So this started as a ripped page from Food&Wine. The piece was called All Well & Good, covering Sakara, the fancy plant-based meal delivery service popular in the Los Angeles area. The ladies who own it contributed a few recipes and their Kale-and-Brussels Sprout Caesar Salad intrigued me, so I kept the page in the side pocket of my car (where all keepsakes and important paperwork are best stored). Caesar is the historical origin of my love of salads. As a teenager, my Dad and I used to go on dates to the Chart House solely for a visit to their salad bar with freshly tossed Caesar and a slice of Key Lime Pie. So I got to it the other day. The only way to purge torn out recipes is to try them and eliminate I suppose. I started tinkering as soon as I made their crumble (the gluten free / dairy free sub for croutons in the classic). They called for sweet paprika, I stock smoked. The crumble seemed a little dry, so I added a drizzle of oil to help it clump a bit. The dressing called for half an avocado which I also didn't have so I subbed in cashew butter and water and then ended up merging with the Oh She Glows Caesar recipe which I love as well and here we are. I understand this is more a recipe for a dressing than a stand alone salad but I think it can take additions well. And I forget that sometimes salads don't need to have a bunch of stuff in them to still be good. If you have the ingredients, your food processor is already out for the dressing so you might as well make the crumble for intrigue. It takes minutes. I added some leftover grilled salmon to my bowl, or Hugh has been using the dressing as a sandwich spread. This makes way more crumble than you will need for the salad and I've been sprinkling it on top of roasted vegetables for an interesting finish. It has a cheesy flavor from the nutritional yeast and a bacon-y tone from the smoked paprika...I mean that in a good way. I'm going to make the salad for friends later this week and plan to add some crispy garbanzo beans on top like Angela does with the crumble for more crunch. Anyway, below is where I landed, and hopefully it can be a staple for you too.
VEGAN CAESAR WITH SMOKY NUT CRUMBLE // Serves 4-6 Recipe adapted from Food and Wine and Oh She Glows
I keep my nutritional yeast in the fridge. It lasts longer this way. You can buy it online or at any health food store. If that sounds fussy to you and you don't care about the vegan element here, you can use finely grated parmesan in it's place for both the crumble and dressing. I use a food processor but a high-powered blender such as a Vitamix works great too. The dressing will keep a week covered in the fridge.
crumble 3/4 cup raw almonds 1/4 cup hulled hemp seeds 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast 1 tsp. smoked paprika (or sweet is fine if you don't want the smokiness) 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil 1/4 tsp. sea salt, to taste
dressing 1/2 cup cashew butter 1/3 cup water 1-2 garlic cloves 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp. capers 1 tsp. dijon mustard 1/2 tsp. vegan worcestershire sauce 1 tsp. nutritional yeast 4 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (I may have used a little more but I like it lemony) pinch of fresh parsley leaves 1/4 tsp. sea salt and pepper to taste
1 head of romaine, chopped 1 large head of tuscan kale, stemmed and chopped
Make the crumble. In a food processor, pulse all the ingredients until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. It should start to stick together a little bit. Transfer the crumble to a bowl and wipe out the processor. For the dressing, into the processor, puree the ingredients until smooth. Taste for salt and pepper. Add a splash of lemon juice or water if it looks too thick. Place the chopped greens in a large bowl and drizzle desired amount of dressing. Toss to coat. Serve with a sprinkle of the crumble on top.
There have been no resolutions made in writing yet. I'm pretty used to things happening belated around here and hoping Hugh and I will get to our New Year accountability date sometime this month. There are ideas, thoughts and intentions brewing but I haven't found the time to make my categorized list. I did start the Sweat with Kayla fitness app that in a few days of sorry looking push ups, has moved "getting stronger" towards the top of my list. I've chatted with a few people about helping me put on plated dinners to raise money and awareness for a few charities I'd like to contribute more to. Potentially in our backyard which scares me but sometimes you just have to jump in. Hugh and I also agreed we'd let the posts here be more casual if they need to be - less photos, maybe me not writing much if I am not in the mood, could even just be an idea for a salad dressing. It doesn't always need to be such a thing. You may not even notice a difference but for me, us, it takes a bit of the pressure off of having to try too hard and just allowing this to be...easier. I'll get that all down on paper by the end of the month.
Cleo turns one next week so it feels like a fresh start for all of us in some way. This past year has been largely consumed by learning how to function as a family of four with two self employed people working from home. The chasm between wanting to be present and engaged as a parent and focused and motivated to make your own living. All I know so far is that you can't do a good job, or stay happy, trying to be everything to everyone at all times so I'm looking forward to letting go of some expectations.
Onward, 2017.
MUSTARDY BRUSSELS SLAW // Serves 4
I use a careful hand and a mandoline in shaving the brussels sprouts because I feel like they get more feathery than a food processor or the prepackaged ones ever get. This could be an inefficient, high maintenance call. The alternative is totally fine, I would just let them sit in the dressing a little longer to soften up slightly as they'll be thicker. We can deconstruct this into a warm side dish if you're not feeling salad. You can half the brussels, toss them in the vinaigrette, and roast them at 400' in a large rimmed baking dish for about 35 minutes or until just browning on the edges. While still hot, stir in the shallots and apples and then top the dish with the walnuts and cheese. Shop once, cook twice.
// mustardy vinaigrette // 2 tsp. dijon mustard 2 tsp. whole grain mustard 2 tsp. agave nectar 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup olive oil 1 tsp. sea salt 1 tsp. dried Italian herbs
1 lb. brussels, cores trimmed 1 small bunch of kale, stems removed 1 medium shallot, minced, about 2 Tbsp. 1 crisp apple, cored and diced small 1/2-3/4 cup toasted walnuts pieces 1/3 cup grated pecorino or parmesan cheese, plus more to garnish
To make your vinaigrette, put all ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake to mix. Season to taste. Using a mandoline or the grater blade on a food processor, shave your brussels thin and put them in a large mixing or salad bowl. Chop the kale well (should have about 2 cups) and add it to the brussels along with the shallot, apple and half of the walnuts and cheese. Toss with desired amount of dressing to coat and serve with remaining walnuts and cheese on top.
Every now and then I do a cooking class or cook for small dinner parties and a version of this salad has happened a handful of times lately. It's not so much that it's a life changing combination of ingredients, as it is an example of how I build a green salad in general. A friend called it "my spiritual gift" so I suppose I may be in the field I was made to be in. I start with greens, often mixing lettuces for monochromatic shades of green (kale and romaine, arugula and butter lettuce etc.). I add another fresh, seasonal vegetable (here, shaved fennel), something sweet (here, both corn and roasted tomatoes), crunch and fat (nuts and cheese). I also keep color and texture in mind, using my mandoline frequently for raw vegetables because a huge chunk of carrot throws off the loveliness and ease in eating a green salad. Dressings are a wild card but this is where I can tie things together. Maybe it only needs oil and vinegar and salt if there is plenty going on or kale slaws can handle something extra lemony. I like heat with corn and tomatoes so I threw a jalapeno into an otherwise basic vinaigrette below. I add a sprinkle of parmesan for depth of flavor and to thicken it up a bit but it by no means tastes super Italian. Perhaps this all makes more sense in my head than written but I feel like once you have a general proportion you like, you can make a great salad with whatever is in your fridge. Sometimes it's helpful to start with a recipe, so tweak the one below however you'd like.
ROASTED TOMATO + CORN SALAD // Serves 4
I understand roasting the tomatoes takes some time, but I do a double batch in advance and have them on hand for both salads and eggs. You could substitute ripe peaches or nectarines here, as they can stand in for your tender and sweet element (I also love this salad from the archives while we're talking nectarines). I have been really into pine nuts lately but am bummed they have become so pricey. You could sub in almonds or walnuts here.
1 pint baby tomatoes 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper 1 head of butter lettuce 1 small fennel bulb, shaved thin 1 ear of corn, grilled and cooled 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts 4 ounces sheeps feta cheese
// jalapeno dressing //
1 jalapeno handful of cilantro 1 clove garlic 1 tsp. honey 1 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar juice of half a small lemon 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Preheat the oven to 350' and line a baking sheet with parchment. Halve the tomatoes and toss them in the olive oil, salt and pepper. If they aren't good ones, you know the type, I'll sprinkle a bit of sugar. Spread them on the baking sheet cut side up and roast for 20-25 minutes until dried on the edges. Remove to cool completely. They will dry up more as they rest. Blend all dressing ingredients together and set aside. The dressing can be made up to a week in advance. The remaining salad ingredients are written prepped, so from this point, you just need to dress and assemble. Because butter lettuce leaves are larger, this salad plates best with the lettuce and fennel being dressed, and then the tomatoes, corn, pine nuts and feta cheese sprinkled on top of each portion. This prevents all the heavier goodies from falling to the bottom.
