Category: Vegetables + Salads

For July 4th, we had an awesome time at my friend’s farm in New Jersey. We had all our barbecue items ready until it started raining–the eggplants and corn didn’t make it to the grill. We ended up boiling the corns on the cob and put away the eggplants for later use. I then used the leftover corn and removed the kernels from the cob and mixed them with the eggplant to make this salad.

Ingredients:
2 large American eggplants, cut into 1 inch thick wedges
2 boiled corn on the cob, kernels removed
a generous handful of cilantro, finely chopped
about 6 basil leaves, julienned
1 shallot, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
a few jiggers of red wine vinegar
cayenne pepper
salt, pepper, oil

1. Toss eggplant pieces in some salt. Drizzle some oil until just about glistening but not too wet. The eggplant will absorb most of the oil quickly anyway.
2. In a skillet, heat some oil and then add the seasoned eggplants. Keep sautéing until cooked through, about 25 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool.
3. In between sautéing, whisk together 1/3 cup of olive oil with the cilantro, basil, red onion, garlic, red wine vinegar, and cayenne pepper. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside. Stir in the corn kernels until well combined.
4. Add the cooled eggplants to the corn salsa and toss well. Chill for a few minutes before serving.

I don’t have measurements for this recipe because it truly is a leftover bowl of whatever I needed to use up in the fridge. The only thing I bought is the sweet potato.

Ingredients:
sweet potato
red cabbage
broccoli
scallion
sprouts
quinoa
carrot
avocado
lemon juice
oil, salt, pepper

For the dressing:
2 garlic cloves
a small knob of ginger, peeled and sliced
turmeric
cider vinegar
maple syrup
salt, pepper

1. Preheat oven at 425º. Wrap the sweet potato in foil, place on a cookie sheet, and bake for about 50 minutes, or until it’s fork tender. When it’s cool enough to handle, peel, and chop in smaller pieces.
2. Marinate the red cabbage in a little lemon juice, salt, and pepper and set aside.
3. Make the dressing now and set aside. Blitz everything and season to taste. It should be a little more tangy than sweet.
4. Peel the carrot and continue to use the peeler to shred the meat onto your salad bowl.
5. Toss the broccoli florets in oil, salt, and pepper, and add to the cookie sheet to bake with the sweet potato for 20 minutes.
6. Cook the quinoa according to package instructions. Fluff with a fork and transfer to your salad bowl.
7. Assemble and complete your salad. Add sliced avocado, scallions, and sprouts. Drizzle the dressing all over.

I can’t give you exact measurements to make this salad because I was assembling it by taste and by eye: a handful of arugula leaves in a bowl balanced with torn parsley and mint leaves, and then enough cherry tomatoes to add some color to the bowl.

The apple cider vinegar is a nice touch to the farro; it makes it brighter than if you just cook it in water or broth.

Ingredients:
1 cup farro
1 cup apple cider
2 bay leaves
lemon juice
Parmesan cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler
a handful of pistachio nuts, lightly crushed
arugula leaves
a handful of parsley, torn
a handful of mint leaves, torn
cherry tomatoes, halved
2 radishes, sliced
oil, salt

1. Cook the farro. In a medium saucepan, bring farro, apple cider, salt, bay leaves, and 2 cups water to a simmer. Simmer until farro is tender and liquid evaporates, about 30 minutes. If all the liquid evaporates before the farro is done, add a little more water. Let farro cool, then discard bay leaves.
2. In a salad bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, and some salt. Add farro, shaved cheese, and pistachios. Mix well. Fold in arugula, herbs, tomatoes, and radish. I used my hands to toss everything well together.