Moroccan Bread Salad

Today I'm going to share my all-time favorite dinner salad with you.

Yes, favorite.

This meal-size salad has garlicky, toasted, homemade bread croutons in it. And crunchy, toasted almonds. Plus protein-rich chickpeas and some creamy, garlic-seasoned cheese.

To be honest, I'm not sure how it is that I've been blogging about food this long, and still have yet to share the Moroccan Bread Salad recipe. It kind of feels like I've been hiding something from you.

I spotted the Moroccan Bread Salad in a Rachael Ray Magazine when Adam and I first got married. We had just entered the new world of "cooking," and were quickly turning into recipe-hungry cooking machines. Everything was so new and exciting--and I mean everything. Neither one of us had ever purchased or used cumin before. I had never even heard of cumin.

Embarrassing.

So I bought my first bottle of cumin, made this recipe, and instantly knew it was a keeper. We often feature it when we have friends over for dinner; we even made a bowl-ful for Christmas dinner at Adam's parents' house once.

Make it. Eat it. Love it.

And forgive me for holding this one back for so long.

Moroccan Bread Salad

(recipe from Rachael Ray Magazine)

This recipe is quite simple to throw together--you can prep most of the ingredients while the seasoned bread cubes are toasting. And, while purchasing a hearty loaf of peasant bread is perfectly acceptable, isn't it so much more fun to use a loaf of homemade bread?

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
• 3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. cumin
• One 1 lb. peasant loaf, torn into 1 inch pieces
• salt and pepper
• 4 ribs of celery, chopped
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 4 oz. Swiss or seasoned Havarti cheese, cut into small cubes
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds, toasted
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

2) In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup olive oil, the garlic and cumin. Add the bread and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake until toasted, tossing occasionally (it took about 12 - 14 minutes for mine to toast).

3) Meanwhile, mix the celery, chickpeas, cheese, almonds, vinegar, and remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in the same bowl. Add the bread and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

Waldorf Re-Mix

I'm a sucker for salads that include both veggies and fruit.

Add some toasted nuts into the mix, and I just may reach food nirvana (I just invented food nirvana. Don't question it.).

So when I stumbled upon a recipe for Waldorf Salad in my Moosewood Restaurant's Low-Fat Favorites cookbook, I knew it would be a winner in our house.

This salad combines the best parts of an old-school Waldorf Salad (fruit + veggies + nuts), while nixing the less-than-desirable part (creamy over-the-top mayonnaise sauce). Instead of the creamy sauce, we go with a light, oil-free orange juice dressing.

Paired with spinach salad and a slice of Irish Soda Bread, this was an easy dinner to pull together. The salad is quite reminiscent of one of my ol' favorites: Apple-Almond-Bulgur Salad. I noted few differences between the two, although I found the Waldorf Salad a bit more filling and suitable as a "main course" salad.

Eat up, friends, and enjoy this hearty salad while it lasts. Tomorrow? We're talking homemade (and arguably "healthy?") peanut butter cups.

Stay tuned.

Waldorf Salad, Re-Mixed

(recipe adapted from The Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites)

The one things missing from this delightful salad? Grapes! If you have them on hand, I recommend halving a handful and tossing them right into the mix.

Salad Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 - 1/2 cups diced apple
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins
• 3 TBSP lemon juice
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup toasted almonds, chopped

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 TBSP honey
• 1 tsp. ground coriander

Directions:

Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and stir to coat. Enjoy!

Simple Side Dish: Take 2

I know what you're thinking:

"Another simple side dish? Another post that centers around celery?

Come on, lady. We're looking for a culinary creativity. Vegetarian masterpiece. Not Cooking 101 with the world's most stringy vegetable."

Trust me. I hear ya.

But sometimes, the days get so busy that you only find time for a simple veggie dish to round out your day.

Tomorrow I'll bring you Artichoke Lasagna. So give me a pass on today, and let's talk celery and walnuts.

I made this salad last night, knowing that today wouldn't provide time for dinner-cooking. I ate so much out of the serving bowl last night, you probably could have counted it as my fourth meal. Bonus: It takes 10 minutes to prepare.

Celery isn't often prized as the centerpiece of a delicious dish. More often it plays the role of supporting actor. However, in this awesome dish, celery is paired with a full cup of toasted walnuts, a little salt n' pepper, and some grated Parmesan for a powerful flavor punch (the non-violent kind).

Wow. Fourth meal.

Pair this guy with any number of main course dishes. Or, play me for the evening and eat a massive bowl for dinner while you pre-cook lasagna noodles. I think I ate my weight in toasted walnuts.

Totally worth it. Fourth meal rocks.

Celery, Walnut & Parmesan Salad

(recipe courtesy of Cooking Light)

This side dish is so flavorful and filling--toasted walnuts give it the protein needed to bump it up to a filling "supporting actor" role. Don't forget to TOAST the walnuts. Absolutely necessary.

Ingredients:

• 5 ribs of celery, thinly sliced (about 3 - 4 cups)
• 1 cup of chopped walnuts, toasted
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Ground pepper to taste (we used A LOT!)
• Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Super Simple: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir, eat, enjoy. Repeat.

Simple Side Dish

Do you remember those first recipes you dabbled in when you were learning how to cook?

Good times, right?

My early-learning adventures in cooking began as a graduate student. At the time, I had never heard of cumin, I thought fat-free cheese was a perfectly acceptable substitute for the real deal, and I was unaware of the differences between margarine and real butter.

My first recipes included vegetarian chili, marinara sauce with spaghetti, and bean burritos. Once I learned to make these bad boys, they quickly became the three-meal rotation I cooked every week. Yep, every week. I've always been a creature of habit.

Also topping the list of "first foods" in my cooking journey was Carrot and Celery Amandine. Adam discovered it on Allrecipes.com (shortly after our discovery of the bean burrito recipe), and it quickly entered into the rotation. Soy sauce gives it a flavorful taste, and toasted almonds provide the crunch I need when I'm eating cooked vegetables.

Tonight, we returned to our early days of cooking and made Carrot and Celery Amandine to go with our leftover Tofu Sandwiches. Brings back memories :)

What were your first recipes when you began cooking?

Carrots and Celery Amandine

(courtesy of Allrecipes.com)

This simple side dish is the perfect accompaniment to a sandwich dinner.

Ingredients:

• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• a dash of olive oil
• 2 TBSP water
• 2 TBSP low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 - 1/4 cups chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped, toasted almonds

Directions:

Heat a little olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute for one additional minute. Add the carrots, celery, water, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir to combine, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until vegetables are tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Stir in chopped almonds.