Couscous Salad with Edamame, Feta, and Mint
This bright salad will make sure you know that spring has sprung. It's very fast to prepare and ideal for picnic-type gatherings. You'll be surprised how many people ask you for the recipe!
1 cup dry whole wheat couscous
Juice of 2 medium lemons
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine or rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon zest (use lemons above)
2 cups (10 ounces) fresh or frozen shelled edamame beans
1/2 cup finely diced mint
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Bring 1 cup of water to boil and then remove from heat. Stir in dry couscous and cover with a lid. Allow to sit for 7 minutes, then remove lid and fluff couscous with a fork.
Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, and salt. Remember to zest lemon first for the next step.
Once couscous has cooled to room temperature, toss in zest, edamame, mint, feta, and dressing.
Serve cold or at room temperature.
fennel, bulgur, & chicken salad with blood orange
A bright future for leftovers.
One of the most satisfying things to do in the kitchen is to reinvent leftovers and salads are a great way to do this as they allow for the addition of all kinds of bits and pieces. This recipe calls for chicken breast and provides cooking instructions, but there's no reason you couldn't chop up some leftover roast chicken, now is there? Along the same vein - no grapefruit? No problem - try oranges or even apples! Out of bulgur, but have some quinoa? Sounds great! Really - the possibilities are endless, but I really do enjoy this combination of the sweetly herbal, crunchy fennel and the juicy, rich blood orange paired with chicken and bulgur. Fantastic for lunches or picnics. Serves 4 as a main.
1 cup dry bulgur
Two 6-ounce boneless chicken breasts (preferably skinless)
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, divided
1/8 teaspoon sea salt, divided
3 medium blood oranges
Juice from 1 lemon
1 large fennel bulb, with fronds (try wild fennel stalks and fronds!)
1/4 cup diced fresh green onion
Salad greens (optional)
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
In a saucepan, combine bulgur with 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until tender. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, coat the chicken breasts with 1/2 tablespoon of grapeseed oil and sprinkle with about half of the salt. Lay the chicken on a baking sheet and bake on the top oven rack for 15 minutes or until cooked through - flip the chicken halfway through cooking time. Allow to cool and then slice into 1/4-inch thick strips.
Cut oranges in half. Squeeze the juice from one of the halves into a small bowl or jar. Add the remaining grapeseed oil, salt, tablespoon of olive oil, and lemon juice to the blood orange juice. Whisk or cover jar and shake until thoroughly combined.
With a knife, remove the peel and outside pith of the remaining 5 orange halves. Slice into wedges. It's helpful to know how to segment citrus like a boss.
Remove the fronds from the fennel bulb and thinly slice the bulb. Chop several of the fronds, enough to fill 1/2 cup.
Toss bulgur with dressing, chicken, orange wedges, fennel bulb, fennel fronds, and green onion. Serve at room temperature or cold atop salad greens (if desired).
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
In a saucepan, combine bulgur with 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until tender. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, coat the chicken breasts with 1/2 tablespoon of grapeseed oil and sprinkle with about half of the salt. Lay the chicken on a baking sheet and bake on the top oven rack for 15 minutes or until cooked through - flip the chicken halfway through cooking time. Allow to cool and then slice into 1/4-inch thick strips.
Cut oranges in half. Squeeze the juice from one of the halves into a small bowl or jar. Add the remaining grapeseed oil, salt, tablespoon of olive oil, and lemon juice to the blood orange juice. Whisk or cover jar and shake until thoroughly combined.
With a knife, remove the peel and outside pith of the remaining 5 orange halves. Slice into wedges. It's helpful to know how to segment citrus like a boss.
Remove the fronds from the fennel bulb and thinly slice the bulb. Chop several of the fronds, enough to fill 1/2 cup.
Toss bulgur with dressing, chicken, orange wedges, fennel bulb, fennel fronds, and green onion. Serve at room temperature or cold atop salad greens (if desired).
The Makings of a Good Picnic
Complexity is not necessary.
A picnic can take on many forms. It doesn’t require anything complex to make a good picnic, but it does necessitate good food. Here are some of my picnic favorites along with a recipe for pistachio pesto - this is something you can make a batch of, take some for a picnic, and freeze the rest for later. It’s a very refreshing and light pesto recipe (if that’s possible), as there’s no cheese or garlic and is great with radishes as pictured, spread on a sandwich or crostini with goat cheese, topping grilled chicken, tossed into pasta or chopped tomato and fresh corn kernels…there are many possibilities to explore (as always when it comes to food).
Some necessities of a good picnic options (feel free to mix-n-match, throw together into a sandwich, etc.):
Baguette
Cheese(s)
Dried sausage, prosciutto, or smoked salmon
Pickles
Crudité: Radishes, cucumber, carrot, etc.
Dip for crudité such as pistachio pesto or hummus
Deconstructed caprese salad (bring tomato, mozzarella, olive oil/vinegar, basil and put together when you arrive)
Fresh fruit
Potato salad
Curried chicken salad (the curry-ing is not necessary, but it’s my favorite way to have it)
Rose wine, white wine, or beer
Cutting board
Knife
Mason jars for wine
A few napkins or paper towels
Forks if needed
Picnic blanket
A pleasant environment (doesn’t have to be perfect, just pleasant)
Pistachio Pesto (unintentionally vegan)
1 cup raw pistachios, chopped
1 bunch basil, chopped (I’ve also made it with sage and it turned out well)
1/3 cup olive oil
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon salt
To Prepare:
In a food processor, blend the pistachio with basil until coarsely ground. Add olive oil until a paste is formed, then blend in lemon juice and salt. Water, olive oil, or lemon juice (depending on which direction you want to take the flavor) may be added until your desired texture is reached.