notes from my food diary

There several things happened while I made this salad yesterday.  I was planning to make the lemon vinaigrette as suggested in the book but upon inspecting my only olive oil bottle in the pantry, I realized I wouldn’t be able to use the oil for the vinaigrette.  You see, I was also making other dish that needs olive oil, so I had to sacrifice one of them.  Unfortunately, this dish got nixed because nobody will eat beets and avocado as salad except me.  Well, nothing to cry about, because when I raided my "other" pantry, I found that I had a bottle of Annie’s Red Raspberry Vinaigrette.  Ah! you saved me, Annie! 

The other thing was that I should’ve chopped the red onions instead of slicing them thinly.  And one small red onion is still too much for me.  I love red onions, but not that much.  So if you just want to garnish the dish like me, use less red onions or you’d dare yourself to kiss your SO afterwards!  

And, the picture, ah, yes…the picture.  It was overexposed that the plate looks glaringly white.  But (there’s always an excuse, is there?), I forgot to put the little fork with the dish after I snapped dozens of pictures.  Only in the last minute that I remembered I wanted to do so, and by the time I took the picture, I lost interest of taking more pictures.  Guess, who’s hungry?

But the best thing is the book.  I borrowed it from the library and it has enough recipes that I want to try.  I don’t know if I want to buy it yet, it’s such a humongous book with almost 1,000 pages in it.  Since I have Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone already, I’m still debating. Maybe after I try several more recipes then I’ll be able to make up my mind.

Beet and Avocado Salad

Makes 4 servings

3 to 4 medium beets (about 1 pound), roasted or boiled, cooled, peeled, and sliced

2 ripe but firm avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced

1 small red onion; or according to taste, sliced

1/2 cup purchased red raspberry vinaigrette

1 fresh tarragon leaf, minced, or a pinch dried

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Arrange the beets, avocados, and red onions in alternating layers in a dish.  Mix together the vinaigrette and tarragon and spoon over the beets, avocados, and red onions.  Taste and add salt and pepper; serve immediately.

Source:  adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman

Ahhh…beets. Some people care deeply about them, some will simply say no thank you. Beet is actually the sweetest vegetable, even sweeter than carrots or corns. The root of red beets are often used for food colorants. This simple vegetables are just packed with nutrients such as folate, fiber and antioxidants.

I love beets when they’re prepared simple such as in salad or side dish. The earthiness of them and the slight crunch with each bite. I’ve never tried the yellow beets before and was pleasantly surprised that they actually tasted better than the red ones. These ones tasted slightly like cucumbers and they’re not so strong smell like the red ones.

If I’ve known making a side dish is as easy and tasty like this I’d have made it a long time ago. I didn’t make the full recipe because I knew that only myself who would end up eating the whole dish. My son would eat a few, which of course is better than the way his dad eat But now I could buy beets more frequently because I’m armed with a good recipe.

Roasted Beets with Dill
Serves 6

2 pounds yellow beets (about 6 medium), trimmed but unpeeled
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the beets in a small roasting pan with the water. Cover the pan tightly with foil. Bake until the beets are tender and pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. Cool slightly. Peel the beets. Cut into 1/4-inch thick slices.

In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Add the beets and toss gently to coat. Stir in the dill and serve.

Source: adapted from The Big Book of Vegetarian by Kahty Farrell-Kingsley

Sweet-and-Sour Coleslaw
Serves 4

1 pound (about 1/2 medium head) red or green cabbage, shredded (will make about 6 cups)
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoon kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
6 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
Ground black pepper

Toss cabbage and carrots with sugar, salt, and celery seed in colander set over medium bowl. Let stand until cabbage wilts, at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.

Pour draining liquid from bowl; rinse bowl and dry. Dump wilted cabbage and carrots into bowl.

Add oil and vinegar; toss to coat. Season to pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (Can be refrigerated for 2 days.)

I made this just 2 days ago and it’s taken from a book called The Big Book of Potluck by Maryana Vollsted. She made several books under The Big Book titles, and this is the second one that I’ve borrowed from the library (the first one was The Big Book of Casseroles). Most of the recipes are easy to make and straightforward.

I love any type of salads made with mayonnaise based dressing, no calories counting for me! It’s a big hit when paired with fish/crab/shrimp cakes and is definitely a staple in barbecue side dishes. The only thing I changed when I made this was omitting the radishes and green bell pepper. I had some asparagus to use before they’re going bad and it’s still very tasty in the end.

Coleslaw with Creamy Celery Seed Dressing
Serves 6

1 medium head cabbage, cored and shredded (about 8 cups)
1 carrot, grated
6 green onions, including some tender green tops, sliced
1/4 cup sliced radishes (optional)
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper (optional)
Creamy Celery Seed Dressing (recipe follows)

In a large bowl, combine cabbage, carrot, green onions, and radishes and bell pepper, if desired. Add dressing and stir to blend well. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours before serving.

Creamy Celery Seed Dressing
Makes about 1 cup

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper

In a small bowl, stir together all ingredients until well blended.

Variation: Substitute dillweed for the celery seed