Improvisatory Moment in the Kitchen: Frugal Rice Salad

When it's hot, I don't always feel like cooked food or anything very warm, for that matter. Rice has become one of my favorite foods and a meal with rice almost always sounds like a great idea. The other night, after working outside all day in the park, I wasn't very inspired. Z. was bound and determined to make stir-fry. I looked at the fresh veggies and thought they would also be great raw. I chopped a bunch of vegetables, gave half to Z. to cook, and created a rice salad with the rest. I splashed the rice and veggie mixture with a bit of rice vinegar, olive oil, salt, and red pepper flakes. A great improvisatory moment in the kitchen. Use whatever veggies you have on hand. Since I had it, I used:

• cooked jasmine rice
• red bell pepper
• green bell pepper
• red onion
• purple cabbage
• basil
• cilantro

What vegetables would you use?

Enjoy!

Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad Dressing

Z. and I occasionally receive gift cards to various restaurants. One of these restaurants is Applebee's. I always get their Oriental Chicken Salad. A base of lettuce is topped with cabbage, crispy noodles, sliced almonds, chicken, and their Oriental Vinaigrette.

The vinaigrette is sweet and sour with a hint of toasted sesame. I did a little research and found a blog dedicated to copying popular restaurant recipes: CopyKat. Here is their recipe for Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad Dressing.

The ingredients (from top moving clockwise): mayonnaise, rice vinegar, arrowroot powder, salt, toasted sesame oil, Dijon mustard, sugar, and canola oil.

I made a couple of changes to suit my taste and pantry. I used arrowroot powder in my second batch of this dressing to try to make it slightly thicker. I would suggest leaving it out. I substituted canola oil for the refined sesame oil. I love the flavor of toasted sesame oil. I started with 1/8 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil then would taste the dressing and keep adding a drizzle at a time until I had the flavor I was looking for. The last change I made was to add a pinch of salt. Always season your food and enjoy!

Farmer's Market Improvisation

Just take a look at the beautiful produce I bought from the Corvallis Farmer's Market! I am one lucky lady: I went twice this week, Wednesday and Saturday.

Green onions and gold roma tomaotes (which are AMAZING!)

Bell pepper, onion, jalapeno, eggplant, and patty pan squash (great raw!)

$5 for 2 pound of organic chile peppers from Spring Hill Farm! If I had paid for these peppers individually, I would have paid at least $15.

Starting from the top: Poblano, chimayo (?), jalapeno, serrano, cherry bomb, anaheim

There is a little bit of everything at the market this time of year: berries sit next to baskets of peaches while the glowing red of cherry peppers catch my eye. Winter squash is even starting to make an appearance! Take a look at the photo, it is delicious.

I will take credit for the moment of improvisatory brilliance but will momentarily explain how I didn't actually cook the meal. Grilled veggies sounded really nice and Z., the grill-master of our home has been bugging me about finding something he could grill. I had been indulging in American Dream bacon pizza for the last two day among other delightful treats so this veggie dinner was a needed change.

This is another meal that will inspire countless variations because it would be great with whatever veggies are on hand. I used delicata squash, which is considered a winter squash but is already coming into season at one of the farmer's market vendors I check out every week. I love grilled onions so that was a no-brainer.

I also love dark greens and after being missing for a month or so, beets are all over the market. The lady behind me in line asked me what I was planning on doing with the greens because she hates them. These greens are so tender and mild that I told her I was just going to saute the greens with olive oil and garlic. Once I got home I wished I had shared this tip with her: I generally don't eat cooked greens on their own; I prefer to mix my cooked green with other vegetables. I like the different textures and mix of flavors.

Since Z. was grilling, he thought to reduce the balsamic in a small pan on the grill outside. This is one of the best ideas ever! I love how reducing the vinegar creates a glaze and brings out the sweetness in the vinegar but cooking vinegar can really stink up a place even with windows open and fans blasting. I even bought a liter of balsamic from Trader Joe's the next night with the idea that I am going to cook down the whole bottle to have whenever I want. Enjoy!

Beet Greens with Grilled Vegetables and Balsamic Glaze

by Ace Nation

Keywords: grill saute vegan gluten-free greens vegetables

Ingredients (serves 1-2)

For the beet greens

• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3-4 cups beet greens, washed and chopped
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Red pepper flakes, to taste

For the grilled vegetables

• Nonstick Cooking spray
• 1/2 delicata squash, seeds removed, cut in strips
• 2-3 1/4-inch sliced onion
• 1 small eggplant, cut in pieces
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper

For the balsamic glaze

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Instructions

For the balsamic glaze

Pour vinegar in small pan and place on the heat. Stirring occasionally, cook until vinegar has reduced by about half and coats the spoon. This will thicken even more as it cools.

For the grilled vegetables

Microwave the squash 2-3 minutes, just enough to get the squash slightly tender.

Spray the squash, onions, and eggplant with nonstick cooking spray.

Season each side of the vegetable liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Grill each side until lightly charred and cooked through; each vegetable will require a different cooking time.

Set aside. When cool enough to handle, cut into bite-size pieces.

For the beat greens

Heat olive oil over medium-low heat.

If using tougher beet greens, begin by sauteing the stems first. Add the garlic to the pan, stirring occasionally, cook 3-4 minutes.

Add the remaining greens and cook until all vegetables are just tender and wilted, about 5 minutes.

Season with kosher salt and red pepper flakes to taste.

To serve

Place a bed of the greens on a plate. Arrange the desired amount of grilled vegetables over the greens. Drizzle with the balsamic glaze and top with basil.

Enjoy!

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Recent Favorite Recipes

Z. and I have been making Pineapple-Coconut Smoothies for a few months now. We love the cold, fruity flavor at the end of the day, waiting for the cool ocean air to make its way to the valley and chill the air. Just keep in mind, the following recipe makes enough for 2 people.

Variation: Add 1/2 cup yogurt to the blender.Yum!

Pineapple-Coconut Smoothie

by Ace Nation

Keywords: blender pineapple coconut milk

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 1 tray of ice cubes, about 2 cups
• 1 cup pineapple juice, or 1 can Trader Joe's pineapple juice
• 1 cup light coconut milk

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a blender.

Process until smooth.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

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A second recipe Z. and I have enjoyed recently is Marinated Cauliflower Salad with Chickpeas, which was inspired by our Pasta Salad. One of my favorites parts of this salad is the transformation of some of the vegetables, like cauliflower. With a little time marinating, the cauliflower becomes more tender.

Variation: Turn this side dish into a meal by combining 1 cup of salad with some bean thread noodles. Healthy and delicious!

 Enjoy!

Marinated Cauliflower Salad with Chickpeas

by Ace Nation

Keywords: raw gluten-free vegan beans/lentils cauliflower

Ingredients

• 1/2 head cauliflower, chopped into bite-size pieces
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1/4 red onion, diced
• 1 15 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/3 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Red pepper flakes, to taste

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Allow to marinate int he refrigerator for at least one hour.

Enjoy!

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Dinner for One: Millet Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

 Previous incarnation: Millet Salad

This post and the next few posts will be variations on recipes I have already shared. I am going to repeat myself: one trick to cheap cooking is to create variations of favorite, frugal recipes. For me, I start with the foundation. That may be a grain from my pantry or produce that is on sale and make it the star of the recipe. Working around the star of the recipe, I add fresh ingredients (the more colorful the better) and lots of flavor. When I make a variation of a favorite salad, I like to play around with combining cooked vegetables and raw vegetables. Not only does this add different textures, I find this opens up a whole new world of flavors. Sometimes I like raw red onions; when I only have yellow onions, I might cook them first. Or in other cases, the variety of veggies I can use grows. I just prefer some veggies cooked over raw. Yams, for instance.

I this case, I was craving one my favorite grains and wanted to dress it up. Thanks to one of my favorite blogs, I discovered how amazing yams and oranges are tog ether. I had heard of dressings made from orange juice and decided to try out a recipe. I knew it would go well with the millet because while millet is delicious, it would allow the yams and orange vinaigrette to really shine. Then, I just added veggies that sounded like a great addition to complete the meal.

Searching the internet I found the basically the same orange vinaigrette recipe over and over. Here is pretty much the same recipe from Giada, Dine and Dish, and La Kocinera. Recently, I even found the same recipe in the cookbook Heirloom Cooking with the Brass Sisters. Make this dressing (with the Dijon)! There is a reason it is shared repeatedly. The orange creates a bright, fresh flavor that complements the complex pepperiness of the Dijon. Do add some red pepper flakes to balance the sweetness of the orange and honey.

In this case, I would use the zest from only half an orange for this small amount of dressing. The zest of a whole orange in my case was overpowering. I love both white balsamic and the dark variety but I suggest using white balsamic in this recipe. White balsamic has a bright, balsamic flavor that is not too astringent. Plus, the color will remain bright orange. Rice vinegar would be a good alternative. I loved the dressing in millet salad but it would also be delicious over spinach. I will be trying orange vinaigrette with salmon. Enjoy!


Millet Salad with Orange Vinaigrette, serves 2-3

Millet Salad

1 cup millet
2 cups water
1 yam, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
1-2 cups kale, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeds removed and chopped
1 jalapeno, seeds removed and minced finely
Cilantro, chopped
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, divided


Orange Vinaigrette

Zest of 1/2 orange
Juice from 1 orange, about 1/4 cup orange juice
1-2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste

1. To make orange vinaigrette, combine all vinaigrette ingredients thoroughly in a mixing bowl. Season to taste with kosher salt and red pepper flakes.
2. To cook millet, bring 2 cups water to a boil in a pot with a lid. Add millet, lower heat, bring to a simmer, cover the pot. Cook until the millet is tender, about 15-20 minutes. If there is liquid remaining, turn the heat off, remove the lid, and let the pot of millet sit on the warm burner. Allow to cool.
3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
4. In a large bowl, toss yams with enough olive oil to coat. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Spread evenly in a baking dish. Roast until tender, stirring halfway through, about 20-25 minutes.
5. In a saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-low to medium heat.
6. Add the kale, stirring occasionally, cook 3-4 minutes, before adding the garlic. Continue cooking until the garlic is fragrant and warmed-through and the kale is tender, about 3-4 more minutes.
7. In a large mixing bowl combine the millet, roasted yams, kale and garlic mixture, red bell pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, and enough vinaigrette to dress the salad. Season to taste with kosher salt and red pepper flakes.
8. Enjoy!

Leftover Power: Turkey Croque Monsieur and Chickpea Salad

Leftovers: béchamel sauce and 1/2 can chickpeas


When I realized I would have some béchamel sauce left, I knew exactly what I wanted to with the sauce: Croque Monsieur. While I love cured pork products, I am not a big fan of ham, so I used turkey. This was a nice treat since I never buy deli meat.

The bread I used was Trader Joe's sourdough rye. This stuff is great! Just look at the color!

I had one-half can of chickpeas leftover and knew that was just the right amount for a salad. I was on my own for this part of the week so I didn't want to make something too big. This was just the right amount for dinner and a nice lunch.

A couple of tips about my melty sandwiches. Butter is a luxury in this home and we do not use margarine. I learned from  one of my favorite bloggers/cooks to use mayonnaise instead of butter for grilled cheese sandwiches. Just make sure to use a very thin layer. Works great! Another tip, use fairly low heat. This gives the cheese a chance to melt while the outside gets dark brown, crispy and not burnt. Enjoy!

Ready and waiting for the pan

Turkey Croque Monsieur

2 slices bread
2 slices turkey
1 slice Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons béchamel sauce
1-2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
butter or mayonnaise to spread on the bread

1. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat.
2. Spread a thin layer of butter or mayonnaise on one side of each slice of bread.
3. On one non-buttered side, spread Dijon mustard and béchamel sauce. Layer turkey and cheese on top of this.
4. Top with other slice of bread, buttered-side out.
5. Place sandwich in pan. Let cook until bottom is browned, about 5 minutes.
6. Turn sandwich over and cook other side until browned, about 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Chickpea Salad

1/2 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 red onion, finely diced
2 Roma tomatoes, seeds removed and chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, seeds removed and chopped
1/3 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Red pepper flakes, to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Season with kosher salt and red pepper flakes to taste. 
2. Allow to chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or more before serving.

Mediterranean Barley Salad

A single ingredient can inspire a whole meal. I knew I wanted to combine some small, lovely tomatoes I had with barley. The sweet, juicy tomatoes would compliment the chewy, nuttiness of the barley. Turns out, once again, I am not as clever as I thought (Warm Lentil Salad being an example) and  am not inventing anything new here going a Mediterranean route. After coming up with an idea, I peruse the internet to see if I am totally out of line. Here are just a few of the of the similar recipes I found: Mediterranean Barley Salad from Pink Parsley (I would have added feta if I weren't so cheap. P.S. I didn't pay for the artichoke hearts; they were a gift from someone cleaning out their pantry), Mediterranean Barley Salad with Chickpeas and Arugula from Pretty Peas (some peppery arugula does sound like an excellent addition), and Mediterranean Barley Salad with Roasted Eggplant from Family Style Food (I think I will have to try making this with roasted vegetables).

As always, I marinated the raw onions before using them in the salad. I love the flavor of onions but they can be overpowering. Right after slicing the red onion, I placed the onion in a small bowl and added 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon white vinegar. I used a slotted spoon to add the onions to the barley and vegetable mixture. Crunchy, flavorful onions without the stinky breath! Enjoy!

Mediterranean Barley Salad

1 1/2 cups barley
1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup oil-cured olives, pits removed and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated
Parsley, chopped
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and red pepper flakes, to taste

1. Prepare barley according to package directions. When finished cooking drain and allow to cool to room temperature before assembling the rest of the dish.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. If desired, cover and let sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.
   

Ace's Adventures with...Chayote Squash

I have finally tried chayote squash! This was a nice surprise. If I had known had tasty and versatile this little gem was, I would have been using chayote far sooner. The flavor seemed to be a cross between the stalk of a broccoli crown and zucchini. The texture is crisp, much like a radish.

If you are looking for something crunchy and mild to a salad, consider chayote.

I was planning on making a salad that used edamame and corn but other than that, I had no idea what I wanted to add. I took a stroll through the produce section of the market for inspiration. Not only did this particular market suddenly carry chayote, it was a great deal at $0.50 each. I picked one up, not knowing exactly how to use the fruit.

I did a little research and found that chayote can be used both raw and cooked and the seed is edible, as well. Perfect! My salad began to take shape. Here is what I created:

Chayote and Edamame Salad

1 cup edamame, prepared according to package directions
1 can corn, drained and rinsed,
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 chayote squash, diced
1 small red onion, finely diced
2-3 carrots, diced
1 chile pepper of choice, deseeded and minced finely
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons rice vinegar *
freshly ground pepper and kosher salt to taste

*I used rice vinegar but lime juice would be a tasty substitute.

Combine all in ingredients in a large bowl and let marinate 30 minutes in the refrigerator before serving.

A few thoughts, of course:

• Followed exactly, this recipe makes a huge salad. Feel free to adjust as needed.
• Edamame is a great source of protein. Edamame can be found in the freezer section of the market, in the pod or de-shelled. I use the de-shelled variety. Edamame has a very mild flavor. Honestly, I do not think it has much of a taste but I love the color. The little beans are such a cute shade of bright green! The texture is nice, too. The bean has an initial bite but then gives way to its slightly creamy interior.

• If I were making this as a side dish, I would have left out the kidney beans
• I enjoy salads like this just the way they are, while other times I combine the salad with my favorite whole-grain for a nice dinner. Enjoy!

Ace's Adventures with . . . Brown Lentils

 

Sometimes I get an idea stuck in my head that I just cannot shake. I started thinking about a salad of brown lentils and grapes some time ago. I have no idea where this came from but I had to have lentils and grapes at the same time. I imagine some of this obsession stemmed from seeing countless Waldorf salad recipes and grapes were on sale recently. While I do enjoy Waldorf salad occasionally, the flavor is slightly bland. My favorite part is the nutty walnuts with the sweet grapes and crisp apples.

During my time of lentil/Waldorf salad reflection, I was looking through Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet (which by the way has a number of awesome recipes which I will duly review) and she includes a recipe for lentils with raspberries and orange juice among other ingredients. Maybe my lentil and grape idea was not so far-fetched after all.

Having never had lentils and fruit together before, let me tell you, I have been missing out! I am sure Puy lentils would be even better but I used homely brown lentils. Brown lentils have a mellow earthiness that complemented the sweetness of the fruit. The depth provided by toasting the walnuts and their nuttiness was an excellent addition. Shallots are just plain delicious and complement almost everything and added a savory component. I cannot describe the flavor of a shallot. If you have eaten an onion, the flavor of a shallot would not be foreign. If a yellow onion is shallot's loud-mouthed simple hillbilly cousin, the shallot is a suave, nuanced sophisticate. I wanted a vinaigrette that could tie everything together. I originally was going to use plain apple cider vinegar but I was intrigued by Silverstone's use of orange juice in her salad. Now I had the best of both worlds: the apple cider vinegar would echo the apples in the salad while providing a hint of acidity to the orange juice. This provided a second surprise to me. The flavor of the orange and the lentils were very tasty. I still am confused why that worked. Enjoy!

Brown Lentils with Grapes and Apples

1 cup brown lentils
1 shallot, minced
1 cup grapes, chopped
1 apple, cored and diced
zest of one orange
juice of one orange
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
salt and pepper (or red pepper flakes) to taste

1. Cook lentils in water until tender, about 12-15 minutes. Drain and let cool.
2. When cool combine lentils with shallot, grapes, apple, orange zest, orange juice, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil. Mix together until combined and season with salt and pepper. 
3. Let marinate 20-30 minutes in the refrigerator. Just before serving mix in the walnuts.

Farmer's Market Meal: Bitter Salad

Last weekend Z., a couple of friends, and I spent a leisurely and extraordinarily pleasant morning downtown and at the farmer's market. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful town with such an incredibly vibrant downtown.

Over the course of the week, Z. and I chatted some more over purchasing produce at the farmer's market. For a couple of months each summer, we get to try beautiful produce that we may not have tried. So, I lived a little and picked up a bunch of purple cippolini onions (this recipe for caramelized onions looks delicious) and the most gorgeous head of treviso. Here is a little more information about treviso. Our treviso was very similar in size and shape to a head of romaine. The leaves of the traviso were the color of a nice cabernet while the stalk and veins contrasted in a soft, creamy shade of green. The moment I laid eyes on the treviso, I knew I had to have it. I have never seen greens that were so pretty.

Normally, treviso or radiccio is mixed with other greens for salad or briefly cooked to temper the bitterness. But we wanted to let the treviso be the star so following Z.'s suggestion I made a bitter salad using  treviso, the green cippolini stalks, and balsamic marinated minced cippolini onions. Trust me and use the onion tops. The flavor is mild and delicious. Z. is not a vinegeraholic like I am so the only balsamic in his salad was from the marinated onions. I found that the little extra drizzle of balsamic on my salad transformed what could have been an over-powering bitterness into a lovely hint. Enjoy!

Bitter Salad for 2

4-5 leaves treviso
2 cippolini onions, minced
green stalks from cippolini onions, sliced
1 tablespoon good-quality balsamic, plus a little extra *
drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. In a small bowl, place the minced cippolini onions and about 2 teaspoons of balsamic. Let marinate 30 minutes or so.
2. Slice each treviso lengthwise in half then cut thin strips. 
3. To serve divide between two salad bowls or plates and top with onion stalks and marinated cippolini onions. Drizzle with olive oil and a little extra balsamic vinegar if desired. Season with salt and pepper.

* A dish this simple and with such high-quality ingredients deserves the best balsamic you have. In my case, I used my Kirkland Signature Balsamic Vinegar. The flavor is very smooth, slightly sweet and only mildly acidic, a great match for the treviso.

Recipe Review: Honey-Sesame Dressing from Vegetarian Times

This dressing was a nice change from my pungent Balsamic Vinaigrette, made even the more stronger by my favorite addition, fresh garlic. To see the complete recipe, here is the link. While making this dressing, I knew I should have listened to myself and used half as much honey, maybe a tablespoon or two at the most. Recipes are wonderful tools but we should follow our own tastes. I like my vinaigrettes more acidic and from making my own salad dressings, I know that for me, a touch of sweetness goes a long way.

Rice vinegar is a wonderful staple to have in the pantry. I find rice vinegar has a mild flavor that goes well with many different flavors; rice vinegar is one of the more universal vinegars. When I made this dressing, we did not have rice vinegar so I substituted equal parts white vinegar and lemon juice.

I can admit this: I am a little dense. Frequently... While eating my yummy salad I was thinking how clever this recipe is: a little sweet, a hint of sour, and the savoriness of the soy sauce. Hmmm... Maybe this is such a good recipe that I have made it a hundred times. I did not realize this was basically what I use as a stir-fry sauce until the second day of eating a salad with this dressing. Let us compare ingredients.

Honey-Sesame Dressing
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
sesame seeds to garnish salad

Starting on the end and moving clockwise: canola oil, honey, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, white vinegar, and sesame oil.

 To make dressing, combine all ingredients. I find a small jar with a tight-fitting lid the most convenient vessel to combine and store the dressing.

Cheap not Frugal Eats Stir-Fry Sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes to garnish

I used smaller amounts because I was only cooking dinner for myself but the proportions are basically the same. I remember the moment I realized the two recipes were the same. I was marvelling at how much I liked the dressing with mushrooms and there was something vaguely familiar about the flavors. I started pondering a grilled mushroom salad with my new dressing. As I wiped up the drool, I figured out this was my stir-fry sauce. (I cannot completely claim it was my own. Z. will get grumpy when he reads me calling it mine. He was the person who taught me how to make the sauce.)

Great! I have two different dishes I can make with the same recipe. If I plan on using the sauce dressing on a salad, I will use honey. I like honey for dressings because I know that the honey will dissolve and I will not notice the texture. The brown sugar should be fine but there is always a little graininess in the sauce that goes away when it is cooked. Enjoy!

Dinner for One: Black Bean Salad

My black bean salad is another recipe suggestion. All the veggies that I love in salads were on sale this last week so I made it twice! When deciding what vegetables or fruit to put in a salad, besides price and flavor, I think about texture the most. I want several different types of crunchy or firm vegetables in my salad and only one item is on the softer side, like tomatoes, or in this case mango. Salads like this taste awesome on their own but I make a meal out of it by combining it with one of my favorite grains like millet, bulgur, or couscous (not a grain I know, but it was what I had last night with my salad). Here is the recipe for the salad I made this week. Enjoy!

Black Bean Salad

2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained thoroughly
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/2 mango, diced
2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
1/3 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced finely
2-3 garlic cloves, mined finely or grated
kosher salt
red chili flakes, optional

1. Combine vinegar, lemon juice, and olive oil in a mixing bowl. 
2. Mix vegetables and fruit with dressing and seasoning liberally with salt. Taste to adjust seasonings. If you like, season with black pepper and red chili flakes if you like things spicy.

Warm Lentil Salad: My Lentil Journey

My experience with lentils prior to college consisted of opening a can of lentil soup, and warming up the can's contents, most frequently in the microwave. I mention the microwave because I feel the need to point out I was too lazy to wash the dirty pan. Once I got to college, now responsible for buying my own groceries, I was on the prowl for ingredients that were healthy to start with, quick cooking, and could easily be carried home. I left my car back in Wyoming that first year and mainly walked to and from the grocery store. I left a household that had 1.3 vehicles per person and walking the dog was the only reasonable explanation for walking outsides (hiking while hunting is not walking, that is a spiritual experience). So plodding a few blocks, much of the time in precipitation, carrying some bags seemed like a whole lot of work. I was lazy, I know. I bet a shiny nickel that someone, I'm not going to say who but their name might start with a Z, will make a sarcastic remark later about how this is still true.

Obnoxious boyfriends aside, my family's dinners normally consisted of (still do) grilled steak, most often wild meat killed by my dad or younger sister, a form of potato or boxed flavored rice, and vegetables. This was not how I envisioned or desired to cook for myself. Lacking a computer at  home, or even the foresight to do some online research, I spent a lot of time wandering the nearby grocery store aisles looking for inspiration and ideas. Eventually, I had a rough outline of what the cheapest items were and how willing I was to eat those items. One of these ingredients was lentils. Lentils became a staple in my pantry.

My lentil adventures had humble origins: a pot of boiled lentils. In an effort to not be so boring, I figured out I like my lentils, still intact, with chunks of fresh tomato. I thought one day, since I enjoy tomatoes and balsamic so much, I might like my lentils and tomatoes tossed with some balsamic.Why, yes, the balsamic was enjoyable. Why not add a drizzle of olive oil and some salt? I thought I was onto something. While I enjoyed many bowls of lentils and fresh tomatoes with balsamic vinaigrette, this dish didn't pass the Sharing Test. While I was perfectly content to eat my concoction for an occasional meal, I would not serve it to anyone or share the recipe. I could do better. Since tomatoes were so good, wouldn't other vegetables be yummy, too? I know, duh, right? I found bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, onion, and a touch of fresh garlic, in addition to the tomato and vinaigrette was my favorite combination. Now this I could share with others.

I began to get burnt out on my lentil salad. I started thinking about what was dampening my lentil salad enthusiasm. I needed a lentil salad when buying tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers was not an option. If I couldn't get those vegetables, I would use extra carrot. All that raw carrot was getting boring. One day I decided to lightly saute my carrots, onion, and garlic as the lentils were finishing cooking. I combined the warm vegetables and warm lentils with the vinaigrette. It was great!

Since then, I have enjoyed Warm Lentil Salad many times thinking I was being clever. Well, I have read a lot since the first warm lentil forays and have discovered I'm not original at all. The French have been doing a warm lentil salad for quite some time. I came to a dish on my own that a great food culture had already figured out. I am okay with that.

P.S. Warm Lentil Salad is great on its own or can be served over rice for a more complete meal. Enjoy!

Ace's Warm Lentil Salad Ingredients

Diced vegetables

Vinaigrette waiting to be whisked. Trust me, if you combine them all at the same time, it will be thick and smooth.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Sauteed vegetables  waiting to meet the love of their life: Balsamic Vinaigrette

Lunch: Ace's Warm Lentil Salad

Ace's Warm Lentil Salad
1 cup brown lentils
3 cups of water, enough to cover the lentils
1 carrot, diced
1/4 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic
1/2 tablespoon Dijon
salt

1. To cook lentils: Bring water to a boil, add lentils, a pinch of salt, reduce heat, cover. Simmer until desired texture. I like a little of bite still left, which takes about 12 minutes of cooking. Drain well and set aside.
2. While lentils are cooking, prepare vinaigrette. Place vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, Dijon, and about 1/8 tsp of salt (or to taste) in a bowl. Whisk until smooth and combined. Set aside.
3. Heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over medium or medium-low heat. Add onion and a pinch of salt. After onions have cooked for a minute or two, add carrots. Turn down heat if still at medium. Saute for another minute or two, add garlic. Saute until garlic is cooked..
4. Combine lentils, vegetables, and vinaigrette. Adjust salt to taste and add pepper if desired. Enjoy!

Price Breakdown
 .39 lentils (.89/pound)
.08 carrot
.08 onion
.06 garlic
.23 olive oil (purchased on sale + coupons)
.21 vinegar
.03 Dijon (Trade Joe's brand)

Total: $1.08

Millet Salad

Ahhh, millet salad. I love it! It's simple, fresh, and reminds me of my little home. Combining some grain with vegetables and a light vinaigrette is not too original but I came up with my millet salad all on my own. My favorite veggies to add to my millet salad were on sale this week so I thought it was the perfect time for millet salad.

Let's talk a little about millet. First of all, millet tastes good. It has a very mild taste that's slightly nutty. Secondly, millet is super cheap, at least in part of the world. I haven't bought some in months but in the spring I think it was $.42/pound at Winco and $.72/pound at Fred Meyer. A pound of millet goes a long way. I think of millet as a great foray into exploring grains (or in this case, that may be unusual to you. I think it's a great starter grain because the taste is approachable and it's quick cooking compared to some grains. I had always seen millet in the bulk sections I frequent and was curious about it but never bought any until last spring and fell in love. I was reading an autobiography, The Bandit Queen of India: An Indian Woman's Amazing Journey from Peasant to International Legend by Phoolan Devi, Marie-Therese Cuny, and Paul Rambali. Very powerful but for our purposes here I won't digress but say read it. Phoolan and her family grew and ate lots of millet. I was curious about all this millet so I did a little research. The only thing I knew about millet at the time was that millet was mostly considered bird food in the states. Turns out, millet is a major food source for some parts of the world. So I don't know that much more but that opened my eyes. I asked one of my friends who had recently discovered they were allergic to gluten and were exploring lots of grains about millet. Turns out, they really enjoyed millet! She used it cooked and also ground as a flour. The next time I went to the store, I got myself some millet. I had no idea what to do with it. Millet salad was the creation!

This is one of the recipes that you can vary the filling according to what's in season, on sale, or what you like. I kept this one pretty simple. Okay, I forgot the beans. I lost my mind and wasn't thinking. What I was probably thinking was that spinach was on sale and I was going to eat my millet salad on a bed of spinach and was distracted. I have made millet salad with fresh grilled corn and grilled anaheim peppers. Bell peppers are a great addition, as are navy beans or garbanzo beans, avocado, cilantro instead of parsley, carrots, radish, and scallions. I speak from experience, I've made millet salad with all of those things.

I have a big, fat secret for using raw onions and other pungent ingredients in something like a salad. It's such a secret that I only found out about it by making someone else's recipe that's posted on the internet. Okay, it's not a secret and it's not my idea. But it's brilliant! I love The Choosy Beggars and love their recipe for Sweet Potato and Navel Orange Salad. Make it! They make the dressing and let the onions, garlic, and jalapeno sit in the dressing for at least a half-hour. The acid works magic on these things and they come out milder and won't overpower the other ingredients, especially the onion. It's crunchy and delightful! In the case of my millet salad, I put a couple tablespoons of rice vinegar in the bowl and threw in the diced onion, garlic, and jalapeno. I feel so strongly about this that I daydream about serving my onions to Scott Conant on the Food Network show, Chopped. Whenever he is served raw onions, he has a fit. I get it, raw onions aren't everyone's favorite thing. I happen to love raw red onion and think this marinated onion would win him over.

Onto the recipe. I like my millet al dente for this recipe. I cracked the lid,  more than just a little. I think 15-17 minutes works for the cooking time. With this, babysit the pan and keep trying it until it's the texture you like. After it's cooked, I take the lid off, and place the pan on a cool burner, stirring occasionally to release some of the heat while evaporating the remaining water. When I made the vinaigrette, I just added enough lemon juice until the salad reached the moisture level and tartness I wanted. I used bottled lemon juice which isn't as strong tasting as fresh lemon so I could add a lot more. If using fresh citrus juice, always zest the fruit first and add that to the salad. You're getting the most bang for your pennies. Here's the recipe for this week's version of millet salad. I didn't put amounts of anything because I would change it according to how much each item was on sale that week. What can I say? I'm cheap. Enjoy!

Millet Salad

2 cups millet
3 1/2 cups water
lemon juice, to taste
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
vinegar (rice vinegar or white vinegar)
onion
garlic (minced finally or grated)
jalapeno
cucumber
tomato
parsley
salt and pepper, to taste
dash cayenne

1. Cook millet with the water, between 15-20 minutes, depending on desired texture. Less time = more crunchy. Crack the lid on the pot to let steam escape. After cooked, remove from burner, take off lid, and let cool.
2. While millet is cooking, prepare onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Put in dish with two tablespoons or so of vinegar and let marinate.
3. Combine cooled millet with marinating vegetables, olive oil, and remaining ingredients. May be served immediately or allowed to sit before serving.