Quinoa Salad with Honey-Lime Vinaigrette

In the midst of getting knocked-out this summer by heat wave after heat wave, my craving for salads has been endless; however, eating salads night after night can get a little mundane, especially when my go-to dressing is just a basic combination of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Well, it's time to switch it up and start experimenting with salad dressings - one of the most ideal ways of using extra virgin olive oil.

Greens are greens, but they can transform depending on what you put on them. I was inspired after eating lunch a couple months ago at a vegan restaurant in my neighborhood, where salads are their obvious specialty. Now I'm no vegan, but it was their Quinoa salad with an amazingly tasty honey-lime vinaigrette that had me going back. After a few attempts to get the dressing just right, it has now become one of my favorite salads to make at home.

For the Salad:

Cooked Quinoa
Mixed leafy greens
Sweet Corn
Red Pepper
Avocado

As it is a salad, use as little or as much of each ingredient as you like. First, prepare some quinoa according to the package directions and let cool. I like to prepare a batch of it and keep it in the fridge for future salad-making. Go crazy with mixing up the greens. I found a great mix at my local farmer's market with spinach, red leaf, mustard greens, pea shoots, and watercress. With greens, the common rule is that the more bitter-tasting the green, the more nutrients it holds. I also found some fresh New Jersey sweet corn at the market as its just now coming into season, so cut the corn off the fresh cob and add it raw to the bowl of greens (yes, you can eat it raw and it's delicious!). Next, add some cooked quinoa then top-off the salad with some thinly-sliced red pepper and sliced ripe avocado.

For the Vinaigrette:

3 tsp. Dijon Mustard
2 tsp. Honey
1/2 tsp. Fresh Lime Juice
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I find this recipe to make enough for about 3-4 single-serving meal-sized salads and I used Greek Thyme Honey, the juice of one small key lime, and a wonderfully fruity Nocellara extra virgin olive oil from Sicily. Add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until smooth and creamy. Store any leftover dressing in a jar for up to a week.

Light and Simple Veggies

Spring is officially here, and with the warmer weather arrives an abundance of fresh spring vegetables. Those garden vegetables and leafy greens are just begging to be steamed and doused in fresh extra virgin olive oil. No complexity here, just three basic ingredients: sea salt, fresh squeezed lemon, and extra virgin olive oil - if you have it, the grassiness of a fresh Koroneiki oil from Greece is positively delicious on veggies!

A simple way to prepare some basic veggies and offer a great side-dish to any meal, is to prepare them steamed or lightly boiled. It can be as basic as potatoes and zucchini, or you can add carrots, cauliflower, or broccoli - just about anything works. Simply steam or boil the veggies to your desired texture. If using potatoes, I usually boil them first for 10 minutes, then add the other veggies to cook for another 10-15 minutes. When ready, place the cooked veggies in a dish, sprinkle with salt, squeeze some fresh lemon, and pour on the olive oil! It may not sound all that exciting, but if you're using a fresh, flavorful olive oil, it will bring the vegetables to a whole new level.


Have some leafy greens you're not sure what to do with? Just lightly steam them, then pour-on those three simple ingredients! If you are lucky enough to live in Crete, you have a plethora of amazing wild greens to choose from this time of year. One of my favorites is stamnagathi (pictured), a nutritiously bitter local green, also known as spiny chicory. Not in Crete? No problem - any greens will do. Try spinach, dandelion, kale, collards, mustard, or chard. All fiber-packed veggies are rich in vitamins A, C, K and folate. Throw some omega-3, antioxidant-rich extra virgin olive oil on them and you're all set for your next clean bill of health!

Greek Boureki

With summer just around the corner comes an abundance of fresh zucchini from the garden. So instead of sending your kids stumbling down the street, arms overflowing with your garden's bounty to give away to the neighbors (sorry, childhood memory...), here is one baked dish that you won't mind eating once a week and as always, is simple to prepare and a pleasure to devour!

What you'll need:

3 medium potatoes
3 small zucchini
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 large ripe tomato, grated (see former blog regarding tomato grating)
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup water
salt & pepper
1 package plain goat cheese (6 oz.)

Begin by peeling the potatoes and slicing them into rounds about 1/8 inch thick and sprinkle with sea salt to let rest a couple minutes. Slice the zucchini in the same manner and thickness. Place sliced potatoes and zucchini in a large bowl, then add the chopped mint, grated tomato, olive oil, water, and a bit more salt and pepper to taste. Combine the ingredients with your hands - it's the best way to mix! Pour mixture into a 9x13 baking dish and crumble the goat cheese over the top. Place in the oven and bake uncovered at 425° for 50 minutes or until the cheese begins to turn a golden brown.