Marinated Beets + Salmon Salad (w homemade mayo)
Sometimes I think I would play a good Dwight Schrute because I am a darn good beet grower. Seriously, beets are one of those crops that never fail me. In fact the the homepage picture of Joyfulinthekitchengarden blog is of the first beets I ever grew!
This weekend it was time to harvest my beets and make more room for summertime crops. Hard to imagine I planted these as seeds smaller than my fingernail–and now look at them!
So, what to do with the beets? I was in a rush, so I decided to just boil them (probably the easiest) and then follow this recipe, taken from Fresh, Seasonal Recipes from The Happy Kitchen/La Cocina Alegre Cookbook:
Marinated Beets
- 3 medium sized beets
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons vinegar (apple cider or red wine)
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 sprigs of parsley, chopped
Directions
- Cut off the beat greens. (Save these to saute, put in a frittata or quiche; or make creamed beet greens. Beet greens are actually probably even more nutritious than the actual beet because of all of the Vitamin K, , C, A, Calcium and Iron).
- Scrub the beets lightly to clean.
- Put the beets in a pot and cover with water and bring to boil.
- Cook on medium heat, until they can be easily pierced with a fork (~25 minutes).
- Meanwhile, mix rest of ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
- Remove the beets and and place in a plastic ziplock bag; seal and let sit for 15 minutes. The skins should easily slip off.
- Dice or julienne beets.
- Place beets in a bowl and mix with dressing.
- Serve at room temperature or chilled (they will last for several days in the fridge).
- Optional: Serve with crumbled goat/sheep cheese.
I was also craving a really good sandwich after seeing my co-workers with some award-winners last week. For a quick meal, I keep canned salmon in the cupboard just for this occasion. FYI, canned salmon is next to the tuna in the grocery store. I’ve started eating more canned salmon after I’ve read that the tuna populations are declining (and Alaskan salmon is usually seen as a sustainable fishery).
Ingredients
- 1 5.5 oz can salmon
- Several sprigs dill, chopped
- 1 medium-sized pickle, preferably homemade or artisanal
- 1 teaspoon good mustard
- A few tablespoons homemade* mayo. For recipe, click here. It is SUPER easy.
(* When I went to make the salad, I realized I didn’t have any mayo, but I did have plenty of eggs and oil. So I gave homemade mayo a go –2nd time I’ve made it–and it was EVEN better than the first time. Got leftover homemade mayo? I have another recipe coming your way tomorrow…)
Directions
- Mix all ingredients together. Serve on toasted, good bread. Eat. Breath. Enjoy.
Homemade mayo is ready!
Fresh dill from the garden
Ready to mix up
Notice the homemade pickles...MMMMM
Salmon Salad + Roasted Beets + Sauteed Kale
From Ordinary to Boom Boom Pow
As much as I like to cook, I don’t have time to do it every day. That’s why I keep simple, yummy whole ingredients to make things like sandwiches go from ordinary to Boom Boom Pow. And really, that is part of my food philosophy–using unadultered, quality ingredients. When you start with these, you don’t have to do much so that the food comes out delicious; it speaks for itself.
Sandwich ingredients:
- Whole Wheat bread from Sweetish Hill Bakery, toasted
- Gruyere cheese, melted
- Honey mustard
- Sliced homemade pickles (Andy and I made in NY this summer)
I served the sandwich with two handfuls of Red Russian Kale (from my garden), lightly sauteed (I hate mushy greens) in olive oil with a few sprinkles of Braggs Liquid Aminos. And some blueberries for dessert (not pictured).
Boom Boom Pow Sandwich
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