Composed Salad

If you lived in the Kansas City area in the 1980’s and you frequented the Plaza, you may remember The Gourmet Grocer. It was a favorite of mine because I like to have small amounts with lots of flavors. Gourmet Grocer had a huge deli case filled with large bowls of different types of salads or cold vegetable dishes.I would order scoops of salads from 3 or 4 from of these bowls to create a lunch plate. That is basically what a composed salad is. I like the simple versatility of this combo. It is full of nutrients, anti-oxidants, fiber and protein.

Composed Salad of Lemon Kale, Cherry Roasted Beats, Grilled Asparagus and Crispy Tofu

Ingredients and Instructions

Balsamic Roasted Beets

4 medium Red Red or Golden Beets

3 Tbls of Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 Tbls of Tasteful Olive Cherry Balsam Vinegar

1 tsp Himalayan Sea Salt (or to taste)

1. Place whole beets in pot with water. Make sure beets are completely covered with water. Turn on stovetop burner to medium heat until water is boiling. Turn down the heat if water is boiling too ferociously (or else it will boil away and leave the beets exposed). Boil for 30 – 50 minutes, or until beets are fork tender. Cooking time varies with beet size.

2. Once beets are tender, drain in colander and rinse in cold water so they aren't too hot to touch. The skin should now be easy to remove with your hands. Remove all skin.

3. Cut beets into bite size pieces. Lay on aluminum foil on baking sheet. Drizzle on olive oil, salt, and cherry balsamic. Toss so all ingredients mix together.

4. Roast in oven at 400 ºF for 15 minutes. Let cool before serving.

• NOTE * Balsamic Beets can also be used in green salads, or combined with other tasty sides into a new composed salad. Seasonal Side Recipes will be on the June menu . Pictured below: Parsley Pesto Green Beans, Heirloom Potatoes with Roasted Fennel and Sweet Peppers and a LemonCabbage Salad

Roasted Asparagus

1 lb of Asparagus

1 Tbls of Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 tsp Himalayan Sea Salt (or to taste)

1. Lay asparagus on a cutting board in small groups of 6 pieces. Using a chef’s knife, cut 3 inches off the end of the 6 asparagus. Repeat until all asparagus ends are cut off.

2. Lay cut asparagus on a baking sheet. drizzle olive oil over the asparagus. massage oil into asparagus pieces. Grate or sprinkle salt over

3. Cook under broiler or in a 425 degree oven for 6 minutes, or until just tender.

Lemon Kale

1 bunch of organic curly kale

1/2 of organic medium lemon

Himalayan Sea Salt (or to taste)

1 Tbls Organic Avocado Oil for skillet

1. Wash and dry kale. Pull kale greens off the stems and put greens into a colander. With paper towels pat greens dry

2. Place washed and dried kale in a bowl. Squeeze juice from lemon half over kale. Massage the juice into the kale greens. Drizzle avocado oil to kale greens. Massage oil into lemony kale.

3. Place small skillet on medium burner. When skillet is hot, add massaged kale to skillet. Stir as kale cooks until just wilted. Sprinkle lightly with salt if desired

Crispy Tofu

1 package of organic tofu

Avocado oil

Salt

Black pepper (whole peppercorns in a grinder is recommended, rather than fine pepper)

1. Open a package of tofu, drain the liquid, and place between two plates. Set a heavy object on top (like a tomato can) to press out the liquid. After some time, pour out the liquid from the plate. Flip both plates and tofu over, place can on other side, and press out liquid again. Pour out liquid and the tofu is now ready to use.

2. Cut the tofu into strips along the shorter side of the rectangle. Each strip should be about 1 inch thick. Lay on aluminum lined baking tray.

3. Drizzle avocado oil on top of tofu. Do several grinds of salt and pepper across the strips. Gently rub the oil, salt, and pepper into each piece. Flip strips over and add a grind more of salt and pepper on the other side. (Note: you do not need to add more oil)

4. Cook in oven at 400 ºF for 10 minutes. Flip strips over. Cook for another 5-8 minutes at 400 ºF.

5. Once cool, cut each strip in half (to form a small square). Cut those squares diagonally to form a triangle.

Arrange the four different vegetables on a large tray if making for a group, or package in single serving sizes for a healthy daily lunch!

A composed salad can be made from anything that sounds good together. This one is Thyme & Lemon Long Beans, Cumin Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Spring Greens with Tomatoes tossed with Dark Balsamic Vinegar