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

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.

Nancy’s Salad

I don’t know that I have ever actually faithfully followed this recipe. I make this salad a slightly different way every single time — in the fall and winter I use roasted red peppers instead of tomatoes, I’ve 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.

Approximate quantities: 1 head of butter lettuce, roughly chopped; 1 large carrot, sliced into thin disks; 2 medium heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped; 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced; 1 small red onion or spring onion; thinly sliced; 2 Kirby cucumbers, sliced into thin disks; 8 pepperocini, roughly chopped; equal amounts aged provolone and sopressata, julienned; and 1 16-ounce can of chickpeas, crisped in a skillet or on a sheet pan drizzled in olive oil, red or white wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and dried oregano

Serves two as a main.

Niçoise Salad

Approximate quantities: 3–4 cups baby lettuce, roughly chopped; 3 Kirby cucumbers, cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments; 4 radishes, cut into thin crescents; 1 1/2–2 cups grilled wax beans, roughly chopped; 1 pint of grape tomatoes, quartered; 1 grilled bell pepper, roughly chopped; 3 medium or 2 large carrots, sliced into thin discs; 1 can of olive oil packed tuna; and 2 jammy soft boiled eggs drizzled with with dill-and-lemon-infused-mustard vinaigrette

Serves two as a main, four as a starter or side.

A Wintery Mix Salad

I’ve made a few different versions of this finely chopped savoy cabbage-based salad over the last few weeks both are a marriage of a vinegar-based coleslaw and a slightly heartier winter salad.

Savoy Cabbage with Butter Lettuce, Radishes, and Cucumber

Approximate quantities: 1/4 head Savoy cabbage, sliced very finely; 4-6 ounces of butter lettuce, roughly chopped; 1 red bell pepper, sliced finely; 2 carrots, sliced into thin discs or julienned; 1/2 of a medium purple diakon radish; 1/2 of a seedless cucumber, sliced into thin crescents

Savoy Cabbage with Carrots, Radishes, and Sugar Snap Peas

Approximate quantities: 1/2 head Savoy cabbage, sliced very finely; 1 red bell pepper, sliced finely; 4 carrots, sliced into thin discs or julienned; 10 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut lengthwise; 1 medium watermelon radish, or 6 or so red radishes, sliced into thin discs

Both are dressed with my current favorite vinaigrette blend: 30 ml of olive oil; 30 ml of red wine vinegar; 15 g of Dijon mustard, or if you like a little extra kick, a horseradish mustard; and the juice of 1/2 of 1 lemon 

If you have the time, about two hours before serving, chop the cabbage finely and the toss with about 1 teaspoon of salt and allow it to drain in a colander

Then, about an hour before serving, shake the excess water out of the cabbage, or pat with a paper towel, and toss the cabbage with 1/2 of the vinaigrette and allow it to marinate

Before serving, toss cabbage with remaining vegetables

Vinegar-Based Coleslaw with White Cabbage

Based loosely on The Spruce Eat’s Carolina Slaw recipe.

Ingredients:

Head of cabbage, finely chopped or shredded
3 carrots, julienne or grated
3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
A bunch, 6 or so scallions, thinly sliced

8 ounces apple cider vinegar
2 ounces neutral oil
1 heaping teaspoon mustard 
1 heaping teaspoon celery seeds
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons sugar 

Finely chop the cabbage, red bell pepper, and celery — I used a mandoline slicer for this — and add to large mixing bowl

Grate or julienne 3 carrots and finely chop scallions and add to large mixing bowl

Combine vinegar, oil, mustard, celery seeds, salt, and sugar in small mixing bowl, whisk together to combine, and then pour over the vegetables and toss well

Late Summer Pasta Salad with Tuna, Fennel, Red Pepper, Heirloom Tomato and Cucumber

This is a mash up of Amanda Hesser’s kids’ favorite Zuni's Pasta with Preserved Tuna and Martha Stewart’s recent Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Mozzarella, and Chickpeas; it’s basically a late summer kitchen sink pasta salad with tuna.

Ingredients

2 heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
4 Kirby cucumbers, cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments
1 fennel bulb, sliced into then crescents
2 TBS red wine vinegar
12 ounces — 1 can— of olive oil packed tuna
2 TBS capers
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves
2 TBS of chopped parsley
8 ounces of radiatore, gemelli or fusilli pasta
Pecorino Romano cheese

First, chop tomatoes and sprinkle with salt and set aside and allow them to weep — I do this on the side of my cutting board, or in an empty prep bowl, or since you’ll be draining pasta you can also toss them in the colander

Second, chop cucumbers, fennel bulb, and pepper, place in serving bowl and drizzle with red wine vinegar and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt

Third, cook the pasta and saute the tuna: Bring salted water to a boil to cook your pasta per the instruction and while you are waiting for the water to come to a boil, add the garlic cloves, capers, red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon of parsley, and the entire can of tuna, including the olive oil to a non-stick skillet or cast iron

When the water begins to boil, add your pasta and turn the heat under the skillet to medium-low and saute the tuna the amount of time that the pasta needs to cook — my pasta needed 9 minutes anywhere in this range will work

Fourth, combine everything: Add the pasta, tuna, and drained tomatoes to the serving bowl and toss

Garnish with Pecorino Romano cheese, 1 tablespoon of parsley, and the juice of 1 lemon

Probably should serve four, but we were hungry and so it only served two.