Simple summer salad

Yesterday for lunch Oliver and I enjoyed some delicious canned salmon (wild-caught, from Alaska). Generally I prefer to source our foods locally, but we have been tightening our budget belt a little lately and so I have turned to high-quality canned salmon as a great option for healthy fish. Oliver had his salmon pre-chewed (by me) and mixed with a little raw butter and a tiny pinch of sea salt. I opted to spread mine in chunks over a big fresh salad of red leaf and romaine lettuces, with red onion, radishes, and cucumber (all from the Union Square Greenmarket, purchased Monday). A big leafy green salad is a delicious and budget-friendly summer meal with each huge fresh head of lettuce currently at around $2-3. I got mine 2-for-$5 at a small organic stand run by a Korean couple. I also included some crumbled raw milk cheddar from Central Valley Farm. For dressing, I used the classic vinaigrette I love so well and enjoy making so much (see my instructions here).

When buying canned salmon, look for the words "wild-caught" and "Alaskan." Of course, if this is cost-prohibitive just get the best you can afford. However, the Alaskan salmon is generally considered cleaner in terms of pollution, and of course you always want to buy wild-caught, even if you are on a tight budget, as farmed salmon are notoriously bad for the environment and not great for your health either. Try to get a brand that contains only fish, and perhaps a little sea salt. And be sure to serve the skin and bones (they are quite soft), which are delicious and highly nutritious as well!

Naturally you will want to round out this meal a bit, depending on your appetite, activity level, and taste. I opted for a toasted slice of whole wheat sourdough miche (from Bread Alone, an organic bakery at the USG which doesn't include yeast in their sourdough). I spread it thickly with raw butter (from Springwater Farm in PA), and also had a local peach for dessert. If you're still hungry, include a glass of kefir or raw milk next time with your meal, or slice a hard-boiled pasture-raised egg on top of the salad.

Please weigh in here: what do you like for lunch in the summer? What do you enjoy putting on your salads? Where do you get great local ingredients?

How to Make the Best Vinaigrette

Spring and summer are fabulous seasons for fresh green salads from your local farmers' market. Let's be realistic here, though: your family (and you) probably won't eat salad unless it tastes really good. The first trick for making a good salad is, of course, getting the delicious greens (baby or otherwise) at the farmers' market - I've already written about this in my entry on Gorgeous Greens, and I've even told you how to ensure you actually get around to EATING them, which is key. The second trick to a mouthwatering salad is making a great dressing, and that's what I'm going to teach you how to do right now.

This is not a difficult recipe, and no I didn't come up with this method myself (though I wish I could say I did). I perfected this method for my own use after reading about it in Alice Waters's The Art of Simple Food. You will need only four ingredients:

1. a good extra-virgin olive oil - buy the best you can afford; it really doesn't pay to buy the Walmart brand, for example. You want an olive oil that tastes great all by itself, which will ensure it will taste great on your lettuce. I have been loyal to Olio Beato organic extra-virgin olive oil for some time now; it's certified unrefined, first cold-pressed, all Italian olives, comes in an opaque bottle, etc. - all the things you want from a good olive oil (though if you prefer American or Spanish or Moroccan olives that's fine, too! The point is to get what you're paying for; many brands will claim to be 100% Italian, but really they contain a lot of inferior oil from other countries).
   
2. vinegar - I use raw apple cider vinegar which is yummy; red wine vinegar is great, too. Raw, unpasteurized vinegar is best as it contains lots of beneficial enzymes and good bacteria. I have made a great dressing with a fairly cheap white wine vinegar from the local grocery store, though. So just use what you have.
   
3. sea salt - I always recommend Celtic sea salt which is delicious, unrefined, unbleached, and full of trace minerals. Please throw away your canister of Morton's or other similar refined synthetic table salt; that stuff is garbage and very bad for your health (causing all sorts of problems including hypertension), whereas Celtic sea salt is actually GOOD for you.
4. fresh-ground black pepper
   

In a small bowl whisk together 2 tbsp. vinegar and a pinch of sea salt. When the salt dissolves, taste the vinegar and see if you like the flavor. Continue adding pinches of salt and whisking until the sourness of the vinegar is perfectly balanced by the salt; you will be amazed at the flavor when you reach this point - it is nothing short of remarkable!

Next whisk in about 4-6 tbsp. of olive oil. Pause after the fourth tbsp. and taste, then add more oil if you like. When you have again reached the balance you like grind in plenty of fresh black pepper...and voila! your perfect vinaigrette has been created. Now, some people like to get fancy and add all sorts of other ingredients, which is fine - but if you just want to stick with this simple dressing rest assured it will make any salad fabulous!

This makes enough for 6-8 servings.

Gorgeous Greens

Really, what could be more beautiful than spring greens? The yellow swiss chard is a vibrant green with lovely yellow stems, and all the baby greens are so delicate and delicious! (All available at your local farmers' market...spring is the time for greens, so get out there and get some!) Greens are purifying and uplifting - great for detoxifying after a long winter.

If you tend to leave bags of produce at the back of the fridge and forget about them (as I used to do) you might want to try these tips for ensuring you actually eat your greens in a timely manner:

1) invest in a good salad spinner - get a big one, and make it the best quality you can afford; it really makes cleaning & storing your greens easy and enjoyable. If you eat a LOT of greens like I do you may want a spinner and a crisper so you can keep your spinach separate from your salad greens, for example.
2) make a habit of washing & drying your greens soon after buying them, then store them conveniently in the salad spinner, crisper, or a large airtight container in the fridge - this way you can just reach into your spinner or crisper and pull out enough lettuce or spinach for your salad or other dish
3) look for delicate baby greens that are pre-washed or so small and clean they don't need to be chopped or washed, then just store them in a crisper or other large airtight container. Be sure to use them before a week is up (baby greens are delicate and don't last as well as larger leaf lettuces or hardier greens like chard and spinach).
4) for bunches of greens or heads of lettuce, simply chop off the stems or core, remove wilted or unhealthy leaves, then chop the remaining leaves coarsely (for example, at 3" intervals). Soak in a big bowl of cold water, swishing around to remove the dirt, then finish with a thorough spin in the salad spinner. (Ollie now does my spinning for me!)
5) remember to always cook your spinach before eating (steaming, sauteeing, and braising are 3 great ways to enjoy fresh spring spinach). Raw spinach is high in oxalic acid which can cause mineral deficiencies if eaten in large quantities (don't worry about the occasional leaf tossed into a salad).

Cheeseburgers!

Last Monday I was at the Greenmarket with Oliver, on a mission to buy whatever was available and make some great meals. Usually I plan ahead what I am going to make, then buy according to a list, but I decided to try things more Iron Chef-style and see what would happen...

It was 5:30 and I didn't have too many options since many vendors were packing up or long gone. So I picked up some veggies (baby bok choy, kale, celeriac, parsnips, red potatoes, blue potatoes, arugula, napa cabbage), apples for a tart, a dozen extra-large pastured eggs, a loaf of whole wheat sourdough, and a container of delicious Korean kim chee. Then I ended up at the Central Valley farm booth where all they had for sale was raw milk cheddar (smoked and regular), and grass-fed ground beef. I instantly thought: cheeseburgers! I bought one lb. of the beef ($5.50 - a great price for grass-fed!), and an 8-oz. block of cheddar ($5). Then I picked up two small sourdough loaves (white flour, a compromise) to serve as upscale burger buns. Walking to the train I realized the napa cabbage would make a great slaw with the mayo Sarah and I made a couple weeks ago!

We had cheeseburgers two nights last week -- I used fresh thyme, fresh oregano, plenty of dried basil, lots of raw milk, whole wheat panko bread crumbs, sea salt, and organic Worcestershire sauce to season the meat. The cole slaw was made from shredded napa cabbage, finely-grated red radish & parsnip, homemade mayo, Dijon and lemon juice. We also made our own version of oven-fried blue potato chips (thinly-sliced blue potatoes tossed with olive oil, sea salt & pepper and baked at 400 degrees til crispy). Hugo hadn't eaten a burger in over 15 years, and pronounced this one delicious! I was impressed with how everything came together so well by just buying what was available. Definitely going to try this again every week!

Fava bean cakes & jicama salad

Last night Hugo and I enjoyed a totally unseasonal -but delicious!- meal. The bean cakes are remarkably easy to make with the assistance of a food processor or blender. Cutting everything up for the salad (which is so tasty & refreshing!) took about 15 minutes but it made a huge amount so we will be enjoying this all week. I would advise using fava beans if you can, but you could also substitute other beans if they aren't available (perhaps chick peas).

Fava Bean Cakes (adapted from Vegetarian Times cookbook)

blend the following in processor or blender til smooth:

-2 large eggs

-2 rinsed/drained cans fava beans (easily found in Middle Eastern shops)

-1 tbsp. olive oil

-large heaping spoonful flour

-chopped garlic & onions if you like (I left this out as Hugo hates onions and the garlic was too much work for a busy Monday night)

-generous dashes of the following: garlic powder, cumin, coriander, dried parsley, sea salt

In frying pan, heat a couple tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil for frying. When hot, drop in 3 very large spoonfuls of bean mixture to make 3 cakes. Allow to brown, then flip as you would pancakes. You will probably make about 3 batches, so 9 cakes in all (add more olive oil each time to avoid sticking). Garnish with diced red pepper and serve with plenty of whole-milk yogurt sprinkled with turmeric for a nice touch!

Jicama salad

-basically you just chop all the veggies as small as you like, then add the dressing items, mix, and allow to sit a few minutes so the flavors can incorporate.

-1 large jicama, peeled

-4 large radishes

-1 red pepper

-1 large cucumber

-plenty of fresh cilantro (about 1/2 cup chopped or more)

-juice of 3 limes

-1 tbsp. vinegar (should be rice, I used apple-cider)

-big drizzle olive oil (about 2 tbsp.)

-small drizzle honey

-generous dash of spicy chili powder of some kind

-sea salt to taste

This meal would have been better suited to summer-time, so we will definitely be revisiting it! FYI about planning portions: Hugo ate 4 cakes (though he could have eaten 5), and I ate 3.