Salad

Lentil Tabbouleh

June 22, 2010 by Charles 2 Comments

The Palouse region along the Idaho-Washington border is lentil country. In field after field, the tiny, green-coated legume covers the land.

The Palouse region counts roughly 200 miles of land, and is home to over 3,000 family farms. Between them, these farms account for nearly 90 percent of the lentils grown in this country. But sadly, few of these lentils ever find their way onto American plates or palates. Nearly the entire lentil crop is exported – to countries like Spain, Italy, Greece, and India – countries that appreciate the culinary qualities of the lentil.

And the lentil is worthy of appreciation. Unlike beans, lentils cook quickly and do not require soaking. They pair with almost any dish, and …

Grilled Pumpkin Salad

November 23, 2009 by Charles 4 Comments

I’ve been feeling a little blue lately.

After making the blue cheese souffle, I wanted to find another recipe for the pungent cheese. With a crisp Fall day on hand, and several pumpkins beckoning, I decided to throw some pumpkin slices on the grill. I marinated the pumpkin slices with ginger, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then tossed them on the grill. A few grill marks later, I combined the hot gourds with blue cheese and the salad regulars, for a real American salad.

Indeed, pumpkins are one of the continent’s oldest crops, having been first cultivated thousands of years ago by Native American tribes. During the colonial era, the tribes routinely prepared …

Grilled Peach Salad

July 26, 2009 by Charles 1 Comment

Summer is a good time for fresh fruits and vegetables. But it’s not the best time to spend stuck in your kitchen, laboring over a hot stove. The perfect summer salad solves this potential paradox.

The grilled peaches took me outside for a few minutes, and provided a sweet taste and a vibrant color for the salad. After that, I laid some arugula down as a base, topped it with roma tomatoes, feta cheese, toasted pecans, and a homemade vinaigrette. The salad was ready in fewer than five minutes – which left me plenty of time to enjoy a sunny Sunday stroll in Saint Louis.

Incidentally, if you’re looking for more salad ideas, …

Homemade Vinaigrette

July 26, 2009 by Charles 2 Comments

A simple vinaigrette requires no more than four ingredients and can be whisked up in a matter of seconds. The simple rule for a vinaigrette is vinegar, salt, pepper, and olive oil, with the olive oil to vinegar ratio at 2:1. A little Dijon mustard helps emulsify the combination.

But since you’re making this at home, there’s no reason to settle for simplicity. You can add diced shallots, roasted garlic, grated ginger, dried oregano, or wild honey to your vinaigrette, tailoring it to the tastes and dishes before you. A homemade vinaigrette will typically …

Chinese Chicken Salad

April 30, 2009 by Charles 4 Comments

As I’ve mentioned previously, chicken salad is one of my lunch-time staples. Almost without fail, Sunday nights are devoted to preparing my tried-and-true chicken salad for the work week ahead. That said, everyone can use some amount of variety. So, in the spirit of variety, I decided to try a different type of chicken salad. My sense of lunch-time adventure obviously knows no bounds.

This recipe, like the other chicken salad, comes together very quickly, and is perfect served cold. But unlike the other recipe, this Asian version has a little more punch to it…