for a salad, though you could probably serve this over a bed of leafy greens.  Everyone loved it!  Very flavorful.)

Okonomiyaki (Japanese savory pancakes)

(recipe from Food52.com)

Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. sriracha, more or less to taste

Pancakes:
5 large eggs
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. sea salt
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups cabbage, shredded with a mandoline or finely chopped
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and chopped
3/4 cup (roughly) baby or chopped shrimp
oil for frying
1-2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Whisk the first set of ingredients together and voila, your sauce.  Set aside while you make the pancakes.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs with the soy sauce, sesame oil, and salt.  Gradually add the flour until incorporated.  Fold in the cabbage, scallions, and shrimp.

Warm a couple glugs of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until glistening.  Ladle the batter into the skillet as you would for regular old pancakes.  I usually make them about the size of a saucer.  Cook on each side for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown.  Keep pancakes covered in a warm oven as you make the rest.  Scatter sesame seeds on top of pancakes and serve with dipping sauce.

(So yummy!  Kind of a pain to make.  The batter is runny, but I made my pancakes a bit smaller and babysat them a little, wielding a spatula to corral the runny batter in the pan.  They set pretty quickly, and I got into a rhythm.  Also, I mixed the sesame seeds right into the batter.  I ate a few warm, and the rest cold from the fridge, dipped in the spicy sauce.  Yum!)

Guacamole

(recipe from Real Simple magazine)

2 ripe avocados
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, minced but not seeded
1 tomato, coarsely chopped
Juice of 1 1/2 limes
1/2 tsp. salt

Scoop the avocado pulp into a medium bowl.  Add the other ingredients and mash with a fork until combined but still chunky.  Spoon into a serving dish.

(Tangy!  Maybe too tangy...  Perhaps the juice of one lime is sufficient, or even half a lime.  Taste as you go.  I mean, it's guacamole - hard to go wrong.  But this particular recipe is quite lovely.)

Scallion Vinaigrette

(recipe from Bobby Flay)

6 scallions, pale and dark green parts only, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
3 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
3 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. honey
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. canola oil
3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
salt & pepper

In a blender, puree the scallions, jalapeno, vinegar, water, and honey; gradually add the oil.  Add the cilantro and pulse.  Season with salt and pepper.

(Made 9/12/11.  I added lots of the white parts of the scallions, too, which made the dressing very strong.  Stick with the green parts!  Really good zippy dressing for salads.)