Salad with Beets, Walnuts, Goat Cheese, and Balsamic Reduction

The sweetness of the beets contrasts with the tart tanginess of the goat cheese. A beautiful and delicious dish! (from the excellent eggsonsunday food blog)

Ingredients (for 2 main-course salads)

For the salad:
2 medium-large (2 1/2 in. diameter) cooked beets, cubed or cut into wedges
1 bunch greens, torn into bite-sized pieces (I use a small bunch of kale, but you could use any kind of salad greens you like; just use enough for two servings)
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 of a 4-oz. log of goat cheese, crumbled (roughly 4 tbsp)

For the dressing:
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
pinch each of salt and pepper

For the balsamic reduction:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions

To cook the beets:
Two options - baking or roasting.

To bake the beets, cut off the greens (if they’re attached) and leave about an inch of stem above the beet. Place the whole beets, skin still on, in an 8×8 baking pan. Fill with water just so it covers the whole bottom of the pan, then cover the pan tightly with foil. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork (you kind of just have to check; it will take more or less time depending on the size of your beets.) Once the beets come out of the oven, let them sit with the foil still covering the pan for about 15 minutes. Then, remove the foil and peel the beets – the skins should be so loose that you can just slip them easily off. Be prepared for your hands to get really, really bright pink – it washes off afterwards! Cut up the peeled beets into 1/2 inch cubes.

Or, to roast the beets, cut off the greens and peel the skins off the beets with a vegetable peeler. No need to peel young beets. Cut the raw peeled(or unpeeled) beets into 1/2 inch chunks, toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and place them on a baking sheet. Roast for about 20-30 minutes, until the beet chunks are tender.

To assemble the salad:
First, get the balsamic reduction going. Place 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until the vinegar has reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 5 minutes (should yield about 1 tbsp.) Turn off heat and set aside until your salads are ready.

In the bottom of a large bowl, make the dressing by whisk together 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp honey, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Add washed (and spun dry) greens of your choice directly to the bowl (on top of the vinaigrette). Using a large spoon, toss the greens with the vinaigrette. Divide the dressed greens among two plates.

Now, top your greens with the beets, crumbled goat cheese, and walnuts.

Finally, drizzle your balsamic reduction over the tops of the salads.

Roasted Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi is in the turnip family, but has been described as tasting like a cross between apples and cauliflower! Peel the skin if it is thick and tough. Spring kohlrabi bulbs often don't need peeling. The greens can be cooked like collards. Many folks prefer to eat kohlrabi raw, but this simple roasted recipe brings out the creamy richness.

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 45 minutes
Serves 4 (smallish servings since roasted vegetables shrink so much)

1 1/2 pounds fresh kohlrabi, ends trimmed, thick green skin sliced off with a knife, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic (garlic is optional, to my taste)
Salt
Good vinegar

Set oven to 450F. Toss the diced kohlrabi with olive oil, garlic and salt in a bowl. (The kohlrabi can be tossed with oil and seasonings right on the pan but uses more oil.) Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and put into oven (it needn't be fully preheated) and roast for 30 - 35 minutes, stirring every five minutes after about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with a good vinegar (probably at the table so the kohlrabi doesn't get squishy).

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Serving: 64 Cal (45% from Fat, 12% from Protein, 44% from Carb); 2 g Protein; 3 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 8 g Carb; 4 g Fiber; NetCarb 4; 31 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 23 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1 point

RECIPE INSPIRATION
Adapted from Vegetables Every Day by Jack Bishop

Rhubarb-Strawberry Crisp

This can be made with all rhubarb or a mix of rhubarb and strawberries.

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 cups sliced rhubarb
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch (look for organic corn starch at the People's Food Coop or natural food stores if you want to avoid GMO's)
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

In mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, butter and cinnamon; mix together until crumbly. Press half of the brown sugar and oats mixture into a buttered 8-inch square baking dish. Top with the sliced rhubarb.

In a saucepan combine 1 cup granulated sugar, cornstarch, and the 1 cup of water and vanilla. Cook together until clear, then pour over rhubarb.
Top rhubarb with remaining crumb mixture and bake at 350° for 45 to 55 minutes

Editor's Note: I reduced the sugar in this recipe by 1/4 to almost 1/2 and it was fine. I added a sliced ripe banana to the fruit and it was delicious. I also added 1/8 c. maple syrup to the sauce after reducing the sugar.

Original recipe from About.com-Southern Food

Garlic Scape - Kale Pesto

This recipe comes from Diana dyer, who, with her husband Dick, was kind enough to start a garlic farm right outside of Ann Arbor and is presently nourishing the local populace with 47 varieties of garlic! check out Diana's blog at : http://www.365daysofkale.com/

Ingredients:

1 cup garlic scapes (about 8 or 9 scapes depending on size) cut into
¼-inch slices

3-5 leaves kale. If the stems are tough, remove them and then slice
into sideways strips.
1/3 cup walnuts, pecans, or pine nuts (toasting these adds a nice twist)
3/4 cup olive oil

~ 1/2 cup freshly-grated parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt (can omit if parmesan salty enough)

Black pepper to taste (1-2 grinds should be plenty for a little extra
spark of flavor)

Directions:

Place scapes, kale, and nuts in the bowl of a food processor and
grind until well combined and somewhat smooth but not purely pureed.
Slowly drizzle in oil and process until integrated but there is still
some "chunkiness". Transfer mix to a mixing bowl. Add parmesan, salt
and pepper to taste.

Makes about 1-1/2 cups of pesto. Keeps for up to one week in an
airtight container in the refrigerator. Or transfer to an ice-cube
tray and freeze in cubes to be defrosted and used one cube at a time
at your leisure. The latter approach makes scape pesto available
even in mid-winter, when it’s use can make any dish a scrumptious
dish.

Massaged Kale (Raw Kale Salad)

This is a popular dish around the Frog Holler table. Here are some basic guidelines, but variations abound; the more you make it the more you'll get a "feel" for it!

Ingredients:

Fresh Kale - any variety
Olive Oil
Salt
Chopped walnuts, or toasted sunflower or sesame seeds
Nutritional Yeast
Fresh garlic (stronger) or garlic powder

Strip the kale from the stems and chop leaves finely into ribbons. Place in large bowl with enough olive oil to coat the leaves. Some suggest adding a little salt at this point. Then start massaging! After washing hands :-) take clumps of kale and rub/press/squeeze them. The color will deepen and some juice may be released. Keep massaging (2-5 minutes) until all the leaves are darker green and uniformly soft.

Pour off any liquid that may have been released - you can save it for cooking or stock (remember it's salted!).

Taste massaged kale for saltiness and add more salt if needed along with the nuts/seeds, nutri-yeast and garlic. Stir and let salad sit a few minutes for flavors to blend.

Kale is a nutritional powerhouse, and some say that massaging the raw kale makes the vitamins and minerals available without destroying valuable enzymes that are often lost in the cooking process.

The photo shows one of our variations that also includes massaged cabbage and some chopped radishes. For other variations on this curiously delicious dish, go to these excellent blogs: Cookus Interruptus , and Daily Unadventures in Cooking.

Roasted Winter Squash and Apple Soup

from Dr. Andrew Weil:

1 large winter squash (about 2 1/2 pounds), such as butternut, buttercup or kabocha; peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tart, firm apples, peeled, cored and quartered
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and red chili powder to taste
4 to 5 cups vegetable broth

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large roasting pan, toss the squash, onions, garlic and apples with the oil to coat. Season well with the salt and chili powder. Roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until the vegetables are fork tender and lightly browned, about 40 minutes.

2. Put half of the vegetables and 2 cups of the broth in a food processor and purée until smooth. Repeat with the remaining vegetables and broth. Return puréed mixture to the pot. If the soup is too thick, add more broth. Correct the seasoning and heat to a simmer.

3. Serve in warm bowls with dollops of cilantro-walnut pesto.

Dr. Andrew Weil’s
Cilantro-Walnut Pesto

1 cup walnut pieces
2 cups cilantro leaves, washed, drained and stemmed
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1. Put the walnuts in a food processor and grind them fine.

2. Add the cilantro, jalapeño, salt, vinegar and 2 to 3 tablespoons of water and blend. Blend in a little more water if necessary to make a thick sauce. Taste and correct the seasoning, adding more salt if necessary.

Sweet Potatoes With Pecans and Parmesan

In a weak moment of curious consumerism, I once subscribed to the online tips from the folks at Real Simple magazine. I found that the tips did anything but simplify my life, always consisting of multiple approaches to the "problem" of either acquiring new items that I didn't realize I lacked, or finding ways to better organize stuff that wasn't really needed in the first place! But as a sucker for a list promising "15 All-time Favorite Fall Casseroles" (or something like that), I happily stumbled across the dish that was the hit of the vegan Thanksgiving gathering I recently attended.

This particular recipe is not vegan, but I "simply" substituted vegan parmesan and was not disappointed! A variety of vegan parmesan recipes are scattered throughout the food blogosphere. I blanched 1/2 c. almonds, sliced them, then pulsed them in a food processor with 2-3 T. nutritional yeast, 1/2-3/4 t. salt and some lemon zest. Thanks Veganomicon for that!

Veganized or not, do try this recipe- it is "simply" delicious! ( And thanks to Real Simple for finally being a little useful. Guess I won't cancel quite yet. :-)

Hands-on Time: 15m

Total Time: 1hr 10m

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the baking dish
• 2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1⁄4-inch-thick rounds
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces)
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375° F. Oil a shallow 2 ½- to 3-quart baking dish.

2. In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with the Parmesan, 2 tablespoons of the oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper; transfer to the prepared baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake until tender, 45 to 50 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the pecans, sugar, thyme, cayenne, the remaining tablespoon of oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper.

4. Remove the foil from the baking dish, sprinkle the pecan mixture over the potatoes, and continue to bake, uncovered, until the pecans are toasted, 10 to 12 minutes.

Tip

This dish is delicious with a variety of nuts. If you don’t like pecans, try almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, or a mixed-nut combination.

Nutritional Information

Calories 297; Fat 16g; Sat