Blueberry, Avocado and Goats' Cheese Salad

Last week I attended Tech n Taste a mini foodbloggers’ conference sponsored by Talk Talk.    I am familiar with Talk Talk as a) my broadband contract is with them and b) they consistently call me at inconvenient moments which irritates me, but not enough to change internet provider.   It was an enjoyable afternoon, a chance to catch up with old friends and to revise some blogging basics.

I left the afternoon with a bag of ingredients from Capricorn Goats’ Cheese and a recipe booklet.  It seems as if I was a little too enthusiastic about filling my recycling bag that evening, as the recipes have vanished, so the salad below is my interpretation on what to do with the bag of ingredients I was given.

You will have to imagine that the photo also has avocado, I made the salad once and scoffed without taking photos, then had to have a quick rerun so I could photograph it.   Minus the avocado.   The blueberries are far more colourful and with loads more dressing than the photo shows.  Although it does sound slightly odd the hot blueberry balsamic dressing is delicious and makes this more of an autumn salad.

Goats’ Cheese, Avocado & Warm Blueberry Salad

All amounts are approximate, use common sense and the ingredients you have.

Serves 2

Good glug olive oil
Small punnet blueberries
Good glug balsamic vinegar

1 Avocado
1 Capricorn goats’ cheese
Mixed salad leaves

2 tbs pine nuts

Gently fry the blueberries in the olive oil for a few minutes, until they have softened.   Whilst doing this chop up the avocado and goats’ cheese and arrange on the salad leaves, and gently dry fry the pine nuts.   Keep a close eye on them as they go from not done to burnt in a matter of seconds.

Glug the balsamic over the blueberries and give the pan a good shake, cook for a few minutes until reduced and syrupy. Pour over the salad and scatter the pine nuts on top.

Serve immediately.

Click for a printable version of Goats Cheese Salad with Warm Blueberry Dressing.

With the advent of summer come the salad bags from the fruit and vegetable co-op.    As much as I love a traditional mayonnaise potato salad, they can get a little boring and they need a makeover to keep my interest.   One variation was to add cucumber, mint and yogurt but delicious as it is, it is still fairly similar to the mayonnaise based salad.

Several months ago I held a miso tasting, where a gaggle of food bloggers gathered in my flat and we tasted our way though Clearspring’s miso range, it was a fantastic and hilarious evening, as a result I am long on miso, with enough to keep me going for at least the next 12 months. Whisking up some miso with other Japanese ingredients made a deliciously different dressing for my potatoes,  salty, tangy and packing a massive umami punch, a dish that certainly will be repeated the next time the sun comes out.

Recipe: Miso Potato Salad

This is more of an idea than a recipe, adapt according to what vegetables you have in the fridge.

Ingredients

Salad Potatoes – cooked and sliced
Handful French Beans – optional

For the Dressing

Equal quantities of

Brown miso (I used barley)
Tamari or soy sauce
Lemon Juice
Sesame Oil
Mirim
Tahini – optional to thicken

Method

Whisk the dressing ingredients together. I know tahini is not Japanese, but it thickens the dressing nicely.

Steam the beans for 2 minutes and then plunge into cold water

Pour the dressing over the potatoes and beans and mix well

I topped with some furikake (a mix of sesame seeds and ground seaweed – it can contain fish – so read the label if you are vegetarian)

Keeps in the fridge for a few days and is delicious for a packed lunch.

Click here for a printable version

There has been much said about the food blogger debate recently, and Jeanne’s recent post struck a chord with me.    Blogging is personal and everyone has a different set of motives for blogging, and what they choose to blog about.    Her comments about community were very true and something that I completely agree with.    I count people whom I have met through blogging as amongst my best friends (there are too many to mention, and I hesitate to link to them as I would hate to forget anyone).  There are others who I have yet to meet, and together we have celebrated, mourned, laughed and cried.

One of the many fantastic things about food blogging are the (virtual) events.  Someone sets a challenge and bloggers all over the world take it up, usually cooking something to a theme.   In the first years of my blog (pre twitter), this was how bloggers interacted.     Events are something that I have been neglecting recently, which is a huge shame, and something that I intend to put right.  I have put a list in my diary and have a plan in place to take part in more of them.   For a comprehensive and up to date list have a look at the Food Blog Diary.

No Croutons Required, was started in February 2008, by Jac of Tinned Tomatoes and Lisa of Lisa’s Kitchen; each month the challenge is to make a (vegetarian) soup or salad to the current month’s theme – which this time is chilli.

I made a simple bulgar (bulgur) wheat and quinoa salad using a bulgar and red & white quinoa mix from the new Waitrose Love Life range.  I often use both bulgar and quinoa, both are delicious, quick & easy to prepare as well as being good for you.    A finely chopped red chilli and a good glug of chilli sauce gave both a warming kick and some sweetness, both which pair well with the saltiness of the feta.   Ingredients are approximate.  Use what you have.  Leftovers will make a great packed lunch.

Quinoa, Bulgar, Feta & Chilli Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients

2oz / 60g / 1/3 cup quinoa (I used a mix of red and white)
2oz / 60g / 1/3 cup bulgar wheat
3oz / 90g / ½ cup sweetcorn
½ red chilli – seeds removed and finely chopped
1 tbs sweet chilli sauce
Juice half a lemon
Glug of good olive oil
4oz / 100g / ½ block Feta cheese – crumbled
Handful cherry tomatoes – quartered
Salt & Pepper to taste

Method

Bring a pan of water to the boil, add the bulgar and quinoa and simmer for about 12 minutes until tender. Strain into a sieve, rinse and allow to drain.

Add to a serving bowl with the other ingredients, mix well.  Season to taste.

Click here for a printable recipe.

There is still time to enter this month’s Breakfast Club!  The theme is cereal!

I was not quite sure what to call this salad, it has all the ingredients of a Niçoise apart from the tuna and anchovies; which I deliberately left out to enable the new season Jersey Royals to shine.   Is is a veggie Niçoise, or a Niçoisless?   Neither sound appealing or catching, so a British Garden Salad it shall be.   It was the first meal of spring eaten outdoors at my parent’s house, the eggs from a local farm and herbs from the garden.

Jersey, one of the Channel Islands is a bit of a constitutional anomaly, a possession of the Crown, and certainly British in character (but different at the same time), but neither part of the United Kingdom or the EU.

Traditionally Jersey Royals are one of the first potatoes to arrive in the spring.  Grown on the southern facing slopes on the island, these kidney-shaped tubers are traditionally fertilised with seaweed.   With a delicate sweet, buttery and nutty flavour, and their papery thin skin they are delicious, best enjoyed with a minimum of accompaniments.   Jersey Royals are the only British vegetable with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status.

I remember from last summer that steaming made the most flavoursome potatoes and I recommend that you cook your new potatoes by this method.  You do not need a steam oven, just pop the potatoes in a seive over a pan of boiling water with a lid on top of the seive for about 20 – 25 mins.

Recipe: Simple Garden Salad Starring Jersey Royals

Barely a recipe; simply arrange salad leaves, chopped tomato, steamed & buttered Jersey Royals and a hard boiled egg on a plate.   Glug a little oil over, season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped herbs.

Spring perfection on a plate.

Thank you to Jersey Royals for my potatoes.

I am sending this to Ren’s simple and in season food event.

“April brings the sweet spring showers
On and on for hours and hours”

Michael Flanders – A Song of the Weather

I know it seems barmy to be blogging a salad recipe on a day like today; but the weather yesterday was totally different, bright warm and sunny, and perfect for this zingy spring salad, using winter vegetables.

Using crunchy cabbage and carrot, this spring ‘slaw stands up well to being dressed in advance, and thus is easily transportable.    Perfect with soup for a packed lunch, or as a side for a more substantial main meal.  I suggest using a smooth leaved cabbage rather than the stronger flavoured crinkly savoy.   Add more chilli if you like more heat.

Freeze any leftover coriander to use in Thai curries, or soups.  I bunch it into a plastic bag and then give it bash once frozen to break it up.   Half chillies last for ages in my vegetable drawer, and I freeze left over lemon juice in an ice cube tray.   Alternatively blitz coriander, lemon juice and chilli together for a base for a Thai green curry paste.

Zingy Spring ‘Slaw (Serves 2)

1/4 smooth cabbage – finely shredded
1 medium carrot – grated
1/2 green chilli – deseeded and finely chopped
juice from half a lemon
good glug olive oil
small handful of coriander finely chopped
One spring onion – finely chopped (optional)
Pepper & salt to taste

Bung all the coleslaw ingredients into a bowl and give a good stir.

This is another contribution to my series of easy, economical and healthy recipes of what to do with the contents of the co-op “boxes” for the Food Co-ops and Buying Groups project run by Sustain – also part of the Making Local Food Work programme funded by the Big Lottery.

Here are Flanders and Swann with the original song.

In all honesty there is nothing Italian at all about this salad, but the red, white and green vegetables reminded me of an Insalata Caprese and the colours of the Italian flag, and it looks pretty.

We needed a picnic supper tonight for a Scottish Dancing group that we go to and I found a bag of a mix of red camargue and wild rice in the cupboard and made a simple salad with some vegetables that I had in the fridge.    As with my sunset salad vegetables are far easier to eat and enjoy raw if they are chopped into smaller pieces, if you prefer blanch the brocolli and cauliflower.    I always cook my rice in a microwave steamer, I get perfect rice everytime and in about half the time it takes to cook on the hob – 14 minutes for brown rice and 11 for white, I cannot recommend them highly enough and would not be without mine.
Red Rice Salad

50g/ 2oz red or wild rice per person
Chopped brocolli, cauliflower & cherry tomatoes
Shredded basil
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
Soy Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

Simply cook the rice and dress with the olive oil, lemon juice and soy sauce (if using).    When cold add the vegetables and basil and toss.      Totally fuss free and delicious.

I am republishing this and sending to this month’s No Croutons Required where the theme is rice, set up by Tinned Tomatoes and Lisa’s Kitchen and hosted by Lisa this month.

In my last post about my co-op bags I promised a recipe to use all those last bits of salad vegetables lurking at the bottom of the fridge.   This is a simple citrus, zingy lentil salad.   I love lentils, cheap, quick, tasty, packed with protein and low GI to boot, they are a store cupboard staple.

I had about a third of an iceberg lettuce to use up.    Cucumber, spring onions and any other leaves would also work well.     Following the success of the braised iceberg, I cooked my iceberg in with the lentils for about 5 minutes, I would also cook any cucumber, but add leafier leaves such as rocket into the warm lentils.   A handful of fresh herbs would be delicious here too, if I had had tomatoes I would have thrown them in too.  I used a mix of half puy and half regular green lentils as that was what was in the cupboard.   f you do not have any harrissa a pinch of chilli or cayenne would be a good substitute.

This is another contribution to my series of easy, economical and healthy recipes of what to do with the contents of the co-op “boxes” for the Food Co-ops and Buying Groups project run by Sustain – also part of the Making Local Food Work programme funded by the Big Lottery.

Recipe: Harissa Lentil Salad with left over bits and bobs (Serves 2)

6 oz (150g) Lentils – Green or Puy or a mix
3/4 pint (425ml) Stock – I use Marigold
Salad leftovers – cucumber, iceberg, green leaves
Juice and zest of half a lemon
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp Harissa powder (I use Steenbergs)

Simmer the lentils in a pan with the stock for about 20 mins, adding some more water if needed, you want most of the water absorbed without the lentils being dry.    If using, shred the iceberg lettuce and cucumber and add to the lentils.  Cook for another 5 minutes.    When lentils are ready (soft but not mushy) remove from the heat, drain if there is too much stock which has no been absorbed.

Pour into a serving dish, add green leaves (if using them), stir in the lemon juice, harissa or chilli and olive oil.   Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Delicious warm or cold.

According to the date of the photo I made this several months ago, in March to be exact.   I know it was utterly delicious, so the photo was thus placed in the “To be blogged at a later date when I have time” file.    Usually, unless I blog within 2 days of making something, the odds of the photo making its way from my laptop to the internet are very slim, but the person that I made this for reminded me the other day how she had enjoyed it, promoting me  to act upon my original intention to write about it.

Use the bestest, freshest, creamiest buffalo Mozzarella you can buy, mine came from a wonderful Italian deli opposite Hammersmith (Circle line) Underground Station. 

Marinated Mozzarella & Parmesan (Serves 2)

1 ball Mozzarella
1 tbs good olive oil
1 small clove garlic – finely chopped
Juice & zest of half a lemon
2 oz / 50g Parmesan
1 tsp capers
few basil leaves

Simply slice the mozzarella into 1/4″ / 0.5cm slices and arrange in a shallow bowl.   Pour over the olive oil, lemon zest & juice and the finely chopped garlic.    Using a peeler cut the Parmesan into slivers and sprinkle with the capers over the mozzarella.     Allow to stand for a few hours.    Sprinkle with torn basil leaves and serve with crusty bread.

This summer I have been getting an iceberg lettuce every week in my co-op box and frankly I am a little bored of them.   Nothing conjures up an image of an 1970′s salad more than an iceberg.     Add some pale watery tomatoes, celery and chunks of cucumber and a good dollop of salad cream and you have something straight out of the canteen of my 1970′s primary school in the middle of Kent.

I recently read an article by Mark Bittman on The Charms of the Loser Lettuces.  I was struck by a comment on one of the recipes, which pointed out that if icebergs were not so long lasting and virtually indestructible, they would not be so loved by supermarket buyers and thus available so cheaply and easily.  The rare and scare (and expensive?) iceberg would probably popular with certain groups of foodies.   I hope that my tastebuds are not solely governed by rarity value and cost, but I am sure that there are some foods out there that are more popular because of their rarity rather than the merits of their flavour alone.

But back to the humble iceberg, its hardiness and crispness make it ideal to cook, it softens, but retains some shape and texture not turning to mush.    In fact it actually tastes pretty darned good – I would even venture to say it is delicious!   It is buttery, nutty and subtly bitter.  Add to that almost fat free, low calorie,  cheap, easy to prepare (using only one pot)  and satisfying and I have a winner.        For the more ravenous, serve it as a starter – I would even produce this at a dinner party.

This is another contribution to my series of easy, economical and healthy recipes of what to do with the contents of the co-op “boxes” for the Food Co-ops and Buying Groups project run by Sustain – also part of the Making Local Food Work programme funded by the Big Lottery.

Braised Iceberg Lettuce (Serves 4)

1 Iceberg lettuce
Glug olive oil
1/2 mug vegetable stock (I used Marigold)
Handful frozen peas
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Soy Sauce (to taste)

Cut the lettuce into quarters (through the stem so each segment stays together).  Add the oil to a casserole dish and fry the lettuce on all sides until it is starting to turn brown.   Add about 1.5cm / 1/2″ stock to the dish, put the lid on and turn the heat right down.   Simmer for about 15 mins, add the frozen peas, (here I left the lid ajar to concentrate the juices) and cook for a further 5 minutes.    Season with salt and pepper and serve.

This recipe is also delicious with a dash of soy sauce.     For a more substantial dish use more peas or serve with some crusty bread.    I imagine that you could also steam a piece of fish over the lettuce too.

Along with lots of other bloggers I was recently sent a coolbag crammed full with Total Greek yogurt, which I have greatly been enjoying using and cooking with.    It is still baking hot in London and I really do not want to spend hours slaving over a hot stove so I have been spending the minimal amount of time in the kitchen.   Tuesday is co-op day and this week my bag contained some beautiful new potatoes which needed to be made into a salad.    Instead of the usual mayonnaise I used some 0% fat Total and added cucumber and mint from my window box* to make a refreshing lunch.

This is another contribution to my series of easy, economical and healthy recipes of what to do with the contents of the co-op “boxes” for the Food Co-ops and Buying Groups project run by Sustain – also part of the Making Local Food Work programme funded by the Big Lottery.

*I am not a gardener and have to have an alarm on my phone to remind me to water my herbs, but mint seems pretty hard to kill, it seems to thrive on neglect and actually needs a very good prune on a regular basis so it does not turn into a triffid.   If I can grow mint on a window sill in central London I defy anyone not to be able to grow it anywhere.

Potato, Cucumber and Mint Salad

Handful baby new potatoes
Chunk of cucumber
Greek Yogurt (I used Total 0%)
Sprig of mint – roughly chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste

Remove any dirt and mud by gently scrubing the potatoes (but try to keep the skin on, it contains most of the nutrients and taste).  Pop them in a pan and simmer until done.    When cooked drain and slice thickly.   Whilst the spuds are cooking chop the cucumber into 1/2″ chunks.   Put a dollop of yogurt into your salad bowl (I thinned mine with a splash of water as it was very thick).  Add the cucumber, mint (reserving a little for garnish)  and season.  Allow the potatoes to cool a little then stir into the salad.  Garnish with the remining mint.    Enjoy warm or chilled.

Thanks to Total for the free product samples.