Oh my Gaaawwd! I have been in the mood all day long for my favorite salad. By favorite, I mean FAVORITE.
My friend Rachel Khoury suggested it to me after we had a delectable, to die for salad almost just like it at East Side Cafe last summer.
By the way, East Side Cafe is one of my favorite Austin restaurants. It's in a cozy 40's bungalow that has four different rooms so, it just feels comfortable and nostalgic and perfect for great conversation.
My favorite part of East Side Cafe is exploring the garden with Iris and Sam. I've taken them there since they were babies on strolls. I like them to see where the food they eat actually comes from. They have a 3/4 acre garden behind the restaurant. All of the fresh food and produce they grow, they use in the restaurant's recipes. They also have a chicken farm (where the chickens run free and happy with plenty of room) and use the eggs for their French toast for weekend brunch - YUM! Believe me...it makes a big difference.
And...I know, I know, our fam is doing the plant based diet. But people, it's a process. I consider some eggs and some cheese kind of like a special occasion dessert. So, it's got to be extra special.
So, for my FAVORITE salad, I usually omit the melt in your mouth goat cheese. But, tonight was different. It's political season and my husband just started his crazy work schedule which means Mom Mel is ON. My kids were actually amazingly well behaved all night, even getting special mani/pedis and foot/leg massages (even Sam) as an award for their good behavior until RIGHT before bed when Iris went into full on drama girl breakdown about whether she would ruin her nails in her sleep. So, finally 1 hour later at 9:30, Momma made her salad.
This is a recipe from allrecipes.com for Beet and Goat Salad. I make it a little differently than they do. I don't boil the beets, I roast them. And, I don't add nearly as much olive oil (theirs calls for 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil). I do 1 tablespoon.
For a VERY healthy, very vegan salad simply omit olive oil from the dressing and omit goat cheese.
My friend Rachel Khoury suggested it to me after we had a delectable, to die for salad almost just like it at East Side Cafe last summer.
By the way, East Side Cafe is one of my favorite Austin restaurants. It's in a cozy 40's bungalow that has four different rooms so, it just feels comfortable and nostalgic and perfect for great conversation.
My favorite part of East Side Cafe is exploring the garden with Iris and Sam. I've taken them there since they were babies on strolls. I like them to see where the food they eat actually comes from. They have a 3/4 acre garden behind the restaurant. All of the fresh food and produce they grow, they use in the restaurant's recipes. They also have a chicken farm (where the chickens run free and happy with plenty of room) and use the eggs for their French toast for weekend brunch - YUM! Believe me...it makes a big difference.
And...I know, I know, our fam is doing the plant based diet. But people, it's a process. I consider some eggs and some cheese kind of like a special occasion dessert. So, it's got to be extra special.
So, for my FAVORITE salad, I usually omit the melt in your mouth goat cheese. But, tonight was different. It's political season and my husband just started his crazy work schedule which means Mom Mel is ON. My kids were actually amazingly well behaved all night, even getting special mani/pedis and foot/leg massages (even Sam) as an award for their good behavior until RIGHT before bed when Iris went into full on drama girl breakdown about whether she would ruin her nails in her sleep. So, finally 1 hour later at 9:30, Momma made her salad.
This is a recipe from allrecipes.com for Beet and Goat Salad. I make it a little differently than they do. I don't boil the beets, I roast them. And, I don't add nearly as much olive oil (theirs calls for 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil). I do 1 tablespoon.
For a VERY healthy, very vegan salad simply omit olive oil from the dressing and omit goat cheese.
Ingredients:
- 4 medium beets - scrubbed, trimmed and cut in half
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 (10 ounce) package mixed baby salad greens (I also use arugula and like it too)
- 1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
-
1/2 cup1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil - 2 ounces goat cheese (it should say REALLY GOOD goat cheese - splurge!)
Directions
- Wrap beets in aluminum foil and roast in the oven on 400 for 35-40 minutes.
- While the beets are cooking, place the walnuts in a skillet over medium-low heat. Heat until warm and starting to toast, then stir in the maple syrup. Cook and stir until evenly coated, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice concentrate, balsamic vinegar and olive oil to make the dressing.
- Place a large helping of baby greens onto each of four salad plates, divide candied walnuts equally and sprinkle over the greens. Place equal amounts of beets over the greens, and top with dabs of goat cheese. Drizzle each plate with some of the dressing.
{And, here is my dinner!!! I tried to savor it bite by bite,
but I was starving so, I pretty much inhaled it :0}
By the way, Andy Cohen just made the best remark about Kelsey Grammer's first tattoo with his new wife Katey's name, "We don't need to see your gramp stamp." I SOOOO AGREE Andy! Love Andy Cohen. Don't hate me for it.
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