Roasted Chanterelle and Leek Salad with Pears and Pecans

While I was visiting Montréal last week, I visited a restaurant called DNA.  The atmosphere was wonderful and the service excellent!  They had the most beautiful orange decor, but more importantly the food was delicious! 

I ordered some delicious pappardelle pasta scattered with local mushrooms including chanterelles.  It was delicious and earthy due to the flavorful mushrooms. 

I had every ambition to try and recreate the $30 plate when I arrived home, and I even found some locally grown chanterelles at the market, but my day had other plans.  Instead of putzing with home made pappardelle today I visited a local winery, St. Croix Vineyards for some wine tasting.  Of course I ended up buying wine there, as well as some late harvest riesling vinegar. Being that it was a warm day, and that I was feeling a bit lazy in the dinner department, I decided that the chanterelles would be lovely in a salad also using some of that vinegar that I had bought.  So I roasted some chanterelles (as well as a bit of crimini mushrooms which are more affordable) and some leeks and tossed them with some ripe d'anjou pears and toasted pecans for a delicious salad! 

I dressed it with a riesling maple walnut dressing with a bit of thyme and voila!  Deliciousness!  It wasn't a good day for pasta anyhow, and the salad paired perfectly with some dry riesling I had also picked up today.  Maybe I will make pappardelle when the weather chills out a bit, but for now this salad did the trick to showcase the chanterelles!  If you have access to them you should try making it yourself!

Roasted Chanterelle and Leek Salad with Pears and Pecans

Serves 2

1 large leek, sliced

10 chanterelle mushrooms, halved if large
10 crimini mushrooms, halved
olive oil
1 large D'anjou pear, sliced
1/2 cup toasted pecans

1 large head leaf lettuce, washed and torn into bite sized pieces

Dressing:
2 Tbsp walnut oil
2 Tbsp riesling vinegar
2 tsp maple syrup

1/2 tsp honey dijon mustard

2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil.  Toss mushrooms and leeks with just enough olive oil to coat, and spread out on baking sheet.  Roast in the oven until tender and starting to brown at edges, about 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature, then add to a large bowl along with the pear, pecans and leaf lettuce.  Whisk dressing ingredients together, then pour over salad and toss well.  Serve!

Vanilla and Beets

Whenever I encounter the lovely scent of vanilla it makes me happy.  This is why I often dab on a bit of vanilla essential oil in the morning so I can enjoy the scent throughout the day!  Afterall vanilla is the base of many delicioius things such as sugar cookies, cakes, or ice cream.  But it is actually quite good in savory applications as well!  Such as in a vanilla squash risotto, or in pureed rutabaga with a little coconut oil, or with beets in a salad!  I had a few beets last night and I decided to combine them with something vanilla laced. 

I roasted up some beets and rutabegas, and combined them with some dried tart cherries and salty sweet pecans in a salad, then whisked together a vanilla citrus vinaigrette and tossed it all together.  It was wonderful!  The vanilla gave the dressing a wonderful light scent and flavor to the salad without overwhelming it.  I suppose it was a little dessert like, but savory as well, and so delicious for the little amount of time it took to prepare!  Here is the recipe if you would like to try vanilla in a little different way than the usual! 

Roasted  Beet and Rutabaga Salad with Toasted Pecans and Dried Cherries with Vanilla Citrus Dressing

Serves 3

3 medium beets, thinly sliced

3 small rutabagas, thinly sliced on the diagonal
olive oil

sea salt

Pecans:

1/2 cup pecans
1 Tbsp agave nectar
1 Tbsp maple sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp ground chipotle powder

Dressing:
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp orange juice
1 Tbsp riesling vinegar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
seeds of one vanilla bean

1 Tbsp agave nectar

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

5 cups mixed flavorful greens such as arugula, mizuna and dandilion
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
1/2 cup dried cherries

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Line three baking sheets with foil, and spray with nonstick spray. Toss beets and rutabagas with just enough olive oil to coat, and spread out on sheet pans.  Roast until starting to brown at edges and tender, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with sea salt, and let cool to room temp. Decrease the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Toss pecans with agave nectar, maple sugar and sea salt and spread out on one of the sheets. Roast in the oven until fragrant and starting to brown, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Meanwhile, whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Combine greens, shallots, and roasted veggies, in a large bowl, pour dressing over, and toss with hands to coat. Divide salad between 3 plates and top with toasted nuts and cherries.

My favorite winter salad

I tend to get stuck in ruts... I am a very monotonous person sometimes when it comes to things I do every day, or when it comes to cooking dinner.  It is something I am not proud of, being such a creature of habit but oh well.  For this reason however I have been making a certain salad very often.  I have appologized to those who have had to share it with me, but luckilly they like it too and have no complaints, so I keep making it.   It is so good I cannot go without making it at least a few times a week, at least as long as the vegetables I use in it are in season.  I have come to love sunchokes this year, especially thinly sliced and roasted.  Right out of the oven with sea salt they are like chips!  In this favorite salad of mine,  I combined them with carrots and rutabagas roasted in the same way, and they are delicious together.    I used my standard toasted pecans to top off the salad as well as some golden raisins, which I don't think are used enough, but I love!  Everything is dressed in a light maple balsamic vinaigrette, and it is so delicious I could eat it all myself!  I listed this recipe as serving three, but it is actually two Amy sized servings.  Even if you are skeptical about root vegetables and don't care for them, this salad could change your mind.  I served it to my Mom who is not a big fan of root vegetables, and she looked at it and gave me "the look", saying "You know I don't like rutabagas..."  But once she tasted it she actually loved it and there wasn't a rutabaga left on that plate!  I love it when I can change people's minds about liking veggies!  Here is the salad recipe if you would like to try it for yourself!

Roasted  Root Vegetable Salad with Toasted Pecans and Golden Raisins

Serves 3

2 large carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal
3 large sunchokes, thinly sliced on the diagonal
3 small rutabagas, thinly sliced on the diagonal
olive oil
sea salt

Pecans:

1/2 cup pecans
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp maple sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp ground chipotle powder
Dressing:
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp riesling vinegar

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp dried thyme
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

5 cups mixed flavorful greens such as arugula, mizuna and dandilion
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
1/2 cup golden raisins

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Line three baking sheets with foil, and spray with nonstick spray. Toss root vegetables with just enough olive oil to coat, and spread out on sheet pans.  Roast until starting to brown at edges and tender, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with sea salt, and let cool to room temp. Decrease the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Toss pecans with honey, maple sugar and sea salt and spread out on one of the sheets. Roast in the oven until fragrant and starting to brown, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Meanwhile, whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Combine greens, shallots, and roasted veggies, in a large bowl, pour dressing over, and toss with hands to coat. Divide salad between 3 plates and top with toasted nuts and golden raisins.

Roasted Yam and Edamame Salad

As a child I thought yams were gross, because the only ones I had been exposed to were the super sticky canned sweet ones at thanksgiving that were topped with jumbo marshmallows and baked.  I always dreaded my Mom telling me to take a little of everything and having to eat some of those!  Good thing I have since had the privlidge of roasting my own fresh yams, my mind has completely changed!  I could simply roast a large yam, cut it open, squeeze a lime over it and sprinkle it with sea salt to enjoy alone.  I love yams that much, and if you get a good one it is the perfect amount of sweet!  In the deli I work in we make yam fries, and there are always a few missing from the cooling tray since they are so good that someone always swipes a few.  Roasted yams are a healthy comfort food, and I love them in salads as well!  So I decided to combine them with edamame in a winter salad with an orange dressing last night for a light dinner.  You know, the type that leaves you feeling comforted but not all heavy.  It was beautiful with the green edamame and orange garnet yams, and even better it was delicious!  Here is the recipe if you wish to enjoy it...

Roasted Yam and Edamame Salad

Serves 4-6

2 large garnet yams, cut into small cubes

peanut oil

1 12 oz bag frozen organic shelled edamame, thawed
2 small shallots,thinly sliced
1/2 cup toasted pecans
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Dressing:
2 Tbsp orange juice
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp peanut oil

1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 475 degrees, line a sheet pan with foil, and spray with non-stick spray.  Toss yams with olive oil and spread out on sheet pan.  Roast for about 20-25 minutes until starting to brown at the edges and are tender and cooked through.  Remove from oven and let cool.  When cooled, combine with edamame, shallots, pecans, and cranberries in a large bowl.  Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and pour over salad.  Toss well to coat, and serve! 

Golden Quinoa Salad

I do not like calling things "healthy", but I do enjoy eating healthy things if that makes sense.  For some reason the word healthy sounds like unappetizing bland food, but it doesn't have to be.  I was feeling like I needed something protein packed and energizing, and well I guess you could say nutritious, so I got to work creating a grain salad.  Since quinoa is a powerhouse, I thought it would be the perfect base for my salad.  I raided my fridge and came up with a color scheme, gold!  Mostly because I needed a bit of sunshine, even in my food being that it is winter.  I grabbed a golden beet, a carrot, some golden raisins, as well as some pecans, and walnuts for protein.  For my dressing I made a citrus vinaigrette laced with tumeric to give my salad a lovely color.  The finished salad was delicious but most importantly it was satisfying and beautiful!  The bright citrus along with the toasty nuts, sweet raisins and crunchy veggies was wonderful!  Here is the recipe if you would like to eat a bit of sunshine!

Golden Quinoa Salad

Serves 3

2 cups water

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1 medium golden beet, cut julienne
1 large carrot, cut julienne
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1/2 cup toasted pecans
1 cup golden raisins

Dressing:
2 Tbsp orange juice
2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp tumeric

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp sea salt or to taste

freshly ground pepper to taste

Place quinoa and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all the water is absorbed about 15 minutes, or when all the grains have turned from white to transparent, and the spiral-like germ has separated. Drain, and let cool. When quinoa is cool, combine with the beets, carrots, walnuts, pecans, and raisins.  Whisk together dressing ingredients, and pour over salad.  Toss to combine, and for best flavor let sit a few hours or overnight in the fridge before serving. 

Roasted Cranberry and Kabocha Squash Salad

Do you ever have an item in the produce department calling your name...and you notice it is on sale so you decide to buy it, but have no idea what you will make with it?  That was the case with me last weekend, when I walked past the fresh cranberries.  I assume they were on sale for Thanksgiving, and the many people who would be making cranberry sauce, but I wasn't planning on making any sauce.  Something about the beautiful little red berries had caught my eye, and before I knew it I was buying them.  Now, I suppose I could have made some sort of delicious baked good with them such as a cake, or made them into a relish to serve with some tempeh, but for whatever reason I decided that they might be good roasted and tossed into a salad!  I didn't know if this would work, or if they would hold together in a salad once roasted, but they ended up being fabulous!  Now, I did not simply throw them in with greens and a bit of vinaigrette, I made a salad fit for a Thanksgiving spread!  Sweet roasted kabocha squash cubes, salty roquefort, and toasty maple chipotle walnuts joined the tart little berries in my autumn salad, and it was all quite delicious!  If you have a little time to make a salad, or would like to try cranberries in a new preparation, then this is your dish!  Try it out, and your taste buds and tummy will thank you!

Roasted Cranberry and Kabocha Squash Salad with Toasted Pecans and Roquefort

Serves 3

1 small kabocha or buttercup squash, cut in half, and seeds removed
olive oil

8 oz cranberries
maple syrup
maple sugar

Pecans:
1/2 cup pecans
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp maple sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp ground chipotle powder

Dressing:
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp riesling vinegar
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp dried thyme
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

5 cups mixed flavorful greens such as arugula, mizuna and dandilion
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
1 1/2 oz crumbled roquefort cheese or local blue cheese

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Line three baking sheets with foil, and spray with nonstick spray. Place squash cut side down on baking sheet and roast until tender about 30-40 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Remove skin and cut flesh into 1 inch cubes (you should have about 2 cups for this recipe).  Toss cranberries with just enough maple syrup to coat, and spread out on another baking sheet.  Sprinkle with a little maple sugar and roast until just starting to soften, burst and slightly brown about 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool to room temp.  Decrease the oven temperature to 375 degrees.  Toss pecans with honey, maple sugar and sea salt and spread out on one of the sheets. Roast in the oven until fragrant and starting to brown, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Meanwhile, whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Combine greens, shallots, roasted squash and cranberries in a large bowl, pour dressing over, and toss with hands to coat. Divide salad between 3 plates and top with toasted nuts and roquefort.

Pomegranate, Pear and Spiced Pecan Salad with Pecorino Romano

I had made a pomegranate cake last weekend, and had some extra pomegranate seeds on hand.  Of course I could have just eaten them plain, but what fun is that!  I thought they needed to be added to a salad I was making in order to make it more beautiful!  To me, pomegranates look like sparkling rubies, and I believe that when you add them to your salad it instantly becomes 10 times prettier!  Not to mention that they add tart sweet little pops of flavor and crunch as well!  This salad was also going to include pears, pecans, and pecorino romano cheese...just happened to be what I had on hand, and funny that it ends up being a quadruple P kind of ordeal.  Anyways, even though this was a throw together random salad, it was wonderful, so I thought I would share the recipe with you!  Now that I think about it, Thanksgiving would be the perfect time to serve this elegant salad, and it is fast approaching!

Pomegranate, Pear and Spiced Pecan Salad with Pecorino RomanoServes 3

Spiced Pecans:

1/2 cup pecans

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp maple sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground chipotle powder
Dressing:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp  riesling vinegar
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp pomegranate juice
1 tsp dijon
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp dried thyme
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

5 cups mixed flavorful greens such as arugula, mizuna and dandilion
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
2 D'anjou pear, sliced
seeds of one pomegranate
1 1/2 oz pecorino romano, shaved




Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil, and spray with nonstick spray. Toss pecans with maple syrup, sugar, sea salt , spices, and chipotle and spread out on the sheet. Roast in the oven until fragrant and starting to brown, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Meanwhile, whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Combine greens, shallots, pears and pomagranate seeds in a large bowl, pour dressing over, and toss with hands to coat. Divide salad between 3 plates and top with toasted seeds and cheese.

A Dark Run and Deep Dark Granola

It has been very dark in the mornings lately when I go out running.  I miss the sun, but it is kind of nice to have the roads to myself being that it is early and not very many other people want to run in the dark. Yesterday I headed out for my run I was thinking I just wanted to crawl back into my warm bed...but once I got going I was glad I had gotten my butt up and gone out.  I often use the time to think, and yesterday among many other things, I was thinking about granola...probably because I was a bit hungry, and I knew I was going to make a batch some time this weekend. 

Then dates came to mind...dark, sweet, gooey dessert like and heavenly.  They would have to be included in my granola creation!  Maybe they came to mind because it was so dark out and the clouds were covering up the hunter's moon that had helped a few days before with being able to see in the morning.  The dark of dates... hmm...it got me to thinking, how about a "dark" granola, with molasses and maple to flavor it.  Molasses in granola?  Yes, it is very good, add just a little bit to your granola and it deepens the flavor and gives it a wonderful darker color!  But of course I needed to think of some add ins as well...I was going to be rather selfish this time and make this granola with all of my favorite ones.  Walnuts, Pecans and coconut flakes.  Rather simple, but I enjoy the texture of walnuts and pecans in granola, above all other nuts.  I got to thinking how walnuts look like brains...but that is besides the point.  Who says I can't think randomly on my long runs by  myself?  Plus all this granola thinking was making me hungry, and the smell of baked goods being vented out of a nearby bakery wasn't helping!  I finished the run feeling good, and I was happy that I had come up with a cleaver granola to make! 

I always look forward to it, as it is something I crave, and I love it while it is still warm out of the oven.  This batch was no exception...I spoiled my appetite for dinner in the process of making this but it was all well worth it!  It was the most caramelly complex tasting batch of granola I have ever made, and I make it about every other week!  The gooey sweet dates were a nice contrast to the salty crunchy nut filled granola...maybe I thought this batch was particularily good because it contained all my favorites...but you could try making it for yourself and see if you agree! 

Deep Dark Date and Nut Granola

Makes about 14 cups of delicious granola

6 cups old fashioned rolled oats
3 cups walnuts
3 cups pecans
3 cups large flake coconut
3/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp maple syrup

2 Tbsp molassess

3 Tbsp maple sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp cardamom
1 tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp maple extract
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
3 cups dried medjool dates, pitted and cut into smaller pieces

Line a large baking sheet with non-stick foil, and spray with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 and set rack at the medium position. In a large bowl, combine oats, walnuts, pecans, and coconut, and set aside. In another bowl, whisk together oil, syrup, molasses, maple sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, sea salt, maple and vanilla extracts until well combined, then pour over oat mixture and toss to coat until completely blended. Pour out onto prepared baking sheet, and spread out evenly. Bake for 35 minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes or so until the granola is evenly browned. Remove from oven and let cool. Stir in the dates and enjoy!