Fall Harvest Salad

Fall Squash & Arugula Salad

By Mars Rubietta, Produce Keeper

This recipe was created to honour the wonderful produce we have in season in the fall, as well as be easy and adjustable to your needs. The following makes enough for two people to have a pretty hardy side salad. If you're making this as the main for one, I would make the entire recipe and consider adding lentils for extra protein.

If you find yourself thinking, "I don't have delicata, but I have butternut squash.." or, "the only nuts I have are everything seasoned from Trader Joe's...) go for it! Let your intuition guide you in this journey. These are guidelines that work well, and will make a delicious salad whether you follow them to a T or not.

Ingredients

• Arrugula

• 1/2 cup raw pecans or walnuts

• 3/4 pound delicata squash

• 2 tsp olive oil

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp ground pepper

• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

• 1/2 pear (I used starkrimson)

• 1/4 cup crumbly cheese (I used violife feta)

  
  

  Dressing

  • 3 Tbs olive oil

  • 1 Tbs lemon juice

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 1/2 tsp honey

  • 1/2 tsp dijon mustard

  • 1/4 tsp salt

  • 1/8 tsp ground pepper

Method

1.  Preheat oven to 350℉. Spread pecans on a sheet pan, and toast for 5-7 minutes, checking and stirring every two minutes. They will take on a slightly golden color and smell fragrant. Take them out, then raise oven temperature to 425℉. If your nuts are already roasted, skip that step.

2.  Prepare the squash: cut in half lengthwise & scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Cut the halves into half-moon 1/2 inch slices. Add to a medium bowl, and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. 

3. Arrange onto sheet pan lined with parchment paper so that the pieces are not touching. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway through with the fork. 

4.  While the squash is roasting, prepare the dressing by combining all ingredients in a jar and shaking vigorously, or in a small bowl whisking until well combined. Taste and adjust with salt or lemon juice to your liking. Slice the pear and crumble your cheese.

5.  Plate all your ingredients to your heart's desire. Optionally, enjoy while contemplating our gratitude for the warm weather over the summer; this transitional period; all the people that worked very hard to get this food to your plate; and/or how you felt while making this, and how you feel eating it.

Romano Bean Salad

Romano Bean Salad

adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

2 quarts water

2/3 lb Romano beans, trimmed & cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 tsp kosher salt

1 garlic clove

2.5 Tbsp chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley

4 tsp capers

2 tsp olive oil

3/4 tsp lemon zest

1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Cayenne (optional)

Instructions

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add beans, 2 teaspoons of salt, and garlic: cook for 8 minutes or until tender.

Drain and plunge beans into ice water. Drain again.

Place beans in a medium bowl. Finely chop garlic. Add garlic, parsley, and all remaining ingredients to the beans and combine. Season with salt to taste, and a light dust of cayenne if you want to add a little kick.

Spring Quinoa Salad w/ Herbs, Scallions & Lemony Vinaigrette

This is a very adaptable salad (template). Substitute vegetables and herbs as you wish just be sure to chop everything quite small. This is a good dinner salad on a warm night especially if you add cooked beans, cheese and/or toasted seeds or nuts or other proteins.

This makes a lot of salad so feel free halve the recipe. I load mine up with herbs, especially mint, parsley, cilantro, chives and thyme. The more the better!

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 cups quinoa

One bunch radishes, trimmed and chopped

3-4 carrots, scrubbed and thinly sliced or diced

2 cups bok choi stems, cut into small dice

2 cups mizuna or arugula or young mustard greens, fairly finely chopped

4 green onions (scallions) or 1 shallot or 1/2 a small onion, finely diced

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh herbs (parsley, mint, basil, dill, sorrel, cilantro in any combination)

Salt

Dressing

1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard

1 garlic scape or stalk of green garlic or 2 cloves garlic, minced

Grated zest of a lemon

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the quinoa in a fine meshed sieve under cold, running water for a minute. Quinoa has a natural coating (saponin) which is a bit bitter and the rinsing removes it. Put the rinsed quinoa in a pan and add 2 ¼ cups water and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring it to a boil then cover and turn down to a simmer. Cook, for about 15 minutes until the quinoa is tender and all the water has been absorbed. Put in a large serving bowl and let cool while you prepare the vegetables.

In a small bowl whisk mustard, garlic, zest and vinegar until smooth. Slowly add oil while whisking until the mixture is smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. This dressing needs to be salty and tart. The quinoa will absorb a lot. You’ll be surprised how much vinegar and salt you need especially if you don’t serve it right away.

Add the vegetables and herbs to the cooked and cooled quinoa and drizzle on most of the dressing and mix well and taste and adjust with more dressing and/or salt and pepper as needed.

Become a scrappy, creative cook who can make something delicious and nutritious with what’s on hand. The Recipe, Tips & Inspiration you Need to Eat Well Every Day!

Get 50% off a Subscription to the Seasonal Recipe Collection

What to do with the vegetables in the fridge? Short on time but still want healthful meals? And how to be well-stocked so that cooking is more fun and frankly, realistic. People’s is partnering with Cook With What You Have, a subscription-based, online seasonal recipe collection created by People's Member-Owner Katherine Deumling. Katherine empowers you to cook freely and build creativity and confidence with every dish. Cook With What You Have is providing a discounted subscription to the Recipe Collection for People’s Members/Owners & Customers for $29/year, or $2.99/month (50% off retail).  Use discount code PEOPLES to subscribe at https://www.cookwithwhatyouhave.com/get-started/

Quinoa Blood Orange Delicata Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1-2 large onions, cut into long thin slices

• ¼ cup avocado oil

• pinch of salt

• ½ cup quinoa, cooked

• 1 medium delicata squash, cut into ½ inch wedges

• 1.5 tbsp olive oil

• ¼ tsp pink Himalayan sea salt

• 2 blood oranges, sliced into rounds

• 1 medium avocado, sliced into 1 inch cubes

• 2 cups spinach, roughly chopped

• ½ cup roasted almonds, roughly chopped

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

• ¼ tsp salt

• fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

Heat ¼ cup of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the onion and a pinch of salt. Sauté until onions soften, then turn the heat down so the onions are simmering gently in the oil. Let it simmer on low for about 30-45 mins, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Onions are done when softened, golden brown, and slightly sweet.  Remove from heat and set aside. 

Preheat the oven to 425F. In a bowl, combine the squash, oil, and salt and toss to coat. Pour onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, flipping about half way through. Remove from oven and let cool.

In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, delicata squash, blood orange, avocado, spinach, almonds, and ¼ cup of the caramelized onions. In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 tbsp olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Pour the dressing over the quinoa and toss to combine. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe and photo courtesy of Natalie Bickford.

Summer Panzanella

The classic Italian summer dish. A transcendent meal can be made from a little high summer produce and some old bread. 

Ingredients

• fresh, ripe tomatoes (several kinds if you can buy or grow them- large or small. Apx 7-12)

• cucumber(s, if little)

• the best damn stale bread you can get* (2 or 3 handfuls of cruton-esque pieces)

• very small (or half a medium) fresh sweet onion

• garlic, 4 or so cloves

• white wine vinegar

• lemon juice

• olive oil

• red wine (already open, just for cooking or what you are drinking that night)

• pickled green peppercorns (secret, important ingredient here, available at Pastaworks, you can also substitute capers here)

• parmesan

• fresh mozzarella

• basil or parsley or celery leaves or whatever strong leafy herb

Directions

Dice the onion finely and place it in a non-reactive bowl (a glass pyrex mixing bowl is perfect). Peel and chop the garlic, mincing and adding it. Pour enough white wine vinegar to soak the onion and garlic. Add lemon juice till they are almost submerged. Add olive oil to really bury them. Salt generously. Let this hang out for at least an hour, seriously. You can get away with half and hour but an hour is better. This is the technique that gives this panzanella it's brightness, it's zing. 

If you are cooking other food, work on it now; or take a walk, or read a chapter of your book. Wash, de-stem, and sliced the tomatoes. If using an english cucumber, no need to fuss over it. A regular one; peel a couple lines down the outer skin and scoop out the seeds before cutting. Little lemon cucumbers? Wash the prickles off, but no need to de-seed.

Smash/chop about one teaspoon of pickled green peppercorns. Add them with the tomatoes and the cucumbers to the onion, garlic, acids, and olive oil. 

After 10 minutes or so for these things to become acquainted (and white you grate the parmesan, tear the mozzerella, tear the basil), add the bread pieces. Toss aggressively, splashing in red wine as you go. Try to get the wine to hit half the bread pieces. Toss in the parmesan, the mozz, and the basil/other leafy herbs. Drizzle with olive oil, taste, add more wine, wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt, or black pepper to taste.

Recipe courtesy of Myrtlewood.

Kale Salad

Ingredients

• 1 bunch lacinato kale

• 2 oz grated parmesan cheese (1.5 cups)

• 1 oz chopped almonds (small handful)

• Dressing:

• 1/8 c olive oil

• 1 tbs lemon juice

• 1 tbs apple cider vinegar

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)

• 1/2 tsp salt (more to taste)

• 1/2 tsp pepper (more to taste)

Instructions

Rinse kale and remove rib. Chop to bite size pieces. Sprinkle cheese and almonds over kale. Mix the remaining ingredients for the dressing. Toss everything together. Taste and adjust as needed.

 

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Serves 2.

Ingredients

Salad

• 4 cups spinach

• 1/2 pint fresh strawberries, sliced thin

• 1 small avocado, chopped

• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

• 1 batch of Poppy Seed Dressing

Poppy Seed Dressing

• 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

• ½ teaspoon mustard

• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds

• small pinch sea salt

• ½ tsp honey or coconut nectar

Instructions

Whisk poppy seed dressing together in a small jar.  In large salad bowl, toss spinach, strawberries, and avocado in poppy seed dressing. Top with sliced almonds. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from pureandsimplerecipes.com.