Salad 2016 –

**FrogPrincesse** · June 24, 2017

11 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

Another Ottolenghi salad. Candy beets with lentils and yuzu from Plenty More, recipe available online here.

I love the combination of beets and citrus. Yuzu is one I hadn't tried with beets but I enjoyed it here. I roasted (instead of boiled) regular red beets and used a raw candy beet.

Very pretty.

Edited June 24, 2017 by FrogPrincesse (log)

blue_dolphin · June 24, 2017

1 minute ago, FrogPrincesse said:

Very pretty. Did you keep some of the beets raw so their would retain their color/stripes? Or are they all cooked?

Yes, the recipe calls for boiling all but one beet and slicing the raw beet paper thin. I went with the program but next time, I would cut the raw candy beet into thin matchstick so they look like little peppermint sticks!

**FrogPrincesse** · June 24, 2017

Oops sorry, I read the second part of your description after I had already posted my question! What you did is smart because you lose the stripes when you cook them, so you used the raw beets as an accent/touch of color. All raw beets would be... not my thing at all! I love roasted beets but raw they tend to have little taste. It's sad however to lose the stripes! So you have the best of both worlds here, flavor from the cooked beets, and visual interest from the raw ones.

lindag · June 24, 2017

Those beets look just wonderful.

Okanagancook · June 25, 2017

On 6/22/2017 at 1:39 PM, blue_dolphin said:

Beet, avocado and pea salad from Ottolenghi's Plenty More, recipe available online here.

I almost always use some sort of citrus in a beet salad so this was a nice change of pace. I roasted the beets whole instead of boiling as the recipe specifies. The cooked beets & thinly sliced onions are marinated in a mix of sherry vinegar, olive oil & chili sauce (I used Sambal Oelek) so they have a bit of heat. Once you start mixing the salad, everything (including the peas and avocado) turns beet-colored so it's worth composing it nicely on the plate. The online version calls for broad beans or edamame while the book uses peas.

WOW, does that ever look good. I just need avocados and I am there! Roasted beets are always the best way to cook them in MHO.

blue_dolphin · June 25, 2017

Sprout Salad, Part Two from Ottolenghi's Plenty More, the ingredients and quantities are available online here.

Not really much to look at but with plenty of nuts, avocado edamame and a mix of other vegetables in an interesting dressing flavored with umeboshi paste, it's a refreshing and satisfying salad.

blue_dolphin · July 1, 2017

Another Ottolenghi salad, Orange & Date Salad from Plenty More.

I wasn't quite sure about the dressing, which contains lemon juice, garlic, orange blossom water, cinnamon, toasted fennel seed, olive oil, salt & pepper but it works very well with all the greens & herbs (arugula, red lettuce, cilantro, parsley & mint).

I'll make this one again.

chefmd · July 24, 2017

Shaved zucchini with feta, basil, (over)toasted pine nuts.

chefmd · August 2, 2017

Watermelon compressed in chamber vacuum sealer, feta cheese, pine nuts, basil, drizzled with olive oil

Arey · August 4, 2017

These are the ingredients for the Frugal Gourmet's dill and cottage cheese dressing.

1/2 cup Cottage Cheese (full fat)

1/2 cup light mayonnaise

1/2 cup 2% low-fat milk

1 tbsp oil

2 tbsp wine vinegar

1/8 tsp sugar

1 clove garlic -- crushed (I use garlic powder)

1 tsp dill (or to taste)

Ground white pepper to taste (I use black pepper)

How long should a salad dressing such as this last. I have a very poor sense of smell, and so cannot go by the smell. I made a batch Monday for the same author's chicken and broccoli salad. I'm considering just pouring what's left of the dressing down the sink and making a new batch tomorrow, This will at least solve the problem of what to do with some of the leftover cottage cheese which I only buy when making the Frugal Gourmet's broccoli and chicken salad. I repeat , please don;t suggest going by the odor. I once realized that a carton of milk I had was probably past its "best by" date when it came out of the carton chunky.

Thanks for the Crepes · August 5, 2017

@Arey,

I would think the dressing would still be fine, provided the cottage cheese, mayo and milk you used are within their expiry dates. I am assuming you whirled this up in the blender. So if you used fresh dill, and I'm thinking you did because a full t. of the the dried would be very potent, the fresh dill might not be very happy at this point, but I doubt it would hurt you.

Of course, if you only buy cottage cheese for this purpose and it might go to waste, I'd go ahead and remake it.

You have given me an idea for a salad dressing I might like based on cottage cheese. I had never thought to use that in salad dressing, but I like it a lot and if it's offered on a salad bar, I always take some. I used to make a low cal dip with cottage cheese pureed in the blender, then Knorr dried vegetable soup mix and chopped spinach was added. You have to let it sit in the fridge overnight to rehydrate the veggies and that also thickens the dip.

It was really good, so I think I will try a salad dressing with cottage cheese, but without mayo or vinegar. Or maybe a little vinegar and herbs for a nice creamy Italian. I'll think about it.

chefmd · August 6, 2017

I can not get enough Caprese salad in the summer. Tonight's version is served on feta/cream/mayo shmear.

Okanagancook · August 15, 2017

From Plenty More: Corn Slaw. It is easy to make but you need to allow at least 45 minutes to an hour to make it. The onions, carrots and cabbage need to sit in the vinegar-brine and then one has to char the corn which takes 15 minutes. Having said that, I like it quite a lot. The flavours are clean and refreshing probably because the dressing is quite light. I think it is a nice use of corn in season. Essential to get the char on the corn I might add. It looks like it will keep well in the fridge for a few days.