In what world is KD a Superfood?

This blog installment is dedicated to Jenn: 
finder of errors, defender of berries.

I made an error on my last blog that was caught by the aforementioned blog follower, Jenn. (I actually make a lot of mistakes, but I guess Jenn just got tired of them.) I missed out the berries in my triple berry oatmeal recipe. Add anywhere from a 1/2 cup to a cup with everything else before microwaving. I use frozen berry mix and it works just great. 

So, yesterday and why there was no blog... I may have mentioned that I officially started my freelance communications business on January 1 of this year. I was to attend a two-week business start-up workshop, but I got a call from a former employer asking for some help on a project. It's so exciting when you get called by people who know your work and think you're good at what you do!

Of course I took the job on, but it meant pulling out of the workshop and frantically scrambling to get the project started. I haven't been using all that many communications brain cells since I've been unemployed, so yesterday I felt like my brain went from couch potato to triathlete in five hours. (The strain in brain ends mainly in great pain!)

I had great plans to make a wonderful curry dish that I learned from a friend. Whenever it gets cold, as it did yesterday, I always want something warm and comforting to eat. Stews, hearty soups. No salads or cold plates. Give me heat! That's why curry is perfect. It's packs the double whammy of spice hot and heat hot.

I was wiped already by the time hubby came home. He took one look at the glazed look on my face and my inability to make words come out in an understandable sentence and hauled out the macaroni and cheese (in his defense, he has a pinched nerve in his back). He made me sit at the table and eat it. I was grateful to have something to eat as I babbled incoherently, trying to explain what my day had been. Thank goodness I didn't have wine. Actually, I wouldn't do that to the wine.

Even though today was only marginally less of a brain drain, I was determined to make dinner. I opted out of curry because I couldn't bear the thought of the chopping (it's on my mind to make Thursday though). Instead, I made an Oprah.com Superfood Arugula Salad with Figs and Warm Shallot Vinaigrette and a poached salmon fillet that I invented a while back.

I had to use up the arugula. It was initially intended for the sardine salad sandwich, but I managed to dodge that bullet on Sunday by making the apple oatmeal instead (whew!). Presuming I'll have time next weekend to make the spelt bread, I will make the sandwich... I promise.

Okay, so as I'm thinly slicing the shallots in order to flour and fry them, I'm thinking, "This is crazy, who goes to all the trouble of making crispy shallots for a salad?". Apparently me, although hubby actually did a great job of frying them up while I ran to do one last bit of work.

I couldn't find fresh figs, so had to go with sun-dried and I nuked the salad dressing instead of cooking it in yet another saucepan for 1 minutes. Sheesh!

Anyway, I am here to tell you that this salad is pure genius! The peppery taste of the arugula, combined with the sweetness of the figs and the crispy fried onion, against the tangy saltiness of the dressing –  I swear I could have eaten an entire salad for dinner and skipped the salmon and potatoes! I will definitely make this salad again. I don't even have any changes to the recipe. And yes, it is entirely worth frying the shallots! I wonder how incredible fresh figs would have tasted in this salad?

 Just looking at it makes me want to make it again tomorrow!

Hubby made the potatoes, simple with a bit of butter, salt and pepper. How can you go wrong with that?

For the salmon, we used Atlantic (which I think is farmed, but mild and tasty). We used two fillets of way more than a portion each (I saw what they call a portion in the Superstore. Suffice it to say I have work to do on portion control.)  So, what I do is put about 1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth and a cup of white wine in a deep frying pan with 3 or 4 cloves of garlic chopped, add a pinch of hot pepper flakes and a generous 1/2 tsp of herbes de provence, and a bit of salt and pepper. When it comes to a boil, add the salmon, skin side down and poach gently (medium low) with the lid on for about 10 minutes or until the salmon flakes. The wine gives something relatively ordinary an extraordinary lift. It's very simple, but you can still serve it to company (also works with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but salmon is my hands-down favourite.)

I know, the plate is crying out for green, but we already ate the salad and this 

is a weekday! 

We used up the rest of the onions on the potatoes and salmon. The recipe calls for a fair bit of oil, but there was at least half of it left in the pan afterwards. I'm not sure you could get the crispy oniony flavour without it, but it's up to you if you're conscious of using too much fat. 

So, that's it for tonight. It's times like these when I'm very happy to be trying new foods.

---------------

Arugula Salad with Figs and Warm Shallot Vinaigrette

Makes 4 servings

6 cups baby arugula, washed and spun dry
6 ripe Mission figs, trimmed and quartered lengthwise (I used sun-dried Kalamata)
3 shallots
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 pinches freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp fresh thyme

Place arugula and figs in a serving bowl.

To make the dressing, thinly slice 2 shallots and separate into rings. In a self-sealing plastic bag, toss sliced shallots with flour, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a large pinch of pepper until well coated. Shake any excess flour mixture off shallots and transfer them to a plate.

In a 10-inch skillet, heat 6 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add sliced shallots in batches and cook, stirring, until golden brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove shallots with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.

Mince remaining shallot. In a small saucepan, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, minced shallot, lemon juice, thyme, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and a large pinch of pepper over low heat; cook 1 minute, until just warm. Pour dressing over arugula mixture and toss well. Sprinkle with crisp shallots and serve warm.

------------------

What's the difference between a shallot and a green onion you ask?

I didn't know this, but the two are completely different. I always thought they were one and the same.

Here is a picture of shallots:

According to Shallots.com: "Shallots are often thought to be another variety of onion, but they are actually a species of their own. They grow in clusters, where separate bulbs are attached at the base and by loose skins. The shallot has a tapered shape and a fine-textured, coppery skin, which differentiates it from onions. Shallots were first introduced to Europeans during the 12th Century. Crusaders brought them home as “valuable treasure” from the ancient Palestinian city of Ascalon. Shallots have a mild taste that combines the flavor of a sweet onion with a touch of garlic."

I also found this out from Ask.com: "Shallots look like small onions, and are cased in a papery skin that is usually rust colored (the American variety) but sometimes a bluish, gray (the French variety.) Shallots sometimes come in clusters with two or three bulbs or cloves attached."

Here is a scallion, or green onion:

According to About.com: "Scallions are most commonly referred to as green onionsin the United States. They are a variety of young onions with a long, thin white base that has not yet developed into a bulb and long straight green stalks that look like giant chives. Both the white base and the green stalks are commonly eaten.

Scallions have a milder flavor than mature onions, but a bit stronger than chives. The tops of these green onions may be used as a substitute for chives in many recipes."

who knew?!

Happy, healthy eating to you!

Kathy