A Reason To Cook

This yummy salad recipe stems from Susan Hadler’s The Complete Book of Vegetarian Grilling — Over 150 Easy and Tasty Recipes You Can Grill Indoors or Out

The original recipe, designed to yield 6 servings, calls for roasting the Red Pepper and toasting the Walnuts separately, using a traditional stove-top. I used my outdoor, propane gas grill to cook both ingredients at the same time.

The original recipe also calls for “Granulated Garlic,” but I prefer to use Fresh Garlic in any recipe calling for kick-ass Garlic flavor. Finally, I cut the original recipe in half, since I’m cooking for just two.

FROM THE AUTHOR:

“This composed salad is perfect for a fancy dinner, stunning in both visual appeal and flavor. The seasonings suggest Tex-Mex cuisine, so pair this with fajitas or quesadillas as a main course.“

I totally agree. But, as mentioned above, I did make some changes to the recipe as originally published. That said, here’s my modified recipe:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Small Red Bell Pepper
• ¼ small Red Onion, thinly sliced
• 3 Cups Baby Spinach Leaves, loosely packed
• ¼ Cup raw unsalted Walnuts, chopped
• 1 tsp freshly squeezed Lime juice
• Pinch (⅛) tsp granulated Garlic (or approx. ½ clove Fresh Garlic)
• Pinch (⅛) tsp Chili Powder
• Pinch (⅛) tsp Salt
• 1 Tbs Orange juice
• ½ Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
• ½ Tsp Olive Oil
• 3 tsp fresh Cilantro, minced
• Ground Black Pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Start by cleaning and drying the Spinach. All Vegetables and Herbs should be well-cleaned to remove all dirt.

Preheat the grill to high. Place the Bell Pepper directly on the grill and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, turning frequently. Cook until the skin is charred black. Transfer the pepper to a plastic or papge bag, close the bag, and set aside for 15 minutes. When the pepper is cool enough to handle, peel off the charred skin and discard the seeds, stem and white membrane. Slice the pepper into thin (1-inch) strips, and set them aside.

If using an outdoor gas grill, place Walnuts on a cookie sheet and toast simultaneous to the Pepper. If using an indoor stove, do the following instead: Heat a dry, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat on the stove-top and toast the Walnuts for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan frequently until the Walnuts are golden brown.

Once toasted, place the Walnuts in a small bowl and toss with the Lime juice while they are still warm.

Sprinkle on the Garlic, Chili Powder, and ⅛ tsp of Salt. Toss to distribute evenly and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the Orange juice, Apple Cider Vinegar, Olive Oil, and the remaining ⅛ tsp of Salt.

Toss together the Spinach, Onion and Orange juice mixture. Distribute evenly among 2 chilled plates or bowls. Top the Spinach with the Bell Pepper strips and sprinkle with the Spiced Nuts. Grind a little Black Pepper on each one, and sprinkle evenly with the Cilantro. Serve Immediately.

SERVES 3

PHOTO GALLERY

SUMMARY & REVIEW

Despite the seemingly mediocre ‘Overall Score’ I grant the recipe, this salad is incredible… easy to create (not to mention super fun to present to any loved one not expecting such culinary brilliance!). Please note that the overall score is the average of several challenging criteria, so the final score isn’t always as flattering as it probably should be. As a Kitchen Novice, for example, I am dealing with a learning curve… which adversely affects my overall rating.

On a different side note, I was determined to use the entire Cilantro bunch I bought for this particular dish, so I also created a Tomato-Cilantro Salsa and a Tex-Mex Quesadilla with the leftovers (both of which I will post here); the last photo, above, depicts all three dishes.

Back to my summary review: Food prep for the salad, alone, is a breeze (presuming you have all the ingredients; I did not have Chili Powder so I pestled some Red Chili Pepper flakes into powder). All told, about 10 minutes. The time-suck, really, is the Roastin’ N’ Toastin’, but you can use that time to prep the other ingredients. Besides, a salad this tasty is worth the effort.

I will devalue the recipe’s “Simplicity” rating as a result of the Roastin’ N’ Toastin’, which can be tricky for Kitchen Novices like myself. Once you’ve done each activity, though, it will be simple and quick.

The only real problem with this recipe — true of nearly all salads — is that the food does NOT keep. Chelsea was unable to eat the leftovers the following day… and I have to agree; wilted spinach is not appealing. Thus, I will devalue the recipe’s “Flexibility” rating (a new category!). I advise you consume all you prepare, immediately.

A REASON TO RATE!

Prep Time: 8.0
Simplicity: 7.0
Taste: 10
Flexibility: 5.0

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Overall Score: 7.90

(1=Poor; 10=Excellent)