I know, I know, fresh is always better, but for those of us who need a good veggie salad after a long day’s work and have little time, vegetable salads using canned or frozen vegetables can just be the ticket. I have often mixed a can of Le Sueur Petit Pois (with or without pearl onions or mushrooms!) with some nice vinaigrette and viola! – salad. And yes, I am reading Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal Vegetable Miracle: A Year of Food Life" and am getting very inspired. But I am not quite there yet, and am still buying fruits and veggies out of season but flown many, many miles... I'm working on it.
Like Barbara, my sister Isabelle, refuses to eat tomatoes out of season. I understand. But I also am lured by "vine ripened tomatoes" in winter that look good but have a skin like plastic - genetically determined to travel well. I keep trying, but maybe I shouldn't...
Nonetheless, here are several salads, which really don’t take very long at all to prepare – fresh, frozen or canned. Bear with me for now, Barbara & Isabelle.
Creamy Cucumber Salad with Rice Vinegar Aioli
2 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced (preferably with mandolin)2 green onions
1 recipe rice vinegar aioli
Toss the cucumbers and onions with aioli and let marinate at least 30 minutes, mixing often.
Rice Vinegar Aioli
½ cup good real mayonnaise (or cut in half with Greek yogurt)
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
¼ tsp salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
½ tsp dried dill
Whisk all ingredients together.
Asian Cole Slaw
1 medium head cabbage, thinly sliced2 green onions, or half Bermuda onion, thinly sliced
1 carrot, grated
1 recipe Rice Vinegar Aioli (above)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 clove garlic, pressed through garlic press
dash red pepper sauce, to taste
Toss the cabbage with the onion and carrotin a large bowl with the aioli, sesame oil, garlic and pepper sauce. Marinate for at least 30-60 minutes, tossing several times.
Variation:
use Savoy cabbage, green onion, grated carrot, red pepper and Daikon radish.
Cauliflower, Beet & Green Bean Salad
1 head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces1 can sliced beets, drained and slices halved
2 cups cooked green beans, drained, or 1 can whole green beans, drained
3 green onions, sliced
palmful fresh parsley
juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup olive oil
salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
Toss the cauliflower into boiling salted water and cook one minute. Drain cauliflower and submerse in cold water (ice water, ideally) to stop cooking quickly. Drain well. Toss cauliflower beets and beans in a bowl with green onion and parsley. Whisk lemon juice with olive oil and toss with vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Tomato Pesto and Fresh Mozzarella Salad
3 cups spring mix lettuce1 lb vine-ripened fresh tomatoes, sliced
1 lb fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced and quartered
¼ cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing
2 Tbsp pesto
Lay the lettuce as an even bed on a wide plate. Top with overlapping cheese and tomato slices. Mix the pesto with the vinaigrette and pour over salad.
This is a winter version, using pesto. In summer I use fresh basil leaves overlapped with the cheese and tomato instead. Both are fantastic.
Balsamic Vinaigrette
¼ cup Balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, finely mined
2/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup olive oil
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Whisk all ingredients together. Makes 1 cup.
Cauliflower Salad with Olives, Artichokes & Mushrooms
1 head fresh cauliflower, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces1 can California olives, drained
1 cup grape tomatoes
1 jar marinated artichokes, drained and quartered
1 can sliced mushrooms, drained
juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup olive oil
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Toss the cauliflower into boiling salted water and cook one minute. Drain cauliflower and submerse in cold water (ice water, ideally) to stop cooking quickly. Drain well. Toss together cauliflower olives, tomatoes, artichokes and mushrooms in a bowl. Whisk lemon juice with olive oil and toss with vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss in fresh, minced cilantro or parsley if desired.
Beet and Corn Salad
1 can sliced beets, drained and sliced in half
1 can Niblet corn, drained
½ small red Bermuda onion, thinly sliced, or 2 Tbsp chives
¼ cup vinaigrette dressing
Toss all ingredients together and allow to marinate at least 30 minutes.
Vinaigrette Dressing
¼ cup cider or red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 clove garlic minced, or 1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried dill weed
1 rounded Tbsp Dijon mustard
¾ cup canola or olive oil, or a mix of the two
Whisk together the first five ingredients until the salt dissolves. Whisk in the remaining ingredients.
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