Appetite for Reduction (5 page)

I
call this Everyday Chickpea-Quinoa Salad for a very simple reason: I eat it almost every day! Not only is it a complete meal, it’s everything I want in a salad—texture, nutrients, and ease, all smothered in an irresistible balsamic vinaigrette. It’s also foreverly customizable: switch up your salad greens, your beans, and even the grain. Try it my way once, then use this as your complete meal salad template.

This salad makes use of cooked and cooled quinoa, so make your quinoa the day before and you’re good to go. Otherwise, use the grain cooking and cooling tips on pages 13 and 76.

2 cups cooked, cooled quinoa (pages 13, 76)
1 small red onion, sliced thinly
4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Optional add-ins: roasted garlic, baked tofu ortempeh,
shredded carrot, sprouts, fresh basil
1 recipe
Balsamic Vinaigrette
(recipe follows)

In a large mixing bowl, mix all the salad ingredients together. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Keep chilled in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.

SERVES 4; MAKES ¾ CUP DRESSING • ACTIVE TIME: 10 MINUTES • TOTAL TIME: 10 MINUTES

D
on’t roll your eyes at balsamic vinaigrette. There’s a reason this dressing is everywhere—it’s addictively delicious. There is always a little container of this in my fridge, and if you’re wise you will follow my lead! As with all cashew-based dressings, if you’ve got the time, soak the cashews in water for at least an hour. Then drain them and use as directed. This makes blending easier and smoother.

¼ cup cashew pieces (see tip page 38)
2 tablespoons chopped shallot
½ cup water
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon agave nectar
¾ teaspoon salt
A few pinches of freshly ground black pepper

First place the cashews and shallot in a food processor and pulse to get them chopped up. Then simply add the rest of the ingredients. Blend for at least 5 minutes, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides often, until completely smooth. It’s really important that you blend for the full time, otherwise your dressing may be grainy. Transfer the dressing to a sealable container (a bowl covered with plastic wrap is just fine!) and chill until ready to serve.

SERVES 6 • ACTIVE TIME: 20 MINUTES • TOTAL TIME: 45 MINUTES, PLUS COOLING TIME

T
his salad is so deliciously complex with its fun textures, colors, and smoky spicy flavor that you won’t miss that goopy potato salad present at every family function. And with fresh corn and pinto beans, it’s so much healthier, too. If you can’t find blue potatoes, just use red! The firmer texture works better with this salad, and you want to keep things colorful. This recipe also contains a hidden treasure, the secret to perfectly cooked, salad-ready potatoes. The answer is “steaming.”

Prepare your steaming apparatus while you prep your veggies.

First, steam the corn for about 5 minutes. Remove from the steamer and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Place the potatoes in the steamer, and steam for 7 to 10 minutes. The potatoes should be tender enough to pierce with a fork, but not falling apart. Remove from the steamer and set aside to cool.

In the meantime, prepare the dressing. In a small mixing bowl, stir together vinegar, chipotles, adobo, oil, agave, water, and salt. Grate in the garlic.

When the corn is cool enough to handle, cut it from the cob: Place it directly in a large mixing bowl, pointy side up, and use your chef’s knife to cut down the sides. Once all the corn is in there, just break it up with your fingers. Fold in the cooled potatoes, pinto beans, and red onion.

Add the dressing and toss to coat. Mix in the cilantro and taste for salt. Chipotles in adobe vary from brand to brand, so if it doesn’t seem smoky enough for you, rather than add more chipotle and risk overheating, add some smoked paprika and see if that doesn’t fix it to your liking. Start with a teaspoon and go from there. Chill until ready to serve. Serve over the mixed greens.

SERVES 4 • ACTIVE TIME: 15 MINUTES • TOTAL TIME: 20 MINUTES

E
ating this salad is a good time. How many salads can you say that about? It’s just fun! As the name indicates, it’s basically a big, deconstructed sushi roll in a bowl. Make a point to have leftover brown rice in the fridge and this will come together in a snap. If you like, serve this with a lump of wasabi and soy sauce on the side and dip in each bite, using chopsticks, of course. The cooking times include prepping the dressing, which you should actually do first, before beginning the rest of the salad.

1 cup shelled frozen edamame, thawed
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon light agave nectar
8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 cups cooked and cooled short-grain brown rice
1 small cucumber, cut into matchsticks
1 medium-size carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 cup thinly sliced green onion
4 teaspoons sesame seeds
1 sheet nori, chiffonaded
4 ounces sliced avocado (optional)
1 recipe
Green Onion-Miso Vinaigrette
(recipe follows)

Prepare the dressing: Mix together the edamame, rice vinegar, and agave. Now you’re ready to assemble the salad.

Place the lettuce in a bowl and drizzle with a little dressing. Scoop the rice over the lettuce. Top the rice with the cucumber, carrot, green onion, and sesame seeds. Sprinkle with the nori chiffonade and avocado, if using, and serve with the vinaigrette on the side.

SERVES 4 • ACTIVE TIME: 10 MINUTES • TOTAL TIME: 10 MINUTES

I
want to cover everything with this brilliant spring green dressing. Roasted veggies, steamed potatoes, my cat ... everything. Green onions and scallions are often confused for each other or labeled interchangeably but they’re actually
not
the same exact thing. if you can find green onions (sometimes called spring onions) then use them! You can tell them apart because green onions have a bulbuous white bottom (don’t you love the phrase “bulbous white bottom”?) from which the green stalks grow. Scallions, on the other hand, have no bulb, just roots, and the stalks are hollow. I prefer the snappy taste of green onion here, but scallions will do just fine, too!

¼ cup red miso
1 to 2 cups roughly chopped green onions, white and green parts
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons light agave nectar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
½ to ¾ cup water

This is easy: Toss everything into a blender and blend until smooth. At first, use just ½ cup of water, adding the ¼ cup after the dressing is blended, to desired thinness. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides occasionally. Chill until ready to use.