Category Archives: Raw

Couscous Salad, Real Mediterranean Style

Posted on May 2, 2012 | 3 comments

It’s springtime so I am thinking of lighter food, and of course salads come to my mind. I make this recipe with couscous or quinoa. I have another recipe for quinoa on my website so I figured that I would make one with couscous this time, but feel free to use either one. The dressing has a definite Greek flavor. This dish is perfectly tasty and served with grilled fish or chicken you have a perfect meal. As far as salads go, this one is perfection. This is not an exact science; if you like a lot of tomatoes, add more. If there is another item here that you don’t like, feel free to substitute, and I’d love to hear what you did. I love to hear variations on my recipes. This is so quick and easy to assemble. Can definitely be made ahead of time.

Ingredients: 

Vinaigrette:

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 /2 teaspoon dried oregano (if you like to use fresh, use 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh oregano)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste – I started with a 1/4 teaspoon of Kosher Salt and a few grinds of the peppermill.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (use a good one)

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk in the olive oil slowly. Adjust the salt and pepper and set aside.

Ingredients for Couscous:

Prepare 1  box (usually 10 – 12 ounces) couscous (or quinoa) according to the directions but use 1/4 less water than it calls for. For example, the Near East Couscous calls for 2 cups of water or broth so I would reduce by 1/2 cup. After cooking, allow to cool for a bit then stick in the fridge for about an hour. I usually cook my couscous in either chicken broth or vegetable broth for extra added flavor.

1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half (I like a lot of tomatoes, so use more if you do too) I tend to like my tomatoes cut into smaller pieces but cut however you like just don’t leave whole

1 cup pitted black or Kalamata olives (I prefer Kalamata because they are saltier)

1 roasted red or orange pepper (you can use from jar) I just eyeballed from the jar, use as much as you’d like

1 cup garbanzo beans (drained from the can are fine)

6 ounces cubed feta cheese

1/4 cup sliced green onions or chopped red onion would work quite well here as well

* chopped cucumbers would be a nice addition as well, I didn’t use this time

In a large bowl, gently toss the couscous, tomato, pepper, olives, beans and feta. Add the dressing, transfer to a lovely serving bowl and there you go. This is so delicious and light, it’s a perfect side dish and a beautiful salad .

3 Comments

Posted in Healthy Cooking with Candi, Raw, Salad, salad dressing, vegetables, vegetarian

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Greek Salad

Posted on April 12, 2012 | 1 comment

I originally posted this way back and figured what a perfect day to re-post. This has become my go to Greek Salad and Salad Dressing when I want to make it at home. I of course love anchovies and feel free to put in there. I didn’t have any whole garlic cloves so I used garlic powder and you know what? it worked out just right. If you’d prefer to use chopped fresh garlic go right ahead. I am going to give you ingredients from tonite’s dressing because it tasted just right. This is salad , so please feel free to substitute and leave out whatever you don’t like and add in whatever you like. Joel only eats the lettuce and cheese, I ate all of the other ingredients.  I like to chop up a grilled piece of chicken and add in or a piece of salmon if you’re looking to make this more of a meal. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 head of iceberg and 1 whole head of romaine (you can use less lettuce and you’ll just have a little more dressing left over depending on how you like it) you can also use all iceberg or all romaine, I like the combo.

grape tomatoes cut in 1/2 ( about 1/2 the package that it comes in )

1 small cucumber diced up, I take the seeds out first and then slice it up with skin on, do it however you like

red onion diced, use as much or as little as you like

1/4 cup Kalamata Olives cut up without pits

3/4 cup of cubed Feta Cheese – I like it cubed for some wierd reason in this salad, again use whatever you prefer

Dressing:

In a small mixing bowl using a small whisk

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon of oregano, I love oregano so I used a heaping amount, if you don’t use less

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Mix spices and red wine vinegar and then slowly whisk in the olive oil, when you’re ready to serve pour over salad and mix. Add as much as you’d like. This dressing should dress the whole salad depending on how light or heavy you like your salad dressed.

Enjoy! this is a perfect meal with fish or chicken or any protein you like. I put it on top of chicken and it was really good. Sort of a spin on Chicken Milanese Greek Style.

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Posted in Raw, Salad, salad dressing, vegetables, vegetarian

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Traditional Ashkenazi Charoset–Apple/Walnut

Posted on March 22, 2012 | 1 comment

DSCN2703This is my easiest Charoset. It’s traditional in the sense that it’s an Ashkenazi (Eastern European) recipe. I add a little brown sugar instead of white sugar and it gives it just a bit more character. This makes about 4 cups, but you can easily double it. My family loves it, so I always make a double batch. Remember, while a reminder of the mortar used in making bricks for Pharaoh, charoset is really just a sweet condiment of apples and wine!

Ingredients:

3 medium Fuji apples (or any other kind you like), peeled, cored and finely diced (use processor to make your life simpler) I usually use whatever is in the house, but on Passover I go through so many apples, so buy what you like (I always like Granny Smith because they are nice and tart)

1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped (buy them pre-chopped)

1/2 cup sweet red wine such as Manischewitz Extra Heavy Malaga or just Concord Grape is fine

*20 pitted dates, chopped; or 1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

*for a bit of extra added flavor you can add 1/2 teaspoon of powdered ginger (optional)

Directions:

After chopping apples, stir all ingredients in a large bowl. Keep in refrigerator ’til ready to serve. Serve at room temperature. You can also pulse everything together in processor, just be very careful not to over-process. I often do this to save time. You don’t want it too fine, so just go gently with the processor if you go that route. I do it in the processor, and I know exactly how I like it to come out, so go easy with the chopping.  If it’s a little dry or too thick, you can always add more wine. I find this always tastes better after it sits and allows the wine  to really soak and ripen for 24 hours. Before serving, check for consistency and add a little more wine, if necessary.

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Posted in condiment, Holiday Recipes, Passover Recipes, Raw, sides, vegetarian

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Chiffonade of Greens with Avocado and Red Onion in a Lemon Sherry Vinaigrette

Posted on December 21, 2011 | 5 comments

Sherry Lemon Vinaigrette ingredients

This salad is also from my cooking class with Karen Lee. I loved this salad. It was so delicious. Of course you probably have to love avocados and red onion but if you do, this is just an awesome delicious salad. Very easy, very few ingredients, and very few moving parts. Enjoy!

Feel free to add any protein into this salad. Chicken,  shrimp, tofu, or even some chopped eggs. Recently I have been seeing a lot of  poached or fried egg on top of salad. Yum! this one would be perfect with a fried egg atop! Give it a try.

Ingredients:

Salad:

1 bunch arugula (try to use organic if available; if you don’t have arugula, you can use escarole, endive, frisee or chicory)

1 bunch romaine or red leafy lettuce (you can throw in a little radicchio as well)

*use any combo of your favorite greens

1/2 cup diced red onion (optional)

1 ripe (not too ripe) avocado, diced

*any protein you like

Sherry Lemon Vinaigrette:

6 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. aged sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

2 tbsp. lemon juice (or lime)

pinch cayenne powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

Make the dressing by dissolving the salt in the lemon juice and vinegar. Then add the cayenne and whisk in the olive oil.

Directions:

Clean lettuces and dry. I wrap lettuce in a dry kitchen towel and set aside. However, you can clean and dry lettuce however you want; it is fine. You can even buy pre-washed lettuces .  Peel and dice red onion.* Combine the lettuce, onion and diced avocado in a bowl. Toss with most of the dressing, taste, and then add more dressing, if desired. This is a lovely salad and you can keep it very simple. I ate it with Roast Chicken the other night, and they went together perfectly. I only used arugula but use whatever lettuce you like.

* The only suggestion I have is that if it is the winter and the red onion is particularly strong, you can soak it in a small bowl of water with a little lemon juice and drain and dry, thus removing the very strong oniony flavor. This is usually not an issue in the summer. Or just let it be strong, and just dice it and add it.


5 Comments

Posted in Raw, Salad, salad dressing, vegan, vegetarian

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