Raw Butternut Squash and Carrot Salad

I do have a soft spot in my heart for Mark Bittman (Bitty, aka the "Bittster"). I watched his travels in Spain with Mario Batali and Gwyneth Paltrow (who invited a vegetarian to a pork-based country?) and was endlessly amused by his no nonsense "I'm from New York" attitude.
And he gets double points for his alter-ego, the Minimalist (a fantastic culinary superhero name in my book), his blog on the NY Times that emphasizes quick and easy recipes. And in terms of quick and easy, this recipe took the cake. Or rather the carrot. Even I, a longtime Minimalist fan, saw his recent posting about the glory of serving raw vegetables, I was initially unimpressed. I mean, cutting up vegetables and serving them with ranch dressing is not exactly rocket science.
But I had judged Bitty too quickly. As I scrolled through the recipe for a raw butternut squash salad, my dismissal turned to mild curiosity. Butternut squash? Raw? I mean, I'm a hearty supporter of the vegetable, but having chomped down on a few "not-quite-cooked" pieces now and again, I was skeptical of the vegetable's potential as a raw side dish.
Alas, again, I judged too quickly. Grating the butternut squash was key. It produced this fresh delicious salad, perfect for using up those butternut squashes which (if you're like me) are optimistically bought at the market and then just.quietly sit on the counter for weeks, sadly unused and under-appreciated.
I followed Bittman's recipe initially but then decided one raw orange vegetable really deserves another, so added shredded carrot to the mix. For the win.

Ingredients

1 butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded and grated

2 medium carrots, peeled and grated

4 spring onions, chopped

1/2 cup raisins

1/8 cup vegetable oil

1/8 cup toasted sesame seed oil

2-3 tablespoons sherry vinegar, or to taste

1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or crushed chillis)

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Combine the squash,carrots, spring onions, cayenne/chillis, raisins, oil, vinegar and ginger in a salad bowl; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to several hours.

Yield: 4 servings.

Spicy Chicken and Corn on the Cob Salad

Another main course summer salad. This being taken from the pages of the September 2010 Delicious Magazine. Oh, if there was ever a hearty salad that sang of summer, this has got to be it. Fresh sweet corn, courtesy of the local farmer's market, has got to be one of the best late summer vegetables. And while the optimal summer preparation method is the almighty grill, this salad benefits from adaptability. Being the grill-less souls we are, we put the corn under our griddle for 20 minutes or so and the effect was just about the same. This also applied for the roast chicken. If we had more time on our hands, we could have roasted the chicken ourselves (and hey, if you want to, go right ahead) but this being a weeknight dinner, it was far easier and faster (and actually cheaper) just to buy it pre-roasted and slice it.

Serves 4

20 minutes to make, 30 minutes to cook

Ingredients

3 corn on the cob with husks

50g unsalted butter, softened

1 ½ tbsp harissa paste

Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Handful of fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped

Roast chicken, cut into strips

1 bell pepper, deseeded and sliced

1 avocado, sliced

2 large handfuls of lamb’s lettuce

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Handful of fresh chives, chopped

Preparation

-Soak 3 lengths of kitchen string in warm water for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, peel back the husks of the corn, leaving the leaves attached at the base. In a small bowl, blend the butter, harissa, lemon zest, and parsley. Season well and smear all over the corn on the cobs, then re-cover with the leaves and tie string around each cob.

-Preheat an oven grill or griddle until hot and then grill the corn in their husks, turning, for about 15-20 minutes, or until black all over.

-Mix the red pepper, avocado, and lamb’s lettuce in a salad bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice with salt and pepper, then whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss together. Slice the chicken into strips and add to the salad.

-Remove the string and husks from the warm sweetcorn and, using a sharp knife and cutting the length of the cob, carefully strip off the kernels and add to the salad.

-Toss well to combine, sprinkle over the chives, and serve immediately.

Quinoa Salad with Lime Ginger Dressing and Shrimp

Another one from the New York Times. This salad is delicious for warm summer nights. I loved the shrimp in it, but I recommend marinating them a bit first just to add some kick to them. I put them in a little lime juice, mexican salt, cayenne and let them sit for a few hours before tossing them into the salad. This salad is so basic you could add whatever else you want to it, I thought of tomatoes, corn, olives just as ideas.

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (more to taste)
1 small garlic clove, minced
Salt to taste
Pinch of cayenne
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil or walnut oil
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons buttermilk

For the salad:
3 cups (3/4 cup uncooked) (see cooking instructions for quinoa below)
4 scallions, white and light green parts, sliced thin
1 small cucumber, halved, seeded and thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
12 to 16 cooked medium shrimp, peeled

Method

1. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the lime juice, rice wine vinegar, ginger, garlic, salt, cayenne, sesame oil, canola oil, and buttermilk.
2. In a salad bowl, combine the quinoa, scallions, cucumber, and cilantro. Toss with the dressing and divide among salad plates. Top each portion with 3 or 4 shrimp, and serve.

Yield: Serves 4
Advance preparation: The cooked quinoa will keep for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator. You can make the dressing and prep the ingredients for the salad a few hours ahead

Basic Steamed Quinoa:
Many recipes for quinoa suggest cooking it like rice, in two parts water for one part quinoa. This works, but I find the grains are fluffier if I cook them in three parts water and drain the excess water once the quinoa is tender. The tiny seeds swell to about four times their original size, so 1 cup uncooked quinoa yields about 4 cups, enough for 6 to 8 servings.
1 cup quinoa
3 cups water, chicken stock or vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
1. Place the quinoa in a strainer and rinse until the water runs clear.
2. Bring the water or stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the salt and the quinoa. Bring back to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender and translucent, and each grain displays a little thread. Drain and return to the pan. Cover the pan with a clean dish towel, replace the lid and allow to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes. Fluff and serve.

Barley and Mushroom Salad With English Peas

from the New York Times' always reliable, "Recipes for Health"

Ingredients

1 cup pearl barley
3 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock or water
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 recipe walnut vinaigrette (recipe below)
6 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, or a mixture of parsley and other herbs (such as chives, dill, tarragon or marjoram)
2 to 4 leaves fresh sage, cut in very thin slivers
1 cup shelled English peas, uncooked or steamed for five minutes (to taste)
1 cup shredded radicchio
1 ounce shaved Parmesan

Preparation

1. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, and add the barley. Stir in the pan until the barley begins to smell toasty, about five minutes. Add the stock (or water) and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 40 minutes, until the barley is tender. If all of the liquid has not been absorbed, drain.
2. While the barley is simmering, make the vinaigrette.
3. Place the mushrooms in a salad bowl, and toss with 2 tablespoons of the dressing.
4. When the barley is ready, add to the salad bowl and toss with the mushrooms and remaining dressing. Add the herbs, peas and radicchio. Serve warm or room temperature, garnishing each serving with shaved Parmesan.

Yield: Serves four to six

Advance preparation: You can make this up to a day ahead, but only add half the mushrooms. Don’t add the peas, herbs or radicchio; toss these ingredients with the salad shortly before serving.

For the walnut vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or champagne vinegar
Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove, finely minced or pureed
1/4 cup walnut oil
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, salt, mustard and garlic. Whisk in the oils, taste and adjust seasonings.

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad With Black Beans and Chili Dressing

This salad is phenomenal and perhaps the best combination of fall flavors. I even was so bold (and so cheesy) to make it once for a Halloween party, Hey, how often do you come across a recipe that involves orange and black?

I also frequently add chorizo to this salad to make it a bit heartier. Regardless, it is absolutely moreish and rarely did I have any leftovers the next day!

Ingredients

4 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large onion, preferably red, chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons minced fresh hot chili, like jalapeño
1 clove garlic, peeled
Juice of 2 limes
2 cups cooked black beans, drained (canned are fine)
1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put sweet potatoes and onions on a large baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil, toss to coat and spread out in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast, turning occasionally, until potatoes begin to brown on corners and are just tender inside, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven; keep on pan until ready to mix with dressing.
2. Put chilies in a blender or mini food processor along with garlic, lime juice, remaining olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Process until blended.
3. Put warm vegetables in a large bowl with beans and bell pepper; toss with dressing and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve warm or at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to a day.
Yield: 4 servings.