Beet Slaw with Tahini-Ginger Dressing

Beet Slaw with Tahini-Ginger Dressing

by Victoria Challancin

Have I mentioned that I could probably eat cardboard if it were smeared with tahini?  Add a fig and it would be a done deal.  Luckily, I don't have to ingest paper; I can just add tahini to everything imaginable in my kitchen.

This salad is a gem I created for dinner with just a few ingredients I had on hand.  Healthy and laden with flavor, it would work any time of year.  Plus, like most salad recipes, this one is flexible.  I would love apple and jícama with it (does this sound reminiscent of the salad recipe I posted recently which includes both?) as well as bell pepper.  And of course, the dressing would work on any salad or as a dip for crudités, especially raw brocolli and cauliflower.  Thinly sliced cabbage, purple and green, would really make this a slaw.  And radishes?  Why not?  No cardboard necessary.

Recipe:  Beet Slaw with Tahini-Ginger Dressing

(Recipe by Victoria Challancin)

For the Salad:

1 1/2 cups grated raw beets

1 1/2 cups grated carrots

3 tablespoons mint chiffonade

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

For the Dressing:

3/4 cup tahini

1/2 cup warm water

Juice of 1 lemon or 2 small limes

2 teaspoons ginger juice, from squeezed grated ginger

3 tablespoons honey

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Place the salad ingredients in a bowl.

In another medium bowl, whisk the tahini with the warm water until thoroughly mixed, with no lumps.  Add the remaining ingredients and whisk again.  Pour desired amount over the salad ingredients and toss to mix well.

Parting Shot:  Mexican Humor

©Victoria Challancin.  All Rights Reserved.

Like love and life, recipes are meant to be shared, but please ask permission before using text or photos.  Thanks!

Winter Salad with Roasted Beets and Citrus Reduction

 Winter Salad with Roasted Beets and Citrus Reduction

Winter Salad with Roasted Beets and Citrus Reduction

by Victoria Challancin

This is such a straightforward and refreshing salad for winter--or anytime!  When I decided to make this salad, I knew I might not find the radicchio (I rarely do here in San Miguel), but otherwise, the ingredients are readily available and easy to find.  I never gave the watercress a second thought, though, as it is always available.  Always, except for the day I chose to prepare this salad, that is.  Not to worry--the ever-present and oh-so-healthy and delicious purslane (verdolaga in Spanish, which I wrote about here) came to the rescue as that added bit of interest and texture.  Golden beets?  Not on that day either.  But why not add pomegranate seeds because I love them and had a fresh pomegranate on hand.  As for the citrus reduction--it is such a perfect dressing for the beets.  The result?  A delicious, healthy salad perfect for colder days.

       

Recipe:  Winter Salad with Roasted Beets and Citrus Reduction

(Recipe from Cooking Light)  Makes 8 servings.

4 medium beets (red and golden) 

Cooking spray or regular oil
3/4 cup fresh orange juice (about 4 oranges)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon minced shallots
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups torn Boston lettuce
2 cups trimmed watercress
2 cups torn radicchio
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Leave root and 1-inch stem on beets; scrub with a brush.  Place beets on a foil-lined jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray.  Lightly coat beets with cooking spray.  Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until tender.  Cool beets slightly.  Trim off beet roots and stems; rub off skins.  Cut beets into 1/2-inch-thick wedges.


Bring juice and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan; cook 10 minutes or until reduced to 2 tablespoons.  Pour into a medium bowl; cool slightly.  Add shallots, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add oil, stirring constantly with a whisk.  


Combine lettuce, watercress,and radicchio.  Sprinkle lettuce misture with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; toss gently to combine.  Arrange about 1 cup lettuce mixture on each of 8 salad plates.  Divide beets evenly among salads. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon dressing over each salad; sprinkle each salad with 1 tablespoon cheese.


Enjoy! 


I am submitting this post to the Souper Sundays weekly blog event hosted by Deb from the terrific blog Kahakai Kitchen.

©Victoria Challancin.  All Rights Reserved.

Tri-Colored Vegetable Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

Tri-Colored Vegetable Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

Tri-Colored Vegetable Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

by Victoria Challancin

 

Easy, tasty, pretty--this recipe is a keeper.  And it seems to improve with age, if you happen to have any leftovers, that is.  Even though I have made this recipe many times in the past, I had forgotten about it until the purchase of these appealing haricots verts jogged my memory.  Making enough for 8 to 10 people, this recipe lends itself to dinner parties as well as picnics.  Leftovers make a welcome addition to a green salad as well.  

The Mexican cooks in my class last week liked the vinaigrette so much and thought the presentation so attractive that they wanted to make it with tomatoes, beans (or nopal cactus), and jícama to represent the colors of the Mexican flag to serve during the many fiestas we have here in San Miguel during the month of September.  A creative reinterpretation, yes?

Tri-Colored Vegetable Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

(Recipe by Kathleen Daelemans, Food Network)

Yield:  8 to 10 servings.

                        Mustard Vinaigrette:

                                    1 clove garlic, pressed

                                    1 shallot, minced

                                    1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and cracked black pepper

      Salad:

        1 pound green beans, trimmed, blanched to al dente

4 large carrots, peeled and shredded

4 small beets, peeled and shredded

For the Vinaigrette:  In a small bowl whisk together all ingredients.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

For the Salad:  Place vegetables in three separate small bowls.  Pour 1/3 of the dressing over each vegetable. Toss to combine.  Adjust seasonings, if necessary.  Let stand for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.  Serve on platter in separate mounds.                                                  

Enjoy!

Tri-Colored Vegetable Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

Tri-Colored Vegetable Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

©Victoria Challancin.  All Rights Reserved.