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

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.

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.

Pasta Salad

So, yeah, pasta salad is frequently gross and rarely salad. What I like to do is toss a combination of vegetables and herbs together in salt and vinaigrette for a few hours before eating and then, just before serving, I cook the pasta, drain it, and toss it hot with the vegetables and add olive oil, lemon juice, more vinaigrette, maybe cheese to bring it together — I find this makes a really delicious, fresh, refreshing pasta salad.

The Kitchen Sink Pasta Salad

Approximate quantities: 3 Kirby cucumbers, cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments; 3 medium carrots, sliced into thin disks; 1 pint of grape tomatoes, quartered; kernels of 2 ears of grilled corn; a 16 ounce can of chickpeas, quickly crisped in olive oil, salt, pepper, and cured sumac; 6 radishes, sliced into think disks; 8 ounces of penne, cooked al dente; 10 artichoke hearts, quartered; greens from 4-6 scallions, finely chopped; about 1/4 cup dill-and-lemon infused mustard vinaigrette

Grilled Peppers, Artichoke Hearts, and Tomatoes

Approximate quantities: 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped; 3 Kirby cucumbers, sliced into thin discs; two grilled yellow bell peppers, roughly chopped; 14-16 artichoke hearts, quartered; 2-4 tablespoons of fresh dill fronds; greens from 4-6 scallions, finely chopped; and dill-lemon-infused vinegar or lighter vinegar, like white wine or apple cider, and then juice of 1 lemon; and then one pound of pasta, olive olive, Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste

Chickpeas, Cucumbers, and Tomatoes

Approximate quantities: 2 Kirby cucumbers, sliced into thin discs; 1 pint of grape tomatoes, halved; greens from 4-6 scallions, finely chopped; and a 16 ounce can of chick peas; 1 teaspoon of cured sumac, lemon-and-garlic-infused-mustard vinaigrette or lighter vinegar, like white wine or apple cider, and then juice of 1 lemon; and then one pound of pasta, olive olive, Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste

Cucumbers, Peas, and Roasted Red Pepper

So I’ve made three different cucumber salads over the last 10 days: Sui Li’s really great Cucumbers with Roasted Peanuts, Cilantro, and Chili, which I highly recommend, kirby cucumbers with leftover grilled corn and grilled green beans, and this one which was a total improvisation but was delicious.

Approximate quantities: 3 Japanese burpless cucumbers, sliced into thin crescents; about a 1/2 a cup of shelled peas; about 1 whole roasted red pepper, roughly chopped; salt, pepper, and olive oil to taste

Serves two as a side.

Mediterranean Salad with Halloumi Croutons

Approximate quantities: 1 head of lettuce, roughly chopped; 2 large carrots, sliced into thin discs; 3 Persian cucumber, sliced into thin discs; 2 large marinated artichokes, sliced cross-wise; roasted red peppers, roughly chopped; and 6-8 sliced of pan-fried halloumi a la Nigella drizzled with Tuscan herb olive oil, citrus vinegar, lemon, salt, and pepper

Serves four as a side and two as a main.

California Nicoise Salad

Approximate quantities: 1 large head of romaine lettuce; roughly chopped; 1 avocado, cut into slices; 2 carrots, 2 medium sized carrots, sliced into thin discs; 1 watermelon radish, peeled and sliced into thin crescents; 1 can of tuna; 1/4-1/3 of a cup of roasted red pepper, somewhat finely chopped; lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Serves two as a main.

Mid-Summer Classic Greek

Approximate quantities: 1 head of romaine lettuce, roughly chopped; 6-8 French breakfast radishes, quartered, length-wise; 1 English cucumber, roughly chopped; 4 artichokes, quartered, length-wise; 1 cubanelle pepper, cut into thin strips; 1 roasted yellow or red pepper, roughly chopped; 10-12 cherry tomatoes, quartered; Alison Roman's herbed chickpeas; 4 ounces feta cheese, cubed; mixed Greek olives; drizzled with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste

Serves four as a appetizer and two as a main.