Fennel, Radish, Orange and Crab Salad

Crunchy, colorful, crustacean, citrus cravings? Check!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons (90ml) mild-tasting olive oil
• 8 ounces (230g) lump crabmeat
• 1 cup (10g) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 fennel bulb
• 2 navel or blood oranges
• 6 cups (230g) torn or sliced radicchio or Belgian endive, or picked watercress sprigs (100g), I also threw in some arugula
• 10 radishes, thinly sliced
• Flaky sea salt, to finish

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix together the vinegar, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl. Stir in the olive oil until well combined. Toss the crabmeat and parsley in the dressing, season with a few generous grinds of the peppermill, and set aside.
2. Trim the fronds off the fennel bulb and remove any tough outer layers. Cut the fennel bulb in half lengthwise and cut out the core. Slice the fennel as thinly as you possibly can, or shave it with a mandoline.
3. Cut the stem and opposite ends off the oranges. Place each orange, cut-side down, on a cutting board. With a sharp paring or serrated knife, cut away the peel, using downward motions that match the curvature of the fruit. Slice out suprêmes (sections) of the oranges, leaving the membranes behind.
4. Arrange the salad leaves on four large plates (or a large serving platter). Scatter the shaved fennel over the salad leaves and tuck the orange segments and radishes in between the fennel and the salad leaves.
5. Distribute the crabmeat and parsley over the salads, spoon the remaining dressing over the tops, sprinkle with flaky sea salt, and serve.

From: “My Paris Kitchen” by David Lebovitz

Roasted Cauliflower and Hazelnut Salad

Roasted Cauliflower and Hazelnut Salad

Here’s yet another entry from  Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.  This is one of my favorite salads ever.  It pairs very nicely with spicy middle eastern dishes but we’ve also loaded up our plates and eaten it as an entree all by itself.  The flavor combination works so well and were (for me at least) so unexpected that I just keep making it over and over because I can’t believe how good it is.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 head cauliflower, broken into small florets (1½ lb / 660 g in total)
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large celery stalk, cut on an angle into ¼-inch / 0.5cm slices (⅔ cup / 70 g in total)
• 5 tbsp / 30 g hazelnuts, with skins
• ⅓ cup / 10 g small flat-leaf parsley leaves, picked
• ⅓ cup / 50 g pomegranate seeds (from about ½ medium pomegranate)
• generous ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• generous ¼ tsp ground allspice
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1½ tsp maple syrup
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C.
2. Mix the cauliflower with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and some black pepper. Spread out in a roasting pan and roast on the top oven rack for 25 to 35 minutes, until the cauliflower is crisp and parts of it have turned golden brown. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside to cool down.
3. Decrease the oven temperature to 325°F / 170°C. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast for 17 minutes.
4. Allow the nuts to cool a little, then coarsely chop them and add to the cauliflower, along with the remaining oil and the rest of the along with the remaining oil and the rest of the ingredients. Stir, taste, and season with salt and pepper accordingly. Serve at room temperature.

Excerpt From: Yotam Ottolenghi. “Jerusalem.” iBooks. https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewBook?id=73B4A2C6DD0765AE672353A0B1C549F9

 

Cel-abration! Celery Salad with Celery Root and Horseradish

Celery Salad

Because we love to eat and because we’re endlessly fascinated with food, we end up having many conversations about what we’re going to eat and just food in general.  During one such conversation a few weeks ago, I said, without the slightest hint of sarcasm, “I think we need to explore celery root.”  Now, I’ll admit, it does sound like a pretty ridiculous thing to say.  As you might imagine, much chortling and chastising ensued so I changed the subject, while quietly resolving to look for recipes that included celery root.

Lo and behold an issue of Bon Appetit arrived sporting a salad recipe that used, not only celery root, but also celery stalks and celery leaves.  It’s a combination for fresh deliciousness that is not to be missed.

Get out your mandoline and prepare to be amazed!

Ingredients

• 1 medium celery root (about 1 pound)
• 10 large celery stalks, thinly sliced on a sharp diagonal, plus 1/2 cup celery leaves
• 1 small shallot, thinly sliced into rings
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup (packed) flat-leaf parsley leaves

Preparation

• Peel and halve celery root. Using a mandoline, very thinly slice one half. Cut other half into matchstick-size pieces.
• Combine celery root, celery stalks, shallot, lemon zest, and horseradish in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Let vegetables sit for 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
• Whisk oil and lemon juice in a small bowl; season vinaigrette with salt and pepper. Drizzle vinaigrette over vegetables. Add celery leaves and parsley and toss salad to combine.

Shrimp Salad on Avocados and Arugula

Shrimp Salad on Avocados and Arugula

There’s nothing quite like sitting down to a tasty lunch on a gorgeous San Francisco weekend and looking out at the city with good friends.  I used a recipe I found at Taste of Home as the inspiration for this recipe.  I have to say that tarragon is a spice I haven’t explored much, but it works really well in this recipe; I can see it moving into more regular rotation on the spice rack.

I’m back on trying to bring down points values wherever possible (you know, so as to reduce the impact of serving lunch with a side of brie and honey), so I made a few adjustments: using 1/4 of an avocado instead of half and using light mayo instead of the full fat version.  The flavors are so good in this salad that you don’t even miss the extra fat.

I seasoned the shrimp with salt, pepper and red chili flakes and cooked it about 1 minute on each side.

I also dressed some arugula with a light vinaigrette and used it as a bed for the salad.  Keep it to 2 Tbsp. to preserve the points value.

WEIGHT WATCHERS PLUS POINTS: 5 per serving (not counting wine and cheese)

This one works really well with Sauvignon Blanc.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 4-1/2 teaspoons capers, drained
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 medium ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and divided into quarters

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine ingredients. Spoon onto avocado quarters. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings.