Kale, Quinoa and Roasted Mini Pepper Salad

Inspired by @kalememaybe’s quinoa and roasted mini pepper salad with crispy chickpeas, roasted red onion, feta, dill, and honey lemon vinaigrette

Make the dressing in the serving bowl: 3 tablespoons of olive oil; 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon of honey; juice of 1 lemon; 1 teaspoon of garlic powder (or 2 cloves of garlic, grated, or finely chopped); 1/2 teaspoon of cured sumac; and 1/2 a teaspoon of dried oregano

Cook 1 cup of quinoa according to it’s instructions

Remove large stems and chop 1 lb of Tuscan kale

Toss both quinoa and kale with the dressing and set aside for a few hours (or overnight)

Arrange 1 red onion, 1 rinsed can of chick peas, and 1 lb of mini bell peppers on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and sumac and roast at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes; allow to cool

When ready to serve, add the roasted onions, chick peas, and peppers to the kale and quinoa, and also add 1/8 to 1/4 of a lb of crumbled feta and 1 lb of sugar snap peas, strings trimmed, and cut length-wise

Another Greek-ish Salad

Approximate quantities: 1/4 of a head of purple cabbage, finely chopped; 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced; 1 pint of grape tomatoes; quartered; 3 medium carrots, sliced into thin discs; 8-10 artichoke hearts; 2 can of chickpeas; and feta cheese drizzled with lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper

Serves four as a side.

Falafel and Crispy Chickpea Chopped Salad

This is a super satisfying vegetarian, double chickpea, chopped salad that was inspired by a Mediterranean grain bowl that I ate for lunch the other week that got me thinking.

Ingredients:

6 falafels balls, roughly chopped
8 ounces of butter lettuce, romaine or any mix green will also be fine here
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 seedless cucumber or 6 small Persian or Kirby cucumbers, cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments
1 watermelon radish or 4-6 small radishes, sliced into thin crescents
2 tablespoons sliced pepperocini or banana peppers, minced
3-4 ounces of feta, crumbled 
1 15 ounce can of chickpeas or 1/2 cup of crispy chickpeas snacks
4 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon

I did not make falafel from scratch — I bought a dozen from Sahadi’s, it’s up to you if you want to buy falafel, here in New York, they are easy to find them in the prepared foods area of super markets or to make them from scratch or to make them from a mix, which is what we did when I was a kid, if you are making falafel, obviously, that’s step one

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and drain and rinse a can of chickpeas, scatter them across a sheet pan lined with parchment, sprinkle with salt and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and roast for about 30 minutes, until they begin to crisp — you can also skip this step entirely and buy a bag of crispy chickpea snacks, they are everywhere lately

While the chickpeas are in the oven, roughly chop the falafel; quarter the cherry tomatoes; chop the cucumbers; slice the radishes; mince the pepperoni or banana peppers; and crumble the feta

Toss all of the vegetables and the falafel with the lettuce in a bowl and then make the dressing — in a small mixing bowl combine 4 tablespoons of tahini, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, and mix vigorously to combine

When the chickpeas are crispy on the outside, remove from oven and allow a few minutes to cool, and then add 1/2 cup to the salad, toss with dressing and season with salt and pepper

Serves two as a main, four as a starter or side.

A Fancy and Beautiful Tomato, Cucumber, Carrot Salad

Inspired by Sarah Jampel’s Fancy and Beautiful Tomato Salad!

Approximate quantities: 1 large tomato, cut into 12-16 wedges; 8-10 ounces of mixed cherry tomatoes, quartered; 3 carrots, sliced into thin discs; 1 English cucumber, cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments; 3-4 ounces of feta cheese, roughly chopped; 4 artichokes, quartered, 2 cups of pita chips; 1 tablespoon of harissa, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt, pepper, and the juice of half of a lemon

Chop all of the vegetables and add to salad bowl

Mix harissa and olive oil together in large mixing bowl and mix together with a fork until well-combined, add 2 cups of pita chips and mix well to coat all of the chips in the harissa and oil (or if you bowl has a lid, put the lid on and shake vigorously enough to coat the chips)

Add the chips and any remaining harissa and oil to the salad bowl mix to combine and dress with lemon juice, salt, and pepper

Served two as a main.

Romaine, Sugar Snap, and Radish

Approximate quantities: 1 large head of romaine lettuce, roughly chopped; 10 French breakfast radishes, ends trimmed and cut lengthwise; 10 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut lengthwise; 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese; juice of 1 lemon; olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste

Serves four as a side and two as a main.

Mid-Summer Classic Greek

Approximate quantities: 1 head of romaine lettuce, roughly chopped; 6-8 French breakfast radishes, quartered, length-wise; 1 English cucumber, roughly chopped; 4 artichokes, quartered, length-wise; 1 cubanelle pepper, cut into thin strips; 1 roasted yellow or red pepper, roughly chopped; 10-12 cherry tomatoes, quartered; Alison Roman's herbed chickpeas; 4 ounces feta cheese, cubed; mixed Greek olives; drizzled with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste

Serves four as a appetizer and two as a main.

An Israeli-ish Salad

It was slightly cloudy and cool last Saturday -- perfect weather to go absolutely crazy at the Union Square Greenmarket -- and so that's exactly what I did. And then I came home and made caprese for lunch and this Israeli-ish salad for dinner.

Approximate quantities: 1 medium sized tomato, cubed; 10 black cherry tomatoes, quartered; 1 small cucumber, cubed; 6 medium sized carrots, sliced into thin disks; 100 grams of feta cheese, cubed; 4 French breakfast radishes, sliced into thin disks; 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped; drizzled with juice of one lemon, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste

When you are ready to eat, make a version of Bon Appetite's insanely easy and insanely delicious herbed chickpeas: Peel and crush 4 cloves of garlic, drain and rinse one can of chickpeas, place chickpeas in a large skillet or Dutch oven and add garlic and a few tablespoons of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until chickpeas are crisped and some have split open (these will be the most delicious ones), 10–15 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in a few additional tablespoons of parsley and then toss with salad.

Serves four as an appetizer or two as a main.

I Also ❤ Links

So things are finally a little bit back to normal for me, no Southampton, not getting two wisdom teeth out, not going to Ithaca. Just normal life in Brooklyn and visiting my family in central Connecticut on the weekend. Here's what I've been reading this blessedly normal week.

This really awesome looking: Grilled Watermelon, Feta & Tomato  on Epicurious

Martha's great tutorial on making Caesar salad including the the dressing -- it's shame how bastardized Caesar dressing has become

She's also got: A tomato and beet salad that looks interesting and is definitely not a combination I've had before and a grilled chicken cobb -- I've been thinking about cobb salads for a while now

When it gets cool, I'm definitely going to make this: tomato-basil risotto

Oh and I have peaches and rhubarb chopped and tossed with lemon juice and two tablespoons of brown sugar sitting in my fridge -- they were on the verge of softening and I didn't want to lose them -- it's not enough for a full pie so I'm think about adapting this blueberry hand pie recipe

And last but definitely not least: Zoe Francois' Chocolate Zucchini Cake looks incredible, it's totally a salad in cake form, right?