Eat Simply, Eat Well

Healthy recipes & tips to help you live the good life. by Ann Plough

Whole Grains, Kale and Mixed Herb Salad

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Whole Grain, Kale and Mixed Herb Salad

Oh Friday, am I glad to see you. This week has been packed and I’m ready to take a nice long walk in the fading sunlight, come back and kick my feet up, and breathe deeply for a moment.

But first Dinner.

If you been cooking meals all week long, it’s possible that by the end of it you have bits and bobs of leftover portions lingering around on various shelves. Whole grains are one item that I tend to cook extra of at the beginning of the week ‘just in case’ as they take a bit longer to cook than other ingredients do – and having them on hand means that I can get a quick hearty meal on the table with the addition of raw or cooked vegetables and a few other key items. What the easiest thing do when you have a bowl of leftover whole grains? Making a salad is high on my list.

This salad makes the most of a variety of herbs for the fullness of flavor; try these:

  • Basil
  • Mint
  • Cilantro
  • Parsley
  • Dill
  • Fennel (fronds)
  • Tarragon

Feel free to use all four, or mix and match what you have. I happened to have two different types of basil growing on my windowsill, so I used both Genovese basil and lemon basil for this – and I have to say I smiled a bit every time I bit into the citrus-anise note of the lemon basil – a welcome surprised scattered at random throughout the salad. The main thing is to experiment and use what you have – it’s hard to go wrong here, though I wouldn’t recommend Thai basil in this salad.

You can use any whole grain you wish for this. Good examples are:

  • Barley
  • Oat Groats or steel-cut oats
  • Millet
  • Quinoa
  • Brown, Red or Black Rice
  • Spelt grains
  • Kamut/Farro grains
  • Wheat grains or Tabbouleh

Some of these, like Quinoa and Millet cook quickly so you can get them on the stove and then prepare the other ingredients while they cook. You’ll want to make sure your grains are cool (they don’t have to be cold; room temperature is fine) before you add them to the salad for best results.

 Now on to the vegetables: a variety of vegetables adds a broad array of colors, flavors and nutrients, so you can choose what you have on hand or your favorites. Try these:
  • Radish
  • Carrots
  • Kohlrabi
  • Cucumber
  • Zucchini
  • Snap peas
  • Green beans
  • Shelled edamame

I chose to add radish and carrots. Whatever you choose to put into the salad, make sure it’s sliced, grated, or diced really small so that no part of the salad is overly crunchy nor requires too much work to chew. You want this to be an enjoyable experience, not a workout for the jaw muscles!

 And finally, toasted pumpkin seeds and the vinaigrette to pull everything together and all it needs is a quick toss and you can plate it up.
The thing I love about this salad is how flexible and versatile it is. You can use it to clean out the fridge at the end of the week, and then pack it along on a weekend picnic or to a potluck (if you increase the quantities, that is).  If you make it mid-week, it makes the perfect lunch for the office. We’ve also packed this along for car, train and plane rides – since travel food is notoriously abysmal and it’s nice to have your own options along.
Hungry yet? Let’s get chopping!
Whole Grain, Kale and Mixed Herb Salad

Whole Grain, Kale and Mixed Herb Salad

Whole Grain, Kale and Herb Salad

 1. In a large bowl combine:
  • 1 cup cooked whole grains, your choice (see above)
  • 3 cups raw kale, chopped and massaged with hands to soften
  • 2 carrots, shredded
  • 6 radishes, thinly sliced
  • 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
  • 2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds, toasted
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, stems and leaves chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, bottom stems removed and the rest chopped
  • 1/4 cup basil leaves, chopped

2. Whisk the following ingredients together to make a vinaigrette:

  • Juice and Zest of one organic lemon (zest it first)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon mustard (I like honey mustard for this, but any kind will do)
  • 1 teaspoon real maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss well to coat. Serve immediately or store in an air-tight container for up to 24 hours.

Serves 2 as a main course.

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Did you like this recipe? Let me know in the comments below and please share with your friends!

Pomegranate, Mint and Beluga Lentil Salad

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Pomegranate, Mint and Beluga Lentil Salad

I feel like celebrating.  Why?  Because I was walking along my normal route last night and heard the waves lapping against the shoreline for the first time in months.  Yes, there are still ice floes bobbing up and down out there, but still – waves. I love the sound of waves.  Today, I also noticed that the ground is more green than white.  So while my friends in Seattle are posting pictures of blooming forsythia and daffodils and magnolia (you know who you are my dear people), I will settle for the few tiny buds I see forming on the ends of branches, the signs of weeds working their way up through the thawing soil and the grass emerging under the mostly melted snow.

If I had grown up in a place with serious winters, this might seem commonplace.  But every year I feel a sense of dread as the cold days arrive (the darkness doesn’t bother me nearly as much as the cold).  And every year, I am first in line to celebrate even the smallest indication that yes indeed, we’ve made it through another one, and Spring is on its way. And I am probably one of the first to break out my summer dresses and flip flops as the days start to get longer and brighter and warmer.

Pomegranate: one of the most beautiful fruits I’ve ever seen.

Which means pretty soon it’ll be summer, and maybe then it will be hot around here.  And if it’s hot, we’ll be needing a long list of salad options that include items fresh from the garden, including vast quantities of mint – about the only thing that grows with great abundance all over the place, especially in the spots in which it has not been planted, but nevertheless wishes to take over.  And there I am, applying human emotion to things in nature, an error my college English professor would have called “pathetic fallacy”, and would have reminded me that an inanimate object, in truth, never actually wishes anything or thinks at all.  But never mind, Spring and it’s abundance of mint and other green things does strange things to our behavior, so I’ll forgive myself that little slip.

Mint is one of the few things this salad has in common with the warmer months.  Otherwise, this salad highlights the jewel-like pomegranate, still abundant now; the earthy lentils that are harvested each fall, and is flavored with lemon and orange, arguably fruits of Winter but available anytime.

I made this salad for dinner and served it with whole grain sunflower seed sourdough on the side. It’d work well as a side salad too, but with the abundance of legumes, vegetables and seeds, it’s perfectly filling on its own. So make the best of the last of the Winter produce – we’ll be dining on rhubarb, strawberries and asparagus soon.

The colors are ready for a celebration too…

Pomegranate, Mint and Beluga Lentil Salad

1/2 cup / 1 dl dried Beluga Lentils 
2 cups / 500 ml water
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
1/2 English cucumber, diced (about 1 cup)
10 Brussels sprouts, halved, core removed, thinly sliced
1/4 cup / 1/2 dl mint leaves, roughly chopped
seeds from 1/2 pomegranate*
2 tablespoon raw sunflower seeds
juice of one lemon
zest of one orange
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Rinse the lentils in a fine sieve.  Combine the lentils and water in a small pot, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.

While the lentils cook, prepare the rest of your ingredients.  Combine all of the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl, reserving a few mint leaves and pomegranate seeds for garnish.  When the lentils are ready, drain through a fine sieve, then pour the hot lentils directly onto the vegetables.  Stir well to combine.

Salad may be served immediately as a warm salad, or refrigerated and served later.  It travels well, and can be made up to one day ahead if you want to make it for lunch the next day or for a picnic or potluck.

Serves 2 as a main course.

*To deseed a pomegranate, roll it around on the countertop, pressing down lightly as you hear a slight popping sound.  Cut the pomegranate in half around the middle i.e. “equator” just deep enough to puncture the skin.  Using your fingertips, and holding the pomegranate over a bowl to catch any drips or wayward seeds, pull the two halves apart.  Set one half on the countertop.  Use your fingers again to break the pomegranate open slightly. Then hold the pomegranate half, seed side down, in your open palm with your fingers spread open.  Using the handle of a wooden spoon, rap the top of the pomegranate firmly to knock the juicy seeds out and into the waiting bowl.  Continue until most of the seeds are removed.  There are always the stubborn few you’ll need to remove with your fingers, but most will fall easily into the bowl.  Remove any wait pith that has fallen into the bowl.  Continue happily with the recipe.

Savory Chèvre Rosemary Buckwheat Crackers

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As I kick off my holiday baking, I’ve decided to start with salty snacks rather than sweet, as that’s what I’m starting to crave after the first inundation of holiday treats.

And people, these crackers are something to talk about.

I debated whether or not to call these ‘crackers’ or ‘cookies’ as they certainly aren’t health food, and play on the concept of shortbread.  In Finnish, the choice would be easier: ‘keksi’ for cookie and ‘suolakeski’,  i.e. salty cookie, for cracker – so cookie either way.

The idea behind creating this is that I wanted a gluten-free cracker that I could serve them to anyone who came to visit.  I wanted them to taste good all on their own, without any topping or accompaniment, as a cookie does, and also be able to play a role on the savory side of the table next to the cheeses, olives and antipasti.  To add a tangy, salty flavor, I included chèvre, along with butter for a tender sweetness, and chopped fresh rosemary because I love the flavor, all wrapped up for delivery in buckwheat flour.

Despite its name, buckwheat is gluten-free: a fruit seed rather than a grain, related to the rhubarb family, with a subtle nutty sweetness and a beautiful, light texture.  Buckwheat is a good source for manganese, copper, dietary fiber and phosphorus.  It has two flavenoids, rutin and quercitin, that have strong health-promoting actions.  On top of all that, it contains a high-quality protein with all eight essential amino acids, including lysine.  The bottom line: it is good for your cardiovascular system, helps stabilize blood sugar, and like other whole grains and seeds, is good for heart health.  What’s not to love?

Fresh out of the oven, these crackers bring the splendid smell of rosemary to the kitchen.  Warm, you can taste the melding of butter and chèvre into a tender, subtle, pleasing flavor off of which the rosemary plays very nicely. Once cooled, they have a crispy bite with a slight tenderness to them that makes them wildly addictive.

I can imagine these, as hoped for, holding their own on a cheese platter or antipasti tray.  But I can also picture them with a small spoonful of bilberry or blueberry jam; nestled next to a bowl of beet and goat cheese soup or beef stew; or, lined up all on their own as part of the sweet offering together with evening drinks, offering a welcome respite from the sugary confections on the table.

Whichever way it is you decide to serve them, they’ll surely be a welcome addition to your table.

Savory Chèvre Rosemary Buckwheat Crackers

Preheat oven to 175°C / 350°F

2 cups/340 g buckwheat flour
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
scant 1/2 cup / 100g cold chèvre, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup / 115g cold, salted butter, chopped into small pieces
2 teaspoons fresh, chopped rosemary
6 tablespoons cold water

Mix the flour, sugar and salt together to combine thoroughly.  Pour into the bowl of a food processor and add the chèvre, butter and rosemary.  Process until fully combined and the mixture begins to clump together.  With the food processor running, slowly add the cold water in a steady stream.  Process until the mixture begins to form a mass.  Turn off the food processor.  Tip the mixture into a bowl or onto a clean countertop.  Knead together until it forms a smooth mass.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze for 15 minutes, until cold but not rock solid.

Divide the dough in half.  Sprinkle the counter top with a light layer of buckwheat flour.  Roll the dough out into an even layer, about 1/8 thick, turning the dough over and dusting both sides with additional flour during the rolling out process to prevent sticking.  Cut with the cookie cutter of your choice.  Place the raw cookies onto a parchment-lined oven pan about 1/4″ apart.  Bake 10 minutes until light golden brown.  Cool completely; then store in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.

Makes 75-85 small crackers