Golden and Red Beetroots, Tarragon, and Watercress Salad

Today is not a good day since I have to finish a presentation that is due for submission.  School's good because I am learning a lot but I do not like the part where we have to submit paper/project/presentation almost every week.  The good news though is that this class is almost over- one more day...Then off to another six-week course.  I do like the flexibility of online education because I can do my assignments and post participation at a time that is convenient to me.  No set time, no driving to the physical classroom.  The draw back? so darn expensive...but I guess its the same everywhere-online or campus education.

Since I am busy with academics today, I do not have much time to spend cooking and preparing dishes.  The obvious answer (of course) is a salad and sandwich combo.  For the salad, I chose watercress as the base then added tarragon, beetroots, feta cheese, and drizzled with an olive oil-balsamic vinegar dressing.




This is very easy to make.  Okay, I admit that I always say that but that is the only word that I can describe the preparation of this dish...combine, drizzle, and dig in.  Well, maybe a little prep time is required but hey if I could make it while trying to crack my brain trying to write a report and presentation, I am sure it will be easy peasy for anyone...right?  hehehe

While writing my report and presentation, I boiled the beetroots until it is fork tender.  Oh, make sure you wash them very well to remove any dirt then place them in a pan and cover with water.  Cook over medium heat ...don't forget to leave a little opening when placing the cover on top to prevent the water from splashing and boiling over.  Clean-up would be a huge problem since water turns slightly reddish-orange.  After it becomes tender, remove from heat and hot water and let it cool down.  When it has cooled down, use food preparation gloves to peel the outer layer (skin) from the beetroots.  Unless you want to end up with reddish to reddish-orange tinged hands, I suggest you make use of the gloves...hehehe.  Once the beetroots has been boiled and sliced, the rest only required assembling the salad- mix and toss.





Watercress is not really something that I normally choose as my salad green because it has a strong peppery and tangy taste to it.  Don't get me wrong.  I do like anything bitter, peppery, or tangy but watercress, i believe, tops them all.  The good thing is that if you combine it with the sweet beetroot taste, licorice-like tarragon, and feta cheese, you can hardly taste the peppery-tangy flavor of the watercress.  The different taste and textures compliments each other.



Ingredients:

2 red bettroots
2 golden beetroots
1 bunch of watercress- roots trimmed, washed thoroughly, and dried using a salad spinner
1 spring of tarragon- stems removed and discarded
feta cheese, crumbled
sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1-2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

1. Place beetroots in a pan. Add white wine vinegar and a little salt.

2. Cover with water and heat over medium heat.

3. Cook beetroots until fork tender.  Remove from heat then set aside to cool.

4. Once beetroots has cooled, use food prep gloves to peel then slice into disks at approximately half an inch thickness.

5. In a large bowl, combine watercress, tarragon, beetroots, salt and pepper.  Toss lightly.

6. Top with crumbled feta cheese then drizzle dressing over it.

Dressing

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in a container with a tight-fitting cap.

2. Shake to combine and emulsify.

***this recipe can be multiplied accordingly if you are making a huge batch of salad.

Organic Dandelion, Blackberries, and White Peach Salad

Good day all. Busy... busy...busy...all day yesterday as I had to run all around town running errands.  It didn't help that the sun was blazing and the temperature was too warm.  It sapped all of my energy out and by the middle of the day I felt like I was running on empty.  I stopped by at the Corner Bakery for a quick bite and ordered turkey breast panini which was surprisingly good but a little pricey in my opinion. It was also way too greasy, or rather the bread felt like it was slather in butter or grease... They might be using too much grease on their panini grill..hmmm.  At $8 something a sandwich, I think I can do better at home.  My takeaway on the experience is that it  gave me an idea on what to make next in my sandwich series... hehehe.



After a busy day, I went over to the valley to visit family... it was good seeing everyone after a long while.  We had dinner at a Korean BBQ place and was stuffed to the brim. I always tend to overeat when I go to these AYCE (all you can eat) resto. What makes it worse is that I mostly ate meat so it felt really heavy but good nonetheless. Before I left, I got some Philippine lime (kalamansi) from my in-law's tree which I am intending to use in a dish or beverage later this week.

Today, I needed something light and easy to make for lunch to make up for all the meat consumption and heavy meal the day before.  I went to WholeFoods really early to avoid congestion both inside the store and in the parking lot as the place tends to get packed as the day wore on.  I picked up nuts (macadamia, pistacchio, brazil) and granola from their bulk food section.  For the fresh produce, I got a bunch of organic dandelion, white peaches, purple potatoes, and blackberries.  I am so happy with the produce that I picked up as they were really fresh.  The dandelion, peach, and blackberries I am using for this dish while the purple potatoes are intended for another use either tomorrow or monday.



Dandelion is not something that most people would think of when they think of salad greens.  Its not surprising because most people think of it as the weeds that ruin their perfectly manicured lawns  :) What's more surprising though is that this "weed" is edible -leaves, flowers, roots.  Of course, I wouldn't go around people's yards to pick them up as you are not sure what chemicals have been used in that lawn.  For dandelion greens, I go to WholeFoods as they have the organic variety.




As mentioned, every part of the plant , or weed if you prefer :P, is edible.  It can be boiled, stir-fried, or eaten raw as a salad.  The greens has a bite to it, slightly bitter actually, and would probably be an acquired taste.  I do not mind though as I am used to eating sauteed bitter melon (ampalaya) since I was young so the bitter taste do not really bother me.  I usually put fresh fruits such as pears, apples, peaches, and berries in the salad which helps balance the bitterness with the sweetness.  I added lightly toasted macadamia (which, coincidentally, I also eat raw at times) and crumbled feta. I used a simple olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing.



Ingredients:

1 bunch (about 1 lb or so) organic dandelion greens, stalks trimmed

1 white peach, washed and thinly sliced with skin on (you can also remove the skin, if you prefer)

2/3 cup fresh blackberries

1/2 lightly toasted macadamia nuts

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. In a bowl, mix trimmed dandelion, sliced peach, whole blackberries, macadamia nuts, and feta cheese.

2. Toss gently and season with salt and pepper according to taste.

3. Serve with olive oil-red wine vinaigrette

Olive Oil-Red Wine Vinaigrette


1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/8 cup red wine vinegar

juice of 1/2 a lemon, seeds discarded

sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste.

1. In a bowl, mix the first three ingredients and whisk until well blended.

2. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper according to taste