Orange Fennel, Shiitake, and Bok Choy Salad

A while back, I posted this recipe for Orange Braised Fennel.  While I loved it, I felt it needed a little something more.  If you've read my blog at all, you might have noticed how much I love Asian dishes, salads, and especially bok choy.  So, I decided to braise my fennel with some shiitake mushrooms and serve it on a baby bok choy salad.  I have to say, it is my new FAVORITE salad to make.  Yummy!
 

Orange Fennel and Shiitake Mushrooms

*1 bulbs fennel, sliced about 1/4 in. thick slices

*couple handfuls shiitake mushrooms, sliced

*1Tbsp. sesame oil (can substitute olive oil or melted Earth Balance)

*1 c. freshly squeezed orange juice (about 2 oranges)

*sea salt and freshly ground pepper

*1/4 cup dry white wine

Heat oil in a large skillet.  Lay fennel slices in skillet, cook, turning once, until browned (about 5 minutes per side).

Pour orange juice over fennel and add mushrooms; season with salt and pepper.  Bring mixture to a boil,  then reduce to a simmer.  Cook until fennel is tender (about 10 min.).  Add wine and continue cooking until fennel is very tender and sauce has thickened (about 10 minutes more).  Season with salt and pepper, as desired, and serve warm. 

Orange Fennel, Shiitake, and Bok Choy Salad
*1 large head baby bok choy, sliced on diagonal
*handful arugula (optional)
*orange fennel and shiitakes (from above) 
*3-4 scallions, sliced thinly on the diagonal
*1-2 tsp. black and/or white sesame seeds

Arrange bok choy on plate.  Spoon warm fennel and mushrooms over the bok choy.  Top with sliced scallions, then sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Note:  This recipe makes 2 large salads.  I usually make one warm salad, then package the next one for lunch the next day (it is delicious cold, as well as warm).

Garlic Shiitake and Bok Choy Salad with Spicy Orange Ginger Dressing

I had so much fun showing my friend Jacquie around the farmers' market this weekend.  We walked around and picked up some great stuff, gabbing mostly about how we can't wait for spring when there will be more produce for use to choose from.  I picked up some great organic shiitakes from Homestead Growers/Local Folks Foods.  I thought I might make some of Chef Chloe's garlic sesame soba noodles, but I just wasn't in the mood for a heavy noodle dish.  I decided to use some of the bok choy I got from Green B.E.A.N. and spruce up my bok choy salad (which is great, but is better for lunch, as it is pretty plain-and-simple).  I'm so glad I did, because the result was a great dinner salad!

Garlic Shiitake and Bok Choy Salad with Spicy Orange Ginger Dressing

Salad:

*1 Tbsp. sesame oil

*1 clove garlic, minced

*5-6 shiitake mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced into long strips

*1 Tbsp. orange juice

*dash tamari or soy sauce

*4-5 leaves bok choy, sliced

*3-4 green onions, sliced

*1 tsp. sesame seeds (black, white, or combo)

*Spicy Orange Ginger Dressing (see below)

Heat sesame oil in skillet; add garlic until fragrant.  Add mushrooms and sautée until soft and heated, then add orange juice and tamari/soy sauce.  Allow mushrooms to cook a few more minutes, until they have soaked up juice.

Plate the bok choy and top with sliced green onion, mushrooms, and garnish with sesame seeds.  Drizzle spicy orange ginger dressing over top.

Spicy Orange Ginger Dressing:

*1 large orange, juiced

*1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil

*1-2 tsp. tamari or soy sauce

*1/2 - 1 tsp. Vietnamese chili sauce

*1 tsp. minced fresh ginger

*dash cardamom

Whisk all ingredients together with fork or whisk.  Drizzle over Asian-style salad, like Garlic Shiitake and Bok Choy Salad).

Baby Bok Choy Salad

This simple salad is one of my favorites to make at home.  Baby bok choy is great when I want a change from traditional lettuce.  I've been getting some gorgeous heads at the Indy Winter Farmers Market lately.  Just can't pass up those beautiful babies.  The dressing is made with tamari soy sauce, which makes it perfect for those times I want something salty.  And the garlic and chili paste give it an excellent little kick. 

*1 head baby bok choy, rinsed and sliced on the diagonal
*3-4 scallions, sliced on the diagonal OR several slices of yellow onion (sliced very thin)
*1 tsp. black or white sesame seeds

Dressing:
*1 Tbsp. tamari soy sauce
*drizzle olive oil
*1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
*1/4-1/2 tsp. Vietnamese chili or chili garlic sauce (see note below)

Place bok choy on a plate and top with onions and sesame seeds.  Combine dressing ingredients and shake well; pour over salad.  Allow salad to set about 5 min to allow dressing to soak into the bok choy a bit.  Enjoy!

**Note:  Vitenamese chili sauce or chili garlic sauce can be found in the international or Asian section of your grocery store.  It looks like this:

It is pretty spicy, so use with caution.  You can, of course, leave it out...but I think it gives a great flavor to the other-wise fairly bland dressing.

The Big Apple Goddess Salad

When I was a kid, I was probably the pickiest eater known to parents.  Rivaling Mikey from the Life cereal commercials, my best friend's mom used to tease me that the only thing she made sure to have in the house when I spent the night was the ingredients for a good ol' PB & J (although, cream cheese was usually my sandwich filling of choice back in those days).  You couldn't have gotten me to eat a salad if you'd topped it with whipped cream and hot fudge.  In fact, up until I did a raw detox/cleanse and began frequenting local farmers' markets this past summer, I was probably the only vegan I'd heard of who loathed being invited out to dinner for fear the only thing I'd be able to order would be a heaping plate of wilted iceberg topped with a few shreds of lack-luster veggies and a couple slices of bland tomato.  Not to mention the fact that I'd probably have to eat the dazzling plate of vegan goodies with no dressing, or settle for rancid olive oil and maybe some vinegar just to wet and flavor the dish.

Only when I visited New York did I feel comfortable ordering a salad, knowing that salad in this beautiful city did not mean what it does in Indianapolis.  Granted, my amazing aunt, affectionately called AJ, took me to some of her favorite restaurants, and rarely did we eat at an establishment that my friends and I would choose on our own.  However, it still seemed to me that the face of salad in the Big Apple was a whole different one than that of the Circle City.

I knew I had to broaden my green horizons, and going raw for 4 weeks gave me just the canvas to do so.  I loved picking up ingredients from the farmers' markets that I normally wouldn't choose at the grocery store.  I tried greens I'd never tried, and tried to get creative with toppings and dressings.  I now LOVE salads, and find myself craving the fresh, raw, clean goodness of salad when I have gone too long (note, a day or so), without one.  If you are like I used to be, a salad-hater, I encourage you to try new combinations and find ones you like.  Greens are not all created equal.  I still detest iceberg, and while I love romaine for lettuce wraps and in the occasional green smoothie, I rarely use it in a salad.  I almost never have carrots on my salads, either.  I admit, I still have some experimenting to do, but I do have a few tried and true recipes that never fail to satisfy my tastebuds and cleanse my insides.

Here is one of my favorite combinations.  I love to take this one to work.  It's quick to make, and the creamy avocado mixed with the tart apple is delicious.  The dressing is simple and oil-free!

*1 head boston/bibb lettuce
*1/2 - 1 sm. apple (I like a tart pink best, but I had Granny Smith this time, which is also delightful), cored and cubed
*1/2 avocado, cubed
*1/2 lemon, juiced
*dash sweetener (my favorite is agave, but herbal stevia is good as well)
*sea salt/fresh black pepper to taste

Rinse and dry lettuce; tear or slice into bite sized pieces.  Top with cubed apples and avocado.  Season with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper..

To make dressing, combine lemon juice and sweetener and whisk.  Drizzle over salad.