Seared Scallops with Blue Lentil and Roasted Radish Salad

Dan    Mains, Recipes     lentils, radishes, recipes, salad, scallops, seabuckthorne berries, summer

What you’ll need…

Lentil Salad:

1 cup radishes (trimmed and halved)

2 cups cooked beluga lentils

1 gala apple (thinly sliced, then cut into matchsticks)

1/4 cup kalamta olives (pitted and sliced)

1/4 cup chives (finely chopped)

1/4 cup red onion (thinly sliced)

8 cherry tomatoes (quartered)

1 lime (zest and juice)

1 TBSP red wine vinegar

1 TBSP kalamata olive juice

salt and pepper

olive oil

Scallops:

1/2 cup sea-buckthorn berries

1 orange (zested and juiced)

1 clove garlic

1 TBSP white sugar

1 TBSP tomato paste

1 TSP chili powder

1 TSP butter

2 TSP grape seed oil

8 large scallops

I spent the last week in Saskatoon. I was home to attend my ten year high school reunion. It’s kind of scary how fast time goes by these days. I’m gettin’ old!

Although, Saskatoon has a tendency to make me over indulge in patio beers and barbecues with friends, I found some time to whip up this dish at my parents’ house this past Sunday. Saskatoon has a gorgeous farmers’ market where I found some sweet beluga (blue) lentils and sea-buckthorn berries.

Both the lentils and berries might be hard to locate in Calgary, so feel free to stick with your favourite lentil and some cranberries in lieu. The seared scallops with this salad were the perfect thing to eat on a warm Sunday evening, and I always forget how surprisingly filling lentils can be! Lentils, you rock!

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Brussels Sprout and Pancetta Salad w/Citrus Ginger Beer Vinaigrette

Dan    Appetizers & Co., Recipes     brussels sprouts, pancetta, recipes, salad, salad dressing, spring, vinaigrette

What you’ll need…

Vinaigrette:

4 cloves roasted garlic (minced)

1 orange (zest and juice)

1/4 cup Steam Whistle Pilsner

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 TBSP soy sauce

1 TBSP freshly grated ginger

2 TSP brown sugar

1 TSP sriracha

ground black pepper

Salad:

1/2 cup pancetta (loosely chopped)

1/2 cup walnuts

1 TBSP white sugar

1TBSP water

3 cups brussels sprouts (trimmed and leaves separated)

2 Belgian endives (trimmed, halved and thinly sliced)

1 orange (segmented and halved)

I seem to be on a weird salad kick lately. Well, nothing like being deliciously healthy I suppose. This salad is perfect for any brussels sprouts haters out there. Long gone are the days of microwaving previously frozen b-sprouts and smothering them in processed cheese. Sometimes it’s alright to allow these little green guys to get a sorta fancy once in awhile.

For the vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. If you have any mason jars kicking around, just place the dressing ingredients in there and give ‘er a good shake…with the lid on, of course. Season with a bit of ground black pepper and set aside for now.

Place the chopped pancetta in a small pan and cook on medium-high heat until nice and crispy. Remove the pancetta from the pan and onto some paper towel to a soak up any excess grease. Next, add the walnuts, sugar and water into the same pan, tossing a few times to coat. Let the walnuts cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Blanch the brussels sprout leaves for one minute in a medium-sized pot of liberally salted, boiling water. Remove from pot and bring into an ice bath or rinse with cold tap water. Pat dry with some paper towel, or salad spinner if you have one.

When it’s time to eat, combine all salad ingredients in a large serving bowl, pour in approximately 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette and toss gently with hands or tongs until the salad is dressed.

Serve with a cold beer! You deserve it!

Serves 4

Total prep time…20 min

Roasted Kale and Radicchio Salad with Blueberry Green Tea Vinaigrette

Dan    Appetizers & Co., Recipes     gluten-free, green tea, kale, recipes, salad, salad dressing, vegetarian

What you’ll need…

Vinaigrette:

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 lemon (juiced, reserve zest for salad)

2 TBSP dried blueberries

2 TSP sugar

2 TSP grainy mustard

1/4 cup steeped green tea (cooled)

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Salad:

1 bunch green kale (stem removed, loosely chopped)

1 head raddichio (chopped)

1 lemon (zested, sliced into thin strips)

1/2 red onion (thinly sliced)

5 radishes (thinly sliced)

1 orange (sliced, then quartered)

1/2 cup green pumpkin seeds

2/3 cup ricotta cheese

Now that it’s finally spring, my love of salads has finally returned. Not that it ever disappeared, it just takes a back seat to comfort food and beer in the colder months of the year. As well, as a result of my increased intake of comfort food and beer during the winter, I will obligated to keep on the lighter side for awhile, diet-wise. Kale is a superhero green with it’s hearty and almost meaty kind of flavour. Makes for a wicked salad. Roasting it will bring out a more vibrant green colour and give it a bit of a crunch as well. This is spring on a plate people! Eat it up!

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Acorn Squash And Pink Peppercorn Vinaigrette

Dan    Appetizers & Co., Recipes, Vegan/Vegetarian     acorn squash, autumn, recipes, salad, squash, vegan, vegetarian

What you’ll need…

Dressing:

1/2 acorn squash (gutted, reserve seeds)

3 cloves garlic

2 TSP pink peppercorns

1 orange (zest and juice)

1/2 cup of orange juice

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 1/4 cups olive oil

salt and pepper

Salad:

Whatever you’d like, really, but here’s what I used…

remaining 1/2 acorn squash (chopped 1″ pieces, skin on)

1 package spring mix

2 tomatoes (sliced)

1/2 red onion (thinly sliced)

1 small zucchini (halved, 1/2″ sliced, approximately 1 1/2 )

remaining 1/2 acorn squash (chopped 1″ pieces)

1 cup garlic and fine herb boursin cheese (gently crumbled)

There are so many things to do with some many different types of squash and very enough time. True. Story. Since I think most of us are knee deep in squash soups right now, figuratively of course (what an odd sensation that would be if literal), I thought it might be need to try throwing a squash into a salad dressing. Blending the roasted squash in with the usual suspects of vinaigrette ingredients, with some sweetness of the maple and orange, resulted in an interesting autumn-appropriate salad. I tested out this concoction just this past week at my Thanksgiving dinner and although I was too busy drinking wine and socializing, I’m going to just assume that everyone enjoyed it!

As mentioned above, save the squash seeds, then roast them until crispy. Toss with some salt and pepper and sprinkle on top of or salad. Or, do what I did, and just eat all of the seeds by the handful and do not share with anyone.

Roasting a squash of any type is ridiculously simple. Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Place the half squash on a prepared baking sheet, brush with some olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and let roast, flesh side up, for about 35-40 minutes, or until fork tender. Remove from heat and let cool.

Once cool, spoon out flesh into a blender, followed by the next six dressing ingredients. Puree until smooth. Next, while pulsing, gradually pour in the olive oil. Once everything is combined, have a quick taste, and season with some salt and pepper if needed. Store in an air-tight container and refrigerate. Can be stored for up to one week.

**Note: I did notice that after a few days, the maple flavour of the vinaigrette became more and more prominent. If you’re making this in advance, add a bit more oil and vinegar to avoid this. Unless you really like maple, then just sit with it!

When you’re ready to serve, combine the salad ingredients in a large serving bowl. Sprinkle the crumbled boursin cheese (and squash seeds if you didn’t eat them all!) on top, finish with some freshly ground black pepper and you’re good to go!

Yields 4 cups salad dressing

Total cook time…55 minutes (including roasting)

Green Bean And Smoked Salmon Salad

Dan    Appetizers & Co., Recipes     appetizers, awesome, delicious, recipes, salad, salmon, summer

What you’ll need…

1 cup white vinegar

2 TSP sugar

2 TSP salt

1/2 red onion (thinly sliced)

3 cups fresh green beans (trimmed, halved, blanched, and ice bathed. Wow, that’s a mouthful)

1 red bell pepper (julienned)

1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved or quartered)

2 fillets smoked salmon

Dressing:

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic (minced)

1/2 cup fresh chives (finely chopped)

1/4 cup fresh dill (chopped)

1 lemon (zest and juice)

1 TSP sugar

salt and pepper

I was just home in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan this past weekend for a wedding (not mine…definitely not mine…). On the Friday night, my parents were having some other relatives stay over as well, so we had an extended family dinner. My mom had picked the beans for this salad fresh from her garden. By some sort of Harry Potter-esque magic, these beans started out as purple, but as soon as you applied heat to them, they would turn to green. Now, I am not sure what kind of witchcraft was at work here, but it was cool nonetheless. We blanched the beans and put them in an ice bath, hence the reason why it is a ‘green bean’ salad and not a ‘magic purple bean’ salad. If you like more of a crunch, then feel free to opt out of the blanching.

We’re going to start off by doing a quick pickling of the red onion. Combine the first three ingredients in a small pot, and let it come to a boil on the stove. Remove from heat, toss in the sliced red onion, make sure all of the onion is submerged, and set aside for 5 minutes. While you’re waiting, place all of the remaining vegetables in a large bowl, followed by the salmon (just break it up into decent sized chunks with your hands). Next, strain the quick-pickled onions and add them to the bowl.

Moving onto the dressing…combine all ingredients into a medium-sized bowl and whisk to combine. Salt and pepper to desired seasoning. Pour dressing over top of the salad ingredients and toss gently to combine (don’t shred the salmon!). Place in refridgerator for at least one hour to chill. When you’re ready to dish it out, finish it off with a nice portion of cracked black pepper. Bam!

Best enjoyed outside…Summer is almost over after all!

Serves 4-5

Total prep time…15 min (not including chill time)

Simple Lamb Chops With Roasted Peach and Shaved Fennel Salad

Dan    Mains, Recipes     awesome, delicious, fennel, fresh, lamb, meat, recipes, salad, summer

What you’ll need…

Fennel Salad:

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/3 cup white wine vinegar

1/3 cup water

1 TBSP sugar

2 TSP salt

1 bulb fennel (very thinly sliced)

2 peaches (halved and stoned)

1/4 red onion (thinly sliced)

1/2 cup feta (loosely crumbled)

zest of one lemon (and juice of one half)

1/2 cup fresh mint (coarsely chopped)

olive oil

salt and pepper

Lamb chops:

4 lamb chops

1/2 yellow onion (sliced)

1 cup shiraz

salt and pepper

Before we talk about anything else, I just realized that this recipe has no garlic in it. That breaks my heart a bit. Oh well, it happens…I’ve been in love with shaved fennel salads for awhile now, most specifically because of one that I frequently order here in Calgary at Charcut Roast House. Consider this an ode to them.  Since I’m not a huge fan of mint jelly with my lamb, I opted for some fresh mint in the salad, and as for the roasted peaches, well, it is summer after all. I made this dinner inside, but it might be a little extra summery if you grilled both the lamb and the peaches. Just saying…

Start things off by preheating your oven to 425 degrees. In a small pot combine the water, two types of vinegar, sugar, salt and let it come to a boil, about 4-5 minutes. Place the fennel (I used my highly under-used mandolin for this, so in-lieu, just slice as thin as possible) in a medium-sized bowl and pour the boiling liquid over top of it. Using a spoon, toss the mixture a few times, and then let sit for 5 minutes. This is a simple ‘technique’ I have come to call ‘quick half pickling’. I like doing it to the fennel, because I find it softens it a bit, but not too much, and gives it a bit of a tangy bite. After 5 minutes, discard the liquid from the bowl and set the fennel aside.

Next, drizzle some olive oil on the peach halves and pop them in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until they have started to caramelize on top. In the meantime, you can add the remaining salad ingredients to the bowl of fennel, drizzle with olive oil, and toss until evenly combined. Add some ground black pepper, have a taste, and add salt if needed. Once the peaches are appropriately roasted, let them sit to cool down a bit before adding them to the salad. Feel free to slice them up or keep the halves intact. (leave oven on for the lamb chops!)

The lamb chops will be pretty straight-forward. Season each side of the meat with some salt and pepper. Then, in a medium-sized pan, sear each side of the meat on high heat, approximately 1 minute per side. Transfer to prepared baking dish, and place in your (still) preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until desired ‘done-ness’ has been achieved. While the chops are in the oven, add the onion to the pan and deglaze with the wine. Stirring occasionally, let the mixture reduce by two thirds, about 5 minutes, then remove from heat.

Once everything is ready to plate, top each lamb chop with some of the red wine reduction, along with a helping of the fennel salad on the side. Enjoy folks!

Serves 4

Total cook time…35-40 min

If you’re wondering why there is not a picture of the lamb chop in the recipe photo…

It’s always a sad day when a food blogger forgets his/her camera elsewhere, which was the case on the summer evening that I chose to cook this pretty little number up. I did take a picture via iPhone’s application Instagram, but felt like it just didn’t cut it…Well, it’s not bad…for an iPhone 3G. Anyway, here is that photo! Happy eating!