Cool and Crisp-Winter Salad Edition

SALADS PROVIDE VOLUME to our meals along with vibrant color, satisfying crunch, and admirable nutrition. But they do become dull quickly. By incorporating the winter vegetables this season has to offer, you can easily elevate your salad, providing that twist that makes greens exciting once again. Embrace the winter! Ironically, it can be just the thing to brighten up your family’s table!

Tip: I highly recommend doubling or tripling the mushroom recipe in the Mushroom Fennel Salad. It’s a fabulous topping for baked potatoes and meat (think steak!), and it’s absolutely delicious on a slice of sourdough bread.

Note: The walnut oil adds welcome yet subtle undertones of nut flavor. I highly recommend it. (I buy extra for Pesach, refrigerate until it expires, and use it sparingly.) If not available, sub oil of your choice.

Spicy Sweet Potato Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

This colorful salad is pleasing to the eye as well as the palate. It combines various root vegetables and other complementary components with a fabulous lemon dressing. The pickled onion adds crunch and a tangy sweetness.

SERVES 7-8

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• ½–¾ tsp chili powder, or to taste
• 1 tsp Montreal steak seasoning
• 3 cups shredded cabbage
• a few handfuls lettuce of your choice (include dark green lettuce, for contrast)
• 1 small or medium beet, peeled and finely shredded
• 1 yellow carrot, peeled and julienned

Pickled Red Onions

• 1 red onion, sliced into half circles
• 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup water
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• ¼ tsp salt

Lemon Vinaigrette

• scant ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp honey, or to taste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¼ tsp dry thyme, or to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line an oven tray with parchment paper.

Combine sweet potatoes, oil, and spices in a small bowl until well coated. Pour onto oven tray and bake for about 20 minutes or until soft and beginning to get crispy. This can be done a few days in advance.

Prepare pickled red onion: Combine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a small pot and bring to a boil. Add sliced onion and cover, simmering for 30 seconds. Close flame and let marinate for 20 minutes. Let cool before refrigerating.

Add all dressing ingredients into a small container. Shake well to combine.

To serve, lay cabbage and lettuce on a large round platter. Slice sweet potato wedges into small pieces and place on top. Scatter beet and carrot strips over all. Place pickled onions around the perimeter of the platter. Drizzle dressing over the salad right before serving.

Note: The pickled onion adds another dimension of flavor to this salad, but if you don’t care for them, it’s delicious without them too!

Tip: I prefer to buy the cabbage whole (bug-free, of course) and shred it myself. I find that the quality of the cabbage is far superior that way.

Note: Typical broccoli salad is dressed with mayonnaise. Although this dressing mimics mayonnaise in its texture, it has a richer and more nuanced flavor that adds distinction and more nutritional benefit.

Mushroom Fennel Salad

Elegant, unique, and refreshingly delicious.

SERVES 6-8

• 3–4 cups lettuce of your choice, chopped (try to include some baby greens)
• 1 small fennel bulb, peeled into strips
• ½ large pink grapefruit, peeled and cut into very small pieces

Sautéed Mushrooms

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp walnut oil
• 1/2 lb (225 g) mushrooms, sliced, stems removed if desired
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp semi-dry red or rosé wine
• 1½ Tbsp teriyaki sauce
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  (fish-free)
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 shakes garlic powder
• salt and pepper, to taste
• pinch celery seed, optional

Dressing

• 1 scallion, diced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp walnut oil
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp water
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• salt, to taste

Heat oils in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and all other ingredients. Sauté until the mushrooms are lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Lower the heat and continue sautéing for 5 more minutes until mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally.

Place all dressing ingredients in a small container. Shake well until combined. If you prefer a lot of dressing on your salad, double or triple the dressing recipe.

To serve, line a platter with lettuce. Sprinkle fennel shavings over the lettuce. (You can cut them into smaller pieces, if desired, or leave them as is.) Scatter grapefruit pieces around. Spoon sautéed mushrooms down the center of the salad. Drizzle dressing over the salad right before serving.

Alternately, layer all salad ingredients in a salad bowl. Mix together. Top with mushrooms and dressing.

Tip: Fennel can be prepared a day or two in advance and kept in a ziplock bag until using.

Quinoa Power Salad

A satisfying and enjoyable light meal on its own that’s so good for you. Both the pareve and dairy versions are equally delicious.

SERVES 7-8, OR 5 WHEN SERVED AS A FULL MEAL

• 4 cups curly lettuce, washed well and chopped
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed well and cooked according to pkg directions
• 1 red apple, unpeeled, cubed small
• 1 firm pear, unpeeled, cubed small
• 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup natural, unsweetened dried cranberries

Dressing

• 1½ Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1½ Tbsp maple syrup (organic preferred)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1–2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste (I like it tangier and add more)
• 3 Tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
• handful grated Mehadrin Feta Cheese, for garnish (optional)
• generous handful roasted crushed hazelnuts (known as bres in Israel)

Line the outer edge of a salad platter with curly lettuce. Fill the center with quinoa. Add the apple, pear, celery, and dried cranberries.

Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning, if desired.

Drizzle dressing over salad before serving. Top with feta cheese, if desired. Sprinkle hazelnuts over the top.

Tip: Cooked quinoa can be frozen. Put it in a container or a resealable bag, removing as much air as possible. Defrost before using.

Broccoli and Chickpea Salad

The first time I tested this salad, one of my guests literally hogged the bowl of salad and ate most of it! It was funny because I thought it still needed a little tweaking. The second time it was perfect, and everyone at the Shabbos table enjoyed it!

SERVES 6

• 1 red onion, diced
• 4 cups frozen broccoli florets, defrosted and cut into small pieces
• 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained
• ⅓ cup pomegranate seeds
• generous handful red grapes, cut into quarters

Dressing

• 1 full tsp vinegar + 3 Tbsp unflavored soy milk, combine and let sit a few minutes until thickened
• 2 Tbsp almond butter (smooth preferred)
• 1 Tbsp tahini
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1½ Tbsp lemon juice, or to taste
• salt and pepper, to taste

Soak the diced onion in a small bowl of cold water for 10 minutes (to make it less sharp), and drain. Combine the onion with the other salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Place all dressing ingredients in a small container and whisk together or blend with an immersion blender.

Pour the dressing over the salad before serving and mix well.

Tip: To save time, defrost broccoli in the microwave and drain before using.

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 873)