Left-overs Makeover: From Meatless Monday Fresh Salads to … Meatless Tuesday Pasta and Smoothie Lunch

I found myself with good amounts of left overs of fresh salads.

The salads were gluten-free, and vegan for Meatless Monday, all infused with seasonal, celebratory colors and flavors (all great for picnics and July 4th). They were relatively simple, being all based on few ingredients, but very effective flavor combinations: a watermelon, cucumber and mint salad, mildly seasoned with olive oil, sea salt, white balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper; a heirloom tomato and sweet corn salad, with finely chopped white onions, chiseled basil leaves, roasted pine nuts and a simple olive oil and red balsamic dressing, salt and pepper; and a quinoa, parsley, toasted almond slivers and fresh organic blueberries also with a light vinegar and olive oil dressing. 

As they all involved fresh and rather "watery" fruits, herbs and/or vegetables, it was important to finish them rather promptly, and they could certainly have made an easy grab and go lunch the next day. But, as much as they were enjoyed the day of, it felt interesting to re-purpose them the next day and make full use of their potential for ubiquity.

The first idea that came to mind, was to blend the watermelon and cucumber salad to obtain a refreshing summer drink. Depending on the amount of oil and vinegar used, and with the ingredients marinated in the dressing, this could also be a chilled soup-gazpacho.

The second idea that came to mind was a pasta dish. I had some gluten-free nettle fettucine from a past Farmers Market run which I had kept frozen. I have not hidden my love for nettles in a past post and thought their nuttiness would combine really well with the sweetness of the corn and the deeper flavor of heirloom tomatoes. I simply cooked the pasta al dente. Meanwhile I quickly sautéed the tomato and corn salad - so lycopene release :) - and mixed in the pasta when they were done. I finished the pasta with a drizzle of fresh olive oil, and red pepper flakes for a little kick.

Verdict? Two great summer lunches in a row! The pasta dish was so incredibly tasty, and because the flavors of the salads had developed overnight, both the pasta dish and the smoothie seemed renewed with flavor and freshness. What happened to the quinoa salad?, you might wonder… Well perhaps that is for another post… :)

By the way:

• If you are in the SF area: the gluten-free nettle pasta are from the Ferry Plaza Saturday Farmers Market. They hold very well when cooked, and have a great texture and taste.
• If you are so inclined, grate some pecorino cheese on the pasta for extra tastiness.
• The pasta dish should be on the low FODMAP side. Both dishes are gluten free, dairy free (without pecorino :)) and should satisfy Meatless Monday, vegetarian and vegan eaters too.

Loving Nettles: Lasagna, Gnocchi and Heavy Soup

I have fallen in love with nettles

Nettles used to be the annoying, stingy, to be avoided at all costs weeds of my childhood. We’d fear them during walks in gardens or places where they grew, and somehow always ended up rubbing our itchy hands and legs. And now, I cannot seem to buy enough of them. I have fallen for their nutty taste and the growing possibilities of what can be cooked with them. So far, I have managed to make three dishes great for the Spring-Winter transition, where spring has sprung but chill or rain are very much in the air: 1. lasagna, an idea that sprouted as I had bought some fresh GF lasagna sheets from the SF Ferry Building Farmers Market and had a jar of stewed tomatoes from my local market; 2. fresh gnocchi, inspired by a recipe from my Italian cooking bible: the Silver Spoon Cookbook; 3. A heavy nettle soup, for which I found the recipe at my local market.

For the lasagna, I used a radicchio lasagna recipe from the Silver Spoon cookbook as a canvas to build on. I diced 5 medium farmers market carrots and finely sliced 3 spring onions and sautéed them until caramelization.

I then added 6 hands full of nettles, roughly de-stemmed, and the whole jar of stewed tomatoes. The ragu, seasoned with salt and pepper, simmered for some time. Meanwhile, I made a white sauce: I mixed 3 heaped tbsp. cornstarch blended with a bit of water with 2c. water, and cream (1/4 c.), 1 heaped tbsp. chicken stock concentrate. The mixture was heated up and stirred until thick, at which point I added 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese. I pre-cooked the lasagna sheets for 4 minutes and proceeded with the layering process: 1 layer of lasagna, the nettle ragu, white sauce, next layer of lasagna, white sauce, parmesan cheese.

I put the lasagna to bake at 375F for 20’ and finished it in the broiler. It was my first time using fresh GF lasagna sheet, and this was a treat: the ragu was both distinct with the nettle’s flavor, and sweet from the caramelized carrots and stewed tomatoes. Truly more-ish.

For the gnocchi, I experimented with modifying the Silver Spoon’s recipe to make it GF, replacing the wheat flour with arrow root and brown rice flour. The result was tasty but I misjudged the amount of potatoes and the gnocchi did not have the desired consistency. It was tasty nonetheless, especially doused with plenty of butter. Happy to have tried, and determined to do it again. To be continued.

Last but not least, I happened to catch sight of a recipe for “heavy nettle soup” at my local farmers market at the Happy Boy Farm stand, which has been my nettle supplier all season (thanks HBF!).

I was able in fact to get other necessary ingredients at their stand too: fennel, thyme.

I omitted the onions and used chicken stock concentrate and 4 c. water. The soup was perfect for the rainy day it had been: comforting, delish.

Based on talking to the Ladies at Churchill Orchard after I bought the nettles, I had decided to finish the soup with whipped cream garnished with some lemon zest. This added a lovely yet subtle lemony flavor to the soup. Thanks for the tip Ladies!

By the way:

• All dishes are gluten-free.
• For good info on nettles and additional recipe ideas, see CUESA's reference page, this Huffington Post's article and thekitchn.com's compendium.