Warm Quinoa Salad

I whipped this up in a cooking class yesterday. Super refeshing, quick and easy, and great for the warmer weather. The portions are for 1-2 servings specially for those who live alone.

Love Chef Mel xx

Warm Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

1/2 cup quinoa

1 cup spring water

1 inch strip kombu

1 cup sweet corn, edemame or peas

1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

1-2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped basil

½ teaspoon salt

1 celery stalk finely diced

1/4 cup drained and diced roasted red peppers - can use fresh if preferred

2-3 tablespoons toasted and chopped walnuts

 

Preparation

Toast quinoa in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until it becomes aromatic, about 3-5 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring the water and kombu to a boil in a pan on a medium heat.

Add the quinoa and return to a boil.

Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook gently for 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and add the sweet corn (peas or edemame). Cover and continue to cook until the corn and quinoa are tender, 5 minutes longer. Remove and place into a serving bowl.
Add the celery, and peppers and mix gently.

Whisk the lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, basil and salt in a small bowl. Toss to combine with the quinoa. Serve with chopped walnuts and fresh basil.

Tunisian Carrot Salad

A sweet and easy version of a Tunisian salad to add spring in your meals. Enjoy!

Love Chef Mel xx

Tunisian Carrot Salad with Radishes and Olives

Ingredients

2-3 carrots grated

4 radishes finely sliced or grated
1/2 pear grated

¼ cup chopped green olives

1-2 teaspoons olive oil

1 clove garlic minced

1-2 teaspoons ground cumin

Paprika (optional)

2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Dash ume vinegar

6 tablespoons finely minced fresh cilantro, parsley, or lambs lettuce

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Preparation

Place the carrots, radish, and olives into a bowl. Add a dash of ume vinegar and mix gently.

Warm oil, garlic, cumin, and paprika in small skillet over low heat. Stir oil mixture into vegetables.

Add the lemon juice to skillet to remove any last bits in pan, and then stir into the salad.

Add the cilantro or other herbs, grated pear and mix gently. Let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature to blend the flavors.

Serve garnished with toasted sesame seeds.

Quick and Easy Dishes for One - Simply Salad

Hallo everyone
I thought it might be fun to show a series of some really easy dishes for one person. The first is an inspiration from my wonderful brother, Simon Brown, who made a similiar salad when I last stayed with him.

This dish is surprizingly tasty. The flavors dance well together and the crisp tang from the brown rice vinegar adds a sparkle of energy.
Enjoy! Love Chef Mel x

Simply Salad

Ingredients:

1 celery stalk sliced on the angle

2 radishes sliced into half moons

¼ apple sliced into small chunks

1/3 cucumber sliced on the angle

1-2 teaspoons brown rice vinegar

Pinch sea salt

2 walnuts or 3 almonds finely chopped

Preparation:

Place all the ingredients into a bowl.

Mix gently and let sit for about 10 minutes.

Serve

Spring in a Bowl!

Spring is in the Air - hopefully!

When I look out my window at all the snow, it seems that spring is no-where in sight. However, deep in the ground, the energy is shifting, and soon we will see the evidence in lovely blossom filled trees, nodding daffodils and cheery crocuses.  And, now is the time to include light and uplifting dishes in preparation for those warmer days ahead. 

I hope you enjoy this simple salad. The gentle mix of salt and light pressing, helps to increase those healthy bacteria and makes for an easy assimilation of all the nutrients. 

Tradionally, young greens were used at this time of year to detox from the richer winter cooking so I have added some herbs for an extra cleanse and kick of nutrition. Enjoy love Chef Mel x

 

Bluebell Woods

Spring in a Bowl

Ingredients

3 cups Chinese cabbage finely sliced

1 small cucumber finely sliced

2 tablespoons parsley miced

4 radishes finely sliced

1 celery stalk finely sliced

1 tablespoon basil minced

Sea salt

1/4 block firm tofu crumbled

2 teaspoons umeboshi vinegar

Dash brown rice vinegar or juice of half a lemon

Preparation

Place all the vegetables except for the basil into a bowl.

Sprinkle with a little sea salt and mix gently yet thoroughly with your hands.

Place a smaller plate on top of the veggies and add a weight such as a small jug of water.

Let sit for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the umeboshi vinegar to the tofu. Mix well and leave for 15 minutes.

Remove the plate and weight from the vegetables. Pour off any accumulated liquid.

Add the tofu and basil and mix through the salad.

Sprinkle with brown rice vinegar or lemon, mix and serve.

 

Lovely how the feeling of spring is reflected in the salad - spring in a bowl!

Wintery Roasted Squash and Arugula Salad

I love this super, yummy salad that adds a touch of class to any meal. Or simply combine it with a lovely bowl of soup for a delightful lunch. Enjoy! Love Chef Mel xx

Wintery Roasted Squash and Arugula Salad

Ingredients

2 cups winter squash cut into small chunks
2 tablespoons fresh basil finely chopped
Olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups mushrooms, thickly sliced
4-6 cups arugula
½ block firm tofu crumbled

1-2 tablespoon umeboshi vinegar

Balsamic vinegar

Preparation

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Put the squash in a roasting tin with 1-2 tablespoons of oil, and season well with salt and pepper.

Roast for about 35 minutes, stirring once, until the squash is soft and colored round the edges.

Add the umeboshi vinegar to the crumbled tofu and mix well.

Place a tablespoon of oil into a skillet over a medium heat. Add the mushrooms and a little salt and pepper, and sauté for a few minutes.

In a serving bowl, add the squash and the just-warm mushrooms with the arugula and tofu.

Add the basil and a generous dash of balsamic vinegar.

Mix gently and serve.

Wintery Salad

With all the lovely, rich and nourishing dishes we can prepare in the colder weather, it is wonderful to add a beautiful refreshing salad to the table. This one has such a bright and colorful quality that I wanted to share it before the coming festivities. 

Enjoy and happy holidays to all. Love Chef Mel x

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wintery Salad

Ingredients

4 cups of kale finely sliced

2 cups arugula finely sliced

Few basil leaves finely sliced

½ cucumber cut into matchsticks

4 radishes finely sliced and mixed with a little ume vinegar

1/2 pomegranate
1 apple finely sliced – tangerines work well too
Toasted walnuts chopped

Dressing

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon brown rice syrup
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt & pepper

Preparation

Lightly blanch the kale in boiling water. Remove and place into a serving dish. Remove the seeds from the pomegranate. (See below for directions)

Place the dressing ingredients, except salt and pepper, into a small bowl and thoroughly mix together.  Season lightly with the salt and pepper.

Place the remaining salad ingredients with the kale and mix.

Add the dressing and mix through. Let sit for at least 5-10 minutes.

Mix again and serve.

To take out the seeds from a pomegranate, cut a small circle in the top and remove. Take out as much of the white pith as possible . Cut three slits through the skin, following the lines of pith from the top to the bottom of the fruit. Place the pomegranate into a bowl of cool water and gently pull apart into three sections. Remove the seeds with your hands. They will naturally fall to the bottom of the bowl and any pith will rise to the top. Remove all the pith with a skimmer and them drain off the water. Add the seeds into the salad.