Paleo Diet: Citrus Roasted Carrot Salad

My brother, who until recently had been living overseas, has moved back into town, and with him he's brought the paleo diet.

prepped carrots

My brother, who doesn't cook. My brother, who had the staff at his local Chipotle making his order as opened the door to the restaurant and kept loan paperwork in his kitchen cupboards. That brother has purchased two slow cookers and three (three!) cookbooks. He is serious.

He has even talked my parents into trying it, and though I've been skeptical, I can't hold out anymore. I'm going to give it a 30 day trial. October is officially Paleo Month.

carrots with marinade

One of the reasons for my skepticism, is that with my brother, taste takes second place to performance. If the food is good for you, it's okay if it's bland, boring, or borderline unpleasant.  I refuse to eat that way. Food is one of the pleasures of living, and I will not have it reduced to celery juice and chicken breasts. (This may be the reason he's skinny and I'm not - but I like to think I have a better time.)
 

I've been looking through several paleo cookbooks, and come to the conclusion that it's not that bad. In it's most simplified form, it means no grains, no sugar, and no processed foods. This is not a big wrench for me, though I will miss bread. I like bread. They are also not in favor of cheese, which is going to hurt, but I'm determined to give this a fair trial.
 

ready for the oven

The salad below is a recipe I found in an article about eating for beautiful skin. I'm all for having beautiful skin, and I've checked it against my paleo books, and it meets all the requirements.

It also tastes good, the carrots are spicy, the dressing is a little sweet (orange juice) but not too sweet (lemon juice), the avocado adds some cool creaminess and the nuts give crunch.  All that and beautiful skin, too. What more can you ask for in a salad?

Isn't it lovely?

Citrus Roasted Carrot Salad with Avocado Spicy Greens and Toasted Pine Nuts

serves 4

1 orange, halved
1 lemon, halved
3 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (I used white)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound medium sized carrots, peeled
1 avocado, sliced
2 cups of spicy greens like arugula
¼ cup pine nuts (I used walnuts)
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a small food processor, pulse garlic, cumin, thyme, chili flakes, 1 ½ teaspoons salt and ¾ teaspoons black pepper. Then add vinegar and oil and mix until combined.

3. Put carrots on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour spice mixture on top. Place lemon and orange cut side down on top of carrots. Roast carrots until they are tender, about 45 minutes.

4. Pull out of oven and arrange carrots on a platter or divide on to serving plates. Carefully squeeze roasted lemon and orange wedge into a measuring cup. (This should yield ½ cup of juice.)

5. Whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Drizzle some of the sauce on top of carrots.

7. In a medium bowl place the arugula. Season with a touch of salt and pepper and drizzle one or two tablespoons of dressing on top. Mix gently.

8. Place arugula on top of carrots, and carefully tuck avocado slices in salad.

9. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts. Serve.

Soba Peanut Salad

I'm back! And I have lots to tell you and all sorts of pretty pictures, but it may take a few more days because it takes time to sort through 600+ pictures. (I wish I was exaggerating).  So by Friday, Monday at the latest, I will have some lovely shots of where I was last week.  In the meantime, there's salad.

Mint, scallions, and cucumber

Since it is nominally Autumn, I decided to make a somewhat heavier salad, with noodles. It's a transition towards heavier fare and also brings back some of the Japanese elements and flavors I was playing with earlier in the year.

This is a great salad to pack for lunch It's not drippy, because the noodles have absorbed the dressing, it's got protein and fat to make it filling, and the vegetables used are not the sort that wilt quickly, but maintain their crunch until lunchtime. I find it a little overly peanut-y, but that may just be me. I also think the 1/2 a lime for the whole dish is nowhere near enough. There should be a 1/4  lime per serving, at least.

I love the way the Japanese package noodles, so tidy.

From the pictures you will notice that I didn't use the spinach mentioned in the recipe, and this is because I didn't pay attention to the shopping list. But I had bean sprouts on hand, and I think they add a nice crunch.

This is a really tasty and easy salad, and it's something you could conceivably serve to vegans, if you have friends that swing that way. 

Soba Peanut Salad 

Serves 6 to 8

1 pound soba noodles

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup strong brewed black tea (regular or decaf)

3 garlic cloves

1/2 cup reduced sodium tamari or soy sauce

1/4 cup mirin

1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar

3 tablespoons honey

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 lime

2 cups English or Persian cucumber, thinly sliced

5 ounces baby spinach

1/2 cup mint leaves, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup roasted peanuts

3 scallions, thinly sliced

Cook the soba noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions. Be sure to give them a good stir every now and then, especially at the beginning, so that they don’t clump up. Drain, rinse with cold water, and transfer to large bowl. Toss with 1 teaspoon sesame oil. 

In the meantime, combine the olive oil, peanut butter, tea, garlic cloves, tamari or soy sauce, mirin, vinegar, honey, red pepper flakes, and juice from 1/4 of the lime in a blender, then blend until smooth. Taste and add additional lime juice if desired. Pour the sauce over the warm noodles and toss to combine. The mixture will look quite soupy at this point, but the noodles will absorb the sauce as they chill. Refrigerate noodles for at least 1 hour, and up to 24 hours. 

Layer the scallions, cucumbers, spinach, mint, and peanuts over the noodles. At this point, the salad can be covered again and refrigerated for an additional 4 hours, or it can be tossed together with tongs and served.

Summer Salad #7: Lemon Caper Salad Dressing

For my summer of salads, I should include at least one dressing. There are many vegetables that I like as they are, (celery, radishes, carrots) but when blending disparate elements a good salad dressing is like the accessory that makes the outfit. It's the common element that ties everything together. And while there is a place for simple dressings (like oil and vinegar or just a squeeze of lemon with some salt) there's nothing I like better than an aggressive salad dressing. Give me garlic and acid and spice. Anchovies? Sure! Lemons? of course! Mustard and garlic? no problem. Blue cheese? bring it on.

So when I heard about April Bloomfield's Lemon Caper Dressing, I had to try it.

Wow. This dressing doesn't just have lemon juice, it has whole lemon segments. It has capers, shallots and hot mustard. This is a salad dressing to be reckoned with.

I tried it two ways, on lettuce and on roasted potatoes, as a take on German potato salad. While it's not bad on potatoes, I think it's much better on lettuce. The cool herbaceous quality of the greens works better with the sharpness of the dressing.

Ranch dressing is for wimps.

April Bloomfield's Lemon Caper Dressing

Makes about 1 cup

• 2 medium lemons
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons drained capers, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon superfine sugar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Segment the lemons over a bowl to catch the juices. Set aside.

Squeeze the juice from the membranes into a separate bowl, add the rest of the ingredients, and stir well.

Add the lemon segments and toss gently to coat them without breaking them up. Use straightaway or chill in the fridge, covered, for up to an hour.

Summer Salad #6: Beet and Carrot Slaw

I have always loathed beets. They taste like dirt. Don't tell me how sweet they are. Sweet dirt is still dirt.

Who wouldn't want to cook with these?

But I want to like beets. They're cheap, they're nutritious, and they're so pretty. 

So every couple of years I try a new beet recipe, hoping that maybe there is a preparation that doesn't make me think of potting soil. 

Over the years, I have made boiled beets, roasted beets, pickled beets, beet salads, beet tarts with goat cheese (a particularly pretty recipe) and the only person to benefit from all this cooking has been my mother, the only member of my family who actually likes beets. 

This year, looking at the beets in the market, it occurred to me that I had never tried them raw.  It's not a totally crazy idea. Cooking can alter the taste of an ingredient a great deal. And judging from the internet (my Google search returned 719,000 results in 0.66 seconds) raw beet salads are popular. 

I read a lot of recipes, decided on an Asian version with lime and ginger, then realized that I had no lime juice and my ginger was moldy. So I winged it. 

I made a julienne of beets and carrots. And a fairly classic French vinaigrette: olive oil, salt, lemon juice and Dijon mustard, heavy on the mustard. Beets and carrots are both sweet, and I wanted a really zippy dressing to contrast that.

Not bad, and aren't the colors great?

And you know what? It's actually pretty good. Not my favorite salad ever, but it's got good crunch, the earthiness is not as overwhelming as with cooked beets and the assertive dressing tamps down the sweetness.  Plus, it really makes for an attractive plate. Nothing like a bright splash of magenta and orange to wake you up.

Beet and Carrot Slaw 
serves 4-6 people as a side

1 large beet (about 3/4 pound)
1 large carrot
Chopped parsley (optional)

Juice of 1 lemon (about a tablespoon)
large spoonful of Dijon mustard ( I used Grey Poupon)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt to taste

Shred or julienne the beet and carrots. If you want a softer salad, shred the vegetables. If you want a crisper bite, julienne them. Either way, a food processor or mandolin really come in handy here.

Mix up the dressing, and feel free to tinker with the amounts. I made it up as went along. Just make sure it's a fairly assertive dressing. I liked my initial dressing, but after I tried it on the beets I decided that it needed more mustard. It all comes down to your taste buds.

Notes:

• This salad would be a great time to use a mandolin. I didn't and my julienne is more like french fries. 
• Also, beets stain like crazy, so wear an apron and gloves. Either that or be prepared for a lot of "red-handed" jokes.
• And because beets stain everything they touch, leave the parsley (if you are using it) off until the last minute. The parsley takes on the red and begins to look brown, not a good look for a salad.

Summer Salad #5: No Cook Supper

Kind of a no-brainer recipe today. It’s too hot for real effort. 

I saw these in the grocery store last week and had to buy them.  I love these things. These are one of those canned foods that are actually good for you, high protein and full of Omega threes. A little high in sodium, but nothing’s perfect.

My mother always referred to these as “your father’s cans of smelly fish”, and they are. . . aromatic, but good things often are: garlic, onions, Indian food.  People pay a lot for cheese that smells like feet, and there is a Chinese delicacy called “stinky tofu” that is supposed to be as good as it is smelly. 

Kippered herring is not as smelly as caramelizing onions, and since they are already cooked, they make for a really fast dinner. In this case, under 5 minutes.

Tomato & Herring Salad

Slice a tomato or two. Open the can, drain it, and flake the fish onto the tomato.  Drizzle a little olive oil, sprinkle some vinegar (acid is key), and dinner is served.  You don’t even have to add salt, since the fish is salty already. If you are feeling like a tiny bit more effort, toss some parsley on it, but if you don’t have it, don’t bother.

This and a glass of wine made for a nice light supper, with only one plate to wash and no heating up the kitchen. 

Summer Salad #4: A Salad of Green Things

Every once in a while I read a fashion blog written by a woman who lives in England. She's been talking about leather t-shirts and summer sweaters. I don't know whether to be reassured that the entire planet isn't melting, or to resent her for living somewhere where summer evenings can actually be chilly.  

Instead, I've focused my energy on finding ways to trick myself into feeling cooler. Like salad. 

Cucumber, mint, avocado and lime

I found this recipe a year ago, when I was looking for something refreshing to serve with a roast chicken.  This really is wonderful, crunchy (cucumber), cool (mint), creamy (avocado), a little salty (feta), and the lime juice ties the whole thing together.  Actually, feel free to increase the lime juice, I doubled it and it did not overwhelm.

Okay, it's not the prettiest, but it tastes really good.

This is a wonderful thing on a hot day, and unlike lettuce, it doesn't wilt!

Cucumber, Avocado & Feta Salad

• 2 large cucumbers
• Salt
• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/2 cup chopped mint
• 2 Tbsp lime juice and zest of 1 lime
• 4 ounces feta cheese, diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Pepper to taste 

1. Peel the cucumbers, cut them in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a teaspoon. Cut cucumbers into 1/2-inch pieces and put in a colander. Generously sprinkle with salt and let sit in the sink for 30 minutes to drain. This will prevent your salad from getting watery. Quickly rinse and blot dry with paper towel.
2. While cucumbers are draining, dice the avocados into 1/2-inch pieces and put into a salad bowl. Drizzle with lime juice and toss gently.
3. Wash and coarsely chop the mint.
4. In a bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons lime juice and lime zest to make dressing.
5. Add drained cucumbers, mint, feta cheese and dressing to the avocados and gently combine. Add pepper (or lemon pepper) to taste. Cover and let stand in refrigerator for about 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

Summer Salad #3: Herb Marinated Tomatoes

It's probably a little early for this recipe, as the really good tomatoes haven't arrived yet, but I was hungry and the store had tomatoes on sale. The recipe is simplicity itself, requiring nothing more than a sharp knife and time. It's better at room temperature, so if you can leave it out, that would be even better.

Herb-Marinated Tomatoes
4 large tomatoes
2 Tablespoons:
     -  Oregano
     -  Parsley
     -  Chives
     -  Thyme
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Parmesan, for garnish (optional)

1. Chop all the herbs and mince the garlic.
2. Combine in a bowl with the olive oil and salt. Taste for salt and adjust as needed.

It does look a little like grass clippings, but bear with me. 

3. Slice the tomatoes about a 1/4 inch thick and place in a shallow, non-reactive, bowl or pan.
4. Spoon the herb and oil mixture over the tomatoes. Cover and leave for at least an hour.
5. Garnish with Parmesan (if you like) and eat!

Summer Salad #2: Fennel and Celery

I'm not a fan of kitchen gadgets. I have my knives, my pots, a vegetable peeler and a blender and that's pretty much all I need.  I resist buying gadgets because I don't like cluttering up my kitchen with a lot of stuff that has only one use - I spent years making toast in the oven until I broke down and bought a toaster. 

But every know and then, there is a tool that does something so well, that it's worth giving up the cabinet space. I speak of the mandoline. Lethally sharp, and an incredibly efficient way of creating a lot of thin slices quickly. Someday, my knife skills will be on a par with Martin Yan's; I'll be able to butcher a chicken in under a minute and I won't need a mandoline, but until then, it's a great tool to have.

This salad is easy, fast (thanks to the mandoline) has great crunch and like last week, features under appreciated vegetables. Fennel, which is usually served cooked with other things, and celery, a vegetable that deserves better than being a mere garnish for Buffalo wings.

4 stalks of celery in under a minute - mandolines rock!

My only complaint about this salad is that it lacks color. Fennel is white and celery is pale green. It does not make for a colorful presentation. But the flavor is far from colorless. The fennel and the celery complement each other beautifully, and the lemon juice gives it zing. So serve it with a red steak and enjoy!

Fennel and Celery Salad

makes 4 servings 

2 bulbs fennel

3-4 stalks celery

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

Parmesan (optional)

salt and pepper (to taste)

1. Trim the fennel so it's just the bulb and slice it thinly on the mandoline.

2. Trim the leafy bits off the celery and slice it on the mandoline.

3. Combine the fennel and celery in a bowl. 

4. In a small bowl combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. You might try dipping a piece of fennel in the dressing to make sure the salt level is where you want it. 

5. Put the dressing on the salad and serve. Garnish with parmesan curls if you feel like dressing it up.

Note: Do not put the dressing on the salad until just before serving. If you leave it on too long, the lemon juice wilts the veggies and they become limp.

Summer Salad #1

I've always felt that radishes, as a vegetable, are under-appreciated. They are carved and left on the edge of the plate as a garnish, or used as thin slivers to add crunch, but you almost never see them in the main role.

That ended this week, when I found the radish salad of my dreams. There is no lettuce to temper the radish's peppery bite. Instead, it ups the ante with garlic, capers, and anchovy.

The coolness of the radishes and the intense garlicky-ness of the dressing would be a wonderful counterpoint to a grilled steak. Technically, the recipe serves 4, though to be honest. I ate the entire salad for dinner by itself.  Eat with garlic-loving friends, or brush your teeth afterwards. This is a salad to frighten vampires.

Only one clove - but it packs a punch

And it is a snap to put together. I didn't time myself, but I was surprised at how quickly I was done. Definitely in the 20 minutes or under category.

Radish Salad with Anchovy Dressing

large bunch of radishes
1 teaspoon of capers
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 anchovy fillet (the kind that come packed in oil)
1 tablespoon parsley
salt to taste

Wash and trim radishes. Dry and cut into quarters.

Blend/crush the rest of the ingredients together in a mortar or in a small grinder until it forms a rough paste. Salt to taste, anchovies and capers are salty on their own, so be cautious.

Put dressing on radishes and serve.