Spinach, Quinoa, Onion Sprouts, Beet and Carrot Salad

It seems like I've been making the usual staples and some of the simplest foods lately. The home-garden is just beginning to establish again. It has been a very wet Spring, too chilly and overcast, but, hopefully the plants will do all right this Summer and gift us with their bounty.

We just threw some onion seeds on the ground saved from last year and a beautiful bunch of onion sprouts have come up, which we've been topping salads with and layering in sandwiches.

I cooked the quinoa with some fresh mint leaves from the garden. The dressing is my favorite Agave Nectar + Sambal Oelek:

1 Tbsp Sambal Oelek
1 Tbsp Agave Nectar (more if preferred sweeter)
1 tsp freshly grated ginger (less if preferred)
3 Tbsp Pomegranate red wine vinegar
8 Tbsp Olive oil (more or less)
salt to taste

Layer the spinach leaves, grated carrots and beets, quinoa, onion sprouts, cranberries, almonds or walnuts, drizzle some dressing and enjoy.

Green Bean Salad with Marinated Feta and Roasted Red Bell Peppers

Crisply blanched green beans drizzled with my favorite Aka Miso and Blue Agave Nectar Dressing makes a wholesome side for a weeknight meal. When tossed with roasted red bell peppers and marinated feta, this becomes a meal in itself.

Feta can be used without marinating, but, I like to let it sit in a mixture of pomegranate red wine vinegar and olive oil for about 10 minutes while getting the green beans ready.

Store-bought roasted red bell peppers (packed in water) sautéed with some onions can be tossed in with the blanched green beans before drizzling the dressing.

Top with sliced almonds and serve at room temperature.

Broccoli Salad with Blue Agave Nectar & Aka Miso Vinaigrette

Salads are so unassuming and ubiquitous that it is hard to bring them front-and-center, right under the spotlight. To me, what makes a salad is not just the mix of greens and veggies, but the dressing or vinaigrette that brings out the flavors and sets the mood for the meal.

Of course, oftentimes, the salad is our meal at home - tossed or layered - with harmonious ingredients thrown in, and some odd ones just because they are handy and need to be used up...

Typical Broccoli Salad usually has some bacon, sliced almonds and raisins, with a sweetish mayonnaise-based dressing.

My recipe is not very different in concept - I omit the bacon here since none of us at home eat it. Also, rather than traditional mayonnaise, I went with a quick and light dressing.

Fusion cuisine being my signature, the dressing is where I usually like to get creative for salads. The combination of mildly sweet Blue Agave Nectar; bean-ish, tangy, robust, salty Aka Miso; hot Sambal Oelek; biting fresh grated ginger and garlic, all seem to come together in a red wine vinaigrette with bland Canola oil, not the rich Olive oil for this wonderful Broccoli Salad.

Miso is basically fermented soybeans with some grains and salt. It has a complex flavor that is hard to describe. Among the White, Red, and Yellow Misos available readily in the market, White Miso (Shiromiso) is fermented for the shortest time with sweet and mild flavor. The Red Miso (Akamiso) is full-bodied and saltier than white. The Yellow Miso falls in-between Red and White.

Usually, one part vinegar to 3 parts oil makes a good vinaigrette. Depending on the type of vinegar and oil, and personal preferences, can increase the oil or decrease the vinegar for a good balance.

With all the bold flavors, for the sweetness to show through, I add a bit of home-made plum jam in this recipe, but any other favorite low-sugar jam stirred in would add an interesting touch to the dressing.

Since I love to experiment, and vinaigrettes are easy to play with, I enjoy creating unique ones. Maybe someday it would be fun to bottle and market these exclusive creations... Of course, it probably won't help the business if I just share them here:) No matter.

Ingredients
Broccoli florets, bite-sized
Cauliflower florets, bite-sized (optional)
Red grapes, sliced in half (or quartered if they are too big)
Chopped Spring onions

Sliced Almonds or Toasted Sunflower Seeds (or both)
Dried Cranberries (preferably unsweetened)
Unsweetened shredded dried coconut (optional)
Fresh Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Blue Agave Nectar & Aka Miso Dressing
1 to 2 Tbsp Organic Blue Agave Syrup
1 Tbsp Aka Miso (red miso)
1 Tbsp Sambal Oelek
1 Tbsp home-made low-sugar Plum Jam (optional)
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
2 cloves of garlic, finely grated
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup canola oil, plus more if desired

Preparation

Stir the Vinaigrette ingredients vigorously till well-combined.

Toss the salad ingredients together, drizzle some vinaigrette - generously if preferred. Top with grated Parmesan or Unsweetened shredded coconut, sliced almonds and dried cranberries.

Beet & Carrot Salad with Agave Nectar & Ginger Vinaigrette

Sometimes as a starter, sometimes as a snack, sometimes as a meal in itself. Sometimes layered and drizzled with freshly made vinaigrette, sometimes well-tossed with a rich creamy dressing... anywhichway we make it, we love salads.

This Beet and Carrot salad with Spring Greens is one of our favorites: the combination of freshly grated beets and carrots, plus the simple vinaigrette on the slightly sweet side enhancing the beet and carrot flavors seems to make this almost addictive.

Pictured here is this salad served with a small sandwich made of: home-made buckwheat buns (recipe to come) toasted with some Swiss cheese, black bean burger (made very much like the Mock Kibbeh recipe but with black beans instead of chickpeas), some pepperoncini, onions and sun-dried tomatoes.

Ingredients
Salad:
Organic Baby Spring Greens
Raw Carrots and Beets, finely grated or shredded
Onion or Alfalfa Sprouts
Toasted Sunflower Seeds

Agave Nectar, Ginger, Chili Vinaigrette:
50 ml raspberry or pomegranate red wine vinegar; or plain red wine vinegar
50 ml Agave nectar
25 ml Sambal Oelek or any favorite Chili paste
150 ml Hazelnut Oil or Olive oil
1 clove of garlic, finely grated or crushed
1 - 2 tsp of freshly grated ginger, to taste
¼ tsp each salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Combine the dressing ingredients and whisk or beat well, adjust flavors to taste
2. Layer the salad items, top with sunflower seeds, drizzle some dressing

Alternately, use Romaine hearts or any favorite greens, julienne the carrots and finely grate the beets, garnish with avacado if preferred, sprinkle slivered almonds instead of sunflower seeds... this is a flexible and versatile salad with the agave-nectar-ginger vinaigrette pulling the elements together :)