Wednesday, June 9, 2010

the biggest salad I have ever made

Good Lord. I can’t believe I finished that.

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This was a delicious, slightly overwhelming, fridge-cleaning-out adventure.

Base:

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Chopped raw cabbage.

Veg:

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Raw sugar snap peas (last of ‘em *boo hoo*), radishes (also last of ‘em), carrots (mostly for color), green onion.

Proteins:

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Baked tofu bites (we made another round on Sunday cause 1. It made enough marinade for two batches and 2. It is insanely good) and chopped almonds (peanuts would’ve been perfect but alas we did not have them).

Dressing:

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Limey herby goodness left over from the brown rice salad. (Incidentally, this dressing also makes extraordinarily delicious tuna salad).

Al fresco. And JUST IN CASE there wasn’t enough fiber in this meal, I had some Granny Smith. But I actually could not finish them.

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Dinner was also somethin’ special.  And wow I can affirm that I got enough vegetables yesterday.

I’ve decided that now that summer is here it is just going to be a frequent event that I make pasta with roasted tomatoes and… whatever. It is just so good.

Last night’s recipe… ish

Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes, Swiss Chard, and Camembert

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2 large tomatoes
6 leaves Swiss chard (I had rainbow!)
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 T olive oil, divided

Chop tomatoes. Put on a cookie sheet and drizzle with 2 t. olive oil.
Wash chard: do not rinse (keeping it damp makes it steam nicely). Put on a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil along with the garlic, seal edges so there is a packet (this was inspired, Rach, by the grilled Swiss chard packet for the party)
Roast tomatoes and chard for 30 minutes at 350*.

Meanwhile, boil just shy of al dente
6 oz. pasta (I used the last of the whole wheat penne and some regular rigatoni)
And chop
Camembert or another cheese of your choosing and in the quantity of your choosing (I used just one ounce of Camembert because the flavor is so strong)
3 sprigs fresh oregano mmmmmmm

Drain pasta and return to hot pan. Remove (carefully!) the chard from its packet, and chop, and mince the garlic. Add chard, garlic, tomatoes and their juices, cheese, and herbs and toss with the pasta for one minute. Remove the pasta and vegetables with a spoon, leaving the tomato juices in the bottom of the pot. Crank heat up to high and, stirring often, reduce the tomatoes and their juices until they make a beautiful sauce. Pour on top of pasta.

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18 comments:

MelindaRD said...

Yes, that is a massive salad. i can't believe you ate all of that!

Megan D said...

I love ginormo salads! And I like how you pictured it in all of it's stages. Looks yummy.. and so does your pastaaa!

Anonymous said...

wow that really is one big salad! looks absolutely delicious though!

fittingbackin said...

ha - loved the salad break down - and that pasta looks delish!

Heather (Where's the Beach) said...

Now that's a salad!!! YUM

Katie @ Health for the Whole Self said...

Love that salad!

Julia said...

Looks beautiful and delcious. I always find 'big salads' are easy to eat, because they're pretty light.
And thanks for your advice about the vinaigrette, gonna use it!:)

xxx Julia (Taste of Living)

Kelsey Ann said...

welcome to the world of big salads... once u go big u never go back hehe ;)
LOOKS GREAT!
xoxo <3

Erica said...

I'm veggie obsessed as well. I think I get 400% of my daily fiber requirement every day ;)

runnerforever said...

I can down huge salads too, but I would much rather have a big portion of that pasta dish!

Ashley@thehungryscholar said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog.

I love cabbage. Maybe too much.

AND, that pasta looks delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

Kelly @ Healthy Living With Kelly said...

WOW! That salad looks phenominal! I would have devoured it too!

Unknown said...

so beautiful.

color= deliciousness

hope you have a great night
love love love-- bec

Michelle @ Give Me the Almond Butter said...

I love the pasta!!!! I'm just kind of a pasta freak though ;)

Justine said...

I love huge salads! Salad buffets are quite possibly my favourite restaurants to frequent! I'm not a big pasta eater, but your's looks amazing. :)

Anonymous said...
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Rebecca said...

Yum! That salad looks great! I love making pasta too! Such an easy dinner!

Anne @ Food Loving Polar Bear said...

Your salad was HUGE, I love big salads :) and the pasta.. what can I say? It had camembert! the sure sign of a successfull dish :D