Category Archives: Raw

Farmers Market to Table Gazpacho

Posted on August 11, 2013 | 1 comment

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Delicious fresh vegetables from the local farmers market went into this gazpacho. This time of year you must take advantage of the awesome selection of fruit and vegetables at your local farmers market. In Colorado there is so much local produce it would be a pity not to . I bought the tomatoes , cucumbers, peppers, garlic and red onion all from our local farmers market. Whole Foods also sells many local products which is so amazing. I don’t want to preach and there are so very many foods that I am particularly fond of that come from very foreign shores ( shrimp for one) . It’s just quite the thing to put food on your table from your own garden or at least from one within 100 miles of where you live. Farm to Table . Simply put it’s the best .

Ingredients:

1 cucumber or 2 – 3 Kirby size cukes, halved and seeded , but don’t peel . If not Kirby cukes you can use a hothouse cucumber. Go organic, because you are eating the peel.

2 yellow bell peppers, cored and seeded. Of course you can use red bell peppers, but not green.

4 tomatoes , use what you can find. I went to local farmers market for mine . If you use plum tomatoes use 4.

1 red onion

3 garlic cloves, minced or throw them into the food processor along with vegetables

3 cups Spicy V8 or use regular tomato juice

1/4 cup champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar

1/4 cup good olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

*1/2 to 1 whole jalapeno depending on how spicy you like it, remove seeds from jalapeno

* cilantro, chopped is a nice touch for garnish

*avocado cut up is also nice garnish

*shrimp is also a nice garnish

Directions:

I cut up cukes, tomatoes, bell peppers and red onions into app. 1 inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor with steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not make baby food, don’t over process.

After each vegetable is chopped up combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic ( if you haven’t already) , juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. It’s a good idea to chill for a while, the longer it sits the more the taste develops.

The second night I added shrimp and avocado.

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Vicki’s Rockin’ Raw Broccoli Salad

Posted on August 2, 2013 | Leave a comment

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Hummingbirds swarming feeders

Hummingbirds swarming feeders

finished product with nuts and avocado

finished product with nuts and avocado

I am always so happy when a reader submits a recipe to me . If the recipe appeals to me  I will try and  make the recipes as soon as I can from when I receive them which isn’t always easy. I did make this one and lost some of my photos on my camera. and had to make it again and re-do the photos which ended up OK because this is such a delicious healthy salad choice I was happy to eat it again.  This one comes from Vicki and I want to thank her so very much for this delicious raw salad. Super healthy and tasty. While it might not be for everyone ( Joel ) I really enjoyed it. This was how I did it. And again thanks Vicki and keep Cooking with Candi. This also couldn’t be any easier,  I put the whole salad together in 15 minutes from start to finish. Now that’s a salad you can get behind.

Ingredients:

1 head of broccoli, chopped or thinly sliced ( I used my food processor but you can do by hand and just chop small thin pieces )

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. sherry vinegar

1 heaping tbsp. stone ground mustard

1 scooped out avocado , cut into chunks

1 handful chopped raw almonds ( Vicki leaves her almonds whole and just throws them into salad, whichever you prefer)

Directions:

I used about 3/4 of a head of broccoli this particular head of broccoli seemed super huge, I think ordinarily you would use 1 whole head .  I chopped it in my food processor. In a separate bowl I whisked together the oil, vinegar and mustard. Pour the dressing over the broccoli, and right before serving add the chunks of avocado and chopped nuts , mix and serve.

*this was very tasty when dressing sat on broccoli and had time to seep in . I would add dressing at least an hour before serving. Then right before serving add avocado . If time allows, if not it was just fine.

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Broccoli Slaw and Bowties — Vegan Style

Posted on June 26, 2013 | 5 comments

DSCN0239DSCN0243DSCN0247DSCN0241DSCN0261My new obsession seems to be this broccoli slaw. It is so easy to use, has a lot of crunch and tastes delicious in different ways with different dressings. This one is super easy to put together, and I used Vegenaise but you can clearly use Mayonnaise if you don’t care , either or. Ingredients are easy to obtain in almost any supermarket today. I used 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne and it had a bit of kick, if you don’t like the kick take it down a notch or omit it entirely and it will be just fine. This is a great raw summer slaw/pasta salad packing nutrients, crunch and sugar and spice. I used about 6 oz. of farfalle ( bowtie pasta) and again you could probably make this and leave out the pasta entirely if that’s the way you’d like it. I would then double the slaw. I bought the broccoli slaw in a 12oz. bag.

I love this salad. We ate it with my Lemon grilled chicken breasts for dinner

*easily serves 6 – 8 as a side dish and easily doubled

Ingredients:

6 – 8 oz. of farfalle noodles ( bowtie)

1 bag of broccoli slaw ( mine was 12 oz. use up to 16 oz.)

1 cup sunflower nuts ( roasted and unsalted) you don’t need extra salt or slivered almonds would be nice

1 cup dried craisins ( you can use raisins, cherries or whatever dried fruit you prefer)

1/2 cup 2% plain greek yogurt – Fage is perfect

1/4 cup Vegenaise or mayonnaise

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar ( you need to neutralize the acid in vinegar)

*1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper ( use at your own discretion) you know we love it spicy

app. 1/2 tsp. kosher salt and a few grinds of the black pepper mill — use a little at a time, and taste.

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions for al dente. Cool.

I put broccoli slaw, nuts and dried craisins in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, I whisked together the yogurt, vegenaise, cider vinegar, sugar, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper. I tasted dressing for salt and pepper, adjusted accordingly and ended up adding a little more salt, bringing the salt to the 1/2 tsp. I started with 1/4 teaspoon. Remember you can always add salt but you really cannot take it away, so be mindful.

Add bowties to slaw, and add the dressing and stir to combine. Taste for salt and pepper again. I didn’t add any this time around.

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Michele’s Ramon Noodle Salad – Perfect Summer Salad

Posted on June 15, 2013 | 1 comment

photoI have already posted my version of a Napa Noodle Salad, which we all love and totally enjoy all summer long. Here is a new spin on it. We went to our friend’s house for dinner and Michele served this delicious noodle salad with just a little bit of a difference from mine but different and delicious enough that it’s worth the post for sure. So whether you love the other one or never even tried it this one is definitely worthy and will be a part of my Summer Salad Repertoire.  Michele is a wonderful entertainer and she did an amazing job that night and my parting gift was this recipe. Thanks again Michele! And by the way Joel loved it, and it contains Broccoli Slaw!!!! this was a major shock for sure. Maybe the tide is turning? This is not vegetarian but my Napa Noodle Salad is so just substitute that dressing. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup of olive oil ( you can use a little less)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

2 – 3 packages slaw of any style or mix. Michele used 2 12 oz. bags broccoli slaw and one bag regular cole slaw (these bags of slaw are available in almost every supermarket now in the lettuce section) 3 bags will serve 12 nicely and there is enough dressing for 3 .

2 packages beef flavored Ramon noodle soup mix ( I know this is a bummer for the vegetarians out there)

1/2 cup sunflower seed kernels

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1 tbsp. soy sauce

Directions:

Prepare dressing by combining oil, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce and two flavor packets from soup mix. Whisk well and chill. Make the dressing early in the day and whisk it a few times throughout the day.

Before you’re ready to serve , crush the ramen noodles. Then combine slaws, seeds, almonds, and noodles.

Dress salad 10 minutes before serving. Put together the salad right before serving so everything stays crunchy.   Enjoy!

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Avocado Salad with Corn and Tomatoes and Lots of Good Stuff – Vegan

Posted on June 13, 2013 | 3 comments

DSCN0190 DSCN0195 DSCN0194 DSCN0199Most perfect summer salad and it is a vegetarian delight. totally vegan. I am not a vegan so I was grilling steaks for dinner and wanted to do a cold salad on the side. I had 2 beautiful ripe avocados on hand and all the ingredients for this yummy salad.  I had some fresh corn so I just brought the water to a boil threw it in and when it turned yellow took it out and threw it in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.   Of course I love  jalapenos , use your own discretion and this would be amazing without as well but it was kick ass with them.  You can make the salad ahead and let juices meld but don’t add the avocados till you’re ready to serve.  You can give them a little squeeze of fresh lime juice so they won’t turn brown so fast.  I like to serve salad at room temperature, you just don’t get the flavors when it’s too cold. It will keep in fridge for a few days, but you’ll have to take out the leftover avocado since it will turn brown. I cut this salad in 1/2 for the 2 of us. This easily will serve 6 as a side. By the way Joel took a bite but too much healthy stuff going on in here for his liking, although he’s gotten better he’s not quite up to this yet, it’s OK because there was more for me with leftovers.

I was inspired for this recipe from the Barefoot Contessa recipe for Guacamole Salad. The corn was my idea.

Ingredients:

2 cobs of fresh corn ( cook and then shuck corn off the cob) if no fresh corn available use frozen . I use frozen when I have to and 1 small bag is usually sufficient. The frozen corn will defrost very quickly so just take it out and when you mix in with other ingredients it will start to completely thaw by the time you’re ready to serve. You want to serve at room temperature anyway.

1 pint grape tomatoes , halved

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced into small pieces ( app. 1/2 “)

1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup small diced red onion

2 tablespoons minced fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded ( app. 2 small jalapenos) use at your own discretion . Remove Seeds

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice ( 2 limes)

1/4 cup good olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

2 ripe Hass avocados, seeded, peeled and cut into small cubes.

Directions:

Place the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, jalapeno peppers, and lime zest in a large bowl. Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, garlic and cayenne pepper. Pour over the vegetables. Toss well. In the meanwhile cook the corn , bring water to a boil throw in for a few minutes to turn bright yellow, then I throw in a bowl of ice water for a few minutes to stop the cooking and lock in flavor and color. Then remove corn from cob. I let the salad sit for about an hour before adding avocados into the salad. Just fold avocados into the salad when you’re ready to serve. Check for seasoning and serve at room temperature.

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Roasted Asparagus with Simple Lemon Vinaigrette- Springtime is here

Posted on April 8, 2013 | 2 comments

photoI wish it were warmer but I can feel it coming, any day now . If you read my blog you know how very much I love asparagus and I am always looking for new things to do with it. Love the woody fresh flavor they bring with them. Asparagus may be a year round presence these days, but the “real” deal appears each and every spring. It’s only for a few months that we’ll have these beautiful spears. I love them barely cooked with a simple delicious vinaigrette, love them in an omelette, salads, pastas and just plain roasted . Just don’t overcook them, that’s sad , they go limp and stringy and just plain old bad. I love them just cooked and thrown into my Quinoa Salad. Just throw them into a pot of boiling salted water for a minute till they turn bright green, remove and cool down and mix in with the quinoa for a delicious addition.  This recipe below is to roast asparagus in the oven and top it with this simple lemon vinaigrette. It stands on its own as a side dish or you can add it to any salad.

Ingredients:

3/4 – 1 lb. fresh asparagus, remove woody stems and if they’re very thick take a vegetable peeler to them. I usually just break off the bottoms where they will just snap off when you bend them, or use a knife.

olive oil ( a good glug)

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

Vinaigrette:

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon olive oil

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

*this can easily be doubled

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Break off the ends of the asparagus and if they’re very thick, peel them a little bit with a vegetable peeler. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet, drizzle with a good glug of good olive oil, then toss to coat the asparagus completely. Spread the asparagus in a single layer and sprinkle liberally with Salt and Pepper. Roast the asparagus until tender but still firm and moist. About 20 – 25 minutes.

Make the vinaigrette: in a small bowl, vigorously whisk together the mustard and lemon juice. Slowly drizzle the olive oil in, whisking quickly so olive oil will emulsify into the juice mixture. Season with Salt and Pepper. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold. If you refrigerate, take out for about an hour so it’s not super cold when you serve.

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Tomato, Corn and Avocado Salsa

Posted on August 12, 2012 | 1 comment

Three of my favorite things in the world in one bowl! Tomato, corn and avocado! All I do is chop up some very ripe tomatoes, and combine with raw corn kernels, and diced avocado, some chopped up fresh cilantro , and fresh lime juice .(about juice of 1 lime)  I like to add a little heat so I put in some minced fresh jalapeno or minced serrano chile. Season with salt and pepper, and there you go a delicious fresh salsa perfect alongside any piece of fish, chicken or just for snacking with chips! Let it sit in lime juice for a bit before serving. Use as much or as little of any of the ingredients. What a perfect side dish, what a perfect fresh raw salsa to serve on chips!  The possibilities are endless here. It’s all fresh and raw and wonderful. Did I mention super easy?

*also a little trick to take corn off the cob is to use your bundt pan, put corn right in the center hole and using your knife cut down from the top, this will prevent corn from flying all over the place and all kernels will just fall directly into the bundt pan. Don’t waste your money on those other corn removal gadgets, they don’t work as well as this.

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Balsamic Syrup – Tomato Time

Posted on July 31, 2012 | 1 comment

The tomatoes are here,  I was at the farmer’s market in Basalt today and the heirlooms and beefsteaks are just starting to show up. I love love these tomatoes.  I bought these beauties today and am going to make a balsamic syrup (reduction) from just ordinary balsamic and drizzle it on my tomatoes .  This is the recipe ( super easy ) for balsamic syrup, I am well aware that you can buy this syrup, however there is no need to if you have a spare 1/2 hour and a bottle of balsamic vinegar. No excuse not to do it, I’m sure you all have some balsamic vinegar in the house, in the time it takes to slice a few tomatoes and cut up some basil you can have homemade balsamic syrup.  Hit the farmer’s market and grab some of these tomatoes . I am going to garnish with some of my home grown basil, and if you like feta or fresh mozzarella it would be amazing on this as well. I actually did sprinkle just a touch of crumbled feta cheese tonite. The balsamic was sweet and delicious, and gave a very sweet flavor to tomatoes and feta cheese and basil. Here’s the bonus, this delicious balsamic syrup will last indefinitely in an airtight container ( I use a mason jar), keep it in fridge and take out when you want to use it.

Balsamic Syrup:

1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar

Bring the vinegar to a boil in a medium heavy saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until vinegar reduces by nearly 3/4 of its original volume and starts to thicken like a syrup, this should take anywhere between 20 – 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool completely before using.  This delicious syrup is great on crusty bread as well. Makes for an amazing dipping sauce.

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Kale and Quinoa Salad – Summer Salad Perfection

Posted on June 27, 2012 | 3 comments

I love Quinoa and I love Kale. I saw this recipe on Dana Slatkin’s Beverly Hills Farm Girl site,  it is a delicious healthy recipe which I highly recommend . I made a few changes in some of the ingredients I added. You can add or substitute to your heart’s content. I used her recipe for salad dressing, as I am always looking for new ways to re-invent the “wheel”. This dressing is very tasty and I highly recommend but any of the vinaigrettes that I have posted on here will do just fine. It is the summer , time to kick back and enjoy life. Part of enjoying life is eating, and eating well. I made this for dinner last night and even Joel took a taste, which is shocking. I don’t think it’s his favorite but it certainly is one of mine. It’s worth the effort and I plan on eating the leftovers today for lunch. So healthy! try it. Thanks Dana .

Ingredients:

Salad Ingredients:

1 bunch kale, chopped in food processor ( see picture) remove stems and I remove the ribs and just use the leaves. I used 2 bunches because I had 2 in the house. It was a lot of kale and increased the size of the salad by a lot.

chopped kale for salad

1 cucumber , I scoop out the seeds and dice it. You can use Kirby cukes  or Persians which have very few seeds.

1/2 container of Grape Tomatoes , cut up

1/2 – 1 cup Shaved Parmesan, if you don’t have shaved , grated will do just fine

1/2 cup toasted Pine Nuts , place in oven at 350 degrees for about 3 – 4 minutes.

1/2 – 1 cup dried cranberries, or dried cherries ( which I had and used) or just plain old raisins, I just like the color of the cranberries and cherries

2 cups Quinoa. While preparing Quinoa use equal amounts quinoa and water. I disregard box directions. I used 2 cups liquid ( water or broth) to 2 cups quinoa. It comes out dryer and not mushy at all.

Champgne Vinaigrette ( from the Beverly Hills Farmgirl)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon whole grain mustard

1/3 cup Champagne Vinegar

1 tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar

1 teaspoon Honey

3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Kosher Salt ( app. 1/4 teaspoon) taste for salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper, a few grinds to taste

I used a blender and threw all ingredients in and streamed the olive oil in until dressing was emulsified. Taste for Salt and Pepper.

In a large salad bowl toss the kale, quinoa, cheese, tomatoes , cukes, pine nuts and dried fruit of your choice. I made a few hours before serving, and used 1/2 of the vinaigrette and dressed at the table for those who preferred more or less dressing. Can definitley be made a few hours before serving, and I left it out at room temperature for about 2 hours.

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Asparagus with Arugula and Parmesan – Done Simply Raw

Posted on June 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

As you know, I am slightly in love with asparagus. Before the asparagus season ends, I highly recommend this salad. Once the early season goes, you can grill it, you can roast it,  you can douse it in dressings. But in this salad it’s used raw which is really ideal when the asparagus is sweet and fresh. Check out your local green market, and ask where the asparagus is from. I was able to obtain this asparagus at a local market which carried Long Island asparagus, and it was delicious.  Through most of the winter, asparagus comes from Peru; and there’s a lot of early spring asparagus from Mexico and Southern California. The green markets will have regional produce and it’s worth the trip. Just saying… If you don’t buy it at the market, that’s alright too–all asparagus is pretty decent now.  Enjoy this recipe. It couldn’t be simpler.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. medium or large asparagus

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

nice sized bunch of arugula ( 6 – 8 oz) use as much or as little as you like

Chunk of parmesan cheese for shaving (with a vegetable peeler)

Directions:

Snap off and discard the tough ends of the asparagus. If you have a mandolin, a sharp vegetable peeler or thin bladed knife, use one of those tools to slice the asparagus as thinly as possible, like paper-thin ribbons. If you prefer, you can slice diagonally; just try to get the pieces as thin as possible, because you are not cooking them. So it’s all about thin slices. I used a vegetable peeler.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil to make a dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place the asparagus ribbons in a shallow salad bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper and coat with some of the dressing. Add the arugula, tossing gently to distribute the asparagus. Drizzle with the remaining dressing.

With a vegetable peeler, shave thin curls of Parmesan over the salad.

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