Hazelnut-Pear Salad with Radishes

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

4 cups herb salad blend
2 medium radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 medium Asian pears, diced and divided
1/4 cup dried apricots, thinly sliced and divided
1/2 cup hazelnuts, plus more for garnish, toasted, chopped, and divided
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

In a large bowl, combine the salad blend, radishes, half the pears, half the toasted hazelnuts, and half the apricots.  Set aside.

To make the dressing, place reserved pears, hazelnuts, and apricots in a blender along with vinegar, mustard, and 1/4 cup water.  Cover and puree until well combined and slightly thick, adding water, if needed, to reach the desired consistency.

Combine salad mixture and dressing and serve immediately.

(This dressing is wonderful!)

Deviled Eggs

(recipe from Real Simple magazine)

1 dozen eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. minced fresh tarragon
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. mustard seeds
dash of Tabasco

Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Cover and remove from heat.  Set aside for 15 minutes.

Drain the pan and fill with cold water.  Peel the eggs when cool enough to handle.  Cut the eggs in half lengthwise and scoop out the yolks.  Mix the yolks with the other ingredients.  Spoon the mixture into the whites and serve.

(Not vegan, no, but I just love deviled eggs.  So, I used Vegenaise, probably double the amount, and replaced tarragon with sage, and used some cayenne pepper instead of the Tabasco.  But it's hard to mess up deviled eggs, so all was well.)

Artichoke, Carrot and Zucchini Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

(recipe from Christina Cooks)

Vinaigrette:
1 jalapeno chili, roasted over an open flame, peeled, seeded and finely minced
5 to 6 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
5 to 6 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, finely minced
Generous pinch sweet paprika
Generous pinch cracked black pepper
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Salad:
1 cup finely shredded green cabbage
2 cups baby arugula, rinsed well
2 to 3 sprigs basil, leaves removed, left whole
1 medium carrot, cut into long ribbons with a peeler
1 medium zucchini, cut into long ribbons with a peeler
8 canned or frozen artichoke hearts (in water, not oil), halved
10 to 12 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

Prepare the dressing:  Whisk all ingredients together, adjusting salt to your taste.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before using.  Whisk again before mixing with the salad.

Combine all vegetables in a mixing bowl.  Just before serving, toss with dressing to coat.  Serve immediately.

(I combined everything except the arugula and kept covered in the fridge for several days, serving over a bed of arugula when I was ready to eat.  Nice, tangy salad!)

Tahini-Dressed Zucchini and Green Bean Salad

(recipe from PureWow)

Dressing:
1/2 garlic clove
Coarse sea salt
2 Tbsp. light tahini
Finely grated zest and feshly squeezed juice of 1/2 lemon
Freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 orange
1/2 tsp. honey
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Salad:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 medium zucchini (about 3/4 lb.), sliced into 1/8-inch coins
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 fresh red chile, seeded and finely chopped
Freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 lb. green beans, trimmed
4 large handfuls mixed salad greens
Mint leaves, thinly sliced, for garnish

Make the tahini dressing:  Crush the garlic with a little sea salt and transfer to a medium bowl.  Add the tahini, lemon zest, lemon juice, orange juice, honey and a grind of black pepper to the bowl and stir until combined.  (If the dressing thickens or turns grainy or pasty, thin it out by whisking in a little water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, until you get a creamy, trickling consistency.)  Gently stir in the olive oil.  Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed, and set aside.

Make the salad:  In a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil.  Working in batches, cook the zucchini coins, tossing them occasionally, until tender and browned on both sides, about 2 minutes.  Transfer the cooked zucchini to a large bowl.

When all of the zucchini is cooked, season it generously with salt and pepper.  Add the chile and lemon juice and toss until combined.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a saucepan filled with salted water to a boil and prepare an ice-water bath.  Add the green beans to the saucepan, return the water to a boil and blanch for 1 minute.  Drain the green beans, then dunk them in the ice bath to refresh them.  Drain again, pat dry with a clean kitchen towel, and toss the beans with the zucchini.

Spread the salad greens in a large, shallow serving bowl, then scatter the dressed zucchini and beans and shredded mint on top.  Drizzle the tahini dressing generously over the whole lot and serve immediately.

Heirloom Tomato and Melon Salad

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 hot chile pepper, such as serrano, seeded and minced (I used a Hatch chile)
1/8 tsp. sea salt
3 cups diced seedless watermelon
3 cups diced cantaloupe
1 lb. green-striped, yellow, or other heirloom tomatoes, chopped

In a large bowl, whisk together lemon zest and juice, chile and salt.  Add watermelon, cantaloupe, and tomatoes, and toss.  Let sit at least 10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend; serve at room temperature or chilled.

(Kind of like a gazpacho.  I imagine if you chopped everything up finely, this would make a really nice salsa, too.  The melon-tomato combo is surprising and tasty.)

Salsa

(recipe from Real Simple magazine)

2 yellow or orange tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 small white onion, minced
Juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash of cayenne pepper

Add all of the ingredients to a medium bowl.  Toss to combine.  Spoon into a serving dish and set aside for 15 minutes to blend flavors.

(There was a sale on heirloom tomatoes, yo!  Why does anyone buy salsa?  So simple and fresh.)

Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes

(recipe from Smitten Kitchen, adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks)

7 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
butter
maple syrup

Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-low heat; you want it to slowly get nice and hot.

Stir the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in the bottom of a medium bowl.  Dump the sour cream in on top and stir it together very gently; it's okay to leave the texture a bit uneven.  Whisk the eggs and vanilla in a separate bowl and stir them into the sour cream mixture, once again, being careful not to overmix.

Melt about a tablespoon of butter in your skillet or griddle and pour the batter in, a scant 1/4 cup at a time.  Cook for about 2 minutes on the first side, or until bubbles appear all over the surface, flipping them carefully and cooking for about a minute on the other side.  Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve in a stack, topped with a pat of butter and a cascade of maple syrup.

(Again, not vegan: I wanted to use up the sour cream and butter remaining from my peach tart on a new recipe...  A bit of a treat for myself in the morning!  I didn't have enough sour cream, but swapped in some coconut milk to make up the difference, to no ill effect.  These are odd, eggy pancakes, but pancakes nonetheless, and delicious.  I also added a few tablespoons of wheat germ that I wanted to get rid of, making them a bit toothy.)

Makes 12 4-inch pancakes, 8 5-inch pancakes, or so.