Spring Salad with Warm Blackberry Dressing

A refreshing, sweet and savory salad.  Perfect for spring.

Serves 4; Ready In; 15 min; Cook Time 10 min

For the blackberry sauce (original recipe here):

12 oz. blackberries, rinsed and drained (2 packages)

¼ cup sugar

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tbsp. cold water

1/3 lemon freshly squeezed

lemon zest

Modified version of Paula Deen's Spinach & Berry Salad:

1 lb Baby Spinach Leaves, washed and fully dried

1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced

2 eggs, hard boiled and sliced

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

1/4 cup fresh raspberries for garnish

1/8 cup fresh blackberries for garnish


Directions:

For the salad, combine in a large bowl the spinach, onion and egg together. Garnish with walnuts and fresh berries. 


To make the blackberry sauce, combine the blackberries and sugar in a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries begin to release some of their juices and the mixture is simmering. Stir in the lemon juice and zest. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl; whisk until smooth. Add the cornstarch mixture to the blackberries and mix well. Reduce the heat to medium and let cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a low boil and thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and keep warm if desired.  The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.


Serve immediately.

Sweet Potato & Brown Rice Salad

Original post found at a Splash of Vanilla food blog here. See my version below:

160g brown rice, rinsed (or 1 bag of instant rice will do)

480g (1 lb) sweet potato, peeled and diced into bite sized pieces

Olive oil

120g (15 oz / 1 can) cooked or tinned drained chick peas

10ml extra virgin olive oil

3 tblspn balsamic vinegar

3 tblspn honey wholegrain mustard

45g (1/3 cup) chopped walnuts or pecan nuts

Green part of 6 shallots, sliced thinly

2 tblspns continental parsley, chopped (instead of buying parsley, I used red pepper that I already had at home)

Preheat oven to 275 degrees C.

Boil rice per instructions listed on package, or make instant rice. Meanwhile roast bite-size pieces of sweet potato in olive oil for 25 minutes or until slightly browned and almost cooked. After 25 minutes, toss sweet potato and  place nuts and sliced red peppers in roasting pan for 5-7 minutes until toasted (make sure they don’t burn!).

In a bowl, combine brown rice, chickpeas and shallots and honey/balsamic mixture. Once cooled, add sweet potato, walnuts and red pepper.

Serves 4 side dishes or 2 main dishes. 

Inside Out Spring Roll Salad

Serves 4; Prep Time 30 mins; Cook Time 2 mins; Ready In 35 mins

SALAD INGREDIENTS:
2 oz Bean Thread, mung bean noodles
3 cups Shredded Napa Cabbage
1 cup Torn Watercress
1 Carrot, cut into matchstick thin strips
½ cup Seedless Cucumber, cut into matchstick thin strips
½ cup Red Bell Pepper, cut into matchstick thin strips
1 Green Onion, minced
1 cup Chopped Baby Corn
2 Tbsp Snipped Cilantro
2 Tbsp Snipped Mint JA prefers w/o the mint

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce
2 Tbsp Lime Juice
1 tsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Minced Ginger Root
1 Large Clove Garlic, crushed 1/2 will do...
½ tsp Lime Zest
Garnish- Black Sesame Seeds


DIRECTIONS:
Soak the bean threads in warm water to cover for 10 minutes or till pliable. Drain, then cook in boiling water till the noodles expand and appear glasslike, 1-2 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again. Cut into 4-inch lengths. Place in a large bowl along with the rest of the salad ingredients. In a small bowl whisk together the ingredients for the dressing till well combined; toss with the salad to evenly coat. Garnish with sesame seeds.

COMMENTS: This recipe was the winner of BetterRecipes.com Chinese Recipe contest.

Skittle Cupcakes

If you add skittles to your cupcake batter, they will melt when baked!

Bulgogi (Korean BBQ Beef)

Active time: 30 mins, Ready in: 1  hr 30 mins

Ingredients
2 pounds thinly sliced beef (rib eye or top sirloin)*
3 scallions cut into 2-inch pieces
1 small onion thinly sliced
10 mushroom caps sliced

Marinade

6 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 Tablespoon honey (or 1-1/3 more tablespoons brown sugar)
2 Tablespoon rice wine (or mirin)
2 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoon grated ginger
2 Tablespoon sesame oil
pinch black pepper
2 teaspoon sesame seeds


Directions
Purchase pre-sliced bulgogi meat at any Korean market. Pay a little more to get good quality meat. If cutting the beef at home, partially freeze for about an hour to firm it up for easier slicing. Cut across the grain into about 1/8-inch thick slices


Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. If using packaged pre-sliced meat, separate the slices. Add the meat and vegetables to the marinade and toss gently to combine everything well. Marinate the meat for about an hour. Grill over charcoal or a smoked wood fire or pan fry in a skillet over high heat until slightly caramelized. (Preheat and lightly oil with sesame oil before adding the meat. If pan frying, do not crowd the skillet.) 



Recipe found on eating and living. Marinade from their chicken bulgogi.


*1.3 lb is sufficient for 3 servings