Watermelon Beet Salad

Dinner Party for Six

From Meg's Kitchen

The following salad recipe is in keeping with our "Indian Summer/don't-mind-the-heat" theme.

The hubs and I are loosely affiliated with a local church group.  We don't attend Sunday service because we are usually out of town at our place on the coast but we do believe in the church doctrine and we contribute financially by way of their annual silent auction.  We offer two or three themed dinners each year for usually 4 to 8 participants.  I have heard that the bidding can be very competitive and there are folks who show up to our table on a regular basis.  I really try to make the dinners special because I know that these diners have paid much more to the cause than I am spending for the meal ingredients.  Last week we hosted an auction dinner for four and the theme was "Chopped". Each attendee was allowed to submit an ingredient to be included in the menu.  The hubs and I also added ingredients so there were a total of six.  Following are the 6 ingredients, the menu and a recipe.  By-the-way, I should add that two participants were gluten free and one was cow-dairy free.

Ingredients:

Chocolate

Mango

Crab

Beets

Watermelon

Tomato

Menu:

Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed With Smoked Oysters

Sun Dried Tomato Aioli with raw vegetables

Watermelon and Beet Salad

Baked Crab Cakes with  Mango Salsa

Corn on the Cob

Grilled Green Beans

Flourless Chocolate Cake topped with Mango Whipped Cream or Mango Glaze

The dinner was a huge success both for the church and participant enjoyment (so they said).  And it was an easy menu for me to cook.  I've made flour-less chocolate cake many times before and it remains a favorite. However, I have never topped it with Mango Whipped Cream.  So all of the dishes were new or somewhat new.
Last week I was out to lunch with my mother and sister (a rare event because of distance) and had a watermelon and beet salad that was really good.  Motivated to recreate the salad since beets and watermelon were suggested ingredients I rose to the occasion.  Following is my adapted recipe for six (easily reduced):

2 TBSP lemon juice

2TBSP olive oil

8 basil leaves, slivered

big pinch of salt

3 cups baby greens (loosely packed)

6 1-inch-thick slices of a small seedless watermelon with rind removed

6 small to medium beets roasted, peeled and cooled (I cheated and used vacuum sealed cooked and peeled purchased at one of my favorite stores - so much simpler) 

crumbled feta or dried goat cheese to sprinkle over

toasted hazelnuts or pistachios to sprinkle over  

In a small jar, add lemon juice, oil, basil and salt.  Shake to emulsify.

Mix 1/2 of the dressing with the greens.  Plate the greens on 6 dishes.  Top with a slice of watermelon.  Slice (cooled) beets into 1/4-inch thick slices and layer on top of the watermelon (about 1 beet per serving)  Sprinkle with crumbled cheese and nuts.  Evenly divide remaining dressing over each plate.

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Salmon and Noodle Salad

From Meg's Kitchen

Fall is fast approaching here in the Pacific Northwest.  We have had a few rainy and cloudy days but mostly sunny days although not as hot as it has been.  And the hubs is already watching football (sigh)... I am sure that Mary is still wishing for less heat and humidity.  I promised her one of my favorite warm weather recipes that requires just a bit of cooking but the end result is well worth it.

This recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks - Colorado Collage put together by the Junior League of Denver in 1995.  Obviously, I do not "weed" my cookbook collection by date of publication!  It is a great recipe if you have leftover salmon.

2 servings

3-4 ounces dried oriental-style noodles, soba or rice (it is possible to purchase gluten free soba noodles that are made with buckwheat)
2 TBSP sesame oil, divided
1/4 cup tamari (or soy) sauce (tamari sauce has a sharper taste but it is gluten free)
1 TBSP seasoned rice wine vinegar (the seasoned rice wine vinegar has sugar in it, if you use unseasoned vinegar please add some sugar)
2 tsp hot chili oil
1 TBSP minced or grated ginger root, divided
1 sliced green onion
1/4 cup fresh peas, thawed frozen peas, or snow peas blanched and cut into thirds
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 4-ounce salmon fillets (or use leftover grilled or cooked salmon)
mixed salad greens, rinsed and dried

Cook noodles according to package directions.  Drain well and place in a bowl.  Add half of the sesame oil and toss.  Combine the following ingredients in a small jar (with a lid) - half the tamari or soy sauce, vinegar, hot chili oil and 1 tsp of the grated ginger root.  Shake lidded jar to mix the ingredients well and add to the noodles.  Toss noodles with the dressing.  Add green onion, peas, carrots, mushrooms and bell peppe.  Toss and chill for about 2 hours.

In a shallow glass or ceramic dish combine the lemon juice, remaining soy/tamari sauce, sesame oil, ginger and pepper to taste.  Add salmon and turn to coat.  Cover tightly and chill for 2 hours.  Grill salmon on a medium-high heat.  Discard the marinade.  If using precooked salmon, marinate the salmon but do not recook the salmon.

To serve: place greens on plates, top with noodle mixture and salmon.  Serve immediately or chill and serve cold.

Note: You can use a whole lot of different salad ingredients that you might have left over such as cucumber, raw zucchini, blanched broccoli and/or cauliflower.  The dressing and the noodles maintain the oriental flavor.  You could even eliminate the salmon for a vegetarian dish.

Celebrating the Olympics #3

From Meg's Kitchen

Salad

Historically, Brazilians have not been big on salads and vegetables.  This is illustrated in "Brazilian Cookery" - the last chapter includes vegetable dishes and the chapter on salads comes after the chapters on desserts (many might say that they have their priorities set right).  Part of the reason for disinterest in vegetables is due to the climate.  Greens, such as lettuce, do not do well in hot, arid climates.  My 1965 cookbook claims that Brazilians "are just beginning to embrace the concept of a salad."  The main ingredients of the salads in the cookbook include heartier vegetables such as avocado, potatoes, broccoli, chickpeas, cauliflower and fruits.  Classic Brazilian salads are dressed with mayonnaise.
When my family lived in Brazil ('64-'68) we were not allowed to eat green leafy vegetables even in the finest restaurants (even if they were on the menu) and at home all fruits and vegetables were washed in iodine water.  We also could not drink the tap water nor could we drink fresh milk (believe me, there is no amount of chocolate syrup that makes powdered milk tasty!)
My Brazilian themed salads usually include hearts of palm and avocados in a mixed green salad topped with a simple vinaigrette dressing.
Here are a list of possible ingredients for your salad - I suggest only using a few of the "non-typical" salad offerings:
lettuce (my favorite is Romaine) torn into bite-size pieces
diced fresh, ripe tomatoes or grape tomatoes
cucumber, peeled and sliced
red onion, sliced or diced
hearts of palm, sliced (these can be found in the canned vegetable isle in your grocery store)
green peas (fresh or frozen and thawed)
diced or sliced cooked or canned beets
olives
sliced hard boiled egg