Tag: side dish

Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad with Toasted Walnuts and Parmigiano-Reggiano

Many years ago (probably a decade), before we had kids and could go trek into New York City for an amazing meal, we happened to dine at Mario Batali’s restaurant Lupa. We had the most delicious raw brussel sprout salad — which I think had pecorino cheese in it . . . It was the first time I had even had raw brussel sprouts. And, they were delicious. Not only did I love them, but I totally preferred them over cooked brussel sprouts.

Of course, I had to try to re-create the recipe, or some version of it. Mine is actually a little bit different from the original raw brussel sprout salad I feasted on many years ago. It includes toasted walnuts and lemon juice — but overall, it’s a really delicious, light and simple recipe!

If you are wondering where you can find shaved brussel sprouts, you can actually purchase them at Trader Joe’s which offers a pre-packaged option. If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s in your neck of the woods I suggest that you throw the brussel sprouts into the food processor to replicate the texture — or you could use a mandolin, but I would fear for your fingers.

This salad is great because, 1. it’s seasonal; 2. it’s delicious; 3. unlike a dressed green salad, it can sit in the refrigerator and not get soggy. In fact, the salad is better once it’s marinated overnight. It’s also the perfect salad to serve at a holiday meal.

Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad with Toasted Walnuts and Parmigiano-Reggiano

Serves 4

10 ounces shaved/shredded brussel sprouts
1/3 cup of olive oil
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano, shaved
3/4 cup of toasted chopped walnuts

In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Place the brussel sprouts in a large bowl. Add the dressing, toasted walnuts and cheese and toss to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate overnight.

November 15, 2015
Grilled Peach Salad With Balsamic Glaze

Now that summer is in full swing, you will notice peaches, plums and other stone fruits aplenty at the market.

In addition to eating these fruits on their own, there are so many wonderful ways to incorporate them into your cooking.

Desserts immediately come to mind, but why not use them in a salad?

I thought grilled peaches would be a great addition to a salad, so I fired up the grill.

I split the peaches in half, removed the pit, coated them with olive oil, salt and pepper and grilled them! I easily could have gone the dessert route at this point and topped them with ice cream, but I didn’t! I stayed on course and continued to focus on my salad.

I chose arugula as my salad green — it’s peppery and delicious. I also wanted to incorporate balsamic vinegar. I thought it would complement the peaches. Lastly, I needed a crunch factor, so I topped the salad with crushed pistachios. The combination of the warm peaches, the crisp greens, the crunchy nuts and the sweet balsamic glaze made this salad soar! It’s quite delicious if I do say so myself. And, a testament to it’s deliciousness was the empty bowl left at the end of dinner!

So, here’s my recipe. I hope you like this recipe as much as my family and I did!

Grilled Peach Salad with Balsamic Glaze
Serves 4 people

Grilled Peaches:
2 ripe peaches
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Balsamic glaze:
1 cup of balsamic vinegar

Salad:
4 cups of arugula
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup of chopped pistachios

Before we get started on the salad, let’s make the balsamic glaze. Put 1 cup of balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan. Let it come to a boil over medium-high heat. Let it simmer until it thickens and reduces in size. It’s ready when it coats the back of a spoon (or a spatula! see picture below). This will take roughly 15 minutes. The balsamic vinegar will cook down to about 1/4 cup of balsamic glaze. Let the glaze cool and set it aside.

Now it’s time to grill the peaches. Cut the peaches in half, remove the pit and slather each side with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill the peaches approximately 5 minutes on each side, on a very hot grill (mine was set to high). The peaches are done when the skin starts to lift. They should also have some lovely grill marks. Remove the peaches from the grill and set aside.

Add the arugula to a large serving bowl. Add the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Toss the greens. Add the peaches to the salad and sprinkle the pistachios pieces on top. Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of balsamic glaze over salad.

Enjoy!

July 30, 2014
Our Favorite Farro Salad

Farro is an ancient grain, most commonly found and grown in Italy. It can be added to soups and salads, and if you’ve never tried it before, here’s the perfect introduction.

This farro salad has been eaten, adapted and shared by all three of us at Two Fit Moms. It’s a staple, the perfect side dish, great for barbecues and events — and everyone loves it. I make it about once a week during the summer when tomatoes are ripe and plentiful.

I can bet that my colleagues make certain additions and substitutions to make this salad their own — but I tried to capture the basic salad recipe here for you. You can feel free to jazz it up — adding chopped cucumbers, or a vidalia onion for a bit more sweetness or other chopped herbs.

Please let us know what you think of this recipe. We hope you love it as much as we do!

Our Favorite Farro Salad
serves a crowd, or 4-6 people with leftovers!

1, 14 ounce bag of farro (rinsed and drained)
4 1/2 cups of water
1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups of steamed string beans, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup of parsley, chopped
1/3 cup of olive oil
3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
1 clove of garlic, crushed
salt and pepper

Add water, two teaspoons of salt and the farro to a large pot and bring to a boil over medium/high heat. Lower heat and let simmer for approximately 20 minutes until most of the water is absorbed and the farro is tender (but still firm). Drain the farro and add to a large bowl. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and crushed garlic; whisk until combined. Add tomatoes, red onion, string beans and parsley to farro. Add the dressing to the farro salad (while still warm). Toss. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss again.

Serve warm, at room temperature or cold (the longer it sits, the better it tastes!)

June 11, 2014
Smashed Potatoes

I love potatoes — mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, french fries, potatoes au gratin. The list goes on and on . . . .But, I also like easy recipes and ones that the whole family will enjoy. This recipe for smashed potatoes is really very simple. And, they are fun to make, because you get to smash the potatoes with a mug — almost as if you were making tostones.

However, nothing is fried, so this is a great healthy side dish. The potatoes are oven baked and seasoned with delicious smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. They are a great alternative to a roasted potato — and I market them as french fries to get my kids to eat them!

So, next time you are at the market, grab a bag of baby new potatoes (they can be white, Yukon gold, or red potatoes). And because all bags of potatoes seem to come in different weights, you choose the amount of olive oil and seasoning you put on them.

Smashed Potatoes

1 bag of baby new potatoes (I like the white or Yukon gold varieties)
A few tablespoons of olive oil
Smoked paprika
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper

Add cleaned potatoes to a pot of water. Bring the water and potatoes to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until potatoes are fork-tender — mine took about 25 minutes. Drain potatoes and let them cool so that you can handle them.

In the meantime, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Take a large cookie sheet and coat the bottom lightly with olive oil. Place potatoes on the cookie sheet a few inches apart so that you can allow them to spread when you smash them. With a flat bottomed coffee mug, push down on the potato until it flattens (check out the picture to the right). Once you have flattened all of the potatoes, drizzle a few tablespoons of olive oil over them and sprinkle with paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. There’s no precise measurement for the spices, but take a look at the picture in the header to get a sense of how much spice I used.

Bake until potatoes crisp up a bit – time will all depend on how many potatoes you have and their size, but 20 minutes is probably a good estimate.

Enjoy!

Helpful Hint: If you tend to be short on time in the evening, boil your potatoes during your morning routine. Drain them, and leave them on your countertop (or in the fridge, if you prefer) for smashing and oven roasting later.

May 28, 2014