Avocado and Oranges Salad with Fennel Fronds

Fronds are those cute frilly light green leafy things attached to the stalks that grow out of a fennel bulb. They look like fresh dill, and they have a light taste similar to aniseeds. I grow fennels in my garden especially for these, I add this to spinach or chard to make the Greek kaltzunias (little small pies) and to attract butterflies in my garden. If you buy fennel with these, don’t throw these away and if you do not need them at the moment, freeze them! If you do not get them, then replace them with tinny fennel bulb slices.

The origin of fennel and orange salad is not completely known, but it may have its roots in the Arab world and come to Europe after the invasions of Spain and. The orange salad was created as a poor dish (wild fennel can be found at the border of many roads) and it doesn’t require cooking. Today, the fennel and orange salad is known all over the world and it is served as an appetizer/salad or as a final dish after an important meal.

I love to collect fennel fronds if traveling in Greece in Early spring, the same period as oranges get ripe.

In this recipe I completed the ingredients with avocado for its soft texture and the taste which combines well with citrus, In addition a roasted pine nuts give a welcome crunchy texture.

For the dressing I opted for some white balsamic vinegar flavoured with honey and Dijon mustard.

• Servings: 4
• Time: 20 min
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

• 

Salad

Ingredients

• Green salad leaves to cover the bottom and the sides of the serving bowl, washed
• 2 ripe but firm avocados (reserve some slices for decoration drizzled with lemon juice)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 oranges peeled and diced (make a few slices and reserve for decoration)
• 2-4 tablespoons fennel fronds, chopped (reserve some for the topping)
• 2-4 tablespoons green onions slices (reserve some for the topping)

Dressing

• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons honey
• Salt and pepper to taste

Topping

• Reserved herbs
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly roasted

Procedure

1. Arrange the green salad in the bowl.
2. Peel and slice the first avocado, place then in another bowl and sprinkle with the lemon juice and toss well with your hands. Peel and slice the second avocado add this to the first and gently again toss them together.
3. Add the other ingredients for the salad over the avocados.
4. Combine well the ingredients for the dressing.
5. Pour the dressing over the salad and very gently toss them together.
6. Place the mixture over the arranged salad leaves, decorate with the reserved avocado and orange slices and sprinkle with the herbs and the pine nuts

Autor: https://artandkitchen.wordpress.com/

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Day 33 Stay at Home or In the Garden: Inspiration Sald

Inspired by the ingredients available at home, we created this composition and we enjoyed it as a light full dinner in the garden, just before the sun went down.

Inspiration Sald

• Servings: 2
• Time: active time=60 min; for all recipes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

     

Fennel Salad with Oranges

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 white balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste (I used my basil flower salt)
• 1 fennel, cleaned finely sliced
• 1 red pepper, seed removed and sliced
• 1 orange, peeled and sliced

Procedure

1. For the dressing, combine oil, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir until combined
2. Pour the dressing over the fennel and the pepper, toss.
3. Place orange slices on the plate and top with the salad

Gingered Guacamole

Ingredients

• 1 avocado, ripe but firm
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 small garlic clove.
• 1 dash chili powder
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Open the avocado with the knife, remove the seed and spoon out the pulp.
2. Mash the avocado pulp with the fork and the vinegar.
3. Add the additional ingredients and mush until soft.

Roasted Prawns

Ingredients

• 10-16 shrimps, uncooked and peeled
• 1 small garlic pow
• 1 dash smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Combine all the ingredients, let rest for about 30 minutes.
2. Preheat a non-sticky skilled at maximum and fry until done and lightly roasted (about 2 minutes).

Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes Slices

Ingredients

• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 5 mm thick slices
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Seasoned salt (I used my basil flower salt), to taste

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C
2. Combine all the ingredients.
3. Line a parchment foil on you baking tray or brush with oil a baking mold.
4. Place the sweet potatoes on the baking tray in one layer or only light overlapping.
5. Bake until tender and the border get light brown. This takes about 20 minutes.

Autor: https://artandkitchen.wordpress.com/

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Day 17: Stay at Home or In the Garden: Green Bean Salad with Red Onion and Olives

We prepared this recipe by Papa D  for the first time long time ago during for our annual cooking games (for South Afrika).

This easy, quick and simple recip turned very popular in my family, because it is well balanced in flavours, the red onion gives a special touch and it looks always beautiful.

Green Bean Salad with Red Onion and Olives

• Servings: 4
• Time: active time=15 min; resting and cooking time=30 min
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

     

Ingredients

• 250 g green beans, washed and trimmed
• 1/2 medium red onion, diced (alternative white sweet onion)
• 1/2 cup olives, sliced
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Boil bean in salted water until just tender.
2. In the meanwhile, in a small bowl prepare the other ingredients.
3. Drain bean, add the other ingredients, season with salt and pepper, stir and cover immediately.
4. Let rest for 10 minutes.
5. Transfer the beans in a serving bowl.

Autor: https://artandkitchen.wordpress.com/

Day 6: Stay at Home or In the Garden: Bowl of Spring

The weather feels really like spring or almost summer.  The garden is already rich of edible flowers and if you have the opportunity, then put spring into your salad with flowers you can eat.

The thought of eating flowers didn’t seem to be fair (they are to beautiful), but many of these little cute flowers have its own unique taste and they make your salad more attractive.

This greens salad had been enrichted with: leaf celery (Apium graveolens var. secalinum), primrose flowers (primula vulgaris), rosemary flowers (Rosmarinus officinalis) and cuckooflower (cardamine pratensis).

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Lime and Herbs Dressing

Each year we grow some pumpkin on or compost and just before the winter comes we collect them and we keep the in the cold cellar for the winter.

A few days ago, we needed some salad or veggies to complete or dinner but one of my guest had a dental surgery and only soft ingredients could be considered. At once, I remembered my pumpkin and I imagined that this would be perfect for this purpose.

I’ve also thought a lot about the way to serve this and how I can transform this in a very special dish.

This had be great in taste and appealing for the eye!

From another recipe (that at that moment I could not find again) I remembered a wonderful dressing which I loved so much and which could be used for this recipe.

The topping is crunchy, and except of the guest who had some dental problems, the caramelized nuts would add taste and texture to the melt in the mouth pumping slices.

For the arrangement I found some mini bowls (in effect candle holders! ) and I began to arrange the slices in the small dishes like flowers. I’ve placed the remaining slices in a separate bowl; after pouring the dressing over them I waited for my guests!

We didn’t expect so much success with this, the remaining had gone quickly and probably I’ve could have made the double quantity!

At the end, the remaining sauce at the bottom of the dish had been enjoyed with some homemade rustic bread.

I will make this again for sure many times!

• Servings: 4
• Time: 45min + resting
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Credit :Artandkitchen

Ingredients

• Pumpkin

  • 800 g pumpkin
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  Dressing:

  • 50 ml olive oil
  • 50 ml fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 lime, grated peel
  • 1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or winter savoury (winter savoury is my choice as I have this in the garden), finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • Salt (about 1/2 teaspoon) and pepper to taste

  Topping

  • 50 g sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 50 g walnuts or pecan,
  • 1 pinch chili powder
  • 1 big pinch salt

  Assembling

  • Additional olive oil, to taste

Directions

Pumpkin

1. Peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds and cut into ½ cm slices.
2. Place the slices in a big bowl and toss with olive oil.
3. Arrange the slices in a baking tray overlapping them slightly.
4. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C until the pumpkin is soft and the borders begins to turn brown. This takes about 20-30 minutes.
5. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Dressing:

6. In the meanwhile combine all the ingredients for the dressing

Topping

7. Heat slowly the sugar with lime juice in small non-sticky skillet until sugar melts and it begins to take color. Add nuts, chili powder and salt stirring to coat them well. Let roast for 1 minute. Pour the mixture on a baking sheet and let cool down completely. After this time, chop to 1/2 cm pieces.

Assembling:

8. Pour the dressing over the pumpkin or place the pumpkin into single portions dishes and pour the dressing over them. Let marinate at least 30 minutes.
9. Just before serving, drizzle some more olive oil and sprinkle with the caramelized nuts. Serve with a slice of rustic bread

 

Zucchini and Carrot Salad

This very aromatic salad will be a perfect addition to a grill party or simply as side dish.

I’ve found this recipe in an Austrian (GuteKüche.at) site and after adapting it to the herbs of my garden and serving this for dinner along with grilled lamb I found that this is so delicious that I’m glad to share this with my cooking friends.

You may adjust the list of the fresh herbs according to what I have on hand, but parsley and mustard are a must in order to keep the main characteristic of this recipe. To this recipes you may also add other roots (beet root, parsnip, turnips, radish and celeriac) but also grated apples would fit perfectly!

 

• Servings: 4
• Time: 30 min
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

You need:

• 1-2 eggs, hard boiled

4 cups of shredded roots (adapt quantity to taste); I only used carrots and zucchini

• 2 cups carrots, peeled and shredded
• 2 cups zucchini, shredded
• beet root, peeled and shredded (to taste)
• parsnip, peeled and shredded (to taste)
• turnips, peeled and shredded (to taste)
• radish, shredded (to taste)
• celeriac, peeled and shredded (to taste)

Herbs

• 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped
• 2 tablespoon fresh marjoram, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

Dressing

• 3-4 tablespoons vegetal oil
• 1-2 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon mustard (Dijon kind)
• White pepper, to taste
• Salt, to taste

Procedure:

1. First of all prepare all the ingredients: peel and shred the carrots, shred zucchini and chop all the herbs
2. In small bowl combine oil, vinegar, mustard and pepper. Reserve the salt for later.
3. Slice the egg(s).
4. Combine the vegetables with the herbs and toss well.
5. About 15 minutes before serving add the prepared dressing and toss well again.
6. Add the salt (if needed, I did not need this) only before serving.
7. Top with the sliced egg and serve.

Autor: https://artandkitchen.wordpress.com/

Vegetables Potpourri with Preserved Lemon Dressing

It’s always a big advantage havening at home many delicious ingredients ready to be used for surprising good preparation as this salad or side dish with a preserved lemon dressing. I know that this can be hardly be found in your shop, but you can easily prepare some or better than nothing for this recipe use simply a mixture of lemon juice, lemon zest and salt.

For the preparation I used the ingredients listed below, but you can use any vegetables who would fit to be roasted in the oven. I served the dish warmfebeta from the oven, but it can be served lukewarm or cold as salad as well.

Suggestion: prepare more dressing and serve it with grilled chicken breasts.

For the recipe for preserved lemons click HERE

• Servings: 3-6
• Time: 45 min
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

You need

Vegetables

• 1000 small potatoes, peeled (I used yellow and purple ones)
• 2 small zucchini, sliced
• 2 red peppers, seed and stem removed, sliced
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt to taste

Dressing

• 1 small preserved lemon (about 80 g)
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 4 tablespoons chopped coriander or parsley
• Pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.
2. Combine all the vegetables and oil in a big bowl, toss to coat with the oil well.
3. Arrange vegetables in an oven proof mold.
4. Bake at 200°C/400°F for about 30 minutes until all vegetables are done.
5. While the vegetables are in the oven combine all the ingredients for dressing in a blender and blend until smooth.
6. Serve the vegetables warm, lukewarm or cold with the dressing.

Autor: https://artandkitchen.wordpress.com/

Philippines Pineapple Salsa

Philippines is an Asian country with strong Latin influences. An example of this phenomenon is this salsa. No special ingredients like Thai fish sauce, soy sauce and other Asian condiments are needed, this preparation is based simply on fresh ingredients!

You can use this as side to fish, meat and even to grilled meat. Simply delicious!

• Servings: 4-6
• Time: 15
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Autor: https://artandkitchen.wordpress.com/

You need:

• 2 cups diced fresh pineapple (peeled and cored)
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped (if possible red or other sweet kinds)
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 serrano pepper, seeded and minced (or other kind of pepper you like)
• 2-4 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, optional (I did not need it!)

Preparation

1. Prepare the pineapple and all the ingredients.
2. In a serving bowl combine all the ingredients.
3. Serve immediately.

Note: If you want to prepare add all the ingredients except the salt. Just before serving add the salt and toss.

 

 

Thai Roasted Eggplant Salad with Shrimp

Eggplant roasted salad is a wonderful specialty which rarely is served in restaurants and seems disappear in front of more popular dishes as Pad Thai and so on.

In the villages food is still prepared on small clay ovens where eggplants, peppers and other veggies can be roasted and the used for further preparations.

Today we planned to grill our meat in the chimney over wood charcoal a great opportunity to roast our veggies. It’s not the first time we prepare the veggies over the fire, but it was the first time I used them for Thai recipes. And wow! How unexpected delicious was this salad! A real gem!

• Servings: 3-4
• Time: 1 hr
• Difficulty: medium
• Print

Autor: https://artandkitchen.wordpress.com/ 

You need:

• 1 big eggplant (about 250 g), if possible the long kind
• 1 red pepper, optional
• 200 g shrimps
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce, alternative light soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon palm sugar, alternative brown sugar
• 1 fresh, chili if possible bird’s eye chili
• 1/2 green mango or 1 apple, peeled cut into thin wedges, optional
• 2 tablespoon thick coconut milk, optional
• 1 tablespoon grinded dried shrimp, alternative dry roasted coconut flakes

Procedure

1. Roast the eggplant and the pepper over hot charcoals turning from time to time until the skin are completely roasted. If you don’t have this possibility, you can broil them in the oven, flipping from time to time. Remove from heat and set aside covered to cool down. When they are cooled enough but still warm, remove the skin. Set aside.
2. In the meantime heat little water and boil and cook the shrimps for 2-3 minutes until they turn pink. Drain, remove the skin (except of the tail) and set aside.
3. Combine lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and chili. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
4. Dice eggplant and peppers, prepare the shallot and peel and slice apple.
5. In a bowl combine eggplant, peppers, shallot, apple and shrimps. Pour sauce over this and toss gently. Transfer to a serving plate.

Top with coconut milk, sprinkle with dried shrimps and serve immediately.

Tropical Chicken Salad

A refreshing and healthy low sodium salad. I love this dressing very much and I’ve prepared this many times (usually without passion fruit because I don’t have these always on hand) and I got a lot of good comments. Sometimes I top this with salted caramelized chopped walnuts.

I hope this Bahamian recipe will inspire you to prepare a tropical salad soon as this is wonderful way to enjoy summer dishes reducing calories but not taste; a real explosion of flavors!

• Servings: 2-3
• Time: 20 mins
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Autor: https://artandkitchen.wordpress.com/

You need:

 Salad:

• 1 cup meat, grilled/BBQ, deboned, skinless and cut into bite sizes
• 1 pinch allspice
• 2 cups white cabbage or lettuce, sliced
• 1 mango, peeled and dices
• 1 cup diced tomatoes,

Dressing

• 1/2 passion fruit, inner content of the fruit (if you don’t have this, don’t worry)
• 1 lime juice
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme or to teaspoons fresh chopped thyme (variation fresh cilantro leaves)
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1-2 teaspoons honey
• 1 tablespoon rum, optional
• 4 tablespoon oil (I used olive oil)
• Dried chili flakes, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

Procedure:

1. Toss chicken meat with allspice.
2. On a serving dish layer cabbage, tomatoes, mango and top with chicken.
3. In a small bowl combine all the ingredients for the dressing, season or adjust to you taste.

Pour dressing over salad and serve.