salad Archives | Page 2 of 4

Skillet Sweet Corn Salad with White Nectarine

June 22, 2017

Skillet Corn Salad with White Nectarines Recipe | Fake Food Free

There are two things I love about summer – sweet corn and white nectarines.

Normally, I wouldn’t think of putting the two together, but lately I’ve had this thing for mixing fruits into savory foods. I’m a huge fan of the of sweet and savory and combining fruits and veggies feels like a better habit to me than, say, eating too much salted caramel.

So blueberries sometimes find their way into chicken salad and cherries often appear in my bean salads.

Given this new habit I found myself wanting to try nectarines with my corn. My first thought was a corn fruit salsa, but then I decided to skip the chips and eat this as a summer side dish.

Grilled Cherry Salad with Garbanzo Beans, Cilantro, and Lime

May 12, 2017

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve abruptly slammed on my brakes at the sight of fruit for sale since moving to California. Don’t worry, I’m careful. But at least one of every 10 drives involves a brake and swerve.

In this case, it was local cherries.

I’d lost track of the timing since last year, and I wasn’t quite sure what week to expect seeing trucks with them for sale parked at intersections. I was less than a mile from the house last week, when a truck came into view.

No. It couldn’t be. Is it that time already?

I was coming from behind the display so the truck was blocking my view. But just as I got close enough to see those round, glossy cherries piled high in cups lining a folding table – brake, swerve, park.

Chickpea, Brown Rice, and Kale Salad in a Jar with Pesto

February 26, 2017

I’ve always wanted a messy garden. I know that sounds strange. Most people want a gorgeously organized, symmetrical growing plot with every veggie in its place.

Not me. I’ve always loved the look of gardens that are bursting at the seams with greenery growing in every direction. Like a forest gone wild that produces food.

This might be because I lack the skill to produce one of those perfect gardens. Maybe I’m drawn to messy gardens because they are easier to maintain. But really it’s how they look.

I’m getting there.

Fall Salad with Butternut Squash and Apple Cider Vinaigrette

October 11, 2016

I totally cheated.

I was walking through the supermarket and it was about 11:15. Lunchtime was quickly creeping up on me, but I knew that I’d have to dive back into recipe work for clients the second I got back home.

I needed something quick to make, but I couldn’t get my mind off the piles of winter squash all around me in the produce section.

I wanted roasted squash. On a salad. With other fall-like things.

So I went over to that little section with all the pre-cut veggies. And there it was. Little cubes of butternut squash ready to pop in the oven.

Simple Cilantro Jicama Salad

August 11, 2016

I buy jicama once in a blue moon. I have no idea why. Every time I get it into my kitchen, I marvel at the crunchy texture and its snackability. (Technically not a word, but it should be, don’t you think?)

So in honor of not completely going all fall on you with recipes, I picked one up last week to show that I still have a little light and refreshing summer left in me. I thought I’d show you what I do with it. It’s also known as the simplest salad ever.

Cantaloupe Tomato Salad

July 19, 2016

If you’ve been reading my blog a long while this combination won’t surprise you. I starting eating one form or another of cantaloupe tomato salad back in 2011. For those of you who might be new readers, hear me out.

I know it sounds like a strange combination, but I promise it is so good! There is something about the sweetness of both the melon and the tomatoes that is delicious when combined and then drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with black pepper. It’s a refreshing twist to most of the summer salads you’ve had so far this year.

Baked Tofu Bowl with Peanut Dressing

July 15, 2016

I have some strong opinions about tofu. To be honest, I feel sorry for it. Somewhere along the lines in our food culture it got pegged as a health-nut, granola, only-vegans-eat-it kind of food.

If those are the reasons you eat it, that’s great and all, but I discovered tofu in a much different way and associate it with a very different style of eating.

Smoky Chipotle Shrimp Dip with Shrimp Cucumber Salad

June 28, 2016

This shrimp dip layers flavors and textures to create a delicious and easy to make summer appetizer. It pairs well with the 2015 Cultivar Napa Valley Rose that I received from Cultivar Wine!

Shrimp is a summer food to me. I rarely have it in the kitchen until hot days begin to bring about thoughts of the beach and ocean.

My shrimp recipes are pretty standard — tossed with pasta, stirred into sweet corn risotto or wrapped into Asian-inspired spring rolls. When I found a bag of sustainably harvested small shrimp (often called salad shrimp) at the market last week, though, I was too excited to use it in one of my regular recipes.

I’d been having trouble finding shrimp from a good source so when that find lined up with my shrimp season, I needed to celebrate a little.

I’m happy to say that Fake Food Free has transitioned to the Substack Newsletter called Every Corner of the World.

I hope to see you there.

Berry Salad with Basil, Mint and Feta

June 16, 2016

This berry salad combines blackberries and strawberries with fresh herbs from the garden. It’s my celebration of access to so much delicious local produce all summer long.

A couple of weeks into the month of May, it dawned on me that I have yet to live in a place where so many of summer’s fruits and vegetables are in season at the same time.

I realized it when I stopped by the farm stand to grab some berries and found myself staring at cherries, strawberries, boysenberries, blackberries and blueberries. All local, all harvested that morning just a few feet away.

My Favorite Winter Salad

January 13, 2016

Early last year I was on a huge salad hiatus. I simply couldn’t get salads to taste good anymore. They were too bland, too blah. Quite frankly, they were living up to their reputation of tasting like cardboard and rabbit food.

Then one day I was assisting with a photo shoot and the recipe editor announced that she had made us a big salad for lunch. Expecting a few leaves of romaine and bottled dressing, I grabbed a bowl and headed to the kitchen.

Next she asked if we would like a poached egg. I love poached eggs, but I’d never tried an egg on a salad. I accepted as I cast my eyes over all the delicious toppings set out on the counter next to a large bowl of mixed greens tossed in a simple miso dressing.