Kale, Quinoa and Roasted Mini Pepper Salad

Inspired by @kalememaybe’s quinoa and roasted mini pepper salad with crispy chickpeas, roasted red onion, feta, dill, and honey lemon vinaigrette

Make the dressing in the serving bowl: 3 tablespoons of olive oil; 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon of honey; juice of 1 lemon; 1 teaspoon of garlic powder (or 2 cloves of garlic, grated, or finely chopped); 1/2 teaspoon of cured sumac; and 1/2 a teaspoon of dried oregano

Cook 1 cup of quinoa according to it’s instructions

Remove large stems and chop 1 lb of Tuscan kale

Toss both quinoa and kale with the dressing and set aside for a few hours (or overnight)

Arrange 1 red onion, 1 rinsed can of chick peas, and 1 lb of mini bell peppers on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and sumac and roast at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes; allow to cool

When ready to serve, add the roasted onions, chick peas, and peppers to the kale and quinoa, and also add 1/8 to 1/4 of a lb of crumbled feta and 1 lb of sugar snap peas, strings trimmed, and cut length-wise

Fig and Fennel Salad

Still making this fig and fennel salad that I had years ago at June Wine Bar; it also works well with pears if you can’t find figs.

Approximate quantities: 4 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced; 1 lb of fresh black figs, quartered; about 1/2 cup of maracona almonds, roughly chopped; about 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, grated; and about 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped drizzled with @ooliveoilandvinegar’s champagne vinegar, the juice of 2 lemons, olive oil, salt, and pepper

An I’m-Not-Cooking-Tonight Summer Salad with Roasted Peanuts and Peanut Dressing

Another salad inspired by Sue Li’s Cucumber Salad With Roasted Peanuts and Chile, a salad I’ve made so many times over the years, and made so many variations on that I’ve had to make a “cucumber salad” tag.

Approximate quantities: About 6 Kirby or Persian cucumbers, cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments; about 6 radishes, sliced into thin disks; 2 large carrots, sliced into thin disks; a pint of sugar snap peas, strings trimmed, and cut lengthwise; 1 large tomato, diced; and 1 avocado, cut into thin slices, and about 1/3-1/2 cup of roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

For the dressing: For the dressing: 2 tablespoons unsalted peanut butter, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of sambal oelek — I actually didn’t use sambal this time, my son doesn’t really like spice so I left it out, and added some Blank Slate chili oil separately

Serves 4 as a side, or 2

Serves 4 as a side, or 2 as a main, over rice.

An I’m-Not-Cooking-Tonight Summer Fennel Salad

Approximate quantities: 4 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced; 2 d’anjou pears, thinly sliced; About a 1/2 cup maracona almonds, chopped and about 1/2 cup parmesan, shaved or grated dressed with the juice of 2 lemons, a sprinkling of a citrus white wine vinegar or I any simple, neutral vinegar, like apple cider, olive oil, salt and pepper

It’s also good with 1/4 cup or so of parsley, roughly chopped, but not necessary

It’s better if you can make it ahead and let it sit in the fridge—the fennel gets more tender, everything absorbs

Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side

Nancy's Salad but Make it Spanish

I written about how I’ve made this recipe many, many times and about how I make it slightly different way every single time — in the fall and winter I use roasted red peppers instead of tomatoes, I frequently added artichokes, experimented with other Italian cheeses, omitted onions, made the vinaigrette, not made the vinaigrette, added cucumbers, carrots, and other things I’ve had on hand, and used dramatically less than 1/2 of pound of cheese and salami. Oh and I always crisp the chickpeas. None of this matters; it’s amazing every time. This salad as is or as a jumping off point is, obviously, a genius recipe.

This time, I did something totally brand new, I made it with Spanish chorizo and manshego and I roasted the chick peas for 20 minutes at 400 degrees with a generous sprinkling of garlic powder, smoked pimentón paprika, and sweet pepper paprika, and I added artichokes, and so yeah, I’m sure you’ll be shocked to hear that it was delicious!

Approximate quantities: 2 head of little gem lettuce, roughly chopped; 2 heads of Belgian Endive, leaves separated; 1 large carrot, sliced into thin disks; 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on their size; equal amounts chorizo and manshego, I used about 4 ounces of each, julienned; a 1 16-ounce can of chickpeas, sprinkled with garlic powder, smoked pimentón paprika, and sweet pepper paprika, and crisped in a skillet or on a sheet pan; and about 8 ounces of artichoke hearts, quartered drizzled with olive oil, red or white wine vinegar, salt, and pepper

Serves two as a main.

A Nigella-ish Salad

I set out to make a Greek-ish Salad, I was ended up making a Nigella-ish Salad: A mix of lettuce, raw and grilled vegetables, and her moonblush tomatoes and halloumi bites.

Approximate quantities: 1 head of red romaine lettuce, roughly chopped; 3 medium carrots, sliced into thin disks; 2 kirby cucumbers, cut lengthwise cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments; 2 Italian artichokes, quartered or cut into eighths, depending on their size; 1 grilled red bell pepper, roughly chopped; kernels of 1 ear of grilled corn; about a half of a pint of moonblush tomatoes; and about 6 slices of crisped halloumi drizzled with salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice

Serves 2 as a main.

A Kitchen Sink Salad

Approximate quantities: 6 ounces baby spinach; 2 large heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped; 3 Kirby cucumber, sliced into thin disks; kernels of 1 ear of grilled corn; 1 grilled bell pepper, roughly chopped; 1 large sweet potato, peeled, chopped into 1-2” cubes, and tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roasted at 425 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, 1 medium watermelon radish sliced into thin crescents, 1 lb of ground turkey browned with scallions and red chili flakes, 1 cup of cooked rice, and 1 16-ounce can on black bean, drained drizzled with olive oil, lime juice, and hot sauce

My only note about assembling this is, I browned the ground turkey — actually my Mom did — just before we were going to eat, and then once it was cooked through, she added 1 cup of cold, cooked rice and the black beans to pan to warm them and bring the flavors together and then we tossed this mixture warm into the salad.

Serves 4 as a main.

An Early Fall Powerhouse Vegan Salad

Approximate quantities: 1 head of butter lettuce, roughly chopped; 3/4 of a cup of cooked brown rice; 2 Kirby cucumbers, cut lengthwise cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments; kernels of 1 ear of grilled corn; about a cup of grilled wax beans, roughly chopped; 2 heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped; 3 medium carrots, sliced into thin disks; 2 medium sweet potatoes, peels, chopped into 1-2” cubes and tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and Dried Icelandic Kelp, and roasted at 425 degrees for about 20-25 minutes; 1 grilled red bell pepper, roughly chopped; 1 16-ounce can of chickpeas, crisped in a skillet or on a sheet pan, and 1 medium sized watermelon radish, sliced into thin crescents drizzled with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper — although it also would be good with tahini dressing

Serves 2 as a main.

End of Summer Chopped Salad

Approximate quantities: 1 head of romaine lettuce, roughly chopped; 1 watermelon radish, thinly sliced; 2 large jersey tomatoes, roughly chopped; 3 medium carrots, sliced into thin disks; 1 medium lemon boy tomatoes, roughly chopped; 1 16-ounce can of chick peas, crisped one a sauté pan or in the oven; 6-8 pieces of halloumi cheese, crisped in a sauté pan with a sprinkle of chili and then drizzled with lemon juice, à la Nigella; 1 green pepper, thinly sliced; and 2 Kirby cucumbers, cut into thin disks drizzled with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper or tahini dressing

Serves 2 as a main.

End of Summer Veggies and Halloumi Salad

Approximate quantities: 1 head of red romaine lettuce, roughly chopped; 2 lemon boy tomatoes, roughly chopped; 3 Kirby cucumbers sliced into thin disks; 3 medium carrots, sliced into thin disks; 6 radishes, sliced into thin disks; 2 cubanelle peppers, thinly sliced; halloumi, grilled or crisped on a pan drizzled with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper

Serves 2 as a main.