Category Archives: Salads

ASIAN BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CARROT SLAW

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My Thanksgiving is going to be different this year.  My friend and I are hosting our 8th Thanksgiving Day Luncheon for our little community’s senior citizens (with half-hearted participation from our sons’ Boy Scout Troop) for the last time.  We’ve enjoyed it, but it’s time to pass the torch — hopefully someone will accept it and carry on this fine tradition.  Here’s a few photos from a prior luncheon:

My little family is scattered this year — there will just be three of us for dinner later in the day, and that’s OK.  I think we’re looking forward to a relaxed holiday meal, for once.  Although I’m not getting out my collection of turkeys and Thanksgiving decorations, I did make a turkey wreath for my front door:

I know your inboxes are overflowing with Thanksgiving recipes, so forgive me for adding yet  another nontraditional recipe to the noise.  But I love this recipe.  Its seasonal colors will add vibrancy to your Thanksgiving table, and it is deliciously different.  It would also be excellent to bring a some excitement to leftover turkey sandwiches.

 

Gorgeous, right?  Happy Thanksgiving!

5 from 1 reviews
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ASIAN BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CARROT SLAW
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • For dressing:
  • 1 cup water
  • ¼ cup champagne vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup Asian fish sauce
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

  • For slaw:
  • 4 cups julienned butternut squash
  • 2 cups julienned carrot
  • 1 small red jalapeno, very thinly sliced into rings
  • ¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro, plus additional sprigs for garnish
  • ½ cup coarsely chopped glazed pecans, plus additional for garnish
Instructions
  1. To prepare dressing, place water, vinegar, brown sugar, and fish sauce in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in garlic, lime juice, and crushed red pepper. Set aside to cool until ready to use.
  2. Place squash, carrot, jalapeno, cilantro, and pecans in medium bowl and toss to combine . Just before serving, pour ½ cup dressing over slaw, and toss until combined. (Reserve additional dressing in covered container in refrigerator for another use.). Mound slaw on serving dish and garnish as desired with cilantro sprigs and whole pecans.

Knock knock

Who’s there?

Norma Lee

Norma Lee who?

Norma Lee I don’t eat this much!

 

 

 

 

 

 

MISO CAESAR SALAD WITH CRISPY PANKO TOPPING

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Of all the salads I had ready to share on the blog for salad month, this one for MIso Caesar Salad with Crispy Panko Topping was by far our favorite.  It was inspired by one at a local restaurant and is crazy good, exploding with umami flavors.  (After Hurricane Beryl I considered calling it “Miso Sick of Gulf Coast Weather Salad,.”)

The base of the salad is little gem lettuces, which I’m usually able to find at Kroger:

I love their pretty little ombre green leaves:

I like to sprinkle a tablespoon or so of fried onions or shallots over the salad, which I buy at the Asian grocery store.  These are great to have on hand to add to your dishes for a little extra zhuzh:

The dressing is, of course, the key to this salad, but the crispy panko topping takes it next level.  If you don’t keep white miso on hand, I strongy suggest doing so — it lasts a long time in the refrigerator, and like Brylcreem, a little dab’ll do ya.


5 from 1 reviews
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MISO CAESAR SALAD WITH CRISPY PANKO TOPPING
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Ingredients
  • For the crispy panko topping:
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • For the miso caesar dressing:
  • 2 oil-packed anchovies
  • 1 small garlic clove, grated
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise (preferably Kewpie)
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons miso paste
  • Juice of 1 small lemon
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • For the salad:
  • 3 heads little gem lettuce
  • ½ teaspoon white sesame seeds (optional)
  • ½ teaspoons black sesame seeds (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon prepared fried onions or shallots (optional)
Instructions
  1. To make the crispy panko topping: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the panko breadcrumbs and cook until the panko is browned and crispy, stirring constantly and taking care not to let it burn. Remove from heat, allow to cool briefly, then stir in red pepper flakes and parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  2. To make the miso Caesar dressing:
  3. Using a mortar and pestle, pound the anchovies into a paste. Transfer to a small bowl and add the grated garlic, mayonnaise, miso paste, lemon juice, and pepper, and whisk until smooth.
  4. To make the salad: Cut the bottoms (and tops, if necessary) off of the lettuces and separate the leaves. Add lettuce to a large shallow bowl. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of the dressing over the lettuces and toss to combine (adjust the amount of dressing to your taste). Top with the crispy panko topping. Sprinkle sesame seeds and fried onions or shallots, if using, over top, and serve.

Lightly dressed and awaitng the topping

One of the best, and easily the most umami, salads I’ve ever made