Recipe: Japanese Carrot Ginger Dressing (Revisited)

I had another carrot ginger dressing recipe posted that was very simple to make if you didn't have Japanese ingredients.
This one is another version that has more ingredients and a more complex flavor.
This recipe makes 2 cups.

Ingredients

• 3 medium-size carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced across the grain
• 1 shallot, minced
• 3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• ¼ cup neutral flavored oil like canola or vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil (I like Kadoya brand)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 4 teaspoons white miso paste
• 2 teaspoons mirin

Directions

Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend/process until a creamy puree. You may add a bit of water and mix until it is to your preferred consistency.
Keeps in the refrigerator for about a week.

Dark sesame oil is made with toasted sesame seeds and has great depth of flavor.
The miso you find at Asian markets is often sold red or white with white being the one commonly used in miso soup.
Miring is a sweet cooking wine that gives teriyaki dishes it's shiny luster.

Recipe: Asparagus and Zucchini Salad

Asparagus is on sale at one of my local supermarkets (Pathmark) for $2.49 per pound as well as green and yellow squash at $1.49 per pound.

I once made this raw salad with these ingredients that Giada calls a "Crudi" and decided to buy these vegetables to make this again. Besides, vegetables are good for you and the crunchy, fresh flavors of this salad are perfect for a hot Summer's day (tomorrow the first day of Summer is coming in here with a blast of 97° heat!).
I look for slender pencil like spears of asparagus for this salad as they are more tender. You can also blanch and cool them before cutting if you are not fond of raw asparagus and if the asparagus you buy happen to be thicker. I cut the thin pencil asparagus into 1/2" pieces but if you use thicker asparagus, cut them 1/4" or thinner.
When you see the the term trimmed, it means that you trim off the hard woody bottom of the asparagus. When you bend the asparagus, it will snap at the point where the asparagus starts to get tough and woody. Trim off the bottom tough ends. With the zucchini, it's the end tips.

I used yellow squash for more color and omitted the cheese to reduce the fat in the dish.

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentis



Ingredients

• 2 zucchini, trimmed
• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ounce shaved Pecorino Romano, for garnish

Directions

1. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the zucchini into long thin strips. 
2. Thinly slice the asparagus on a diagonal. 
3. Toss the slices together and place the salad in a serving bowl.
4. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and drizzle over the vegetables. Toss to coat. 
5. Garnish with the Pecorino shavings. 
6. Serve.

Recipe: Orange Fennel Salad

In this week's Pathmark circular, Anise (Fennel) and Navel Oranges are on sale for $1.50 and $1 respectively. With the addition of arugula and a red onion, you can make this salad that I first posted last year.


http://itscommoncents.blogspot.com/2010/12/window-garden-and-orange-fennel-salad.html

Recipe: Wheat Berry Salad with Cucumber, Peas, and Mint

I bought a bag of wheat berries in a Chinatown supermarket for $1 a while ago and have been wondering what to do with it for quite some time.

Cucumbers are on sale this time of year and I bought 3 for $1 along with a box of frozen peas for 99¢. With my mint growing profusely in the herb garden, I decided to put the ingredients all together and invented this light Summer salad. Peas, cucumber, and mint seem to go together quite nicely.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup wheat berries
• 1 large cucumber (diced) if it has a waxy coating, peel it first!
• 10 oz. box of frozen peas (thawed)
• 1/4 cup fresh mint (chopped)
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

Directions

1. Rinse the wheat berries and put into a pot with enough water to cover by 2 inches.
2. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered for an hour.
3. Drain the wheat berries and allow to cool.
4. All all ingredients into a large bowl and toss. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve.

Recipe: Simple Pasta Salad

It's been a REALLY hot Summer so far and one does not want to cook in such weather.

I came up with this recipe using grocery items I saw on sale at the local supermarket this week.

These are the prices for the America's Choice brand which I find just as good as national brands.

Frozen boxed vegetables (10 oz.) are on sale for 99¢ each.

16 oz. box of dried pasta is 80¢

8 oz. block of cheese is $1.50

16 oz. bottle of salad dressing $1.50

Ingredients

• Half of a 16 oz. box of shaped pasta such as Rotini, Rotelle, (or your favorite shape)
• 10 oz. box of frozen mixed vegetables
• 4 oz. of sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup salad dressing (Italian, Caesar, Balsamic, Ranch, or your favorite)

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and follow pasta manufacturer's direction on cooking the pasta shape of your choice.
2. While pasta is cooking, dice up the block of cheese into 1/4" cubes.
3. Add the box of frozen vegetables a few minutes before pasta is ready.
4. When pasta is done, drain the pasta and vegetables. Add to a large bowl.
5. Add the salad dressing and toss to coat. You want to cool down the pasta before adding the cheese.
6. Add the cheese and toss again.
7. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Recipe: Bang Bang Chicken

This dish is so named because of the sound of banging as you hit the cooked chicken breast into loose meaty threads.

Consider this a Szechuan Chinese version of the American chicken salad. It's a great way to utilize the poached chicken breast from making White Cut Chicken ("Bak Chit Gai") which you can also find on this blog.

The Szechuan pepper lends a lemony flavor and numbing sensation to the dish.

This dish stimulates all the tastes of sweet, salty, tangy, and spicy.

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the salad:

• 1 large chicken breast (cooked)
• 1 large cucumber (or you can substitute 1 head of romaine lettuce sliced thinly)
• 1 large carrot julienned (cut into match stick sized pieces)
• 3 scallions cut into 2" pieces and then thinly sliced lengthwise (so it looks like grass)

For the dressing:

• 2 tablespoons tahini sesame paste (you can also use smooth peanut butter)
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce (I use Kikoman)
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil (I like Kadoya brand)
• 1 tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar (you can substitute Balsamic)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground Szechuan Pepper (optional)
• 1 teaspoon Chili flakes (optional)
• 4 tablespoons water

Directions

1. With the back of a chef's knife, bang the chicken (skin side up) until the chicken starts to flatten and loosen into fibers. You can then pull the chicken meat into bite sized pieces.
2. If using cucumber, cut in hald lengthwise, scoop out seeds with a spoon, and slice thinly.
3. Put all the salad ingredients into a large bowl.
4. In a small bowl combine all the dressing ingredients and mix well. The sauce will look like it's breaking but keep stirring until it is all smooth.
5. Toss with the salad ingredients and serve.

Recipe: Orange Fennel Salad

Did I mention I have a window garden?

It's mild here on the East Coast even now and I grew arugula from seed over the Summer (grows quite fast) and have a window box specifically for herbs (Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme).

Gardening is quite relaxing and tending to one in Manhattan can really take the stress out of you.

Fennel was on sale for 99¢ a piece at Shoprite and oranges also on sale so I thought to buy them to make a salad. What a surprise when I found out that arugula was needed for most of these recipes and I didn't buy any. Luckily all I had to do was turn to my window...

Made this today for lunch. Recipe courtesy of Whole Foods.

Serves 4

Colorful and crunchy, the sweetness of the oranges in this salad is a tasty contrast to the sharp clean flavor of fennel. Save any juice that accumulates when you slice the oranges and use it when making the dressing, if you like.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons orange juice

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups packed baby arugula

1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

3 large navel oranges, peeled and sliced into thin rounds

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Method

In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to make a dressing. Divide arugula among 4 salad plates. Toss fennel with orange slices and red onions, then arrange on top of arugula. Drizzle with dressing and garnish with almonds.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 9oz/258g-wt.): 260 calories (160 from fat), 18g total fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 320mg sodium, 25g total carbohydrate (7g dietary fiber, 15g sugar), 4g protein

Recipe: Carrot Ginger Dressing

This recipe makes a salad dressing similar to those found in Japanese restaurants. I had this along with a salad recipe in an older posting but decided to post it again separately so that it can be found more easily.

• 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped finely
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a blender, combine all the ingredients except the oil. Pulse blender until the mixture is mostly smooth, then add the oil and puree for 15 seconds. (Blending oil for too long emulsifies it, giving it a mayonnaise flavor you don't want in this dressing.)

*Tip: Use a spoon to scrape the skin off the ginger. It makes peeling quickly without waste.
Use a neutral flavored oil like corn or canola, not extra virgin olive oil which will affect the taste.

Recipe: Chickpea,Tofu, Avocado Salad

Here is a recipe that I created inspired by a salad I had at a cafe in the East Village.

It's quite easy to make and economical as well if you prepare the salad in advance to take with you (I divide them into 4 plastic reusable Chinese take-out containers). Omit the dressing when you prepare the salads in advance as it will start to wilt the salad.
This recipe serves 4.

• 1 head of iceberg lettuce


• 15oz canned chickpeas (drained and rinsed)


• 2 carrots (peeled and shredded)


• 12.3oz box Mori-Nu Silken Tofu (Extra Firm)


• 1 ripe avocado (pitted, skin removed, and sliced)

1. With a sharp chef's knife, cut the head of lettuce into quarters. Cut off root end and then chop each quarter into bite sized pieces (as you chop up each quarter, put them into each serving bowl).


2. Divide the chickpeas into 4 servings (about 1/4 cup each in each serving bowl).


3. Divide the shredded carrots among the four serving bowls.


4. Cut the tofu into 1/2" small cubes and divide amongst the serving bowls.


5. Divide the avocado into four servings and add to the serving bowls (about 3 slices each).

Serve with your favorite salad dressing or try this recipe for Ginger Carrot Dressing:

• 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks


• 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled


• 1 tablespoon soy sauce


• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar


• 1/4 cup orange juice


• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a blender, combine all the ingredients except the oil. Pulse blender until the mixture is mostly smooth, then add the oil and puree for 15 seconds. (Blending oil for too long emulsifies it, giving it a mayonnaise flavor you don't want in this dressing.)