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Spinach Avocado Jicama Salad with Guava Dressing (no oil)

I have always had a love for guavas or guayabas, but this year I can’t seem to get enough of them. We are still spending time at my parents’ house in Mexico and guavas are in season right now. My kids are eating crazy amounts of them and I have started looking for other ways to use them. This week we came up with this Spinach Avocado Jicama salad with guava dressing. Baby spinach, creamy avocado, crisp jicama, juicy orange segments, and toasted pistachios are tossed with a sweet and tart guava dressing.

This Spinach Avocado Jicama Salad combines baby spinach, creamy avocado, jicama, orange, and pistachios tossed with a guava dressing.

I’m happy to report that homeschooling is going great! Now that we are surrounded by family, I feel more supported, and my rowdy 7 yr. old has finally gotten around to accepting that mom is the teacher for now. Of course, we still have difficult days with a lot of whining, mostly from him, but sometimes from me. The great thing about it is that if we’re both having a bad day we can stop and move on to other activities as we please. It’s already January, which means that we have been doing this for 6 months! Honestly I didn’t think I was going to last this long.

This Spinach Avocado Jicama Salad combines baby spinach, creamy avocado, jicama, orange, and pistachios tossed with a guava dressing.

 

We are hoping to relocate to San Antonio or Austin to be close to family. I’m excited about having access to more Mexican ingredients, and to create tons of new recipes inspired by our new home. The sale of our book Vegan Tamales Unwrapped is going great, and this makes me wonder if I should write another book.  A reader suggested I should write a book on Vegan Pan Dulce, and I have to say that seems like a pretty good idea to me!

The Recipe: Spinach Avocado Jicama Salad

You can use mixed greens or kale instead of spinach for the salad. Pecans and cashews would also be a good substitutes for pistachios.

This Spinach Avocado Jicama Salad combines baby spinach, creamy avocado, jicama, orange, and pistachios tossed with a guava dressing.
5 from 3 votes
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Spinach Avocado Jicama Salad with Guava Dressing

Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

Guava Dressing

  • 4 Guavas, seeds taken out, chopped
  • 1/4 cup Orange juice
  • 1 tbsp. Apple cider vinegar
  • 1 clove Garlic, small
  • 1/2 cup Water

Salad

  • 1 package (6 oz.) Baby spinach, washed
  • 2 Oranges, peeled, cut into segments
  • 1 Avocado, sliced
  • 1 cup Jicama, cut into matchsticks
  • 1/4 cup Chopped pistachios, roasted

Preparation

Guava Dressing

  1. Place the guava, orange juice, apple cider vinegar, garlic, and water in the blender and process until smooth. If the dressing is too thick add a little more water or orange juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Salad

  1. Combine all the ingredients for the salad and toss with guava dressing. Sprinkle with the toasted pistachios. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Chef's Notes

You can use mixed greens or kale instead of spinach for the salad. Pecans and cashews would also be a good substitutes for pistachios.

 

 

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Mexican Vegan “Tuna” Salad

We have been in Hawaii a little over a month now, and boy has it been a roller coaster. Finding a car and a place to live was stressful and crazy. For days I dragged the kids from one place to the next with no success. My husband started working right away, so it was just me and the kids trying to figure things out. It took me 2 weeks to find a place, but we really like it. It even has a little backyard! Our stuff miraculously got here pretty quickly, instead of the 4 weeks they said it was going to take. I’m not going to lie, it hasn’t been easy, but amidst all the stressfulness of moving, we have spent hours playing in the sand and swimming in the cristal clear water of Oahu. We have also been to the Dole pineapple plantation, the north shore, Waikiki, Honolulu, and we still have so much more to explore. The beaches here are amazing, the people are so friendly, and the culture is truly unique. I have so much to learn.

The one thing that has been truly shocking is how incredibly expensive groceries are. Of course, we had heard this before, but I was still shocked at the price difference. Some items are 3 to 4 times as expensive as on the mainland. To help with this I subscribed to a CSA at Aloun farms, which is a really good deal. We are definitely going to have to stick to a meal plan to try and save some money.

Mexican Vegan "Tuna" Salad, spicy, creamy and the perfect protein packed lunch, with smashed chickpeas, tomatoes, onion, chile, and mayo Mexican Vegan "Tuna" Salad, spicy, creamy and the perfect protein packed lunch, with smashed chickpeas, tomatoes, onion, chile, and mayo

Mexican Vegan "Tuna" Salad, spicy, creamy and the perfect protein packed lunch, with smashed chickpeas, tomatoes, onion, chile, and mayo

Mexican Vegan "Tuna" Salad, spicy, creamy and the perfect protein packed lunch, with smashed chickpeas, tomatoes, onion, chile, and mayo

 

Ko Olina Hawaii

Before coming here, I was unsure whether I would be able to get the Mexican ingredients I would need to continue posting vegan Mexican recipes, but I have been pleasantly surprised. Hawaii grows chayote and jicama locally. I quickly found my favorite hot sauce and chili powder. There’s a local tortilla factory which is a good tortilla option, but they are not as good as my favorite Tortilla Land uncooked corn tortillas that I found at a Safeway! There’s one thing though, salsa is expensive. One quart of fresh salsa is $6 -8 and the canned stuff is a little bit cheaper than that. This has me thinking I should start selling my own homemade salsa.

Mexican Vegan "Tuna" Salad, spicy, creamy and the perfect protein packed lunch, with smashed chickpeas, tomatoes, onion, chile, and mayo

I am still unsure about what we are going to do about school in the fall. You hear pretty bad things about the level of education in the public schools and the private schools are expensive. I can’t believe I am going to say this, but I’m considering homeschooling. The only problem with that is that I’m so scared of doing it. I have a very active 6 year old boy and 2 year old girl, I don’t know if I have the patience and the stamina to homeschool. I’m afraid there will be more bad days than good days. Homeschooling mamas help me! How do you do it?

I will keep you posted on our new Hawaiian adventures and in the near future incorporate a little Hawaiian flair into the recipes.

Dole Pineapple Plantation

Dole Pineapple Plantation

Mexican Vegan “Tuna” Salad

When I was a new vegan I kept seeing recipes for vegan “tuna” salad. I was never a big tuna salad fan so I wasn’t really interested in trying it, until finally I gave in and boy was I missing out! I first tried Post Punk’s Kitchen Chickpea Salad Sammiches and I loved it. For my version I smashed chickpeas, tossed them with tomatoes, onion, and serrano chile, a splash of lime juice and a dollop of vegan mayo to make an easy protein packed lunch. Instead of lime juice though I like to use the liquid from the jalapeños en escabeche, and that takes me straight back to my mom’s kitchen. This salad is best served in a sandwich or on tostadas topped with avocado slices. Enjoy!

Mexican Vegan "Tuna" Salad, spicy, creamy and the perfect protein packed lunch, with smashed chickpeas, tomatoes, onion, chile, and mayo

Mexican Vegan "Tuna" Salad, spicy, creamy and the perfect protein packed lunch, with smashed chickpeas, tomatoes, onion, chile, and mayo
5 from 1 vote
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Mexican Vegan "Tuna" Salad

Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 2 servings
Author Dora Stone

Ingredients

  • 1 (14.5 oz) can Chickpeas, drained, rinsed
  • 1 cup Diced tomatoes, fresh
  • 1/4 cup White onion, finely chopped
  • 1 Serrano chile, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp. Vegan mayo *
  • 1/2 - 1 tbsp. Pickled jalapeño liquid or lime juice

Preparation

  1. Place chickpeas in a shallow bowl and use a fork to mash them up.
  2. Add tomatoes. onion, serrano and mix well.
  3. Add the vegan mayo and 1/2 tbsp. of pickled jalapeño liquid or lime juice. Mix well.
  4. Season and taste. If necessary add remaining 1/2 tbsp. of pickled jalapeño liquid or lime juice.
  5. Place salad in fridge for 15 to 20 min. (optional)
  6. Serve on a sandwich or on tostadas.

Chef's Notes

If you cannot find vegan mayo or don’t have it on hand, you can use mashed avocado instead. I prefer this salad cold, thus the time resting in the fridge, but it is not necessary. You can also add 1 tbsp. of nori flakes to make the salad more “fishy”.

Vegan Tamales Unwrapped

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The Vegetable Butcher Review and Jicama Grapefruit Salad

The Vegetable Butcher Review and Giveaway

This is the book I’ve been waiting for! Whenever somebody approaches me about wanting to transition to a vegan or vegetarian diet I can see the concern in their faces. Vegetables, all you eat is vegetables? The problem with vegetables is not that they are not tasty, it’s that hardly anybody knows how to prepare them. Vegetables are some of the most versatile of all natural food items. Just think of the countless dishes and recipes that you can make using just potatoes. This book does a great job of demystifying vegetables and offering practical ways of preparing them in your own home.

The Vegetable Butcher Review and GiveawayParsnip and Ginger Cake. Photo by Matthew Benson

The Vegetable Butcher was written by Cara Mangini. Cara comes from a family of old school butchers, and over the years found that her passion was in vegetables not meat. She trained as a professional chef and worked in New York, St. Helena, and now Columbus, OH, where she runs her own produce stand and vegetable centric restaurant, Little Eater Produce and Provisions. She has spent years devoted to teaching and helping others discover how to make delicious meals from vegetables.

The Vegetable Butcher Review and GiveawayGrilled Smothered Artichokes. Photo by Matthew Benson

Her book takes you through 53 vegetables from A to Z detailing the season in which the vegetable can be found, the varieties, and how to select and store them. There are also step-by-step pictures on how to prep and breakdown these vegetables, cooking methods that can be used to cook them, and several recipes where you can put your new found knowledge to use.

The Vegetable Butcher Review and GiveawayPotato Gnocchi. Photo by Matthew Benson.

I really enjoyed the crisp pictures, the detail in which each vegetable is approached, and the recipes. Even though the recipes are not necessarily vegan, they can be easily adapted. I can’t really say I disliked any part of the book, rather I wish the less accesible vegetables like crosnes had been left out and more emphasis had been given to other vegetables, like how to prep and work with a greater variety of mushrooms.

The Vegetable Butcher Review and Giveaway

I loved Cara’s approach to being vegetable centric. There is no preachy speech on how you should eat more vegetables, there’s no mention of saving animals, and there is one (only one) reference to health. Vegetables are spectacular. They can be luscious, sexy, satiating, and this book is just what you need to make that happen in your kitchen.

The Vegetable Butcher Review and Giveaway

Jicama Grapefruit Salad

This jicama grapefruit salad with sweet soy dressing from The Vegetable Butcher  is refreshing, tangy, crunchy, and the right amount of sweet.

The Vegetable Butcher Review and Giveaway
5 from 1 vote
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Jicama and Grapefruit Salad

Recipe courtesy of The Vegetable Butcher by Cara Mangini (Workman Publishing Company; April 19, 2016); reprinted with permission.
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Author Cara Mangini

Ingredients

  • 1/2 head Red cabbage, cored, and neatly sliced (about 6 cups ; see Notes)
  • 1 tbsp. Sea salt, plus extra as needed
  • 3/4 cup Whole pecans
  • 2 tbsp. Canola or grapeseed oil, plus extra as needed
  • 2 tbsp. Brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup Soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp. Rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. Freshly squeezed lime juice, plus extra as needed
  • 1 tbsp. Granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp. Minced garlic
  • 1/4 tsp. Crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
  • 1 Medium jicama, cut into matchsticks or shredded (about 3 cups)
  • 2 Medium carrots, cut into matchsticks or shredded (about 1 1⁄2 cups )
  • 1/2 cup Loosely packed fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped
  • 2 Pink grapefruits, skin and membranes removed, cut into segments (see Notes)
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

  1. Place the cabbage in a large bowl, add 5 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of salt, and let stand for 15 to 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of the salad. (This will make the cabbage less chewy and more crisp.)
  2. Place the pecans in a medium-size skillet over medium heat, and toast, stirring frequently (watch them closely to ensure they don’t burn), until they become fragrant and golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons of the canola oil and a generous pinch of salt and stir to coat the nuts. Add the brown sugar and continue to stir to melt the sugar and coat the pecans, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and spread out the pecans on a piece of parchment paper to cool. Coarsely chop them completely.
  3. Meanwhile, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, lime juice, granulated sugar, garlic, and red pepper akes in a small bowl.
  4. Toss together the jicama, carrots, and remaining 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of oil in a large bowl. Drain the cabbage well, wrap it in a kitchen towel to absorb excess moisture, and squeeze it with your hands to encourage softening. Add the cabbage to the jicama mixture, then drizzle with the dressing to taste and toss to coat. Add about three quarters of the mint and three quarters of the grapefruit, half of the pecans, and salt, pepper, and lime juice to taste. Toss to combine.
  5. Transfer the salad to individual plates and top with the remaining mint, grapefruit, and pecans.

Chef's Notes

A food processor will cut down your prep time. For the cabbage, use the thinnest slicing disk and quarter cabbage half to fit in the feed tube. For the carrots and jicama, use the shredding disk. Cut the carrots into lengths to fit in the feed tube and stack them in the feed tube, horizontally, on their sides. Push them through to shred them. Do the same with the jicama, cutting it in half lengthwise, then cutting each half into thirds lengthwise to fit in the feed tube.
To segment (or supreme) grapefruit: Cut a small piece on both ends, and stand the grapefruit on its widest at end. Moving from top to bottom, slide your chef ’s knife just under the skin, between the fruit and the pith, cutting them away and turning the fruit as you go until peel and pith are completely removed. Then hold the fruit in one hand, and slide your knife at about a 45-degree angle, between the fruit segment and its membrane, releasing it from both sides. If your grapefruits are particularly juicy, release the segments over a bowl to catch the juices.

 

The Vegetable Butcher Review and Giveaway

The Vegetable Butcher Review and Giveaway

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Watercress and Radish Salsa

I am in love with this watercress and radish salsa. I guess it’s more of a salad with the addition of the radish and watercress, but it pairs so perfectly with the slices if avocado and home-made tortillas. I made a batch if this and ate it all by myself!

This vegan recipe for watercress and radish salsa is spicy, crunchy, fresh and pairs perfectly with avocado slices and home-made tortillas.

I’ve adapted this recipe for watercress and radish salsa from a book called Memorias en Mole de Olla, Cocina y Revolucion en Tlaxcala. The author, Helena Hernandez de Valle Arizpe, has researched and gathered over 117 recipes of the cuisine of Tlaxcala during the time of the Mexican revolution (1910-1920). Her only intent is to promote her findings in the hope of preserving Mexico’s cuisine. Unfortunately, for you English speakers the book is in Spanish.

This vegan recipe for watercress and radish salsa is spicy, crunchy, fresh and pairs perfectly with avocado slices and home-made tortillas.

That’s where I come in. I have translated this goodness and adapted it slightly. I love recipes like these, because they reflect exactly what I want this blog to be. I don’t just want to veganize traditional Mexican dishes. I want to share with you recipes that although they may be accidentally vegan (meaning they don’t come from a vegan mindset, they just happen to have no animal products), they are part of the fabric of traditional Mexican cuisine. With the advent of Tex-Mex or the adaptation of Mexican food across borders we tend to forget that the basis of the whole cuisine is corn, beans, and chile.

This vegan recipe for watercress and radish salsa is spicy, crunchy, fresh and pairs perfectly with avocado slices and home-made tortillas.

Hopefully I will be able to share with you more recipes from this great book. In other news, I’m really excited about being featured in PETALatino this month. Head on over there and check it out. Look out for some classic lenten recipes in the following weeks, and don’t forget to email subscribe to receive a notification every time a new post is published and our monthly newsletter.

The Recipe: Watercress and Radish Salsa

Is it a salsa or a salad? It’s both! Four serranos make a very spicy salsa, so if you want it mild add a little bit less. Enjoy!

Watercress radish salsa. Roasted tomatoes and serranos, watercress, and sliced radishes.
5 from 1 vote
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Watercress and Radish Salsa

Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Author Dora Stone

Ingredients

  • 3 Roma tomatoes, large
  • 4 Serrano peppers
  • 1 bunch Watercress, roughly chopped
  • 6 Red radishes, cut into matchsticks
  • 3 Mexican spring onions, white part only, chopped, cebollitas

Preparation

  1. Heat a griddle or cast iron pan to high heat. Place tomatoes and serrano peppers on griddle until they become soft and slightly blackened, about 5 min.
  2. Flip peppers, tomatoes, and continue to char for another 5 minutes.
  3. Remove ingredients from griddle and set aside.
  4. Start grinding the peppers in the molcajete one at a time. Once the desired consistency is reached, add the tomatoes one by one and keep grinding. Set aside
  5. If you do not have a molcajete you can use a blender or food processor. Simply place the charred tomatoes and peppers in the machine and pulse until the desired consistency is reached. Set aside.
  6. Add radish, watercress, and spring onion to the tomato and serrano salsa. Season with salt and pepper.
  7. Serve with avocado slices and warm tortillas.

Chef's Notes

Yields about 2 cups. Mexican spring onions are very different from scallions. They have a bulbous ending and a very long green stem. See ingredient picture above. Feel free to add more serranos if you want this to be spicier.

 

 

 

 

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Noche Buena Salad

This recipe for Noche Buena salad or Mexican Christmas Eve Salad is a classic in every Mexican household. Ok, maybe not in every Mexican household but it´s a pretty popular Christmas recipe. It brings a little bit of healthy into an otherwise indulgent season. Think of it as a palate cleanser, with the earthiness of the roasted beets, the sweetness of the apple, and the acidity of the orange and pomegranate your body will be thankful for some light fare.

I spent the last two weeks running around like crazy. I made over 200 tamales to sell! With the packing and the school recital and everything else, the making of the salad kind dropped down to the very bottom on my to do list. Even with all the craziness, I’m glad I get to share this recipe with you.

This vegan recipe for Noche Buena salad or Mexican Christmas Eve salad has crisp lettuce, apples, oranges, jicama, beets, and pomegranates.

The kiddos and I are enjoying our time at my mom’s house, of course we are being spoiled silly. My grandmother passed away a couple of months ago, so even with the joy of being together there is still a hint of sadness. This will be our first Christmas without Güeli. My heart goes out to all of you who might be grieving the death of a loved one this Christmas. We will try to focus instead on the beautiful smiles of children on Christmas morning, the good food, and the birth of a baby unlike any other who came into this world to bring us joy. Merry Christmas!

The Recipe: Noche Buena Salad

It is thought that this recipe or variations of it have been around since the 1830’s. It is a true Mexican classic. You can also use boiled or canned beets. If you do not want to make your own dressing, this salad will pair really well with balsamic vinaigrette.

This vegan recipe for Noche Buena salad or Mexican Christmas Eve salad has crisp lettuce, apples, oranges, jicama, beets, and pomegranates.

This vegan recipe for Noche Buena salad or Mexican Christmas Eve salad has crisp lettuce, apples, oranges, jicama, beets, and pomegranates.
5 from 1 vote
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Noche Buena Salad

Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 Servings
Author Dora Stone

Ingredients

  • 2 hds. Romaine chopped
  • 3 Beets, medium, roasted or steamed cut into slices
  • 1 cup Jicama cut into matchsticks
  • 3 Oranges cut into supreme
  • 1 Apple, sliced
  • ¾ cup Pomegranate, seeds
  • 1/3 cup Peanuts, roasted, chopped

Dressing

  • 1/3 cup Orange juice fresh
  • ¼ cup Vinegar white
  • 1 clove Garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp Olive oil optional

Preparation

  1. Toss the chopped romaine with the rest of the ingredients, or arrange the ingredients on top of the lettuce.
  2. To make the dressing whisk the orange juice, vinegar, and garlic together. Slowly add the oil and continue whisking. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over salad.

Chef's Notes

You can also use boiled or canned beets. If you do not want to make your own dressing, this salad will pair really well with balsamic vinaigrette.

 

 

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Mexican Garbanzo Salad

This Mexican garbanzo salad is a refreshing salad for any potluck or outdoor party. The combination of fresh tomatoes, minced onion, jalapeño, cilantro, jalapeño, avocado, chickpeas, and lime juice makes this a hearty dish that won’t disappoint.

This recipe for mexican garbanzo salad combines tomato, onion, serrano chile, avocado, chickpeas and lime juice. Makes a great lunch.

It is hot! Here in SC it is not only hot, but 100% humid. I’m finally back to posting recipes and this one is great for a hot summer day. Even though this Mexican garbanzo salad isn’t exactly American, I think you should make it for your 4th of July party. It is refreshing, delicious and perfect with those ripe tomatoes you are growing in your garden. Ok, so maybe not all of us are growing tomatoes, but I’m sure you can get some good ones at your local farmers market.

This recipe for mexican garbanzo salad combines tomato, onion, serrano chile, avocado, chickpeas and lime juice. Makes a great lunch.

Everything here at home is running as smooth as it can with a 4 yr. old and a 3 month old. We are cooling off at the pool and enjoying sleeping in longer than usual and going to bed later. Some days are better than others, but generally we are pretty content. Even though I complain about the heat, I am enjoying the slow pace of summer. Have a great weekend and enjoy this Mexican garbanzo salad.

The Recipe: Mexican Garbanzo Salad

Serve this salad with your favorite tortilla chips. You can also add extra avocados and make a protein packed guacamole. Enjoy!

This recipe for mexican garbanzo salad combines tomato, onion, serrano chile, avocado, chickpeas and lime juice. Makes a great lunch.
5 from 1 vote
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Mexican Garbanzo Salad

Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Author Dora Stone

Ingredients

  • 3 cups Diced tomato, fresh
  • 1/2 cup Onion, white
  • 2 tbsp. Jalapeño, minced
  • 1 cup Chickpeas, canned, drained
  • 1 cup Avocado, diced
  • 1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
  • To taste Lime juice fresh
  • To taste Sallt kosher
  • To taste Black Pepper ground

Preparation

  1. Combine all ingredients and season to taste.

Chef's Notes

Serve with baked corn chips.

 

 

 

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Roasted Beet Orange and Quinoa Salad

A reader asked me for a recipe for roasted beet orange and quinoa salad months ago, and finally here it is. Better late than never! Lately, it seems that every time I try to set time aside to work on the blog I fail miserably at actually working on it. I could blame it on scheduling, work, or argue that I’ve been spending time with my family, but I think that when it comes down to it I have been lacking motivation.

I have been blogging for 2 yrs. pretty consistently, and it has been very rewarding. After leaving professional kitchens to be a mom, I desperately needed an outlet for my cooking, so I started this blog and a blog in Spanish. I plunged head into it, maybe a little too eagerly. So much so, that the hubby had to ask me to please step away from the computer on more than one occasion. I got excited about every single person who subscribed to the blog, rejoiced if anybody “liked” my post, and considered it a true achievement when a post had more than 5 viewers a day. With every post I discovered something new about cooking and my relationship with food. By reading other blogs, I also caught a glimpse of other people’s lives, what they cook in their homes, and their family recipes passed down from generation to generation.

After a while the novelty wore off, and it hit me how much work goes in to keeping up with a blog. In order to publish one post, there’s cooking, recipe resting, recipe writing, picture taking, picture editing, writing, editing the writing, putting it all together, and finally hitting the publish button. It doesn’t end there! After you publish, you spend several days promoting on facebook, twitter, and pinterest. If you want other people to read your blog, you also have to spend a good amount of time reading and commenting on other blogs. This could truly be a full time job, and it is for some people.

It has taken me 2 yrs. to get 228 blog followers and about 1,200 views a month. Some of my posts have been better than others, and the recipes and pictures have improved over time. I just think I have reached a moment in my life where I have to ask myself, “Could my time be spent more wisely?” Bloggers I need your help. How do you stay motivated?

This vegan recipe for roasted beet orange and quinoa salad is full of protein, flavor, and texture. It´s dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette.

The Recipe: Roasted Beet Orange and Quinoa Salad

This vegan recipe for roasted beet orange and quinoa salad is full of protein, flavor, and texture. It´s dressed in a sweet balsamic vinaigrette. It is a great lunch option. Enjoy!

5 from 1 vote
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Roasted Beet Orange and Quinoa Salad

Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 3 Servings
Author Dora Stone

Ingredients

Salad

  • 3 cups Quinoa, cooked
  • 2 Roasted beets, medium, cut into small dice (see notes)
  • 3 Blood oranges, cut into segments
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. Pumpkin seeds, toasted
  • Balsamic Vinaigrette To taste

Dressing

  • 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1/8 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • 3/4 cup Oil grapeseed
  • 3 tbsp. Water room temperature
  • 3/4 tsp. Agave nectar, or other plant-based sweetener

Preparation

Salad

  1. In a large bowl combine quinoa, oranges, beets, and pumpkin seeds.

  2. Add the desired amount of dressing and season to taste.

Dressing

  1. Place vinegar, garlic clove, and mustard in a blender and blend on high until smooth.
  2. Through the top of the blender, gradually pour in the oil, while running the blender on low/medium. The mixture will thicken as the oil is blended in.

  3. After all of the oil has been added, pour in 3 tbsp. of water, and agave nectar.

  4. Season to taste and serve.

Chef's Notes

To roast beets, preheat oven to 375 degrees F, coat beets lightly with oil, wrap beets in aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet, and roast in the oven until cooked through, approximately 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes, and then peel and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices.

You can use canned beets or steamed beets for a quick version of this recipe. 

 

 

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Curried Beluga Lentil Pebble Bean Salad

Curried beluga lentil pebble bean salad combines ginger, garlic, lemon cilantro, red onion, curry powder, lentils for a protein packed salad.

A Whole Foods opened last month in Laguna Niguel. It’s shiny exterior, perfectly lined produce, and very cheerful staff keeps beckoning me from afar. This particular one is humongous. I’ve never seen a Whole Foods(WF) this impressive before!

Curried beluga lentil pebble bean salad combines ginger, garlic, lemon cilantro, red onion, curry powder, lentils for a protein packed salad.

Curried beluga lentil pebble bean salad combines ginger, garlic, lemon cilantro, red onion, curry powder, lentils for a protein packed salad.

Curried beluga lentil pebble bean salad combines ginger, garlic, lemon cilantro, red onion, curry powder, lentils for a protein packed salad.

Unfortunately for those of us penny pinching, the WF is actually pretty cool. I’ve been looking for any excuse to visit and look around or have a smoothie at their juice bar. Yet somehow I always end up buying something I didn’t realize I needed, like freshly ground nut butters or 10 different types of olives!

Among its many features, the store has a large bulk section where you can find recipes to help you delve into the possibilities of using the store’s items. Seizing the opportunity before me I decided to run a bit of an experiment. I chose a recipe from the pack and set out to compare the prices and produce selection to Sprouts. What I came up with was predictable, yet surprising.

Curried beluga lentil pebble bean salad combines ginger, garlic, lemon cilantro, red onion, curry powder, lentils for a protein packed salad.

Curried beluga lentil pebble bean salad combines ginger, garlic, lemon cilantro, red onion, curry powder, lentils for a protein packed salad.

Curried beluga lentil pebble bean salad combines ginger, garlic, lemon cilantro, red onion, curry powder, lentils for a protein packed salad.

As I suspected the prices at Whole Foods were consistently higher than those at Sprouts, but to my disappointment Sprouts did not have the beluga lentils or pebble beans that the recipe called for, thus rendering the experiment impossible.

Curried beluga lentil pebble bean salad combines ginger, garlic, lemon cilantro, red onion, curry powder, lentils for a protein packed salad.

Curried beluga lentil pebble bean salad combines ginger, garlic, lemon cilantro, red onion, curry powder, lentils for a protein packed salad.

I shop at Sprouts often because they have a great produce section with fair prices. In my opinion, after the farmers market, they have the best prices and selection of organic produce in the area, but with the advent of the new WF I might have to rethink my shopping preferences.

Once the novelty of the new WF begins to fade, even if I go crawling back to Sprouts for the prices, I will continue to admire WF’s commitment to supporting local agriculture. They are creating an important connection between the people behind the product and the consumer. I love that they are also making product available to the consumer that before would have only been available through a restaurant purveyor, like the spongy sea urchin tongues you usually see at sushi bars.

The Recipe: Curried Beluga Lentil Pebble Bean Salad

Anyway…..I did end up making the Beluga Lentil & Pebble Bean Salad. The curry and yogurt combination in the salad gives it a refreshing yet intense flavor. It was a hit with the munchkin.

5 from 1 vote
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Curried Beluga Lentil Pebble Bean Salad

Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Author Dora Stone

Ingredients

  • 3 cups Pebble Beans, cooked
  • 1 cup Black Beluga Lentils, cooked
  • ½ Red onion, medium, sliced
  • ¾ cup Celery, chopped
  • 1 Garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tsp. Ginger, fresh, grated
  • 2 tbsp. Cilantro, chopped
  • ½ Lemon, juice of
  • 1 tbsp, Yogurt optional, greek style
  • 1/3 cup Olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp, Curry powder

Preparation

  1. In a large bowl combine the beans, black lentils, red onion, and celery.
  2. To make the curry vinaigrette: in a small bowl whisk together the garlic, curry powder, fresh ginger, lemon juice, yogurt, and olive oil. Set aside.
  3. Pour half the dressing over the beans and toss to combine.
  4. Season to taste with salt and pepper and adjust quantity of dressing as desired.
  5. Sprinkle cilantro over salad and serve.

Chef's Notes

When cooking the beans make sure they are cooked until tender, but not falling apart.

Recipe adapted from Whole Foods Market Cooking

 

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