Citrus Blossom Salad

In the middle of winter, most salads fail to hit the spot because the produce isle is generally sad and farmers markets are closed (though this roasted sweet potato and kale salad is usually a good bet). Around January citrus finally hits the shelves, freshly picked and shipped from warmer climates. It’s in that window that this salad should take the spotlight, a perfect stage for citrus varieties you can’t easily find other times of the year.

Orange flower water adds a subtle, elegant twist to the vinaigrette in this recipe (and also how it got its name). It smells incredible and one bottle will last you forever (plus, you’ll be one step closer to making baklava).

Serve this salad with with roasted chicken, a panini, or a warm stew like tagine to make a meal.

Citrus Blossom Salad

Published January 4, 2021 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4   |    Active Time: 15 minutes

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Ingredients:

1 head tender romaine lettuce, washed and spun or patted dry

3 oranges (for a fun pop of color, mix-and-match a variety of oranges: cara cara oranges for pink, blood oranges for deeper red, valencia/navel for traditional orange)

¾ cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1/2 cup feta crumbles

1 tablespoon minced parsley leaves

Optional: Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

For Orange Blossom Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Pinch of salt

1 tablespoon Orange Blossom Water

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Arrange lettuce on 4 plates, optionally tearing with your hands to remove any tough stem pieces.
2. Segment the oranges by slicing off the peels with a knife, and then carefully cutting segments out from between the pith. It can be helpful to do this over a bowl, to catch any juice. Reserve the left over pieces — we’ll use them to make the vinaigrette. Here is a good video on how to do this. Arrange orange slices over the lettuce.
3. Sprinkle walnuts and feta over each salad, and sprinkle with parsley.
4. Prepare vinaigrette: Squeeze as much juice from the remaining orange pieces into a bowl. Add salt, orange blossom water and olive oil, and whisk to combine. Drizzle to taste over salads.
5. Top with freshly cracked pepper to taste, and serve immediately.

Ramen Noodle Salad

Quick work day lunch. Lazy dinner.  Full of veggies, bright with flavor, and satisfying. Adaptable. Easy camping meal (and yes, there is still camping left to do this year!). This dish is all of those things, which is likely why it’s become a repeat hit for us this summer. 

I stocked up on ramen noodles from Costco early last spring, and since they’ve become a fall back when I don’t want to go to the grocery store, or when I don’t want to spend a lot of time cooking. When weather turned hot, ramen went from soup to salad with surprising ease. I had extra appreciation for this meal just a few weeks ago, when I packed up a container of veggies and two packets of ramen noodles as a camping dinner. It was one of the fastest, mess- and stress-free camping dinners I’ve had! .

This is more of a concept than a recipe. What I mean is you can swap ingredients in or out based on what you have. Just keep the concept in mind, which has a few core ingredient categories: ramen noodles, veggies and herbs, dressing, and crunchy toppings. From there, make it your own. Protein, like soy beans, tofu, or chicken/shrimp are optional bonuses.

Ramen Noodle Salad

Published September 22, 2020 by Caitlin Sherwood

   Print This Recipe

Serves: 2   |    Active Time: 15 minutes

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Ingredients:

2 packets ramen noodles (remove sauce or flavoring packets; they will not be used)

Water, for cooking noodles

2-3 cups fresh vegetables, such as: lettuce, spring greens, cubed avocado, julienned carrots, sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, diced bell pepper, snow pea, sugar snap peas, sliced radishes

1/4 cup fresh herbs, such as: Thai basil, Genovese basil, mint, cilantro, sliced green onions

2 tablespoons crunchy toppings, such as: toasted sesame seeds, slivered almonds, toasted cashews

Optional: 4 ounces protein, such as: steamed soy beans (edamame), tofu, roasted chicken, or shrimp

Optional, for added spice when serving: chili flakes or minced fresh Thai chilis to taste

For the dressing:

1/4 cup white rice vinegar

2 tablespoons cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon sambal olek (chile-garlic sauce) or Sriracha

1 teaspoon maple syrup

Directions:

1. Cook noodles according to directions on package, but do not use any flavor packets or sauce included with them. Once cooked through, drain noodles through a strainer and rinse with cold water to cool.
2. Divide cold noodles amongst serving bowls. Arrange chopped vegetables over top, along with herbs, and optional protein.
3. In a jar, combine ingredients for dressing. Place lid on jar and shake to combine. Drizzle dressing over noodles and veggies.
4. Top with toasted sesame seeds and/or nuts. Add chili flakes or minced Thai chilies to taste for add spice, and serve.

Beet + Wild Rice Grain Bowls

It has taken me seven days to put fingers to keyboard on this one, and before that, three weeks to slow down for long enough to take photos. Despite being forced to slow down in 2020, life—the world- still feels very chaotic. This makes it hard to write about something as simple as a grain bowl. Where do you begin when there are so many important things happening in the world?

Yet here, on planet Earth—the ground we all stand on- we must still eat. Food is a symbol of its own: a cultural symbol, a mark of a movement, a taste of history, a connection to the ground. When I think of this recipe, my mind goes to the earth. It boasts deep flavors that remind you of where your food came from (nutty wild rice, sweet and earthy beets, buttery feta cheese), and in that way, this meal is grounding.

I grow a small patch of beets in my garden every year. They are one of the easiest vegetables to grow, resilient and hardy. This dish puts beets, such a humble root, on show. Eat it warm on a rainy evening, or cold for a mid-day work lunch.

Beet + Wild Rice Grain Bowls

Published July 30, 2020 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4   |    Active Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

4 beets

2 cups cooked wild rice (for serving cold, allow rice to cool first — for serving warm, rice can be freshly cooked or reheated)

1 cup cucumber, sliced

1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles

1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted

1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved or roughly chopped

1/4 cup parsley, minced

For vinaigrette:

Juice of 1 lemon

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

Generous pinch of salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:

1. Cook beets: Pierce each beet with a knife (this allows steam to escape during cooking). Place beets in a large microwave-safe pyrex with a lid, and add 1 cup of water. Microwave until softened through, about 10-12 minutes. When done, beets will be softened and a fork or knife should easily go through. Allow to beets to cool 5-10 minutes.
2. While beets cool, make the vinaigrette: combine ingredients for vinaigrette in a jar. Secure lid, and shake until well mixed.
3. Dice beets into bite-sized pieces, then assemble bowls: scoop 1/2 cup of rice into each bowl. Divide beets, cucumbers, cheese, walnuts, and olives amongst bowls. Garnish with parsley, and drizzle vinaigrette to taste. Serve hot or cold.