Jicama-Pineapple Slaw with Honey Lime Vinaigrette

Are you ever so brain dead after work that you pull into your drive way and realize you just listened to the public radio pledge drive the whole way home? Or worse, a solid 20 minutes of commercials? And by listen, I mean you actually heard every word...you just couldn't think enough to care or change the station? This is me, all the time.

On the other hand, some days I get in the car and hear the news start, and immediately have to just turn it off. No more words, too many words! Peace and quiet is all I can handle on those days.  

These are the days I want to come home to dinner already prepped and ready to go: zero effort, just delicious satisfaction on a plate so that I can do nothing more than relax. 

Lately, we've been getting home pretty late, after we manage to leave the office and hit the gym. Like 8:30pm. When I get home at 8:30pm, the last thing I want to do is cook dinner... By the time 9pm hits, I'd rather be in bed than pulling something from the oven or dishing something onto a plate! 

Anyways, it's made me want to start planning ahead of time, by loading up the slow cooker with Korean Pork or Enchilada Beef in the morning. When I'm doing really well, I'll even prep a side dish while I'm making breakfast or packing lunches--something that will stay fresh if it's stored in the fridge all day. This Jicama-Pineapple Slaw is perfect for these days, because the jicama and carrots stay crisp and fresh long after you put everything together. 

You can eat this slaw as a topping for tacos or taco bowls, but you can also just eat it as a salad. Make a big batch! You'll save yourself chopping and planning the next day. 

Jicama-Pineapple Slaw with Honey Lime Vinaigrette

Paleo, Primal, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

This slaw works as a topping for tacos or as a salad on it’s own.

Serves: 6   |    Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 Jicama (2 cups, chopped into matchsticks)
• 3 large carrots (1 cup chopped into matchsticks)
• 1 mandarin orange or tangerine, cut into wedges
• 1/2 cup pineapple, diced
• 1/2 cup minced cilantro
• 1 small jalapeño (or 1/2 large jalapeño), cut into thin slices
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Dash paprika
• Dash granulated garlic (garlic powder)
• Salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Toss jicama, carrots, orange wedges, diced pineapple, jalapeño and cilantro in a salad bow.
2. Then, whisk together lime juice, honey, olive oil, paprika, granulated garlic, and a dash each of salt & pepper.
3. Drizzle dressing over vegetables, and took until coated.
4. Store in airtight salad until you are ready to eat! Stays good for 3-5 days in the fridge.

Roasted Asparagus & Crunchy Radish Salad

Early spring always feels like such a tease. For two weeks it was 80°F and the next week we were watching spherical snow fall from the sky and land on the road where it turned instantly into slush. Even though March feels like it should be all spring and flowers and showers, it's usually the snowiest month of the year for us. Whatever accumulates never lasts long this time of year, melting with in a day or two. 

The moment you have yourself convinced it's finally spring and the warm weather is here to stay, Mother Nature takes charge again and drops some white stuff outside your window. It is too warm for soup. Potatoes and winter squash are long gone, but asparagus and spring radish are yet to come. This is the limbo between winter and spring we are in. I desperately crave fresh produce picked from the garden, a dose of vitamin D from the sun, and a late evening where the skies stay light past 6pm.  

Roasted Asparagus & Crunchy Radish Salad

Published March 9, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 3-4   |    Active Time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients:

1 bunch asparagus

1 tablespoon avocado oil (or other neutral cooking oil)

1/2 red onion

1/4 cup pine nuts

2 cups baby spinach

1/2 cup radishes, sliced

2-3 tablespoons parsley, minced

Freshly cracked pepper to taste

For the Vinaigrette:

1 clove garlic, minced

Juice of 1 lemon

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

1/4 cup olive oil

Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Chop the thick ends off of the asparagus and discard. Chop remaining asparagus into 3rds and toss in avocado oil. Cut red onion into wedges. Spread in even layer on baking sheet. Place in oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until asparagus begins to crisp. Remove asparagus from oven, and allow to cool.
3. Toast pine nuts in oven on a separate baking sheet for 3-5 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly browned.
4. Meanwhile, make vinaigrette: place all ingredients in a jar. Close jar, and shake until combined.
5. Assemble salad: Place spinach and radishes in large salad bowl, and top with asparagus and red onion. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and toss to coat, and season to taste with black pepper. Serve.
6. Notes: Crumbles of goat or feta cheese make great additions to this salad, just sprinkle on top at the end.

Curried Cauliflower Salad with Apple & Fennel

I first discovered this combo at a networking event, at which I spent more time taste-testing all of the appetizers than talking to people. If you know me, you’re probably thinking, “typical.”

That night, after having just a nibble of a salad with cauliflower roasted with curry powder, apple, and fennel, I went home and made my own version of the same thing — one bite was not enough! Since then, I’ve made the recipe several times, tweaking it as I go. Here’s where I ultimately landed: a roasted cauliflower salad with dice apple and thin slices of fennel, tossed with arugula and drizzled with an apple cider vinegar, curry and honey vinaigrette.

Cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables to roast. I’m guilty of popping several of the roasted florets into my mouth right as the pan comes out of the oven, still piping hot. It’s super versatile, making it a very good base for this salad, which once dressed is FULL of flavor.

Fennel pairs well with curry vinaigrette because fennel seed is often featured in curry. Fennel bulb is brighter and fresher than fennel seed, and provides a satisfying crunch. Meanwhile, apple is sweet and tangy, a contrast to bitter arugula.

It’s not in the recipe, but occasionally I’ll add a handful of toasted walnuts or pepitas to this salad, too. Nuts go a long way in making a salad feel full!

Unlike most salads, I think of this as cold weather fare. Apples and cauliflower are delicious and easy to find well into late fall, and in the summer I’m not as motivated to turn on my oven to roast a pan of veggies. The curry vinaigrette is warming, and the whole salad goes well with roasted chicken or mahi mahi.

Watch the video below, or keep scrolling for the recipe!

Curried Cauliflower Salad with Apple & Fennel

Published September 22, 2016 by Caitlin Sherwood

Yield: 6   |    Active Time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the salad:

1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 apples, one diced and one sliced for garnish

1 bulb fennel, sliced thin

4 cups fresh baby arugula

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1/4 teaspoons black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Place cauliflower on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat. Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through and edges are browning. Set aside to cool.
3. Make vinaigrette: combine all ingredients for vinaigrette in a jar and shake to combine.
4. Assemble salad: place arugula in bowl, and top with cauliflower, apple, and fennel. Drizzle with half of vinaigrette and toss to combine. Add more vinaigrette as desired.