The good thing about the early summer weather we’re having is we tend to eat more salads.
The bad thing about the early summer weather weather we’re having is someone has to spend time in the kitchen and make the salads. The kitchen is INSIDE the house. I’d rather be OUTSIDE… 
But alas, I was happy to have salads ready to eat whenever we felt hungry for the rest of the day. I figured since I’m chopping veg anyway I may as well do it all at the same time, get it done, and then head outside.
Black-eyed peas and bitter greens (collards, kale, swiss chard, dandelion, rapini and arugula, for example) are on the good-to-eat list DH got from his naturopath. Along with a digestive enzyme to help with the beans, he is happy to eat my funky recipe inventions (although the kids less so). This salad was delish, and easy to prepare. Also very versatile because you can substitute the greens you have on hand with something else the next time.
I used dried black-eyed peas which I soaked and then cooked tender, but you can use canned ones (rinse well to remove excess salt). In this recipe I used wilted collards which I had never had before, and added fresh (not wilted) arugula at the end for some extra kick.
When wilting the greens, do so in olive oil, sea salt, chopped garlic and onion. Add the chopped greens, dripping wet, into the pan, put on the lid, and let wilt. This takes 1-2 minutes max. I then used tongues to mix a little, put in a glass dish, added the drained beans, squeezed a bit of lemon juice on top, and tasted it.
A member of this family is on a specialized diet. Most of what we are already cooking and eating can continue, but there are a few items on the approved list that not everyone necessarily likes.
Swiss chard is one of those items. I for one love it steamed with onions and lemon juice, or mixed in with any tomato based recipe. Swiss chard, the red, white, or yellow stemmed ones, are not only lovely in your garden, they are packed with nutrients like most dark green vegetables are. Iron, which is always good for women, is one of those nutrients, so I tend to reach for Swiss chard regularly, especially when making tomato sauce for a pasta dinner. Just chop really small and cook with the sauce, in the crock pot or on the stove top.
The other ingredient we’re experimenting with is black-eyed peas. These little legumes look more like beans than peas, and since most family members in this household do not like beans at all, I don’t cook them often. I do cook them for myself, though, and with the aid of a digestive enzyme I have never experienced any digestive disruption. In fact, I eat beans regularly enough that I often forget to take an enzyme all together and don’t have any problems at all. This must mean that I have a diet high enough in fiber that my digestive system is able to handle beans in medium-sized quantities.
But back to the black-eyed peas. I decided to make a salad out of them and use some steamed, slightly wilted Swiss chard leaves along with it. Onion, feta cheese and a nice olive oil and lemon juice dressing to round it out, and the end result was simply delicious.
The kids wouldn’t eat it, but the adults enjoyed it. The versatility of such a salad is endless:
Although it’s February and cold-ish (this is one of the warmest winters I’ve ever experienced living in Toronto in many years), these types of salads have helped keep that afternoon slump at bay, increased our nutrients in our bodies, and added a bit of variety to an otherwise rather repetitive Canadian winter diet.
Quinoa and Fennel salad with Dill and Lemon dressing
Quinoa is a grain with a high protein content. Fennel, and fresh dill (or any other fresh herb like parsley, or mint), are still tasty enough even in the depth of winter when mixed with a flavourful dressing containing some sort of citrus fruit.
Eat this salad for lunch, or as a side.
To cook the quinoa, simply follow the directions on the package, drain, and let cool. Toss with some olive oil. Chop up some herbs and fennel, and mix with the juice of about a teaspoon of lemon, some sea salt, pepper, and more olive oil if desired. Cover and let the juices marinate with the grain for a bit in the refrigerator. Before eating, give it another stir.
I make other winter salads as well…some with beets…and dream about my spring planting days ahead.
It’s probably Jamie Oliver’s fault that beets, or beetroots, have made a comeback into the mainstream diet (thanks, Jamie!). I know it has for us….and not even as a comeback.
My family didn’t use beets in their cooking during my childhood. We didn’t eat them pickled either, which is what most people think of when they consider beets in their meals.
Now I know that beets are so versatile, you can eat them raw, boiled, grilled or roasted! The possibilities are endless.
My arugula is growing like weeds. And it’s bolting already! This means that the plant is making a flowerstalk that will then go to seed. It also means the leafs will taste a bit more bitter.
Usually I just snip the arugula into my salad. I really like the peppery taste. But arugula is very versatile, and you can cook with it.
I decided to make pesto. Although normally pesto is made with basil and pinenuts, I made arugula pesto with walnuts. The walnuts complement the strong taste of the arugula nicely.
I used a food processor to make this pesto, although you can do it by hand with a mortar and pestle.
Ingredients
2 cups of packed arugula leaves, thickest part of the stem removed
1/2 cup of toasted walnuts (substitute other nuts if you want to)
1/2 cup of olive oil
about 6 cloves of garlic, roasted in their skins
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
salt to taste
Directions
1. Lightly toast the walnuts in the toaster oven for 1-2 minutes at about 300 degrees F.
2. Place the 6 garlic cloves with skins on a piece of aluminum foil and roast for about 5 minutes in toaster oven (or regular oven) at 350 degrees F.
3. Let garlic cool slightly and slip skins off.
4. Place arugula leaves, garlic, and walnuts into food processor, and drizzle some of the oil on top.
5. Pulse until well mixed, add the rest of the oil, and pulse again.
6. Remove mixture from processor with a spatula, place into a bowl, and stir in parmesan cheese.
7. Salt to taste.
I will probably mix it with gnocchi tonight. Or some other type of pasta…mmmmm, yummy!
I’ve decided that I am fat. Even though I still fit into my jeans, I am still fat. I am not happy about my abdominal area (and yes, I realize that many women who have had babies feel the same way).
But I am a hungry unhappy chick. Which is why I’m on this rampage now. Rampage to stock my fridge with precut veggies and bean/pea/lentil type salads. Because they are filling, high in protein, and will satisfy my cravings to some degree.
For instance, I can eat the above pictured chickpea salad as is in a bowl with a spoon, stuff it into a whole wheat pita, roll it into a whole wheat tortilla, or mix it with more greens and make it part of a salad plate. It’s healthy, it’s fairly filling, it’s tasty, and I won’t reach for the other stuff.
Here’s the recipe:
can of chickpeas
handfuls of cut veggies like cucumber, cherry tomatos (you can add peppers if you like)
handful of chopped salad greens (I used romaine hearts, but spinach is just as good)
1/2 tsp sea salt
some pepper
1 tsp of dijon mustard
1 tbsp white whine vinegar
2 tbsp of olive oil
Rinse the chickpeas well under cold water to remove excess salt and place in a bowl.
Add chopped veggies and salad greens.
Mix salt and pepper with the vinegar to disolve the salt, then add the mustard and oil.
Pour dressing over chickpea mixture, stir, and enjoy.
Lentils are so versatile, tasty and easy to prepare, it’s a wonder people aren’t talking about, or eating them more.
I didn’t always think this way though. My mom cooked lentils occasionally and mixed them with rice, which I found to be a rather bland meal. Later on, in adulthood, I found out that this type of meal was quite common in various parts of the world, partly because lentils are an almost-complete protein and can therefore replace meat. They lack only one protein, methionine. Adding grains, eggs, nuts, seeds, meat or dairy products to the lentils will make it a complete protein.
Lentils are also high in folic acid, something us pregnant and lactating mommies can appreciate. Then there’s the iron. If you add vitamin C rich foods into the salad, it will help absorb the iron better into your system. So chop up some tomatos or peppers, it’ll make your salad colourful and nutritious.
There are many varieties of lentils, but I mostly use the green or brown ones because they retain their shape when used in salads. Salads like this one I made recently:
What’s missing in this winter salad is the fresh herbs I add when making similar salads during summer. But don’t let the picture fool you; this is only one of many different kinds of variations. All you have to do is open your fridge and snip, chop, slice or cut whatever you happen to have on hand into a bowl. Mix it up with the lentils and some funky salad dressing, and there you have a nice, nutritious, high-protein and probably fairly low-calorie lunch.
For dressings, I usually find that less is more. Some sea salt, a bit of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and maybe some dried savoury or black pepper, and there you have it. When I use red or white onion, I sometimes mix a bit of maple syrup into the dressing. During the summer, I like using fresh herbs like chives, summer savoury, parsley or coriander, and sometimes I pour a touch of white wine in the mixture. Whatever you fancy…just experiment and enjoy.
Tip: I find that the package instructions for cooking lentils are usually too long. In my experience, undercooking the lentils slightly will allow them to marinate in the dressing longer. Cooking them too long will make them fall apart, and then the salad will look, and taste, like mush.
