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Parsley Dressing

There’s more to curly parsley than just a chain restaurant garnish… Just like there’s more to my friend Tania than meets the eye.

This is a recipe I learned from her. Tania is a hair stylist but, every time you go to her salon, you get your hair done and your tummy full. The last time I was there she fed me lunch… and as any typical yogi would do, half the plate she gave me was salad. But this salad was special… it had a special dressing.

Tania tells me this parsley dressing is her go-to salad dressing at home. It’s super easy to make and she always has a bottle of it on top of her kitchen counter. I bragged so much about it to another friend in our running group that Tania had to make a dressing batch just for this other friend to try.

I have been dreaming of making salads with this dressing for a while now… and this is my homage to Tania’s Parsley Dressing. I hope I make it justice. A bottle of this is standing on my kitchen counter as I type!!

PARSLEY DRESSING

1 bunch of curly parsley, thicker stems removed and coarsely chopped

1 garlic clove

½ tbs kosher salt

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup water

This is the time to take out your immersion blender… I first used my food processor, but just a bunch of parsley is too small to use a large processor. Tania makes it in her Vitamix blender…

In a glass measuring cup measure the olive oil and the water. Add the garlic clove, salt and the coarsely chopped parsley to the large measuring cup. Start pureeing with the immersion blender until the oil emulsifies and turns creamy.
The measuring cup is nice because the spout will help you decant it into a bottle where you can keep the dressing for future use.

The dressing is chunky… but it’s super flavorful. Pour it over a green salad or even boiled potatoes or rice. It’s very, very versatile.

This is a great use of all that curly parsley that goes on sale frequently. I tend to prefer flat-leaf parsley in recipes, but for this preparation, curly works just fine.

Tags: dressing, food, garlic, olive oil, parsley, Salad, vegetarian

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Categories Salad, sauces

Spinach and Goat Cheese Salad

1 Apr

Leslie is a new friend I run with in Boca Ratón… She is a salad lover like me.

I always end up talking food with everyone I meet and this is one of Leslie’s favorite salads to make. I hope you enjoy it as much as Leslie and I enjoy it.

SPINACH AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD

Baby Spinach leaves

Goat Cheese crumbles

Spiced Nuts – like almonds or pecans

Dress with Balsamic Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Mix all the ingredients in a large salad bowl and dress with Balsamic Vinaigrette. Toss well to combine.

BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients in a small glass jar and shake well.

Tags: almonds, balsamic vinegar, food, Goat Cheese, nuts, pecans, spices, spinach, vegetarian, vinaigrette

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Categories appetizers, Salad

Mixed Green Salad… great way to return to the land of the eaters

11 Mar

After a week without eating solid foods, you certainly want to maintain your system as clean as possible. We are encouraged to eat only fruits and salads after we finish our spiritual retreats.

This was the salad I made right after we came back to the “land of the eaters”… it was improvised by what was freshest at the market on New Year’s Day, but it turned out to be so delicious, that we prepared it exactly the same for a few days after because I got so enamored of the flavors.

This is my way to get you enamored with salads too… hope it works!!!!

MIXED GREEN SALAD

2 large handfuls of Baby Arugula

1 large handful of Baby Spinach

1 handful of Alfalfa sprouts

1 Tomato, sliced

¼ cup sliced Almonds

¼ cup dried Cranberries

Lemon Vinaigrette – Lime juice, Extra Virgin Olive oil, Salt and Pepper

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large salad bowl. Squirt the juice of ½ a lemon, drizzle some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss all the ingredients with your hands to combine well.
Eat immediately… as the lettuces will wilt if you let this salad sit for too long.

Tags: alfalfa, almond, arugula, cranberry, dressing, fasting, food, lemon, raw, spinach, sprout, tomato, vegetarian, vinaigrette

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Categories appetizers, Salad

Annie Mariel’s Composed Salad

18 Jan

I firmly believe that God or the Universe, however you prefer to say it, puts the right people in our path for us to learn and grow… And Annie Mariel has been a real blessing in my life. It’s as if God, in his all-knowingness, understands and knows exactly the type of person you need in your life at a certain time in your life.

We got along almost immediately since we met each other about 5 yrs ago in a conversational French class. We have lots of things in common – we’re both consultants, we both enjoy anything French, we both enjoy to travel, we follow yoga and spiritual practices, we are both vegetarians… bueno, almost vegetarians because Annie Mariel still eats seafood and shellfish on occasion. But she gets my idiosyncrasies of being vegetarian. She has passed on to me her love of running and we even applied to run the Amazing Race together… (oh boy!!!)

Annie Mariel is a great supporter and fan of KarmaFree Cooking… and for my last supper of 2012 she wanted to contribute by bringing a salad. She knew I was going to cook pasta. She asked me to make it as light as possible, so I pleased her by making the sauce all tomato, instead of mixing it with some cream or half and half, like I like to do on other recipes. She told me she would surprise me with the salad… and that she did.

This salad had a little bit of everything… and it was delicious! I asked Annie Mariel if I could feature her salad in KarmaFree Cooking and she agreed. I hope I make her proud. Try it for yourself…

ANNIE MARIEL’S COMPOSED SALAD

Baby Spinach

Arugula

Grape Tomatoes

Sliced Red Onions

Avocado

Crumbled Blue Cheese

Toasted Almond Slices

Dried Cranberries

Crispy Fried Onions

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

In a large bowl add all the ingredients. Toss lightly to combine
Dress the salad with vinaigrette.

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

½ cup extra virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Sal and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Place all the ingredients in a empty glass or mason jar. Shake well to combine. Let rest for 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors to combine well.
Serve on top of your favorite salad.

Tags: almond, arugula, avocado, baby spinach, balsamic vinegar, blue cheese, cranberries, food, onion, savory, tomato, vegetarian

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Categories Salad, side dishes

Chopped Avocado Salad Dressing

20 Aug

My grandpa instilled in us a love for avocados… to him, a salad with dinner would mean slicing a few “rajas” of avocado on the side. His favorite was rice and corn with ketchup and avocado. I know it sounds “kookie”, but you need to try it.

But the love for avocados comes from both sides of the family because once, while visiting my aunt and uncle in Miami, I had to buy a new suitcase to be able to travel with the 5 huge avocados my uncle bought for me to bring back home.

And as much as we love avocados, we don’t have a lot of family recipes using avocados. We just love them so; we do not see them as an ingredient in a recipe. They’re the exclamation point to any dish they’re added to!!! A few slices or wedges of avocado on the side of anything make the meal better. A soup??? Drop a few pieces of avocado inside to make it sing… A sandwich?? Slice a few avocados to make it creamier…

Lately I am training for a ½ marathon and I am trying to eat better and leaner. I am eating more salads, which I like, but I am particularly lazy to make them at home often. I’ve found the best way to fall in love with a salad is to make a killer dressing. Fall in love with a dressing and you’ll fall in love with the salad underneath.

And because I want you to love avocados as much as I do… I want to present to you a very easy avocado based dressing that’s much a dressing as a salsa to brighten other dishes too.

CHOPPED AVOCADO SALAD DRESSING

½ large avocado, cut into little pieces

1 small tomato, diced finely

½ small white onion, diced finely

½ cup Extra Virgin Olive oil

2 tbs Rice Vinegar

The juice of 1 small lime

½ tbs kosher salt

1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and allow the mixture to meld and combine a few minutes before serving over your favorite salad.

Because the dressing includes avocados, tomatoes and onions, it’s great for a simple lettuce-only salad. You don’t need anything else IMHO. But this dressing also works as a topping for tacos, for burritos, for enchiladas… or as a sauce in sandwiches.

If you want more recipes using Avocados from Mexico, visit this link here. And if you live in the US, check out the coupons for Avocados clicking right here.