Spinach salad with blueberry balsamic vinaigrette

I’ve made this salad a few different ways and have come to find that less is more. If you try to drag too many things into this, the richness of the ingredients becomes diluted. Spinach, balsamic vinegar, and blueberries is really all you need. OK, so I added some pecans into it this time and I think that was a good move. But apart from that, nothing else is needed. Don’t let me stop you trying to improve upon it though. I’d love for someone to tell me that it’s better with, oh, I don’t know, sliced strawberries added. (Which could probably work really well, someone please do that and let me know:) )

As far as a salad dressings go, this one is unusual in that it has almost no oil. I know that a vinaigrette without oil is a bit odd, but it just works. I’ve made this a couple times and one time I accidentally left out the olive oil… to my surprise it made it better. It was less watered down and richer in flavor–the blueberries really had more chance to shine through.

Spinach salad with blueberry balsamic vinaigrette

Spinach salad with blueberry balsamic vinaigrette
Makes enough for two or three salads.
Ingredients
1/2 cup blueberries plus extra
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1-2 tsps olive oil
spinach
pecans

Directions
1. Place a medium skillet over medium to medium-low heat. Add a splash of olive oil (about a tsp or two) and the blueberries. Cook, stirring occasionally, until a few of the blueberries start to split open. Add the balsamic vinegar, stir and cook until it just begins to simmer. During the cooking, crush the blueberries using the back of a fork or a potato masher.
2. Allow it to reach a bare simmer for about 45 seconds then remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. It should have slightly thickened.
3. Put some spinach on a plate, spoon the warm vinaigrette over it. Don’t worry about removing the blueberry skins, they are fine. Sprinkle with a few extra fresh blueberries and some crushed pecans.

*Bonus addition that wasn’t pictured: grilled chicken. My roommate found some grilled chicken strips that I made earlier in the week and tossed them on his salad. It worked out really well. I even ate a piece of grilled chicken just dragged through some extra balsamic and it was fantastic. I may make this again just to serve with chicken!

It was at this point that I looked into my basket and realized that I was making a salad. I just needed to round the flavors out. Arugula is definitely one of the more bitter salads, mint is pretty unique too–that unmistakable, refreshing aroma and assertive flavor. The red pepper would contribute a bit of sweetness. Looking around I saw some dried cherries and thought that the tartness and sugars would be a nice addition (after all, on the label was written “dried tart cherries”).

Sorry for the poor photo quality, I couldn't find my camera. I took these photos with my phone.

Satisfied with those purchases, I looked around for something to contribute a bit more substance to the meal. I ruled out eggs. I didn’t want beef and wasn’t in the mood for chicken. I was still in the produce section and saw some containers of extra-firm tofu. I realized that I hadn’t made tofu in a while and thought that some seared tofu would be perfect.

Once back at home with my bounty, I still needed to figure out how I was going to prepare everything and look for more ways to bring even more flavor to the party. To that end, I pressed, then marinated the tofu in a sesame ginger marinade. I also reached for the standard French vinaigrette–but made a few changes: I added a tiny bit of toasted sesame oil to the vinaigrette and reduced the vinegar. Toasted sesame oil can quickly overpower other flavors, so I kept it respectfully subdued.

The salad that restored my sanity.

This is definitely a flavorful and filling salad. The arugula may not be everybody’s favorite leafy green, but I like that bitter, grassy bite it gives. The mint played off it nicely, adding some depth to the dish. The addition of red pepper (sweetness) and the dried cherries (sweetness, tartness) served to balance the bitterness and the toasted sesame vinaigrette was great with the sesame ginger tofu.

Ingredients
Serves 2-3.
4 cups loosely packed mixed greens, mostly arugula (about 4 handfuls)
2 cups loosely packed mint (about 2 handfuls)
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 red pepper, sliced
1 block extra-firm tofu
sesame ginger marinade (I had some store bought stuff)
peanut oil (or vegetable oil or canola oil)

dressing:
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil (You can increase this for more sesame flavor, but I wouldn’t put more than 1 tsp)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2 tsp vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
salt & pepper

Directions

Tofu
1. Remove the tofu from the package and pat it with paper towels or a tea towel to remove excess liquid. Cut into 6 even slices and pat them again with the tea towel. Place a towel on a cutting board, then arrange the 6 slices, then place another towel on top followed by another cutting board. Place this in the fridge and put something heavy on top (like a bottle of milk or OJ). Leave alone for about an hour. The tea towel will be pretty wet from the excess liquid.
2. Once pressed, put the tofu in a 8×8 baking dish and pour the marinade over it. Flip the tofu slices over and pour more marinade on the other side. Allow to soak for about 15 minutes. Remove the tofu to a plate, wiping off excess marinade.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add at least a tablespoon of peanut oil to the hot skillet. Carefully add the slices of tofu. They may spatter because of the excess moisture/marinade–use a spatter screen if you have one. Sear for about 2-3 minutes a side, or until golden brown (reduce heat to medium if necessary).

Vinaigrette
In a large bowl, whisk the 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil, 2 tbsp olive oil, minced shallot, 2 tsp red wine vinegar, 2 tsp Dijon mustard, and a pinch of salt & pepper.

Bringing it all together
1. Add the salad, mint, and red pepper to the bowl with vinaigrette and mix to coat evenly.
2. Put 2 or 3 slices of tofu on the edge of a plate. Add the salad, then garnish with some dried cherries and pecans.

Good Salad.

The garlic-rosemary ones are in the front, the sweet ones are in the back. They are both great.

Putting chickpeas in the oven is not new here at The Food Spot. I’ve made a toasted chickpea salad before, which–if I may be modest for a second–was terrific. (Wait a sec… that’s the opposite of modesty, oh well.) In that version the chickpeas were only lightly toasted–the centers of the chickpeas were still chewy–so it turned out more like little self contained balls of slightly crunchy, roasted-flavored hummus. This time I just kept cooking them. I cooked them for nearly twice as long–almost an hour. What this yielded was a super crunchy snack–almost closer to a nut than to a bean. I took that as a not so subtle hint and mixed in a few pistachios and cashews.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot the whole “two ways” thing that this post is supposed to be about. Well, when you look at nuts, you normally see them as either sweet (e.g., honey roasted) or salty. So I basically adapted that concept for these: one batch was made with brown sugar and chili powder and the other with garlic and rosemary. I don’t know what possessed me to add chili powder to the brown sugar one, I just figured that sweet and spicy would also be tasty. Fortunately, I was right.

See the brown sugar caramelized on some of the nuts? That's a little but of awesome.

You can mix your own versions of spices, but if you are short on ideas, feel free to use mine. Either way you won’t be disappointed. It’s a ridiculously simple snack to make. I served them with an aperitif before dinner and munched on the few leftover the next day.
Here’s how to do it:

Spicy Brown Sugar Chickpeas
Ingredients
1 can of chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed, dried
1/4 cup unroasted, unsalted cashews
1/4 cup unroasted, unsalted pistachios
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 packed tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400F. Drain and rinse the chickpeas in a colandar. Allow to dry.
2. Toss chickpeas with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet.
3. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until they look browned and rattle when you give the pan a shake. Move them around on the sheet every 15 to 20 minutes to prevent any burnt areas.
4. Toss the remaining ingredients with the warm chickpeas and bake for 10 more minutes.

I don't know if another photo will convince you to make these or not, but hey, they look good, so why not?

Savory Chickpeas
Ingredients
1 can of chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed, dried
1/4 cup unroasted, unsalted cashews
1/4 cup unroasted, unsalted pistachios
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp rosemary

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400F. Drain and rinse the chickpeas in a colandar. Allow to dry.
2. Toss chickpeas with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet.
3. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until they look browned and rattle when you give the pan a shake. Move them around on the sheet every 15 to 20 minutes to prevent any burnt areas.
4. Toss the remaining ingredients with the warm chickpeas and bake for 10 more minutes.

Bonus
These are built in make-ahead foods. Not only can you prepare each recipe until step 3 then finish later to serve still warm, but you can also simply make everything and store them in an air-tight container and serve at room temp. They are good either way.

Anyway, the point is that a gem like this is often overlooked because commonplace cereals and grains, like rice and pasta, steal the spotlight. That’s a shame, because whole grains can be loaded with quite a bit of flavor and nutritional goodness. Quinoa, not even technically a grain (a pseudo-cereal seed), seems to slip by unnoticed. Often times, to get people to be aware of them, a bet from Colonel Hugh Pickering has to be made to teach the poor thing how to believably mingle in upper-class society with a series of voice coaching lessons–What’s wrong with me? That’s My Fair Lady.

If it has no leaves, can it still be a salad? That's too much for me to handle.

I’m just trying to say that quinoa is really great and not nearly well known enough. It’s also pretty ridiculously healthy. Not only is it fairly protein rich, but it’s one of the very few vegetarian complete proteins out there. It’s also chock full of other nutrients like manganese, magnesium, iron, copper, and phosphorus.

If all that hasn’t convinced you to try this grain, maybe recipe will; It’s easy to make and hard to mess up. Really. It’s dead simple. The only cooking required is to simmer the quinoa in some water for 15 minutes or so. It practically comes with a marker that tells you when it’s ready. Take a look at it after the times up… notice those little rings that form around the outside of it? It’s done.

OK. So if it this great, there must be some kind of downside to this dish, right? Nope. You do have to chop a few vegetables: dice an onion or shallot, cut up some green onions, and dice a bell pepper. You’ll be done with that before the quinoa even finishes cooking.

The one thing in this dish that I would insist you don’t leave out is the chipotle pepper. It’s a small addition, but adds a deceptively large amount of flavor.

Quinoa salad or anti-salad? Maybe I should stop calling it a salad. I'll just call it tasty.

Ingredients
Makes 6-8 servings. It’s surprisingly filling.
1 cup dry quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
juice of half lemon (1 to 1.5 tbsp)
1 chipotle in adobo, minced (with the sauce) (about 1.5 tbsp)
2 cans (15oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 small red or yellow peppers (or one very large), diced
1/2 red onion (or one large shallot), diced
8 scallions, white and light-to-medium green parts cut into small rounds
ground black pepper

Directions
1. Prepare the quinoa. (Check your package for directions, some quinoa needs to be rinsed. Mine was pre-rinsed and ready to cook.) Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the salt and the quinoa. Return to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to low (just to a simmer). Cook for 15 minutes. If after 15 minutes there is still liquid in the bottom of the pan, remove the lid to encourage evaporation.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, combine the lemon juice, vinegar, soy sauce, and chipotle (for extra heat add 1 tsp or more of the minced chipotle/adobo sauce). Drizzle in the oil while whisking to create an emulsion.
3. In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, black beans, scallions, red onion, and bell pepper. Pour the dressing over this and mix to combine. Season with salt and ground black pepper to your liking.

I made two variants of this dish over the past couple weeks, both were great, and both were impromptu. The first time I made this I had very little to work with, but when you gotta eat, you gotta eat. So I threw together what I had. A can of chickpeas, some pine nuts, some Parmesan cheese, and a few spices was all I used. Toast the chickpeas, toss with the ingredients and some lemon juice, salt, pepper, a dash of paprika, and olive oil. That’s it. Easy as pie. Actually, much easier than pie; Perhaps as easy as eating pie.

Simple Roast Chickpea Salad

About a week or so later I was in a similar situation except I had a shallot and couple tomatoes on hand. I diced those up, and did almost the same thing as before. This time I made a vinaigrette with the shallot and omitted the paprika.

Both versions are simple, quick, and easy to make, but I prefer the second version. The tomatoes add a bit of moisture and the shallot and vinaigrette add a bit more bite. It’s also quite healthy and, if you omit the Parm, vegetarian and vegan friendly! You can always make doughnuts if you want to clog your arteries.

A bit more complex than above, but it shouldn't take more time.

Toasted Chickpea Salad
Roasting the chickpeas is indeed optional, but it contributes a great nutty flavor. If you are short on time or don’t want to use your oven, you can skip that step.
Ingredients
1 15oz can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsps olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan
2 tbsps pine nuts
Variant 1
1 tsp paprika
Variant 2
1 small shallot, minced
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar, (I like to use 2 tsps, but I like a vinegary mix)
3/4 tsp Dijon mustard

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400F. If using variant 2, whisk the minced shallot, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and mustard in a bowl.
2. Toss the chickpeas with about 2 tsp olive oil then place them on a baking sheet and roast for 30-40 minutes. Shake the pan every 10-15 minutes to prevent scorching. They will be done when browned and toasted.
3. Regardless of the variant, or your own changes, just toss everything else in a bowl with the chickpeas.

Tomato Soup

My deep dish pizza recipe already cribbed from Cook’s Illustrated, so why stop on Tuesday. This is their version of a creamy–creamless–tomato soup, and boy did they nail it. It’s a smooth, thick soup that puts the tomato flavor front and center. The thickness comes not from cream, but from torn pieces of bread that disintegrate into the soup and are then further blended into it. Not entirely unheard of, but still clever. All this makes for a delicious, but still low-fat and low-calorie soup.

A quick note though, this may be a tomato soup, but this is not vegetarian. Cook’s Illustrated uses chicken stock create a richness and depth to the soup. Vegetable stock would work to make this vegetarian and vegan friendly. The only thing that would be missing is the gelatin normally found in small amounts in real chicken stock. Go nuts though, there probably isn’t much gelatin in the store bought stuff anyway—just another good reason to make your own.

Tomato Soup

Creamy –creamless– Tomato Soup
From Cook’s Illustrated. [http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/detail.asp?docid=16872]
Ingredients
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 med onion, chopped
3 med garlic cloves, minced
Pinch hot red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
2 (28-oz) cans crushed tomatoes (muir glen organic with basil is my favorite)
1 tbsp brown sugar
3 large slices sandwich bread (get something good, tear off the crusts)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I don’t need to say it again, but homemade is best)
2 tbsps brandy (I don’t know why Cook’s Illustrated says it’s optional, it’s excellent)

Instructions
1. In a large pot over high heat, put in 2 tbsps olive oil. Add the onion and red pepper flakes, cook for 3 to 5 mins, stirring often, until the onion starts to get translucent. Add the garlic and bay leaf, cook for a minute more.
2. Add the tomatoes and their juice and mix well. Bring to a simmer. Tear the bread into chunks and stir it, and the sugar into the soup. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until bread starts to disintegrate, about 5 mins. Remove bay leaf.
3. Blend in batches with 1 tbsp oil and process until soup is smooth. Return the soup to the pot, stir in the chicken broth and the brandy. Taste, add salt if needed.
4. Serve with cracked black pepper.

This version is light, zesty, and flavorful–but just heavy and soupy enough to still make it a good contender for cold weather comfort food. (Though it could easily be a feature in a Spring picnic.) The key to making this chili is lots of peppers, at least three different kinds, in fact. A few cans of beans, and some shredded turkey breast later and you have what you can satisfactory call a turkey chili.

Turkey chili.

I particularly like this recipe because it provides a healthy and lighter alternative to to the heavy and often fatty stews often served during the cold weather. Those have their place, but sometimes it’s nice to know you managed to have a great meal and eat something healthful too.

This recipe is largely inspired by the Cooks Illustrated version of a white turkey chili. They keep things light colored instead of the ruddy browns in beef chilis. Their addition of lime juice brightens the dish and gives the impression of a much lighter meal that goes down really well scooped up on tortilla chips.

Ingredients
Small turkey breasts are sometimes difficult to find. Many are upwards of 6 to 8 pounds. Get the smallest you can find at your store. The recipe can be scaled if necessary.
1 small turkey breast (~3-4lbs), patted dry
1 tbsp veg oil
4 jalapeño chiles
4 poblano chiles, seeds removed, cut into chunks
3 anaheim chiles, seeds removed, cut into chunks
1 large onion, cut into chunks
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp coriander
2 cans (~15 oz ea.) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (I like Progresso)
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth (homemade is best)
2 limes, juiced
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
4 scallions, sliced into thin rounds (from the white to the light green)

Directions
Step one can be omitted for time, but it creates a richer turkey flavor if you do it.
1. Over med-high, heat 1 tbsp veg oil in large, heavy bottomed pot. Once the oil is hot, add the turkey skin-side down and sear for 6-8 minutes. Rotate the turkey, and sear on another side for 6-8 minutes. Repeat until the turkey is well browned. Remove the pot from the heat, remove the turkey to a plate and discard the skin.
2. Working in batches in a food processor, process three of the jalapeños, the poblanos, anaheims, and the onion in 10-20 pulses (stop when it reaches the consistency of salsa).
3. Add the vegetables from step 2 to the now empty pot (leave the oil that was still in it from searing the turkey) along with the garlic, cumin, and coriander. Cook over medium to medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes.
4. After the vegetables soften, process about 1 cup of the vegetables with 1 cup of beans and 1 cup of broth (again, work in batches if you have a small processor) until well blended. Return the now smooth mixture to the pot with the remaining broth. Add the turkey breast (bone-side down) and cover the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook for 20-30 minutes (internal temp of turkey should be around 160 when cooked).
5. Reduce heat to medium-low and transfer the turkey to a plate. Add the remaining beans to the pot and cook until heated through, 5-10 minutes.
6. Mince remaining jalapeños–to make the chili hotter, keep the seeds.
7. Shred or chop the turkey (I did a bit of both) and add the turkey, jalapeños, lime juice, cilantro, and scallions to the pot. Stir to combine and taste for salt and pepper adjustments. Serve with tortilla chips.

Every year as the weather started getting colder, my mother would start boiling away vegetables in a large pot to make this soup. As I started to develop an interest in cooking, I tried to pay attention to what she was putting into the pot but I could never figure it out. Just when I thought I understood, I realized that the recipe was different than the previous ones! She seemed to say something about potatoes, leeks, and “n’importe quel légume frais”. This always baffled me. Not because I didn’t understand French (I did, she was saying “any fresh vegetables”), but because it seemed impossible to consistently make the same soup over again.

A potage soup.

Of course, her reply was that you wouldn’t want to make the same soup! I insisted that you could make a good recipe and remake it for yourself or guests if needed. “Oh, mais c’est toujours bon,” she would say, proclaiming it is always good.

If it was so seemingly straightforward, what was there to worry about? Honestly, I was afraid that I would end up with baby food. Isn’t that what you think of when you think of blended, boiled carrots? It seems that the French don’t automatically think that. Instead, they think that it would probably taste good in a soup. You know what? They are right. Again.

When I got over my fear of accidentally making baby food, I finally gave it a try. I forced my mother to give me some guide lines. There was a lot of “I don’t knows” and “Just try its” but after a lot of cursing and yelling in French, I was able to find some consistencies. My biggest tip is using leeks and potatoes. Root vegetables usually work spectacularly, but broccoli, cauliflower, and even spinach work well too. Myself, I am fond of adding lots of carrots.

Don’t let this limit you though, make any additions you want or increase any of the quantities. Change it up, try other combinations. Look at what is on sale in the store and try those. This can be a deliciously cheap soup.

Ingredients
Makes enough for six good servings. For extra richness, cream or creme fraiche can be added either at the table or in the last 30 seconds of heating (don’t boil it after the cream is added).
3 large carrots
3-4 leeks
3 big potatoes
1 onion
2 turnips
water
salt, pepper to taste

Directions
1. Wash and peel all the vegetables and cut into approx. 1 inch chunks.
2. Put them in a large pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. I season very lightly. Fill the pot with just enough water to come to the top of the vegetables. Heat on medium high and bring to a boil.
3. Once boiling, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cover. Cook for 30-45 minutes, until the vegetables are all soft and tender.
4. Blend in batches using a stand blender to directly in the pot with a stick blender.

Because I thought it was ridiculous to only cook turkey once a year, I made a turkey a couple weeks ago.  I followed my previous method, and with an overnight brine the turkey was amazing.  And instead of taking the turkey carcass and throwing it in the trash, I dumped it in my stock pot.  Three hours later and I had delicious tasting turkey stock!  The next day I added a couple ingredients and voilà, a soup that was not only delicious, but it helped me turn some of my leftovers into a delicious hot dish.  So hopefully you will see this in time and save your leftover turkey.  With a little bit of effort you can get some extra mileage out of your bird.

Ingredients:
1 Turkey Carcass with some meat still on it (from a 12-14 pound turkey)
2 Cups Leftover Turkey Meat
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Medium Onions, Sliced
2 Large Carrots, Sliced (About 1 Cup)
2 Celery Ribs, Sliced (About 1 1/2 Cups)
1/2 Cup Dried Noodles (Or more if you like)
2 Tablespoons Chopped Parsley

Directions:
1. Break up the carcass, taking the wings off, and then ripping the ribs off of the backbone.  Put the wings, skin, and body into a stock pot.  Add cold water to cover everything by 3 inches.
2. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer uncovered for 3-4 hours, skimming off any froth as you go.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely uncovered (Do not cover until cooled because it can make the stock taste sour).  And then refrigerate overnight (at least 8 hours).
4. Take the pot from the fridge and pull off any fat from the top (it will be hard).  Then heat the pot for about 15 minutes until hot, and then dump through a colander sitting in a pot.  Save the stock and discard the used up solids.  Season the stock with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Heat the olive oil in a 3-4 quart stock pot over medium high heat and add the carrots, onions, and celery.  Cook for about 15 minutes and then add the stock and simmer for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
6. Add the noodles and simmer until the noodles are soft, about 15 minutes.  Add the turkey and heat through.
7. Divvy the soup into bowls and add the parsley for garnish.  Enjoy!

Roast Butternut Squash.

Ingredients
1 winter squash (acorn, butternut, spaghetti, etc.)
salt, pepper
olive oil
any herbs and spices or garlic (some suggestions below)

Directions
1. Cut the squash vertically in half so you have two hemispheres. Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds in the center. I make 2 or 3 cuts along the flesh of the squash and slide in some thinly sliced garlic (optional).
2. Season with some salt, pepper, and any other herbs you like (thyme, sage, and rosemary are good). Drizzle on some olive oil, then place face down on a baking sheet.
3. Bake in a 375F oven for 30-45 minutes (depending on the size of the squash). Check after 30 minutes. If a fork easily slides though the thickest part of the flesh, then it is done.

That’s it. You now have roast squash.

You can turn the squashes right-side up and roast 5-10 more minutes to brown the flesh a bit. This will make for a richer flavor, but I don’t always do it.

Scoop the flesh out and use in any recipe that calls for the squash. Or, if you are lazy (and I sometimes am), simply get a fork and eat the squash directly out of the cut half. (I even toss in a few nuts sometimes…)