After experimenting with cooked celery root in our beef pot pie, I've started noticing it in a variety of uncooked dishes, such as this salad. While some similar root vegetables can't be eaten raw (or wouldn't taste good if they were) celery root was pleasantly tasty as a raw ingredient in this salad. Not to mention, it has many health benefits- low calories, high potassium, rich in vitamins, and many more. It has a earthy, almost nutty taste which paired well with the sweet acidity from the apples. The texture reminds me of a carrot- crunchy but not starchy. The blue cheese and walnuts added some additional flavor and texture to the dish, and the tangy vinaigrette was the perfect thing to tie it all together. This is a light and refreshing salad, that is surprisingly filling at the same time. Thanks to Food & Wine for the recipe!
Ingredients:
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon
1/4 of a red onion, minced (or one shallot)
salt and pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
3 large granny smith apples, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 large celery root (or two small- should be about the same amount as the apples) peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped or halved (I bought mine pre-roasted, but you can do that step yourself if yours are raw. It definitely makes a difference!)
*As a note, this recipe makes A LOT. But the leftovers save well and the salad tastes even better after a day or two. However, you can cut the recipe in half to make a smaller amount.
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| Peeled celery root |
Directions:
Make the dressing by combining the vinegar, mustard, onion or shallot, about 1/2 teaspoon salt and some freshly cracked black pepper. Let it stand for 10 minutes, and then whisk in the olive oil and 1/4 cup blue cheese.
Combine the chopped celery root and apple in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over top, and add the remaining blue cheese and walnuts. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate until ready to serve!
In this batch of granola I switched it up by adding some chopped crystallized ginger along with some other wintery spices to give it a seasonal flavor. I have to say... it came out pretty delicious. It's great as a breakfast or healthy dessert.
Ingredients:
5 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup bran
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon all spice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger
1 cup dried cranberries
Directions:
Preheat an oven to 300 degrees F. Mix the oats, nuts and wheat germ in a large bowl.
In a smaller bowl, combine the butter, oil, honey, sugar, vanilla, and spices.
Microwave for 20 seconds (so that butter is melted) and stir the mixture well. Pour it over the dry ingredients and mix with your hands or a large spoon until the oats and nuts are evenly coated. Spread the mixture onto a large sheet pan (or two). You could also use a casserole dish but it will take longer to bake since it won't be as spread out.
Bake for about 45 minutes to an hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes to ensure even cooking. When the granola is a golden-brown color, remove it from the oven and let it cool to room temperature.
Add the dried ginger and cranberries and store in a sealed container.
Roasted Brussels sprouts are delicious on their own, but when we saw this recipe on the Food & Wine website (contributed by Michael Symon) we had to try it. The sauce that is mixed into the roasted Brussels sprouts is sweet, salty, and tangy and adds amazing flavor to the vegetables. It was so good we made it twice in one week! You can adjust the amount of sauce you use on depending on how strong you want them to be flavored. Any leftover sauce would also be great with cooked broccoli.
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds brussels sprouts, halved or quartered
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons capers
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large shallot, minced
- One ounce of anchovies (I used about 6 out of an oil-packed jar of anchovies)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large bowl, toss the Brussels
sprouts with 3 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Spread the Brussels sprouts on a large rimmed baking sheets and roast
for about 45 minutes, stirring once or twice, until tender and charred
in spots.
Toast the walnuts in a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside when done. To make the sauce, combine the remaining ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well combined and emulsified.
Mix the sauce in with the cooked Brussels sprouts and add the toasted walnuts. Don't add all of the sauce at once- you may not need it all.
