Red Cabbage Salad - Rødkålssalat

Red Cabbage Salad - Rødkålssalat

December 19. - Today I'm trying to get a healthier spin on the christmas dinner.

A couple years ago I wanted to bring something new to the christmas dinner. I made a salad with the red cabbage, oranges, grapes and walnuts, and it was so yummy. The salad brought a nice crunch to the otherwise soft christmas dinner. I love this salad so much I could eat it with any kind of meat. But it is simply perfect with the Danish meatloaf.

Ingredients

Salad

• ½ medium red cabbage
• 1 handful walnuts
• 3 oranges
• 2 handful green grapes

Dressing

• 1 orange
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (blood orange)
• 2 teaspoons honey
• salt and pepper

Directions

Remove outer leaves of cabbage, and cut cabbage into quarters and remove the white core. Thinly slice the cabbage across the quarters width-wise. To get uniform slices I use a mandolin.

Fillet the oranges with a sharp knife. Cut the top and bottom off the orange. Set your knife where the white meets the flesh and start cutting downward in a curved motion following the shape of the orange. Keep doing this until you have peeled the oranges. Carefully cut the filets out. I do this over the cabbage, so I get all the juices into the salad. Wash and cut the grapes in half.

Mix the dressing.

Mix the ingredients in a bowl and sprinkle the walnuts on top. Pour the dressing over and serve.

Gorgonzola & Pear Salad

Gorgonzola & Pear Salad

Yesterday I went to my local Olive Bar in downtown Campbell, to buy a good olive oil. And of cause it's impossible to only buy one single item in there. I came out with the most fantastic cinnamon and pear balsamic, and this is why we had to have this salad last night.

I love easy and simple salads, and this gorgonzola and pear salad is just that.

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 pear, ripe, but still crisp
• gorgonzola - as much as you like
• a handful mixed baby greens
• a few blackberries
• a sprinkle candied walnuts

Dressing

• half cinnamin pear balsamic
• half canola oil
• salt & pepper

Directions

Mix up the dressing.

Toss the salad with the rest of the dressing.

Crumble the gorgonzola, and slice the pear in thin slices.

Place the salad on a plate, arrange the pear, gorgonzola, blackberries and walnuts around the salad.

Cauliflower and Parmesan Salad.

Cauliflower and Parmesan Salad.

I still get a lot of inspiration from Denmark. I have been watching the danish tv-show "Price Inviterer" where 2 brothers invite danish celebrities to cook with them. It's a show as much about the story behind the person as the food they are making. A few weeks ago I watched the show with Christian Blitz, a Master in Science in Human Nutrition. He served a salad with cauliflower parmesan cheese. I had to try this, the combination sounded so good.

So heres my take on this quick & easy salad. Now there is no excuse for not having a healthy salad as a side tonight.

Ingredients: 

• 1 cauliflower
• parmesan cheese
• 1 glass capers

Dressing: 

• extra virgin olive oil
• lemon juice
• salt & pepper

Directions:

Cut the raw cauliflower and parmesan in very thin slices on a mandolin. Drain the capers. 

Arrange the cauliflower slices on a large plate and put the parmesan on top. Sprinkle with capers. 

Mix the dressing, and pour it over the salad.  

Serve immediately.

Chickpea and Carrot Salad a la Thomas Keller

Chickpea and carrot salad a la Thomas Keller.

This is an easy salad, when you have soaked and cooked the chickpeas. When you make it from dried, in stead of canned, chickpeas you'll get the a better texture. But no matter what its a good and healthy salad.
 

Thomas Keller hit another home run with this one.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dried chickpeas.

• salt

For boiling:

• 6 cups water (or enough to cover chickpeas with 2 inches)

• 1 medium leek, white and light green parts only, cleaned

• 1 bouquet garni

• 1/2 onion, peeled

• 1 small carrot, peeled

For the salad: 

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 garlic cloves, skin left on, smashed

• 2 thyme sprigs

• 1 cup finely julienned carrots

• freshly ground pepper

• 1 tablespoon chopped italian parsley

• 1,5 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Direction: 

Soaking:  Soak the chickpeas in 3 cups of water for 12 hours

bouquet garni: leek outer leave thyme, italian parsley sprigs, bay leaves and peppercorns

Drain the chickpeas, put then in a large saucepan, and ad water, leek, bouquet garni, onion and carrot,  and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer for about 45 minutes, or until the chickpeas are tender.

Pour the chickpeas and their liquid into a large shallow container and let cool. Once they are cool, remove and discard the bouquet garni and vegetables and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. The chickpeas can be covered and refrigerated in their liquid for 2-3 days.

If you use caned chickpeas,C here where you start. 

When ready to assemble the salad, drain the chickpeas in a colander. 

Combine the olive oil, bay leaves, garlic, and thyme in a large skillet and heat over medium heat until the oil is hot. Add the julienned carrots and toss in the oil for about 1 minute to cook them slightly. Add the chickpeas and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss the chickpeas for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to a bowl let cool. 

The salad will keep in the refrigerator for a day. 

Just before serving, remove  bay leaves, garlic, and thyme and stir in parsley and lemon juice.

The Danish Version: 

Kikærte og  

Roasted Beet Salad

Roasted Beet Salad.

I love to have beet salads when we are dining out. So why not try making it myself?  I had the Roasted beet salad from Thomas Kellers cookbook 'Bouchon', and the beets were fantastic. But I missed a soft cheese element and the crunchy nuts. 

This is my take on a Roasted beet salad:

Serves 4

Ingredients: 

Baked beets: 

• 3 beets (about the size of tennis balls)

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons water

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Beet salad: 

• 100 g mixed salad

• a handful hazelnuts

• 113 g goat cheese

• 1-2 clementine

Dressing: 

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 teapoon white wine vinegar

• 2-3 tablespoons fresh orange juice

• salt & pepper.

Direction: 

Preheat the oven to 375°F. 

Baked beats

Wash the beets and trim the stems, leaving about1/4 inch attached. Place them on a large piece of aluminum foil and toss with the oil, water, salt and pepper.

Lift up the edges of the foil and squeeze together to form a packet. Place in a small baking pan and roast for about 1,5 hours, or until the beets are tender, offering no resistance  when pierced with a knife. Carefully unwrap the beets and let stand just until cool enough to handle.

Roast the hazelnuts in the oven until they get golden.

Mix up the dressing. 

Rub each beet with a paper towel to remove the skin. Cut of and discard the stems. Cut the beets into quarters, then cut the quarters crosswise into 1/4 inch slices and place in a bowl. Add half of the dressing, and season with salt and pepper. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to a day in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before finishing the salad.

Toss the salad with the rest of the dressing.

Place the salad on a plate, arrange the beets, goat cheese and clementine slices around the salad.

The Danish version:

Ingredienser: 

Ovnbagte rødbeder:: 

• 3 Rødbeder (på str med tennisbolde)

• 2 spsk olivenolie

• 2 spsk vand

• 1/2 tsk salt

• 1/4 tsk peber

Rødbedesalat: 

• 100 g blandet salat

• 1 håndfuld hasselnødder

• 113 g gedeost

• 1-2 clementiner

Dressing: 

• 1 spsk oliven olie

• 1/2 tsk hvidvinseddike

• 2-3 spsk frisk appelsinsaft

• salt & peber.

Forvarm oven til  190°C.

Vask rødbederne grundigt, og skær stilkene helt ned til rødbeden. Læg rødbederne på et story stykke staniol. Form en lille skål med staniolen og tilsæt vand, olie, salt og peber. Luk staniolen så du får en lille pakke, så dampen bliver inden i. Sæt pakken i ovnen, og bag rødbederne i ca 1,5 time, eller til de er møre. Tag pakken ud af oven og åben pakken, og lad rødbederne køle indtil de er tip at håndtere. 

Rist hasselnødderne i en bradepande i ovnen indtil de er gyldne.

Lav dressingen, ved at piske alle ingredienserne sammen. 

Mix up the dressing. 

Gnid rødbederne med køkkenrulle for at fjerne skralden. Skær top og roden af. Skær rødbederne i mundrette stykker. Kom rødbederne i en skål og hæld halvdelen af dressingen over og smag til med salt og peber. Lad rødbederne marinere i køleslabet i mindst 30 minutter, eller op til en dag i køleskabet. Rødbederne bør have stuetemperatur inden salaten samles.

Bland dressingen i den blandede salat, og anret den å tallerkener eller et fad. Arranger rødbeder, gedeoste,  clementinskiverne og hasselnødderne ovenpå salaten.