This recipe for Greek Quinoa Salad comes from A Girl and Her Carrot. It is a good gateway dish for trying quinoa, if you have been reluctant to do so. I’m a big fan of Greek salads to begin with, and adding a grain (ok, a grass) to the mix is a nice riff on a traditional mix of vegetables.

I served the Greek Quinoa Salad with grilled eggplant, and hummus (store-bought) on baguettes. We ate dinner outside on our patio, and as I looked over my plate it occurred to me that this meal is the type of cooking I ultimately aspire to. The dinner was most importantly, delicious. But it was also inherently healthy without feeling like we were giving up taste or satiety in exchange. I’m able to get that feeling out of vegetable-based soups sometimes, so it was a little thrilling to find it in a salad-based meal as well.

A food blogger I admire recently wrote that she doesn’t understand people who write about recipes they made but didn’t care for, or that outright failed. I actually like to read posts like that, for two reasons. First, just because that blogger didn’t like it doesn’t mean I won’t, and I can definitely learn from their explanation of what didn’t work for them in that dish. For instance, perhaps they thought it had way too much cilantro (but I love cilantro) or they thought it was just OK, for quinoa (I’m not a huge fan of quinoa anyway, so I’d probably skip that one). And second, it makes me feel like part of a larger, human community to know that not everyone else’s dinners turn out perfectly all the time, but that we should still keep trying new recipes. That’s just part of cooking daily. Since I take a lot away from both positive and negative recipe recaps, I like to write them too. And yes, at the end of the day Chick in the Kitchen is a chronicle of my home cooking for my family. Sometimes it’s great, sometime’s it’s not. I want to share my happy successes and disappointing failures with you.

That said, this Pineapple Chicken Salad did not come together for me. The first problem was my chicken. I had made Chicken Soup earlier in the week, and although the meat from that chicken is usually perfect for a salad, it was overcooked this time and mushy. It had none of the firmness of a roasted chicken, and so texturally I couldn’t get into this dish at all. The contrast of the hard slivered almonds and mushy chicken was really unappealing; I kept feeling like there were bones in the salad. Although I used mayo (less than the recipe called for), I skipped the plain yogurt which might have added a nice tang. I subbed minced sweet onion for the green onions, which did nothing for the dish’s appearance. The Worcestershire sauce was interesting; it added a bit of a grilled flavor, but not enough to make we want to try it again. Overall, I’d prefer to stick to my regular fruit addition to chicken salad: halved grapes.

I’m curious: what do you think about bloggers that post recipes that didn’t turn out, whether they are run of the mill “I didn’t like this one” posts, or failures like how they burned three batches of cookies in row? Leave a comment and let me know.

This is a protein-packed, high fiber side dish that keeps for days in the fridge. I made it Sunday night and J. and I have been eating it bit by bit since then. In the past, I have been lukewarm about quinoa — I felt it had a grassy overtone that took over whatever preparation I tried. I did not feel that way with this dish, probably because the dressing — though there is a very small amount of it — is very bold on its own. You could add some chili oil or sriracha if you wanted a spicy version of this salad.

Quinoa & Edamame Salad
Inspired by Quinoa & Edamame Salad

1 c. quinoa
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 tsp. sesame seeds
1 c. shelled edamame, fresh or frozen & thawed
4 green onions, finely chopped

Prepare quinoa according to package directions, rinsing first if necessary. Make sure there is no water left in the bottom of your quinoa pot at the end of cooking. If there is, uncover the pot and continue cooking over a medium heat until the remaining water evaporates.

While the quinoa is cooking, whisk together the sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and ginger. Set aside. In a small pan, toast the sesame seeds for a few minutes over low heat, until they become fragrant and start to change color. Set aside.

Toss the dressing, toasted sesame seeds, edamame, and onions together with the cooked quinoa until they are well-combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours. Serve cold or room temperature.

The recipe this salad is based from, Mediterranean Barley with Chickpeas and Arugula from the April 2011 issue of Cooking Light, caught my eye as I was flipping through the magazine’s pages. I could identify all the ingredients just from looking at the photo, and they are all delicious. I had been looking for a light, high fiber dish that also had some protein in it that could keep in the fridge. J. often gets home late having not eaten since lunch, and a salad like this is the perfect small meal to tide him over until the next day.

I subbed wheat berries (the “berries” are really the entire kernel of wheat, with the hull removed) for the barley, since I had them in the house. You don’t have to soak them overnight, but they do take a long time to cook — about an hour. They have a similar texture and flavor to barley. I bought sun-dried tomatoes that were dry and reconstituted a handful in hot water before chopping them. I also added about three times the amount of arugula than the recipe called for, which made it more like grains in a green salad than greens in a grain dish. I forgot to sprinkle the pistachios on top the first time I ate this salad, and when I did add them the next day I didn’t think they added much. If you’re looking to save on cost or calories, you won’t miss them.

The heat from the drained wheat berries wilted the arugula just enough that it tasted blanched. I actually preferred the flavor of this meal the next day, once the arugula had soften even further. It is such a tough, hearty green that it easily holds up to several days in the fridge and still has some crunch to it. I think you could substitute kale with the same effect.

I really enjoyed this salad, and so did J. It felt like the kind of prepared salad you’d buy at a gourmet grocery. I’ll be making it again; it will be perfect for summer dinners.

There are some recipes you can taste just by reading them. I started thinking about how I could work it into my menu plan as soon as I saw this chicken salad recipe on Kalyn’s Kitchen (Shredded Chicken Salad with Green Olives, Celery, and Green Onion).

I knew the salty, smooth olives, cool crunch of celery, and the creamy, tangy mayo would be the perfect accompaniment to the old reliable: leftover chicken. My chicken was left over from soup-making; but of course you can bake a couple of chicken breasts just to make this salad if you need to. Because, if you like olives and chicken, you NEED to make this recipe.

I used all light mayo, but much less than the recipe suggests (about a 1/4 c.) since I like my chicken salad just barely moistened. I also cut back on the green onion because I could smell how potent the batch I had was… but I still felt this flavor overpowered my dish. I had been tasting the salad as I added ingredients, so I knew I’d already made something deliciously memorable before adding the onions, yet I felt compelled to throw them in since I’d purchased them just for this recipe. I should have trusted my gut.

Even with the boldness of the onion, this is one chicken salad I will make over and over again. I’m already looking forward to eating leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Sorry, you’re getting our leftovers. Pictures of them, anyway!

Roasted Beets with Feta hardly needed a recipe. I boil my beets rather than roasting them: I find this preparation to be neater, and I don’t notice a decrease in flavor at all. In fact, this batch of beets (from my farm share) was particularly flavorful, earthy and sweet. I followed the proportions given for the dressing in this recipe but made significantly more, since I poured it over three times as many beets plus a large bowl of salad. I sliced a brick of feta and served it on the side. This is a salad that can stand up to brisk weather, especially when paired with soup.

I tried a Crock-Pot Butternut Squash Soup from A Year of Slow Cooking (love that blog). I made several adjustments: 2 smallish squash (from my farm share), only 1 onion, only 1 apple, and turmeric instead of coriander because I didn’t have any. I used vegetable stock. Since I had my oven on to bake Brownie Roll-Out Cookies, I decided to roast the squash and onion rather than putting them into the crock raw or microwaved. They were fully cooked before they even joined the other ingredients in the slow cooker. I did use my immersion blender at the end to make it smooth and creamy, and needed to add an additional cup of water to thin it out a bit. This is a keep recipe for us — though none of the kids would try it (including my niece), I think they might be persuaded to in the future. Even J. had it later that night and thought it was very good.

Along with dinner rolls, this soup and salad combo was a well-received dinner (by the adults eating it — my various in-laws and me and J.) and a welcome lighter alternative to some of the meals I’ve been cooking for them lately.

The original recipe for this Cucumber and Radish Salad with Feta, Red Wine Vinegar, and Buttermilk Dressing comes from Kalyn’s Kitchen. She always has great ideas for vegetables!

I used two large garden cucumbers, and peeled and cut them early in the day. I allowed them to sit on a bed of paper towels in the fridge for a couple of hours before I put the salad together, I did not find them to be too wet at all, and that was without salting them. I also used skim milk instead of buttermilk, and apple cider vinegar instead of red wine.

My parents and I liked this salad, and it is crisp and cool — perfect for summer. I think adding pepper (I forgot to) and perhaps some chives or minced scallions would really be fantastic. Since my Dad just gave me a big cuke from his garden, and I received 3 more in today’s CSA share, I anticipate many more cucumber-based salads in the near future.

I love cucumbers, and in the summer they are the perfect side dish: crisp and cool, light but flavorful (at least the ones from my CSA are!). I often make a quick Israeli salad in the summer, but didn’t have tomatoes on hand last night.

I sliced up a couple of cukes, minced two big scallions, and drizzled on a bit of apple cider vinegar along with a pinch of salt. If you want to, you can add a teaspoon of sugar or so, but I didn’t. This side dish takes just minutes to make, and keeps very well in the fridge for a couple of days as well.

Sharon has been giving me her copies of Cooking Light to read, and this recipe for Farmer’s Market Potato Salad is just one of many I bookmarked to try.

As much as I adore my dad’s traditional, mayo-dressed potato salad (it’s my grandpa’s recipe), J. and I tend to make vinaigrette-based salads instead, like Mustard Vinaigrette Potato Salad, which includes capers.

In this new Cooking Light recipe, the potatoes and corn kernels are roasted rather than boiled. I took it a step further and roasted the onions and zucchini as well, instead of caramelizing them separately in a saute pan (the oven was on anyway, I figured I may as well use both racks!). Although I didn’t cook the tomatoes, I did mix them into the roasted vegetables when they were just out of the oven, so the residual heat definitely wilted the tomatoes nicely.

The fresh tarragon is an integral component of the flavor of this dish. I’d never chopped fresh tarragon before, so I was surprised it had a slightly sweet, licorice scent. Before you recoil, thinking you don’t want your potato salad tasting like a black jelly bean, I have to assure you that the licorice flavor is distinct, but more as a very refreshing and clean flavor than tasting like its candy counterpart.

This potato salad will definitely go into our rotation for summer barbecues. It’s a beautiful dish, too, so it would present well if you brought it to a party. A vegetarian guest could also feel satisfied eating it as a main dish. All around, a keeper recipe for the summer.

My friend Susanna brought this Fig & Carrot Slaw to our house last summer, and I remembered it as an unusual but delicious side dish for a barbecue.

This was the first time I’d tried my hand at the recipe, and it turned out well. Next time I’d either shred the carrots in a food processor or create ribbons with a vegetable peeler — I actually cut them into a julienne (technically they were more like an allumette) by hand, and they were a little thicker than I’d have liked. At Susanna’s recommendation I added a small splash of olive oil to the recipe, but otherwise followed it as written. The cayenne and cumin are front and center, and are a well-match counterpoint to the sweetness of the figs and the sugar in the dressing.

Especially if you cut your carrots into matchsticks, the salad benefits from sitting at room temperature, where the dressing can really soak into the carrots to flavor and soften them. A side dish like this would work well into the fall, too — I can see it as a perfect addition to a Rosh Hashana or Thanksgiving meal.