vegan Archive

Raw kale & apple salad

This salad doesn’t need much in the way of an introduction (it speaks for itself!), so I’ll just say a couple quick things.

First off, I am going to declare that this is the perfect fall salad. Apple season is in full swing, and it seems that every apple I bring home from the farmer’s market tastes better than the last. This salad is such a nice way to highlight apples, as the flavor of the apple works so nicely alongside the earthy kale and the salty fontina cheese. The flavors are so simple, and yet so elegant.

Secondly, for those of you who are doubtful about eating raw kale: do not be afraid! Raw kale is surprisingly delicious. It has a very unique and earthy flavor that I just adore. I am not sure why so many people insist on cooking kale prior to eating it! (Of course, cooked kale is also delicious, I’m just saying that it also is wonderful in its raw form.). That being said, I love that this salad highlights how special raw kale really is.

And, lastly, I must praise this salad simply because I always feel so great after I’ve eaten it. In addition to being a wonderfully light and simple salad, it is also full of vitamins and nutrients. This really is simple, local food at its best. So, celebrate the apple season with a big bowl full of this goodness.

Raw Kale & Apple Salad with Fontina and Lemon Vinaigrette

1 bunch of Lacinato Kale (also known as Dinosaur Kale, it has flatter leaves than your typical curly kale)
1 – 2 crisp apples (I used 1.5 apples, and just ate the extra half!)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup finely grated fontina cheese
The juice from 1 lemon
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp red chili flakes

Slice the kale very thinly (i.e. chiffonade), as if for a coleslaw. Core the apples and slice thinly. Toss the sliced apples with the raw kale.

Mix together the lemon juice, cider vinegar, olive oil. Add in salt, pepper, and chili flakes.

Toss the raw kale and apple with the dressing – be sure to start light on the dressing and take care not to ‘overdress’ the salad. Toss in the fontina cheese. Adjust seasonings if needed (I found it needed a little extra salt, pepper, and chili flakes).

And that’s all! Can be enjoyed immediately.

*I thought about mincing up a clove or two of garlic to stir in with the dressing, but I decided to hold off on the garlic this time. I wanted clean, simple flavors. However, I think that the kale can handle a bit stronger flavor and so next time I’ll add garlic and see if I like it!

cabbage slaw with fennel, apple and jalapeno

I don’t know if it’s the same in every family, but growing up my family had a habit of making up strange names for common foods. For example, “bagels and cream cheese” somehow morphed into “beagles and clam cheese”. I don’t know if one of us kids said it this way once and the terminology just stuck – or if my parents made it up just to mess with us. Whatever the case, there were just certain things we said. It was the Strannigan way.

But, now I am a grown adult and most of the strange terms from childhood have faded away. But there are the few that linger. Specifically, the term cold slop. In my family, coleslaw was known as cold slop. To my young brain, it made complete sense. I mean, think about it. Coleslaw isn’t usually very attractive: its made of limp, sad bits of shredded cabbage that are doused in some sort of soupy mayo-based dressing. It generally resembled slop. (To be fair, I am not insulting my mother’s cooking. Quite the contrary, I am referring to church potlucks and styrofoam bowls of KFC coleslaw.)

All that to say: it’s time that I put my childish views of coleslaw (ahem…cold slop) behind me. This summer, I decided to make an awesome coleslaw.

I have to thank Grant Butler for this recipe. He writes a column in The Oregonian’s Food Day called “Going Vegan” and did a feature on vegan slaws a few months back, and I loved it. While he dreamed up many slaw recipes, the one that got my attention was this – Endive, Fennell, and Apple slaw. What is not to like about that?

So I tried it (and loved it). I’ve been making versions of his Endive, Fennel, and Apple slaw all summer. I will say, that I’ve tweaked the recipe a bit and have made it my own. While I love endive, it can be expensive and I found that it didn’t quite have the crunch of cabbage. And, for girl’s night this week we had pulled pork sandwiches – and I felt that a cabbage slaw would hold up better with the pork. Feel free to make the original version of the slaw – the recipe can be found here.

Or, if you’re feeling sassy, you can make my version, which is below.

Cabbage Slaw with Fennel, Apple, and Jalapeno

For the slaw:
1 small head of purple cabbage
1 pink lady apple
1 medium to large fennel bulb (reserve some fennel fronds for the dressing)
1 jalapeno

For the dressing:
1 small shallot, diced
2-3 Tbl apple cider vinegar
1 – 2 Tsp of chopped fennel fronds (from the top of your bulb)
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
**Optional ingredient: 1/3 cup Vegenaise or Mayo (I happen to like my coleslaw a little creamy so I use a little Vegenaise. If you make the slaw without mayo, just up the amount of olive oil and cider vinegar)

Using a food processor (with a slicing blade), a mandolin, or a sharp knife, cut the cabbage, apple, and fennel into thin strips. (I find that a food processor is the fastest, but it also makes for an uglier slaw. I like to use a knife because I cut things thin & pretty!)

Dice the jalapeno (include seeds and membrane at your risk/desired heat level). Add 1/2 the jalapeno to the slaw now, and once you’ve dressed the slaw taste and see if it needs more spice. If so, add the rest of the pepper.

Mix the dressing ingredients (shallot, fennel fronds, vinegar, oil, s&p and mayo if using). Pour gently over the cabbage mixture. Use enough dressing to just coat the cabbage, you don’t want a soggy slaw.

pickled okra.

I hope that none of you were starting to doubt my commitment to the ‘summer of pickling’.

The pickling is still going strong, my friends.

Last week, Nich and I spotted some fresh okra at the local farmers market, and we knew immediately that the okra was going to be our next pickling project. I can’t say that I’ve eaten a ton of pickled okra in my 29 years, but what I’ve had has always been delicious. And, if we are being honest…I generally only eat pickled okra when it happens to be garnishing my bloody mary.

This recipe isn’t too far off from the other pickled veggies I’ve been trying my hand at. Most pickle brines are a combination of vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and spices. The kinds and amounts of vinegars, spices, etc, vary upon preference and type of pickle. I’ve learned that you really just need to make a few jars, eat them, and decide what you’d change next time. I’ve decided, for example, that I don’t like much garlic in my dill pickles.

Anyway, this okra recipe seemed very open-ended and somewhat free form. The original recipe calls for hot peppers, but states that they can be fresh or dried. My left brain only slightly imploded at that notion. Dried & fresh peppers taste very different and so I knew that whichever form of pepper I chose would have a big impact on the flavor of the pickled okra. However, I happened to have dried habaneros on hand, so convenience won out. The recipe also called for two to three hot peppers. But, I didn’t want to go crazy on my first try at pickling okra, and we all know that habaneros can be intense. So, I only used one habanero for fear of an overly-spicy okra. But, alas, they don’t seem to be super spicy and next time, I’ll probably kick it up a notch and use two. Just saying.

Pickled Okra.
(Adapted from Bluejeangourmet.com)

enough okra pods to fill the quart jar tightly packed

2-3 garlic cloves

2 sprigs of fresh dill

2-3 hot peppers, fresh or dried (I used one dried habanero)

1 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/8 cup salt

Rinse the okra and peel the garlic cloves. Scrub the jar, ring and lid and rinse in very hot water from the tap. When the jar cools enough to touch, pack the jar with whole okra pods stood upright. Pack in the dill, garlic cloves and peppers as well. Make sure nothing in the jar protrudes up beyond the lower edge of the lip of the jar.

In a medium pot, add the water, vinegar and salt to make the brine. Bring to a boil.

Pour the boiling brine into the packed jars. Make sure nothing in the jar is left uncovered. Seal the jars tightly. Wait a week to open. Best served cold after refrigeration.

pickled red onions

So, remember a while back when I said this would be the ‘summer of pickling’?

I wasn’t lying.

I want to pickle everything!

Granted, my tiny little container garden isn’t producing enough to really justify pickling a whole bunch of things. But, I’ve been keeping my eyes open at the farmers market – and when I get a good deal on veggies, I’ll buy some extra for pickling. Because, sometimes, a girl just wants to have a bunch of pickled goodies on hand.

And, so, when I went to the Montavilla Farmers market this last Sunday (my new neighborhood market!) I was pleased to see an abundance of beautiful red onions. I’d just eaten some pickled red onions with my bagel & lox on Saturday (at Kenny & Zukes), and to be honest – I didn’t like them all that much. They were sweet pickled onions. I wanted them to be tangy and zingy and full of life! And so, since I didn’t get the pickled onion experience I was looking for at Kenny & Zukes (to be fair – everything else was remarkably delicious!), I knew that I had to make my own.

And so I did!

And they were everything I hoped for. They were tangy, and zingy, and delicious. I’ve seen a lot a variations on the pickled red onion, and so I am eager to try all different kinds. For now, here is the recipe I tried:

(Tangy) Pickled Red Onions

1 red onion, sliced thin
10 – 15 whole peppercorns
10 – 15 coriander seeds
1 bay leaf
Red wine vinegar to cover (I used a mix of pomegranate infused red wine vinegar and normal red wine vinegar)

Put sliced onion, peppercorns, coriander seeds, and bay leaf in a clean jar. Pour red wine vinegar over to cover. Shake the jar a few times, and refrigerate for at least 3 days before consuming (but lets be honest, you’ll want to try them the next day…).

**I had a few of these pickled onions on a salad with greens, tomato, and feta – and I must say, it was quite perfect.

pickled sugar snap peas (!)

Summer has officially arrived in Portland. The sun has finally decided to show her lovely face.

I will admit, I was at my wits end – I thought that summer would never arrive. Every day I would wake up to clouds, rain, and gloom. Every day I would check on my sad little garden, which Mother Nature seemed to be intent on drowning.

And then one day, the doom and gloom was gone. The sun came out, my plants perked up, and my heart was happy. And all of the sudden, I had a happy garden that was ready for eating! After months of waiting, I now have ripe sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes, rhubarb, lettuce, rainbow chard, and TONS of raspberries. I never knew that food could taste so fresh. There is just something magical about eating food that comes from your own yard (and your own hard work!).

That being said, I have a bunch of sugar snap peas right now. And, while I love sugar snap peas – I don’t exactly know what to DO with them. They are delicious raw, in a salad, or in a stiry fry. But that is about all I know to do with sugar snap peas. I’m not complaining about my lack of recipes, they are just one of those veggies that you don’t often see in other things. And I wanted to do something unexpected with them. And, then, I saw a recipe for pickled sugar snap peas.

I knew, long ago, that this would be the “summer of pickling”. Pickling is a gardener’s best friend, as it is a great way to preseve your produce (and make it last throughout the year). Plus, I just love the taste of all things pickled. This pickled sugar snap pea recipe looked really simple – and strangely delicious – and so I officially kicked off my summer of pickling with sugar snap peas. The peas are supposed to pickle for 2 weeks, so I can’t officially comment on how they taste yet. But, being the impatient person that I am — I tried a couple of them after two days of pickling and they were delicious! Crunchy, sweet, sour, and spicy. I’m not sure I’ll be able to wait the full two weeks!

In any case, even if you aren’t growing snap peas – this is a great recipe to use if you can get your hands on some good peas. I was at my local farmers market yesterday and there were snap peas everywhere! They are very much in season right now and would be easy to get your hands on for this recipe.

Pickled Sugar Snap Peas
From Smitten Kitchen who Adapted from The Joy of Pickling

1 1/4 cups white distilled vinegar (I used 1 cup of white vinegar, and 1/4 cup of a fancy herbed vinegar my mother-in-law bought me)
1 1/4 cups cold water
1 tablespoon kosher or pickling salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pound sugar snap peas, stems trimmed and strings removed
4 garlic cloves, sliced
dried red pepper flakes, 5 or 6 shakes from a shaker jar if you like things spicy

In a nonreactive saucepan, heat the vinegar with the salt and sugar until they are dissolved. Remove from the heat, and add the cold water which starts the cooling process faster.

When the vinegar mixture is cool, pack the sugar snaps, garlic and flakes into a 1-quart jar and pour the brine over it. Cover with a non-reactive cap.

The original recipe suggests you store the jar in the refrigerator for two weeks before eating the pickled peas, but it is likely that you will start eating them the next day, and the jar will be gone a few days later. :)

smashed pea & mint pesto

As promised, here is another recipe I made for Cait’s bridal shower. I saw the recipe on The Kitchn last week, and decided to make it for the shower as it requires only 5 ingredients. And, I happened to have all 5 ingredients onhand (bonus points for me having a stocked pantry?)!

While The Kitchn calls this a ‘bruschetta’ I think it more resembles a pesto, and so I’m calling it a pesto. Whatever you feel like calling it, this is the perfect spring/summer appetizer. Its light, fresh, healthy, and oh-so-pretty to look at.

Smashed Pea & Mint Pesto
Adapted from Real Simple

1 bag of frozen shelled green peas, thawed
2 large sprigs of fresh mint (about 2 tbl, chopped)
Olive oil
Salt & fresh ground pepper

Lightly pulse the thawed peas and chopped mint in a food processor. Drizzle in olive oil, and pulse again for just a moment. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. And that’s it! Seriously, its that easy. (I’m sure one could do a lot of different variations on this recipe — add garlic, or lemon juice, or parsley, etc. But seriously, its delicious just as it is!)

eating green: spinach pasta with kale and a pistachio & meyer lemon sauce.

In honor of our little sister Candyce’s wedding, Danielle and I made a date to hang out this past Saturday morning. Since we couldn’t be with Candyce on her wedding day, It seemed appropriate that we should at least be to be together. Danielle had the brilliant idea of going to the big Portland Farmers Market downtown. I have dearly missed the farmers markets (as they close down during the winter), but Saturday was the grand re-opening of the big farmers market by PSU.

I had never been to this particular market, as I usually go to a smaller one in my neighborhood. I was completely and totally blown away by the PSU farmers market. There were so many amazing vendors and farms! So much to taste, smell, sample (and buy!). I quickly realized that I was ill-prepared with my meager $5 in cash, and set about finding an ATM as I knew I would be buying much more than $5 worth of goods. After much deliberation, I ended up with a few potatoes, a beautiful (and huge!) leek, a big bunch of kale, a few yellow onions, a quart of coconut and lentil soup (SO DELICIOUS) and a 4 pound leg of lamb from SuDan Farms. (Note: The lamb is for our Easter feast…to break the Lenten fast! I will write more on the lamb when I actually cook it).

Needless to say, I am thrilled that it is farmers market season again. I came home from the market and promptly whipped up a light & fresh dinner that was inspired by the kale I bought at the market. I had seen a few adaptations of this pistachio and kale pasta recipe on Tastespotting (though, the recipe is originally from 101 Cookbooks) and so I set about putting my own spin on the pasta. This recipe caught my eye as the sauce is made from pistachios, and I don’t believe I’ve ever had a sauce made from pistachios. It just soundeded different. And good. So I set about making it.

Each of the recipes I saw (the original and an adaptation) called for a fruit element – one tossed the pasta with pomegranate seeds, and another with dried cranberries. For whatever reason, I wasn’t terribly excited about the prospect of either of those ingredients and decided to brighten the whole dish with a hint of Meyer Lemon juice instead. If you ask me, it was a great decision. The dish is something akin to a cold pasta salad, but lighter and fresher than your typical heavy (and creamy) pasta salad. The pistachios add a beautiful color and a great nutty texture. The meyer lemon really brightened the whole dish, and rounded out the flavor. When I make this dish again (and I will. It was delish!), I think I will try adding in roasted asparagus and fresh parmesean. I think that would make this a nearly perfect meal.

Pasta with Pistachio & Meyer Lemon Sauce
(Adapted from 101 Cookbooks)

1 package of spinach (or whole wheat) pasta noodles (I used spaghetti)
1 (small) bunch of fresh kale, de-stemmed and roughly chopped.
3/4 cup of roasted (shelled) pistachios
The juice of 1 Meyer Lemon (or regular lemon, whatever you have on hand)
2 gloves of garlic, smashed
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

To make the sauce:
Blend the olive oil, garlic, pistachios, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes in a food processor until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste (if you use salted pistachios you may want to be careful not to oversalt). If the sauce is too thick, add small amounts of olive oil and lemon juice to thin the sauce to your desired consistency. If you like spice (like I do) feel free to add more black pepper and chili flakes.

For the pasta:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Once the pasta is ready, add in the chopped kale and immediately remove from the heat. Make sure the kale is immersed in the water (use tongs, fork, etc) and immediately strain the whole pot (noodles & kale) and then rinse with cold water (to ensure that the noodles don’t stick together). If serving immediately, try to pat the pasta and kale dry, so as not to have excess water. A salad spinner works for this, too!

Toss the pasta and kale mixture with the pistachio sauce. Serve cold (or room temperature).