Two Yummy Salads

I promised to share some of the recipes I made for Thanksgiving. A few days ago I posted the recipe for Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Tart, but I’m sure you are wondering: did I just eat pie? Nope. I prepared two other tasty and colorful salads to round out the meal…okay, and I ate a lot of other stuff too! So without further ado, I present Marinated Bean & Veggie Toss and a re-envisioned Waldorf Salad…

Marinated Bean & Veggie Toss
 
You know that ubiquitous potluck favorite consisting of a medley of beans marinated in a sweet and tangy vinaigrette? Here is a slightly more exciting take on that same staple salad. It’s got all the flavor of the original with a lot more fun veggies thrown in!

Salad:

1 can of red kidney beans, well rinsed and drained
1 can of garbanzo beans (a.k.a., chickpeas), well rinsed and drained
about 1/2 of a 1 lb. bag of frozen lima beans, briefly rinsed**
about 1/2 of a 1 lb. bag of frozen chopped green beans, briefly rinsed**
1/2 cup* chopped onion
1/2 cup* chopped broccoli
1/2 cup* finely chopped zucchini
1/2 cup* thinly sliced carrot coins, cut in half
1 small red pepper, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

Dressing:

1/4 cup oil (canola, olive, flax, hemp…you choose)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2-3 tablespoon agave nectar
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
2 teaspoons dried parsley (or 2 tablespoons fresh, snipped)

Step 1: Combine all ingredients except those for the dressing.

Step 2: In a jar with a tight-fitting lid combine all ingredients for the dressing. Cover and shake well. Add to vegetables; stir lightly. Cover; chill for several hours or overnight.

Makes approximately 12 servings.

*Feel free to add more or less.
**It is fine to pull these straight from the freezer; they will finish thawing during the marinating time in the fridge. The brief rinsing just helps separates the beans in case they are stuck together into a frozen clump.

Crisp Waldorf Salad

Growing up, we would occasionally have a Waldorf-type salad consisting of chopped apples, celery, and some raisins all tossed in a mayonnaise-type salad dressing. I was never extremely fond of this dish as I developed an aversion to mayonnaise (and egg-products in general) as I grew older. (That’s another story, however. Hint: it had  a lot to do with raising our own chickens). That’s why I was excited to come across this recipe several years ago (for the life of me I can’t remember where) that featured the traditional blend of apples, celery and raisins, but this time tossed in a light vinaigrette and served on a bed of greens. Yum! When brainstorming what to make for Thanksgiving I remembered this recipe, which is perfectly autumnal in its highlighting of seasonal apples. Here is my version of this lovely salad.

Vinaigrette:

4 tablespoons oil (canola, olive, flax, hemp…you choose)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons agave nectar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salad:

4 cups finely chopped apples (any variety—red is preferable)
2 cups finely chopped celery
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
6 cups torn mixed salad greens (I used a blend of spinach, romaine, and arugula)

Step 1: In a small jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine all vinaigrette ingredients; shake well.

Step 2: In a large bowl, combine apples, celery, raisins, and walnuts (if desired). Pour vinaigrette over apple mixture; toss gently to combine. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour or until serving time.

Step 3: To serve, divide salad greens evenly onto 12 plates. Spoon apple mixture over greens. (OR: do what I did and simply toss apple mixture with greens just before serving. This works well for a large buffet-style gathering).

Makes approximately 12 servings. (P.S. This salad was extra yummy mixed with some cranberry-orange relish on my plate. Mmm!)

Enjoy!



P.S. Unfortunately, I forgot to get pictures of these lovely dishes (It’s a shame, too, because they were both so pretty!), so the image displayed is not the exact salad that I made. It’s just a similar image that I found. I couldn’t find a good picture for the first salad, so there is none. As usual, you can click on the photo for the image source.