Smoked Trout, Arugula and Treviso Salad

If you haven't used treviso, raddichio or endive before, say hello to this family of bitter chicory greens. Distinctively complex with a slightly bitter and earthy flavor, they can be served raw or cooked, and have sturdy leaves that hold up to heat. Which reminds me of an incredible lunch we had in a small village on the border of Lazio and Tuscany on our Italy trip this past fall. Seared Steak with a delicately grilled balsamic raddichio and pecorino. Simple, yet so perfect.

This recipe is not that one, but was first inspired by this gorgeous photo and second by a dish we had last week at our favorite weeknight date spot in our neighborhood. Simple, yet perfect. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

SMOKED TROUT, ARUGULA AND TREVISO SALAD

SERVES: 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 c wild arugula

• 1 small head treviso, thinly sliced

• 1 blood orange, *sectioned and roughly chopped

• 1-2 fillets of smoked trout, roughly torn

• 3 Tbsp toasted pistachios, roughly chopped

• 4 teaspoons unpasteurized apple cider vinegar

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

• Freshly cracked black pepper

• pecorino, freshly shaved

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together apple cider vinegar, olive oil, sea salt and pepper.

2. Place arugula, treviso, blood orange, trout and pistachios in a large bowl. Drizzle small amount of dressing (or your own desired amount) around edges of bowl to avoid pouring directly on the greens and gently toss. Season lightly with a pinch of maldon salt, fresh cracked pepper and shaved pecorino.

*HOW TO SECTION AN ORANGE:

1. Cut off the top and bottom so that the orange flesh is visible.

2. Now cut from top to bottom curving the knife to the shape of the orange. Repeat all the way around until all you have left is a bright orange, fleshy ball.

3. Next, cut in between the white sections, placing your knife as close to the white membrane as possible, and slicing delicately to the core. If you follow the membrane, you’ll see that you’re cutting out wedges. Voila!

Photography by www.ful-filled.com  |  Recipe Development by Running With Forks

Greek Yogurt "Ranch" Dressing and a Summer Salad

Everyone loves a creamy dressing. Everyone. A lot of us just dislike the heaviness of them as well as the thought of how many additional, maybe unnecessary, calories we'd be consuming if we went with that dressing option. But, summer...sweet sweet summer. And a good chop. Summer and chopped salads deserve a creamy sidekick. 

So here, I've created a healthier version of the standard Ranch Dressing we all grew up with. And an easy-peasy throw together salad to bring to your next backyard BBQ.

SUMMER SALAD WITH GREEK YOGURT RANCH DRESSING

Serves: 6-8 as a side

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 box spinach

• 1/2 box organic girl butter lettuce or 1 small head of butter lettuce

• handful of cherry tomatoes, halved

• 4 radishes, thinly sliced

• 1 avocado, cubed

• 3 Tbsp sunflower seeds

• 2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds

• 1/4 c fresh dill

• 10-15 basil leaves, torn

• 1/4 c chives, minced

• 1/2 c microgreens

• 3/4c plain greek yogurt

• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder and season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. In a large bowl, gently toss together spinach, butter lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, avocado, seeds and herbs.

3. Add desired amount of dressing and carefully toss with hands to prevent damaging herbs or avocados.

4. Top with microgreens and maldon salt if desired

10-Minute Asian Kale Salad

Let me guess...you raaaarely, if ever, have time to whip up a healthy lunch in the middle of your crazy work day. Me either! Even though I'm in and out of the house, I'm running around and need to be out just as quick as I got in, so lunch needs to be fast, easy, healthy and delicious. 

And while it helps to always keep healthy staples on hand, hours of food prep is out of the question for me. Find habits that work for YOU. If you know you'll never find yourself chopping and prepping your Sunday away, choose easy and ready-to-go staples and easy simple meals for the work week. And if you enjoy prepping ahead of time, you go, you!!

Whipped this salad up in under 10 min and topped it with some leftover turkey larb from our picnic in the park last night for an extra protein boost. (side note: it's been decided that summer picnics need to happen waaaaaayyyyy more often). Toss everything together in the morning (or night before) – dressed or undressed (referring to both yourself, and the kale) – and you're good to go. I'm all for nudity in the kitchen btw.

10-MINUTE ASIAN KALE SALAD

Serves 1 | prep time 10 min

*No need to measure any of these ingredients - use your eyes, but here's a simple guideline.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 c lacinato kale, chopped

• 1 tsp olive oil

• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

• pinch of sea salt

• 1 tsp or splash of rice vinegar

• 1 tsp or splash of tamari

• 2 inch piece of cucumber, thinly sliced

• 1 radish, julienned

• 1 green onion, thinly sliced

• 1 Tbsp toasted pepitas or pumpkin seeds

• 1/2 Tbsp black sesame seeds

• 1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Massage kale with olive oil, toasted sesame oil and sea salt.

2. Add rice vinegar and tamari.

3. Toss in a cucumber, radish, green onion, pepitas, sesame seeds.

4. (Optional protein boost: ground turkey, soft boiled egg, chopped nuts, etc. Feel free to add in any other greens you have on hand. Thinly sliced green cabbage is a great addition!)

Recipe: A simple lunch.

Sometimes all you need is a few simple ingredients to feel completely satisfied.  I made this lunch a couple of weeks ago with inspiration from Sunday Suppers.  It was super simple, super delicious and super satisfying.  I'm craving it right now, for my lunch that's about to happen, and decided that I should share it. Simple and easy.  Go for it. 

Apple - Celery Root - Prosciutto - Parsley - Lemon - Maldon - Peppercorn

Prep time:  10 mins   | Assembly time:  5 mins   | Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 apple, cored and julienned

• 1 small celeriac, peeled and julienned

• 5 pieces of thinly sliced prosciutto, torn

• 1 small handful parsley, leaves only, torn

• 2 tbsp plain greek yogurt

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• juice of 1 small lemon

• sea salt, to taste

• fresh cracked pepper, to taste

• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

• maldon sea salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, whisk yogurt, lemon, chopped fresh parsley, salt, pepper and olive oil. Adjust to taste.

2. In a medium bowl, combine apple, celeriac, parsley, half of the prosciutto and toss with dressing. Top with the remaining torn prosciutto and fresh cracked peppercorns and of course, maldon sea salt.