Salad Recipes

Nourishing Potato Salad

Russet potatoes have dark brown skin and few eyes. Their flesh is white, dry and mealy, and they are good for baking, mashing and, most of all, French fries. That’s enough to make them the most widely grown potatoes in North America.

Because we tend to eat the Russet deep-fried, or baked and smothered with sour cream and butter, it can get a bad rap. However, one russet potato (approximately 5.2 ounces in size) has a moderate 110 calories and is an excellent source of potassium (more than a banana) and vitamin C. Russets are also a good source of vitamin B6 and are fat, sodium and cholesterol free.

russet potatoes

The Salad
6 cooked, cooled and diced organic potatoes with skin.
1 cup chopped organic celery
1 cup chopped organic carrots
2 medium-sized organic, naturally fermented chopped pickles
2 teaspoons organic celery seed
4-6 hard-cooked pastured eggs, peeled and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

The Sauce
2 pastured eggs, beaten
1/4 cup sucanat or rapadura (optional)
1 teaspoon arrowroot powder
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt or other unrefined sea salt
1/3 cup organic apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon organic yellow mustard
4 tablespoons butter

Mix all the salad ingredients together.

For the sauce, whisk together the 2 beaten eggs, optional sucanat or rapadura, arrowroot powder, and salt in a saucepan. Stir in the vinegar, milk and mustard. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. You must stir constantly so the eggs to do not scramble.
Remove from heat and cool about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the butter. Refrigerate until cool.

Gently fold in the sauce with the ingredients and serve immediately or you can let “sit” in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to let the flavors blend.

We thank westonaprice.org for this recipe.

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Squash, Cranberries & Barley

We found this recipe, and many other delicious recipes, in Debra Daniels-Zeller’s The Northwest Vegetarian Cookbook.

2 Tbsp. ghee (clarified butter)
1 large onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (Use a small Poblano pepper for less heat)
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup currants
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 butternut squash, seeded and cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups naked barley (hull-less)
1 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped and toasted

Soak the barley overnight, drain and rinse, cover with water and cook until done, about an hour.

Saute the onion and jalapeno over medium heat in the ghee in a heavy skillet until soft and just brown, about 5-10 minutes. Add apple juice, currants, cranberries and squash. Cover and cook on low heat until the squash and cranberries are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in salt and barley and continue to cook until heated through. Transfer to a serving bowl and mix in celery and nuts.

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Thanksgiving Kale

Red Russian Kale2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
4 teaspoons sugar
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
8-9 cups stemmed, torn, and rinsed kale
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup sliced toasted almonds

Heat olive oil in a large pot or saute pan (that has a lid) over medium heat.

Stir in the onion and garlic and cook until onions are translucent, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the mustard, sugar, vinegar, and chicken stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Taste the sauce at this stage. If you like it sweeter, add more sugar. If you like it more sour, add more vinegar and or mustard.

Stir in the kale, cover and cook 5 minutes until wilted.

Stir in the dried cranberries, and continue boiling, uncovered, until the liquid has reduced by half, about 15 minutes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle with sliced almonds before serving.

Note: If you like your kale less wilted, reduce the sauce by half before you add the kale. Then add the kale and cover, stirring occasionally until kale has cooked to desired doneness.

We thank TheMerchantBaker for this recipe.

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Kale, Cabbage, and Brussels Sprout Chopped Salad

A superfood salad you can eat with a spoon — and a reason to get back on the chopped salad bandwagon.

Brussels Sprouts close-up

For the greens
1/2 pound lacinato kale (about one small bunch, or half of a larger bunch)
1/2 pound curly kale (about one small bunch, or half of a larger bunch)
1 pound Brussels sprouts
1 pound green cabbage (about half a medium head or a quarter of a large one)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

For the dressing
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon hazelnut oil, optional
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, for assembly
2 tablespoons toasted pistachios, for assembly

Wash and spin dry the kale, and then cut it, plus the Brussels sprouts and the cabbage, in small squares, about 1/4-inch by 1/4 inch. For the kale, it works best to rib the leaves, roll them into fat cigars a few leaves at a time, then chiffonade them. Keeping the slices together and uniform, turn them 90° counter clockwise and make even slices lengthwise, about a 1/4-inch apart. (The same method works for the cabbage.)

Halve the Brussels sprouts lengthwise, cut each halve in half, and, with them lying cut-side down on the cutting board, slice them like you would an onion. Don’t stress about technique too much here — the important part is that everything is roughly the same size — if it’s easier for you to just chop and mince like you would a pile of herbs, go ahead and do that.

Place all chopped vegetables in a large bowl, add sugar and salt, and massage the greens slightly until they no longer feel raw. This salad will only improve if you do this a few hours ahead of time, but it’s not necessary. (At this point, the salad can sit for up to 2 or 3 days. It will lose water, so be sure to drain before continuing on.)

To make the dressing, combine the vinegar, mustard, salt, sugar, and Worcestershire sauce in a blender, and blend until the color lightens and everything is combined. (You can also use a whisk and a strong arm for this.) Slowly stream in the olive oil, and then the hazelnut oil, if using — you’re looking for everything to be thick and emulsified. (This dressing will last for 2 weeks in the fridge.)

Add dressing to greens, a few spoonfuls at a time — you want a well-dressed salad but not a soggy one. (Keep in mind you will have leftover dressing, so no need to use it all.) Fold in the sesame seeds and pistachios, and serve.

Credit to Bounty from the Box.

Recipe from Food52.

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Classic Dijon Potato Salad with Fresh Dill

dill, bunched

Cut 1 ½ lbs red and/or Yukon potatoes in equal-sized pieces. In a medium saucepan, parboil until just fork-tender, but firm. Allow to cool.

Combine 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar, 2 Tbsp. sugar, 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix in 1 Tbsp. capers and set aside. Grill potato halves on a grill pan over medium-high heat about 4 minutes or until browned. Turn over and cook the other side. Try to get nice grill marks on them. Toss potatoes in dressing until well-coated. Add ¼ small red onion, thinly sliced, and 2 chopped ribs of celery and toss everything together. Enjoy warm or cold, on a bed of arugula or chopped lettuce.

We thank onegreenplanet.org for this recipe.

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Fava Bean-Pistachio Salad

Fava beans in the pod¼ cup coarsely chopped raw pistachios
1½ cups shelled fava beans (from about 1 ½ lb pods)
Salt/pepper
1 small shallot, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup olive oil, plus 1 Tbsp.
1 bu garlic scapes, sliced in 1” pieces
2 cups trimmed arugula or spinach
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Chive blossoms for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°. Toast pistachios until fragrant but not brown, 5–8 minutes. Let cool. Remove fava beans from pods and cook in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a colander set in a bowl of ice water. Drain, remove skins, and transfer beans to a small bowl.

Combine shallot and vinegar in another small bowl; season with salt and pepper and set aside at least 10 minutes. Whisk 1/3 cup oil into shallot mixture; season vinaigrette with salt and pepper.

Toss garlic scapes in 1 Tbsp. oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 4 minutes in 400° oven. Turn and roast for 2 minutes more. Let cool.

Combine beans, scapes, arugula/spinach and tomatoes in a large bowl; add vinaigrette and pistachios and gently toss to combine. Transfer to a serving platter and top with chive blossoms, if using.

Bonus Recipe
I also love to take the shucked and peeled favas (lots of work! Sigh) and saute them with cut-up garlic scapes until tender, then puree them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Maybe add a dash of lemon juice or some diced basil, or other herb you like. Makes a great spread.

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Beet Salad with Ricotta Salata and Hazelnuts

1/4 cup lemon juice (from Meyer lemons, if possible)
1/4 cup hazelnut or olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
6 small beets, peeled and sliced very thin
1/2 cup crumbled ricotta salata cheese
1/4 cup torn mint leaves
1/2 cup roughly chopped toasted hazelnuts

Whisk together lemon juice, oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add beets and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle with remaining ingredients and serve.

We thank myrecipes.com for this recipe.

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Roasted Sunchoke Salad

sunchokes handful⅓ cup fresh or thawed frozen blueberries
1 small clove garlic
1 sliver ginger (equal to the size of the garlic clove)
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
½ cup oil
¼ tsp. salt, divided
4 to 5 sunchokes, cleaned and sliced into ½-inch strips
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 bunch spinach, thinly shredded
8 ounces feta cheese, thinly sliced

Place blueberries, garlic and ginger in a food processor and process until liquified. While the food processor is still running, slowly add in the vinegar and ½ cup oil. Transfer to a mason jar, add ⅛ teaspoon salt, and shake to combine.

Preheat oven to 375° F. Place sunchoke slices in a pan, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with remaining salt. Cover and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until sunchokes are tender enough to easily be pierced with a fork. Allow sunchokes to cool.

Prepare plates with spinach shreds. Place 4 to 5 sunchoke slices on top of each spinach bed. Place sliced feta on top of sunchoke slices and drizzle with blueberry vinaigrette.

Original recipe by Virginia Newman , RDN.

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Summer Grain Salad

This recipe calls for Nash’s triticale berries (above), but actually any of our organic whole grain berries, i.e., soft white or hard red wheat, rye, or hard white, would work. The cooking instructions are the same. The grains add a delightful chewy texture and protein to a salad that is already teeming with good stuff for your health.

All ingredients are optional, and quantities are suggestions, not rules. Feel free to add other ingredients, like cauliflower or spinach. For even more flavor, add herbs like parsley, basil or dill. The quantities can easily be increased for summertime parties.

Veggies
1/2 pound triticale berries or other wheat berries
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes or regular-sized heirloom tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1/2 bunch of your favorite kale, coarsely chopped
1 head broccoli, chopped
1/2 Walla Walla sweet onion (or sweet red onion)
2 carrots, shredded
1 beet (any variety), shredded

Dressing
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
2 clovers garlic, chopped

Soak the triticale berries overnight. The next day, drain the triticale berries, then add enough fresh water to cover them with about 1″ of water. Boil about 1 hour until berries are plump and chewy. Drain and cool.

In the meantime, chop your veggies. Once the triticale berries cool, mix the dressing ingredients together and pour over the berries, then add your veggies and mix everything together.

Let the flavors mingle for a few hours in the fridge before serving.

Thanks, Rachel Covault, packing shed manager, for this great recipe idea!

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Marinated Zucchini and Yellow Squash Salad

Green Zucchini

Gadzukes! It’s time for zukes!

1/2 cup cider vinegar
4 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
3 zucchini (about 1 ½ lbs.)
2 yellow squash (about 3/4 lb.)
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

Combine vinegar, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until sugar dissolves. Trim ends of zucchini and squash; cut into thin ribbons with harp-shaped peeler. Add to vinegar mixture. Cover and chill 2 hours or overnight.

Bring a small pan of water to a boil; add garlic. Remove with a slotted spoon after 1 minute. Rinse under cold water; set aside. Add basil to boiling water; immediately remove and rinse under cold water. Reserve 1 tablespoon of cooking liquid. Transfer garlic and basil to a food processor, and add lemon juice, olive oil, reserved water, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Process until smooth.

Drain squash, and divide among 4 plates. Top with cubed mozzarella, and drizzle with basil oil.

We thank Health.com for this recipe.

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