Now that you’ve made the Abundant Harvest Salad, you need a creamy, bright dressing to complement all of those beautiful flavors and textures. Enter, Lemon Tahini Dressing.
1/3 cup tahini
juice of 1 large lemon
3 scallions, thinly sliced
kosher salt and black pepper, optional, to taste
1. In a small bowl, combine the tahini with 1/3 cup water and the lemon juice. Stir until smooth.
2. Add the scallions to the bowl and stir.
3. Season with salt and pepper, if using, to taste.
A few weeks ago, I found myself in Orlando, Florida for a wedding. No, I didn’t go to Disney, and yes, I cried through the entire ceremony, and of course I danced. Ohhhh, did I dance. But I also had some fabulous vegetarian food at Dandelion Communitea Cafe. Not only was it delicious and satisfying, it was a revelation. I had one of the best salads I’ve enjoyed in a long time, and my S.S. had a killer Flutter Nutter sandwich, made with almond butter, homemade fluff and sliced bananas.
If you ever find yourself in the Orlando area, it is worth a special trip to the cafe. If you don’t, you can try my attempt at their salad, the Abundant Harvest:
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on a bias
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced in a bias
1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets
1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
corn kernels from 2 ears of corn
4 oz sprig mix, or other salad green
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 cups cooked quinoa
Pumpkin seeds, toasted, to garnish
1. Combine the carrots, celery, broccoli, chick peas, corn kernels, spring mix, and tomatoes.
2. Fold in the quinoa.
3. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds.
4. Eat. And do me a favor–make this the main course. There’s a good deal of prep, and it’s glorious. It deserves to take center stage.
But wait! The dressing! Tune in tomorrow for my take on the Green Goddess dressing served with the Abundant Harvest at Dandelion Communitea Cafe (like what I did right there?).
6 servings of cooked couscous
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small hothouse cucumber, deseeded and chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 small bunch parsley, roughly chopped
1 small bunch dill, roughly chopped
1 small bunch mint, roughly chopped (I didn’t have any on hand but think it would complete the dish)
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and pepper
1. Cook 6 servings of couscous (I used whole wheat) according to the package’s directions.
2. Combine the couscous with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
This paired wonderfully with baked salmon topped with cucumber yogurt sauce:
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
3 medium to large red bell peppers, medium rough dice
1 medium onion, medium rough dice
kosher salt and black pepper
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
2. Once oil is hot, add the bell peppers and onion. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently enough to avoid browning.
3. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for another minute.
4. Cover the vegetables with water. Bring to a boil and then simmer until 2/3 of the water evaporates.
5. With an immersion blender, puree until smooth.
6. Adjust seasoning and serve with roasted eggplant rollatini.
The sauce packs a surprising amount of flavor for such few ingredients. For this reason, as well as the smooth, luscious texture, it would serve as an excellent red pepper soup. Serve hot or chilled, and garnish with fresh herbs and heavy cream, or extra-virgin olive oil.
1 romaine heart, rough chop
8 radishes
2 corn cobs
1/2 bunch cilantro, rough chop
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
4 scallions, thinly sliced on a bias
juice of 2 large limes
1/3 cup olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
1 avocado, thinly sliced or medium dice
1. Place the chopped romaine in a large bowl.
2. Using a mandoline, julienne the radishes and add to the bowl.
3. Stand the corn upright and cut off the kernels with a knife. Add kernels to the bowl.
4. Add the cilantro, tomatoes and scallions to the bowl.
5. Squeeze lime juice over the salad, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
6. Gently toss and garnish the top of the salad with avocado.
Enjoy this fresh, vegan salad with, well, ribs, of course! It’s the perfect foil to the slow-cooked meat.
eating in your underwear 