Cilantro Lime Tortilla Salad

This crisp tangy salad is a nice side or can work well as a stand-alone meal.

Make the cilantro lime vinaigrette by whisking together the first 4 ingredients while slowly drizzling in the olive oil. Add and bit of salt and pepper to taste.

Thinly slice the onions. Rinse under cold water to take out the bite. Dry well. Thinly slice the radishes (I used watermelon radishes), toss together with the onions in a bit of the vinaigrette and let marinate in a medium bowl for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Wash and dry the lettuce then add to the bowl with the onions and radishes. Add dressing to taste and toss well.

Next add the corn chips and avocado then gently toss.

Top the salad with a few cilantro leaves and serve with lime wedges.

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
2 tbs fresh squeezed lime juice
2 tbs finely chopped cilantro
3 tps agave nectar or honey
¼ tsp (or even a bit less) finely chopped garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper

Ingredients (proportions are according to taste)
Thinly sliced white onions
Thinly sliced radishes
Chopped lettuce- romaine, green leaf or baby lettuces work very nicely
Avocado
Corn chips broken into bite size pieces

Cabbage, Radish & Avocado Salad

Toss together a few handfuls of thinly sliced cabbage, radishes, ½ of an avocado and you'll have a salad that's easy, tasty and nutritious that will leave you satisfied and full.

For the dressing whisk together fresh squeezed lime juice, a bit of fresh crushed garlic (a little goes a long way), a drizzle of honey, a bit of salt and fresh ground pepper. Whisk the ingredients together while slowly drizzling in the olive oil- I don’t measure out an exact amount, I just stop adding oil when the dressing starts to thicken. You can adjust all of the portions of this dressing according to your taste.

The key to this salad is the avocado, so don’t skimp on it. It adds a creaminess to the dish but also gives it a bit of substance, so you won’t feel hungry an hour later. 

A few notes I feel I have to say about avocados. I often hear people say that they don’t want to eat them because they are high in fat. Ok, true, avocados have fat, one medium avocado has about 30 grams. However, most of this is not saturated fat, but monounsaturated fat, the good kind that actually helps lower cholesterol levels. They are high in fiber, potassium, vitamin E, B vitamins and folic acid.

Make sure you use only ripe avocados, otherwise the salad won't be as creamy and flavorful as it should be. One trick that helps them ripen perfectly is to place hard avocados in a small paper bag in the cupboard for a few days until they are soft. Be patient with them, it's worth the wait, once you cut open an un-ripe avocado it will not continue to ripen. 

Ingredients:

cabbage

radish  (I used watermelon radishes)

avocado

Dressing:

½ lime

olive oil

honey

crushed fresh garlic

sea salt and pepper

Farro Salad with Carrots, Fennel and Dried Cranberries

Farro is one of those grains that does not get enough attention. It's perfect for soups and salads and hardy enough to satisfy as a main meal. Every time I make a farro salad I always wonder why I don’t do it the more often.

The nutty, sweet texture works particularly well with dried fruit so in keeping with the sprit of the holiday season we added dried cranberries and tossed it in a simple citrus vinaigrette.

Ingredients:
1 cup farro
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/4 cup thinly sliced, then chopped, fennel
1 large tablespoon rough chopped dried cranberries
Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon finely cupped shallots
A squeeze of meyer lemon juice and a bit of the zest

Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, shallots and lemon juice. While continuing to whisk, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until incorporated.

Rinse farro in cold water then place in a small sauce pan and cover with about 2-2/12 cups of water. Add a bit of salt (optional) to the water.

Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the grains are tender but chewy. When done, drain any extra liquid that is still in the pan.

While the farro is cooking chop the carrots, fennel and cranberries.

Add the carrots, fennel and dried cranberries to the warm farro. Toss together.

Let cool to room temperature then add the vinaigrette to taste. Toss and serve.

Makes 2 meal size portions or 4-6 small sides.

Frisée Radish Salad

Frisée is a member of the chicory family. The leaves are thin and delicate but they are very crisp with a lovely slight bitter taste. Frisée salads work very well with a white wine, champagne or lemon vinaigrette. Spicy, crisp colorful radishes are a nice compliment with this salad.

Champagne vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon finely mined shallot
Fresh ground pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Whisk first four ingredients. Continue whisking while slowly drizzling in the oil.

Toss frisée and thinly sliced radishes with enough dressing to lightly coat the salad.

Curry Lentil Salad

1 cup dried lentils
1 cup total very small diced red pepper, cucumber, carrot, baby leek. (if baby leeks are not in season use a about a tablespoon of very finely diced shallot)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
4 teaspoons curry powder
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon kosher salt


Cover lentils with plenty of cold water. Simmer lentils until they are very tender. Make sure that they are always covered with water, if the water evaporates, add more. This takes about 30-45 minutes. When lentils are cooked rinse with cold water.

Add diced vegetables.

In a separate bowl whisk together olive oil, vinegar, curry powder and salt. Pour over lentils and gently mix. Best if served chilled.