Category: Salad

by Veggie Sutra

Fruit Salad for a Day of Fasting

Summer is here rather early this year in Northern California.  Usually my tomatoes wait until August to ripen, but this year they started turning red in mid-June even before summer solstice.   I also planted green beans and eggplant this year.  The green beans seem to be doing quite well!

Green beans in our garden

Last week, V and I prepared a low-carb entree of Edamame Spaghetti noodles with asparagus.   While it is important to restrict calories every day, intermittent fasting has also been proven to be very beneficial to health.

Melon Salad

Intermittent fasting has been part of almost every culture since times immemorial.   Very often, it is done in the name of religion, such as in Ikaria, which is one of six blue zones in the world.   (For those who haven’t heard of The Blue Zones, these are the areas in the world with the longest lived people.  Veggie Sutra tried a recipe for healthy granola from California’s own Blue Zone a couple of weeks back.)   Dan Buettner, the author and researcher behind The Blue Zones Solution says that Calorie Restriction, a way of fasting where the normal amount of calories consumed is restricted,  is proven to slow the aging process.   The key to calorie restriction is to consume very nutrient-dense foods like fruits and vegetables.

V and I came up with a very simple list of rules for fasting:  We would eat three meals consisting of only fruits, vegetables (including potatoes and sweet potatoes) and nuts, using just rock salt, black pepper and fresh ginger for seasoning.

Here’s what we ate on our fasting day – Our breakfast consisted of a handful of nuts and a banana.  For lunch, I steamed some beautiful green beans harvested from our garden and seasoned it with raw grated coconut, black pepper and rock salt.

Green beans from our garden

For dinner, I made a simple salad with melon and cherry tomatoes.  As we continue fasting, at least once a month, I will post more recipes.  Here is the first one, an eye-catching and nutritious salad with melon and cherry tomatoes.

Recipe for a Fasting Fruit Salad:  Melon & Cherry Tomatoes with Fresh Basil
[Printable Recipe]

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups cantaloupe melon cubes (use any type of melon that is available to you)
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes (use blackberries or blueberries instead if you prefer)
  • small piece of ginger grated
  • 1 Tbsp maple syrup, optional
  • 1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves chopped (I used basil from the garden, but feel free to use mint instead)
  • Freshly ground black pepper for seasoning
  • 1/4 roasted almonds or sunflower seeds, optional
Method
  • Combine the melons and cherry tomatoes with grated ginger 
  • Drizzle some maple syrup if you like (our melon was really sweet so we did not need this)
  • Garnish with basil leaves, sprinkle black pepper on top
  • Sprinkle nuts or seeds on top if using and serve

Melon Salad

It was a refreshing dinner, quite light on the stomach, yet we did not feel hungry after that.  If you have any experience with fasting, do let us know about it in your comments below!
by Veggie Sutra

Steamed Broccoli Salad with Sauerkraut

It was an interesting trip to Whole Foods last weekend.  Since I am on a fermented foods kick, I went in to pick up a bottle of kefir.  V wanted some tea.  While we were there, they were giving out sauerkraut samples from a local company called wildbrine, and the lady told me all about the good probiotic bacteria in it.  Of course, we had to get some because it tasted so good.   And guess what, the tea V selected was pu-erh tea, which apparently is a prized fermented tea from China.

Steamed Broccoli Salad with Sauerkraut

Surely the Gods of fermentation are sending me a signal!   I have landed on a couple of great books on the topic.  One of them being Cultured Foods for Your Kitchen by Leda Scheintaub.   She says basic sauerkraut is a very simple ferment with just 2 ingredients – cabbage and salt.  The book has the method for making sauerkraut as well as some recipes using it as an ingredient.

So, here is the third recipe from my exploration of fermented and cultured foods after the probiotic kefir smoothie and the make-ahead kefir oatmeal.  It is a steamed broccoli-sauerkraut salad with a creamy miso-tahini dressing, the featured ferments being sauerkraut as well as miso.

Steamed Broccoli Salad with Sauerkraut

Steamed Broccoli Salad with Sauerkraut
Adapted from Kale and Beet Salad in Lena Scheintaub’s Cultured Foods for Your Kitchen
[Printable Recipe]

Ingredients:
(Makes 4 servings)
Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp white miso (shiromiso)
  • 1/4 tahini
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp mirin or sweet white wine
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

  • 3 cups broccoli florets, thoroughly washed
  • 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
  • A dash of salt
  • 1/2 cup sauerkraut (store-bought or home-made)
  • 1/4 cup toasted walnuts for garnish (optional)

Method:

  • Make a paste of the miso with the lemon juice and then whisk in all the ingredients for the dressing. 
  • Add a dash of salt to broccoli and steam for 10 mins until crisp-tender.  
  • Combine the broccoli, sauerkraut, and red bell pepper
  • Toss with the dressing 
  • Garnish with toasted walnuts if desired and serve
Steamed Broccoli Salad with Sauerkraut
I followed the recipe for the dressing almost verbatim from the book except for leaving out the honey that was called for.  The miso in the dressing as well as the sauerkraut add some complex flavors to the salad making this one of the most satisfying broccoli salads I have made.  I packed it up for lunch for V and me for the next day and it was just as satisfying!
by Veggie Sutra

California Farmers Markets and Warm Kale Salad with Pear

Veggie Sutra is about California as much as it is about vegetarian food.   We are definitely lucky to be in a place where fresh fruits and vegetables are abundant.  (Although the severe drought continues for a fourth year in a row and it is making me sick to the stomach.  What did we do to anger the rain gods this badly?!)

That aside, farmers markets and farm stands are as ubiquitous in California as bees in a garden and I was thrilled to see a post about the Sunnyvale farmer’s market on one of my favorite cooking blogs, the kitchn.   We love this market because it is open year-round, and it happens right on the main downtown street amidst all the cafes and shops.

So what was available yesterday at the farmer’s market during this warm winter?   Root vegetables (parsnips, turnips, beets, radishes), leeks, winter squashes, a number of vegetables from the brassica variety (cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, broccoli, rapini, collard greens, mustard greens and kale), and lots of citrus fruits.   I could not resist buying this beautiful lacinato (dinosaur) kale which the farmer was selling for just a dollar a bunch!

Speaking of California and farmers markets, Alice Waters’ name is the next thing that would pop up in one’s mind.  She pioneered the whole genre of California cuisine using local, seasonal ingredients.  V and I hoard cookbooks like squirrels hoard acorns but they are always all-vegetarian.   However, rules are meant to be broken and Alice Waters’ newest book, “In the Green Kitchen”  is worth breaking the rules for.   This is a wonderful book that contains basic techniques for everything from poaching an egg to peeling a tomato accompanied by delicious, simple recipes.

 

The recipe I adapted from the book is for “Whole-wheat Spaghetti with Kale”, but we were pretty pretty carb-ed out for the day, so I decided to cook the kale as specified in the recipe and substitute the pasta with pear to make this salad.

Recipe for Warm Kale Salad with Pear

Adapted from Alice Waters’ “In the Green Kitchen”

[Printable Recipe]

Ingredients:

  • 1 bunch Lacinato (dinosaur) kale
  • 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 4 dried red chilies or 1 Tbsp red chili flakes
  • 1 medium size yellow onion, chopped fine
  • 5-6 cloves garlic, minced fine
  • Pinch salt and black pepper
  • 2 Bosc pears, peeled and sliced in to bite-sized pieces

Method:

  • Wash the kale carefully on both sides under running water (Or use a large bowl and dunk the kale in cold water 3 or 4 times, changing out the water each time)
  • Cut the kale around the stem to separate the leafy part.  Discard the stem and cut in to thin strips
How to chop kale
  • Heat olive oil in a saute pan and add the red chilies (whole or flakes)
  • After a minute, add the chopped onion, sprinkle a pinch of salt and cook for about 5-7 minutes until the onion is slightly browned
  • Add the minced garlic and saute for another 2-3 minutes
  • Now add the kale a little at a time, tossing the kale to coat it completely with oil, about 5 minutes
  • If the kale is tender, no water is needed.  If it is dry, then sprinkle a bit of water on top.  Then cover with a lid, lower the heat and cook for 2 more minutes
  • Switch off the heat, add the sliced pear on top and close with the lid again and let it sit for around 5 mins
  • Sprinkle with black pepper and adjust salt to taste
  • Serve warm

 


Although I made this salad with pear, apples would also work.  Or if you prefer, you could add roasted root vegetables like carrots or potatoes or parsnips.   Or you could stick with original recipe and just toss the kale with cooked whole-wheat spaghetti! 

by Veggie Sutra

Oh, Sugar!

I have a sweet tooth whereas V does not.  Lucky him!  I understand the evils of sugar and the havoc it wreaks on our bodies.  It is just harder for me to be disciplined about sugar.

Last year, both of us stopped sugar cold turkey for almost 6 months.  No sugar in our morning coffee, no chocolate, no sweets or cakes or cookies, no sugar in anything we cooked or bought or ate. (Which made me realize how much sugar there actually is in our daily diets!  Watch out for the salad dressings, nutrition bars, and on and on… )

Since then my goal has been to be more disciplined about sugar and be aware of how much I am eating.  I have been looking for good books to help me with this.

And I just finished reading “Lick the Sugar Habit” by Nancy Appleton.  Appleton’s contention is that sugar throws off the body’s homeostasis and affects the endocrine system.  I liked the part of the book where she divides the food we eat in to five categories and recommends eliminating categories 4 & 5 (consisting mainly of Alcohol, Sugar, Cocoa) for better health.   She has recipes at the end of the book, most of which did not inspire me much.  However I decided to give the Broccoli – Potato Salad a try with heavy modifications.

On a side note, no sooner did I finish the book that I got this cute sugar-laden gift from a friend at work.  Why oh why oh why!!

Tempting! 

Now on to the recipe.  I changed it quite a bit, but still was not too happy with the dressing, although V enjoyed it.

Couple of notes.   I always use my trusted steamer for broccoli.  It is a simple contraption with a large pot at the bottom for water on top of which a vessel with holes sits.  I just think it is a terrible waste of nutrients to blanch vegetables especially if you are going to throw out the water used to blanch.

Broccoli steaming

 The original recipe called for steaming the potatoes as well, but I preferred to saute it crisp with some fragrant sesame oil (which I also used in the dressing) and some chili powder.  The iron “vaanali” (Tamil loosely meaning wok) is a hand-me-down from my aunt and is exactly the type that is widely used to make South Indian stir fries.

Potatoes cooking in my iron “vaanali” (wok)

Recipe adapted from “Lick the Sugar Habit” by Nancy Appleton

Ingredients:
1 medium broccoli cut in to florets
1 medium potato peeled and diced
About a tablespoon of sesame oil
2 tsp chili powder (or more if you can handle the heat)
Optional: Sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds roasted
For dressing:
2 Tbsp Tahini
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp sesame oil + a splash more
4 cloves of garlic peeled and minced
pinch of salt
(generous) pinch of black pepper
  1. Steam the broccoli for about 8 mins until tender but crisp and set aside
  2. Heat about a tablespoon of sesame oil.  Saute the garlic until slightly golden and fragrant.  (You can skip this step and just whisk in fresh garlic in your dressing if you choose).  Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon and set aside
  3. Now add the remaining sesame oil.  When hot, add the chili powder, then the potatoes and cook until golden brown.  Let cool
  4. Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing adding the garlic and adjust salt and pepper to taste
  5. In a large bowl, mix the broccoli and potatoes and drizzle the dressing on top
  6. You can garnish with roasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds to give the salad some crunchiness

Broccoli – Potato Salad for dinner

How would you fix the dressing?  Do share your thoughts.