Winter Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

People occasionally ask me how I stay in shape if I eat so many baked goods. Well... for starters, this recently taken image of equipment in my garage is generally how I study.

When it's time for general reading or reviewing materials, I hope on the treadmill or get on my bike trainer. I had a friend invite me to stay with her in Minnesota for the month of February to help study for the bar exam. It was difficult to explain that the reason I couldn't come stay with her is because I study while moving. Honestly, I really like eating. But I dislike when my pants are tight. And studying involves a lot of sitting. This in turn makes me crazy. So, I try to find ways to move, a lot. It might be extreme but this is how I've always been. I have problems sitting still. I always have. Ask my parents. They'll tell you that they used to strap me in my chair at the dinner table because I'd take one bite, get up and go run around, come back for another bite, get up and run around.

Then again, it's not like I'm eating baked goods constantly. I do indulge daily on a tiny treat (like a piece of candy) and I firmly believe that everyone should eat what they want, in moderation, but I'm not one of those people who bakes every single day. Trust me, I wish I was. But for the sake of my cholesterol, I'm pretty strict on myself. I'm always conscious of my portions and I eat a ton of salads, like the one in this post, and fruits and vegetables. I do snack, a lot, but my snacks normally consist of carrot sticks and hummus. And I keep my intake of processed snacks very minimal. So, Ron and I keep ourselves in fairly decent shape. It's important to me and it's important that we are as active as possible. We didn't always have this mindset. You see, once upon a time, Ron and I lived in a house where the pantry was like your own personal fun trip to the grocery store every time you opened the door. I had no less than seven boxes of cereal (a delicious assortment of boxes like Lucky Charms, Golden Grahams, Trix) at the house at any given time. We also had various kinds of chips, pop-tarts, granola bars and other snack items constantly on hand. Then, I woke up and realized what we'd been doing to our bodies. Since then, we've lost a collective weight of 75 pounds.

We're strict but also relaxed. And we judge our conscious eating in various ways. For example, we have about six chip clips in the house: 3 large and 3 small. The smaller ones tend to care for things like wheat germ or flax meal. However, the 3 larger ones are for our snacks... the chips or candy or whatever. When all three big chips are used, I know it's time to reign in our snacking. The other day, I noticed all three were in use. Now, we've been back from Florida for nearly two weeks. But we haven't snapped out of vacation-mode eating. The Disney dining plan blessed us with a lot of food and we came back with a ravenous sweet tooth; so I baked up a pumpkin pie!  (It was so good, totally worth it, and it will be posted soon.) And we definitely didn't let it go to waste. So, after noticing our chip clips after cleaning out an empty pie pan, I quickly realized that it was time to nip our "vacation-eating" in the bud for the time being. Hence, this nice winter salad. It is very satisfying and has enough variety to please anyone's taste buds. The dressing was awesome - it's one of several home-made salad dressings I like to keep on hand - and was so flavorful. It is an easily adaptable meal. Choose any type of nut, mix up your cheese, or swap out the fruit. This salad alone provides a filling dish but can easily be accompanied with a main protein dish, if you'd prefer. The original recipe included bacon but I opted to leave it off of mine. However, I can imagine that the bacon would be a delicious accompaniment to this salad. Most importantly, the salad was relatively healthy and provided enough greenery to put me back on track to snap out of vacation eating mode.

Winter Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
from Greens and Chocolate
Yield: 2-3 large servings
Ingredients

• 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 2 medium pears, chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
• 4 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled, optional
• 6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

1. To make the salad: Toss together the romaine, pears, cranberries, pecans, feta, and bacon, if using.
2. To make the dressing: Combine maple syrup, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, and salt; whisk to combine. 
3. Drizzle half of the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Gradually add more dressing, according to your liking. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash and Kale Wheatberry Salad

When I say I've been cooking and baking again, I guess I should embellish on that a bit more. I've been... largely baking, somewhat cooking. I guess I'm making up for the fact that I barely baked this entire holiday season. A large part of that was due to the fact that I needed to look pleasant (and not pleasantly plump) in my wedding photos. But it was also because I wasn't feeling very festive. Apparently now I am making up for it. However, given the fact that Ron has lost a significant amount of weight from his own job-related stress, a cookie now and then is totally fine.

Today I planned to blog about the most amazing cookies known to man but decided to post about those tomorrow. Instead, I've decided that my blog could use some healthy food. Some actual food. Some food that didn't include butter, sugar, or flour in the ingredient list! I've been eating a lot of root vegetables lately but I've been lacking in the greens and grain department. I suppose to chomping down on squash and carrots isn't terrible but I rather enjoy eating the colors of a rainbow each day. This salad is like Christmas in a bowl! I saw it posted on Joanne's blog the other day and absolutely had to try it. I love Joanne's blog and read it every single day. Any time I need some good vegetarian recipes and some serious humor, I turn to her blog because her recipes never fail me. This one was no different. It's so good. It's extremely filling and has a chewy texture from the wheatberries with the sweet tartness from the cranberries. The original recipe called for pomegranate arils but given my history with those buggers, I opted for something a little less frustrating. This would be the perfect dish to bring to a winter potluck. It makes a ton, it's packed full of nutrients, and is hearty enough to be served as a meal.
Butternut Squash and Kale Wheatberry Salad
adapted from Eats Well with Others
Yield: 8-10 servings
Ingredients

• 1 medium butternut squash, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• sea salt
• 1 bunch kale, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp lemon juice (from one lemon)
• sea salt
• 1 cup dried cranberries (or 1 pomegranate's worth of pomegranate arils)
• 1 lb brussel sprouts, halved and roasted at 400 degrees for 15 minutes
• 1 cup wheatberries, soaked overnight and simmered for 1 hour
• 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and simmered for 30-40 minutes or until tender
• 6 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice (from one lemon)
• 3 Tbsp cherry balsamic vinegar
• 3 tsp dijon mustard
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine butternut squash cubes with the oil, minced garlic and sprinkle with a few pinches of sea salt. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread into a single layer. Roast until fork-tender, but not falling apart (about 30-40 minutes). Once done, roast the brussel sprouts, if not already done.
3. Meanwhile, mix the kale, lemon juice and salt with your hands, massaging it together. It should wilt into half of its volume after 3 minutes or so.
4. Make dressing by whisking olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and dijon together. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. When the squash and sprouts are done roasting, remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Then, add to the kale, along with the cranberries, brussel sprouts, wheat berries, and chickpeas. Gently toss together then coat with dressing; toss until evenly coated. Season to taste. Enjoy!

Detox Salad

This past weekend, Ron and I spent Friday and Saturday in beautiful Leavenworth, Washington. Leavenworth is a little town about 2.5 hours from Seattle that is modeled after a Bavarian village and surrounded by mountains. I've wanted to visit this place for several years now, so when I saw that they had an Oktoberfest marathon weekend, I was stoked. As soon as we learned we were moving to Seattle, I registered us for the half-marathon! Awesome! Well, not completely 100% awesome. Ron and I have been on a streak of going on terrible short weekend trips. First, our trip to Whistler, B.C. was cut short thanks to my getting terribly ill (and Ron wearing shorts in 10 degree rainy weather). Then, our weekend trip to San Francisco was quite possibly the worst trip I've ever experienced in my life. So we weren't expecting much going into Leavenworth but we still had high hopes.

Overall, the trip wasn't terrible so we were pleasantly pleased! Perhaps our bad streak is over? (Please say yes.) The town absolutely exceeded my expectations! It was completely adorable with cute little shops that all seemed to be Christmas related; I spent nearly an hour inside Kris Kringl! But it was the hotel -- ohhhh, the hotel -- that caused us to duck out a day early and lose a couple hundred dollars (a room during off-peak time is $79 but was marked up to $249 per night for this weekend!). The hotel was... BAD. You see, I somewhat knew going into it that the hotel was not going to be good. The run was scheduled for the last weekend of Oktoberfest - the most popular weekend of the year in Leavenworth - so nearly all rooms were booked by the time I was trying to get a room. So, when I found one, I jumped on it without doing much research. A few days before the trip, I checked the reviews and saw that our hotel was ranked 20 out of 20 hotels in the little town. Oh boy. Let's just say we should've slept in the car. Dirty grim aside, at 3:00 in the morning, I was still up, staring at the ceiling wondering why we weren't invited to the party above us. I didn't complain about, ahem, the bugs, smells, or stains, but I did mention the noise to the woman at the front desk. "For $250 per night, I just assumed we'd get some sleep in the hotel." She replied, "It's Oktoberfest. What do you expect? Most people are drunk so we figure it's a non-issue if guests just pass out." Oh, ok. Hospitality fail?

But, despite our lack of sleep, we somehow ran a delirious 13.1 miles the following morning. I think we would have done much better if we had slept and didn't spend 50% of the course running on single-file trails in the woods. But it went ok and we had fun. The sun came out and the mountains were beautiful. We spent the remainder of the morning walking around Leavenworth and eating hearty German fare that inspired me to go on a vegetable binge once we returned. So here is this delicious detox salad that is based off of a salad from Whole Foods. I've never tried the Whole Foods version but so long as I have these ingredients, I'll be making this amazing recipe from Oh She Glows blog. I feel rejuvenated and detox'ed already! It makes a ton so you'll be eating leftovers for days.

Detox Salad
from Oh She Glows
Ingredients

• 2 heads broccoli, stems removed
• 1 head cauliflower, stems removed
• 2.5 cups shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup currants
• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 4-6 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, to taste
• salt and pepper
• pure maple syrup, to drizzle on before serving

Instructions

1. In a food processor, process the broccoli until fine. Add into large bowl.
2. Process the cauliflower until fine; place in bowl. Process the carrots; place in bowl.
3. Stir in the sunflower seeds, currants, raisins, and parsley. Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Drizzle with maple syrup to taste and enjoy!

Waldorf Salad with Steel-Cut Oats

The Waldorf Salad, which is a blend of apples, celery, and walnuts, is a pretty dated recipe; it was first served in the 1890's at NYC's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel! I've never really made a true Waldorf Salad before. The salad is typically made with a mayonnaise dressing and I've been trying to lighten things up around our house, so I was very excited when I saw this "Waldorf Salad Reinvented" recipe in Mark Bittman's column in Cooking Light.

This recipe uses steel-cut oats and adds a very unique texture and flavor to the recipe. It is a healthy accompaniment to a dinner, a hearty salad by itself, and stores wonderfully. If you don't like the oats, you can replace it with any grain to suit your preference. I'll be making this again next time I'm in the mood for something wholesome, flavorful, and crunchy.
Waldorf Salad with Steel-Cut Oats
from Cooking Light
Yield: about 4 servings
Ingredients

• 1 cup steel-cut oats, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
• 2/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 tsp honey
• 1/8 tsp ground red pepper
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups diced Granny Smith apple (about 1 large)
• 1 1/2 cups torn radicchio
• 1 1/2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese (or blue cheese crumbles)

Instructions

1. Combine oats, 1 cup water, and 1/2 tsp kosher salt in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 7 minutes (do not stir) or until liquid almost evaporates. Remove from heat; fluff with a fork. Place oats in a medium bowl, and let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Combine walnuts, honey, and red pepper in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat; cook until 4 minutes or until nuts are fragrant and honey is slightly caramelized, stirring occasionally.
3. Combine remaining 1/2 tsp salt, olive oil, vinegar, and black pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add dressing, apple, radicchio, and grapes to oats; toss well. Place 1 1/2 cups oat mixture on each of 4 plates, and top each serving with about 3 Tbsp walnut mixture and 2 Tbsp of crumbled cheese.

Couscous Salad with Cinnamon Vinaigrette

I've been eating soup for lunch almost every day. Soup is my go to dish of choice when the weather is balmy and cool. And well, the weather is balmy and cool here. The other day, I woke up and had a cup of coffee with sliding glass door open and the fire going, draped in a blanket. (Yes, I could've kept the door shut but I wanted fresh air.) It's kind of funny: I read an article about how Seattle has only had 78 minutes of summer so far. Fortunately, Ron and I were here for all 78 minutes, but it's certainly taking time to get acclimated. I can't go for a walk without a sweatshirt! I'm not used to that during mid-July.

But here's the thing. I'd rather be wearing sweatshirts than sweating my a** off anywhere else. I feel terrible for the rest of the country. The other day I clicked on the Minneapolis weather report to see it read, "96 degrees. Feels like 120 degrees." WHAT? Ron's dad sent me an email from PA with the following, "It is absolutely miserable here. I can't remember the last time feeling like this. You go outside and take a breath and it's like you were sucking air on your exhaust pipe. It is starting to get on my nerves." Ron's dad is the most jovial individual I know. So if the heat is getting under his skin, I can't imagine what I'd be like. Honestly, if I was in Minnesota right now, I'd be livid. LIVID. I don't love hot weather. In fact, it makes me quite angry. The heat makes people do crazy things and I'm no exception. I'd be swearing at Mother Nature on my bike rides, if I could go out. I'd be swearing at Mother Nature on a run, if I could go out. And the cats would be panting and looking at me hopelessly. So, I'll be quiet and not complain about the weather we are having in this part of the country, because I'm well aware of the alternative. And I'm happy to be away from it.

The sun came out the other day and I knew I had to make something else. I hadn't made a grain salad in some time so I decided that the sunshine meant it was fate. I had bookmarked this recipe a few weeks ago and was intrigued by the cinnamon vinaigrette. So I decided to whip up the dish to see what it was all about. The recipe makes a ton of couscous, so cut it in half if you're only serving two people or using it as a side. But overall it was very good. The vinaigrette added such a unique flavor to the traditional texture of couscous. The mint and green onions added the necessary "earthy" component to couscous. And the raisins added a much needed tang. I would definitely make this was dried cranberries, or dried apricots, next time around. As per usual, I added nuts. I love couscous, but I need crunch. I guess I could've subbed in some chopped celery or sugar snap peas for crunch, but roasted peanuts were appealing so in they went. I rather enjoyed this couscous salad. And I'll be having lunch for quite a few days, so it's a good thing it was tasty.

Couscous Salad with Cinnamon Vinaigrette
from Cooking Books, from the Bon Appetit Cookbook
Ingredients

• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 1/3 cups vegetable broth
• 10 ounces couscous
• 1 1/2 cups dried fruit, such as raisins
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 bunch green onions, white and light green parts chopped (about 5-6 onions)
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• large handful fresh mint, chopped

Instructions

1. In a small heavy saucepan, heat the canola oil, the cinnamon, and the cumin until it just boils. Be careful not to burn the spices. Remove from the heat as soon as it bubbles and turns fragrant. Set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, bring the vegetable broth to a boil. Add the couscous and the dried fruit. Cover, turn the heat off, and allow the couscous to absorb the liquid, about 10 minutes. Put the couscous in a large bowl and run a fork through it to break up the grains. Set aside to cool and prep the rest of the recipe.
3. Whisk the vinegar and the shallot into the cooled oil mixture and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss the dressing with the couscous. Fold in the onions, beans, and the mint. Serve and enjoy!

Carrot Raisin Wheat Berry Salad

Our bodies tell us when to slow down. They react, they retaliate, and try to force us to breathe deeply and clear our heads. I'm trying to listen to my body more. I've been sick so often during law school that I need to remove something from my plate. I want to live a long, healthy life. And if I stubbornly refuse to rest when I'm told, this is not going to happen. As a result, I made the decision not to participate in the Ironman this summer. It was a a hard decision, but with the upcoming move and summer classes, I could not mentally, or physically, do it without injury or breakdown. It's important that we make positive changes to care for ourselves and those who surround us. So, I'm trying to be better well-rounded. And I continue forward with adding more nutritious foods to my diet.

I made this not too long ago when I was looking for something that was healthy and yummy. I really enjoyed the combination of this wheatberry salad. It was very flavorful, but a unique spin on a salad that could be served at a bbq. Once the wheatberries were done, it took only about 5 minutes to prepare before lunch was served. Check this out next time you are looking for some good grains and veggies.
Carrot Raisin Wheat Berry Salad
Oh She Glows
Yield: 3 cups
Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked wheatberries
• 4 medium sized carrots, peeled and chopped into small 1/4" pieces
• 1.5 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup raisins
• salt and pepper, to taste
• cilantro

Instructions

1. Place wheatberries in a pot and cook according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, chop your veggies. In a medium sized bowl, stir together the chopped carrots, olive oil, minced garlic cloves, lemon juice, vinegar, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes and raisins. Stir well and add into a large saucepan. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes or so. (Lightly cook.) Place back in bowl.
3. Drain and rinse wheatberries. Stir them into the carrot mixture. Stir in salt, pepper, and cilantro to taste, adjusting seasonings as necessary. Serve warm or cold.

Rainbow Chopped Salad

For some reason, I've never posted a salad recipe on this blog.  This is bizarre because I have a salad for lunch, or dinner, on 6 out of 7 days of the week.  I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables.  And, I love combining them.  (My father would say "blegh" to this salad.  He hates when fruit is mixed with lettuce!)  I guess I've never posted an actual recipe because salads are pretty easy to mix up and easily customized to your preferences.  Plus, if you utilize your grocer's salad bar, you can easily mix up a cheap, individualized meal.  (Tip: Buy your lettuce and dressing separately to cut back significantly on weight. Load up your take-out container with fresh veggies and mix your salad when you get home or back to work.)

But, given the fact that I felt this blog needed some color in its life (esp. since my last post's snow-freak out), I've decided to post a recipe for this delicious rainbow chopped salad that I recently spotted in the latest bon appetit magazine.  I did make some slight changes to my own recipe - I used blueberries instead of pomegranate seeds, added sweet cherry tomatoes and opted for feta cheese instead of blue cheese - but the end result is delicious.  I always eat large salad portions, but you can easily use this as a side dish or add your choice of protein to make it a heartier meal.  I also love making my own salad dressings -- they are so easy to whip up and honestly take less time to make than it takes to grab a pre-made bottle of the grocery aisle.  (Ok, not really.  But, it's nice to know that my dressing only has 4 delicious ingredients in it.)  Honestly, I encourage you to try your hand at whisking up your own dressing.  It's amazing what flavor combinations you can come up with!
Rainbow Chopped Salad
adapted from Bon Appetit
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
Dressing

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp finely chopped shallot
• 1/2 Tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup hazelnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil

Salad

• 6 cups chopped romaine hearts
• 4 cups sliced red cabbage (or spinach)
• 1 large Fuji apple, halved, cored, diced
• 1 Asian pear, halved, cored, diced
• 1 mango, peeled, diced (or 2 Fuyu persimmons, peeled, seeded, diced)
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup fresh blueberries (or 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds)
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (or blue cheese), optional

Instructions 

1. Dressing: Whisk vinegar, shallot, and honey in a small bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. Salad: Combine romaine and next 7 ingredients in a very large bowl; toss to blend. Add dressing and toss gently to coat. Divide salad among plates. Sprinkle with cheese, if desired, and serve.