Salads Inspired by the Lovely McGinty Ladies

Rachel

Inspired by Susan McGinty’s lovely salad.

ingredients

2 T finely chopped shallots
2 T seasoned rice vinegar
1 T Asian sesame oil
1 T vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
2 t minced peeled fresh ginger (I used the kind you get in a jar mashed up)
juice of 1/2 of one blood orange (gives a nice pink color)
1 navel orange/Clementine/blood orange sectioned
1 6-ounce bag baby spinach leaves
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
toasted pine nuts to taste

directions

1
Whisk first ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside and let mellow.
2
Cut off peel and white pith from orange. Cut orange into small pieces or sections. Add spinach to dressing; toss to coat. Add avocado and orange; toss gently, add pine nuts

Warm Chickpea Salad With Shallots and Red Wine Vinaigrette

1
Great for lunch! From Mama Al.
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1 large shallot, thinly sliced or 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
3
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4
1 garlic clove, minced
5
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt, plus additional to taste
6
2 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas, drained
7
1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely grated
8
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
9
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
10
fresh ground black pepper
11
In a large bowl, combine the shallots, vinegar, garlic, and salt.
12
Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the shallots and garlic to mellow.
13
In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil.
14
Add the chickpeas and blanch for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain.
15
Add the carrot, parsley, and oil to the shallot mixture.
16
Toss in the chickpeas and season with salt and pepper.
17
Serve warm or cold over a bed of baby spinach. Great to pack for lunch!

Roasted Beet and Blood Orange Salad with Spicy Greens

1
From Heidi Swanson
2
SALAD:
3
1 1/2 pounds medium gold beets, 1 1/2 pounds medium red beets, olive oil, salt and pepper, 6 small blood oranges, Blood Orange Sherry Vinaigrette (recipe follows), 1/4 pound baby arugula, 1/4 pound baby spinach, 1/4 cup sherry vinegar, 1/4 cup finely chopped chives
4
Roast beets at 400 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the beets are tender when pierced with a knife. Allow the beets to cool and then peel.
5
While the beets are roasting, peel the oranges with a serrated knife and remove all of the white pith. Slice into rounds 1/4-inch thick. Remove the pips and reserve the slices in the refrigerator unless you will be using them within 2 to 3 hours.
6
Wash the arugula and spinach well and spin dry. Mix the greens together and reserve covered with a damp towel in the refrigerator.
7
Cut each peeled beet into eight wedges. Keep the red and gold beets separate or their colors will bleed together. Toss each color with 2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Allow the beets to marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
8
In a large bowl, toss the beets and their juices together with enough vinaigrette to coat; add the orange segments and toss gently so that they don’t break up.
9
Drizzle the greens with vinaigrette to moisten and toss with the beets and blood oranges; season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with the chopped chives. You may also place the greens on a large platter and serve the beets and oranges on top.
10
Blood Orange Sherry Vinaigrette: 2 small blood oranges, 1 medium shallot, peeled, trimmed, and minced, 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, salt and pepper, 1/4-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup of blood orange juice.
11
In a medium bowl, whisk the juice with the shallots and the sherry vinegar; season with salt and pepper to taste and let the mixture marinate for 10 minutes. Whisk in the olive oil to taste. Add more olive oil if the vinaigrette is too acidic for your palette.