Category: Salads
Kimchee Hot Dogs with Edamame and Corn Salad
| June 12, 2011 | Filled under Light, One Pan, Quick Weeknight Meals, Salads, Sides, Summer |
Earlier this spring, I saw hot dogs topped with kimchee on the Marx Foods blog. I immediately emailed the link to Shawn to let him know that we’d be making them… soon! They made it onto our table a few days later, and have since become one of my favorite ways to enjoy hot dogs.
The question always persists though: What should we have with them? Fries or chips are an obvious answer, but neither are exactly healthy. And it can be tricky to get vegetables to seem “right” with picnic foods like burgers or hot dogs. An edamame salad seemed like it might work well with these Asian-style hot dogs, so I set out to make one (without much of a plan). I was thrilled with how it came out!
The salad took all of 5 minutes to make and was brimming with flavor – I actually opted to have more salad instead of a second hot dog because I couldn’t get enough of it! The salad has a ginger and sesame vinaigrette, but the flavor isn’t overpoweringly Asian… I can see it going well with all sorts of summertime foods. My favorite things about this edamame and corn salad though is that since I almost always have edamame and corn in the freezer, I can have it pretty much whenever I want. Just thaw the vegetables quickly under some running water — it only takes a few minutes.
If you aren’t familiar with kimchee, it’s a spicy Korean condiment made from fermented cabbage and chili paste. It’s delicious in seafood stews, with rice, and on top of hot dogs. IKimchee comes refrigerated, but it can be a little tricky to find in regular grocery stores. If you have an Asian market near you though, it should be easy to find — and cheap! The 16 ounce jar pictured above costs us around $3. You can also check out David Lebovitz’s recipe and try making your own. (If the thought of fermented cabbage weirds you out, just think of it as a cousin to the more familiar sauerkraut.)
Click to continue reading and get the recipe for Edamame and Corn Salad —>
Shaved Asparagus Salad with Bacon & Havarti
| June 6, 2011 | Filled under Breads, Cooking For One, Lent, Light, Quick Weeknight Meals, Salads, Vegetarian or Vegan |
This simple shaved asparagus salad is one of my favorite meals lately – I’ve been making it about once a week and I never seem to get tired of it!
The first time I made this dish, I had actually planned to use the ingredients in a croque madame inspired asparagus tart. However, looking at the delicate spring asparagus, it seemed like a shame to subject them to the long roasting time required by that recipe. I had seen shaved asparagus salads before and figured that I’d give that a try instead. I’m so glad that I did! Shaving the asparagus into thin ribbons and cooking it just long enough to make it tender is the perfect way to highlight asparagus at the peak of its season. Combined with salty bacon, buttery cheese, and a quick vinaigrette makes this some of the best asparagus you’ve ever tasted.
Shaved Asparagus Salad with Bacon & Havarti
Prep time: 10 minutes, Total time: 25 minutes
Yield: 2 Servings
- 4 slices Bacon, thick-sliced Applewood is recommended
- 1 Lb. Asparagus
- 2 ounces Havarti (regular or light), shredded
- 2 Tbs Olive Oil
- 3 Tbs Tarragon or White Wine Vinegar, divided
- 1 Tbs Dijon Mustard
- 2-4 Eggs
- Salt and Pepper
Add the bacon to a large pan set over low-medium heat and cook until crispy. Bring a large, deep skillet full of water to a boil.
While the bacon is coking, use a vegetable peeler to shave the asparagus into paper-thin ribbons (I get about 6-8 ribbons per stalk). Submerge the asparagus ribbons into the boiling water for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Reduce heat under the water to bring it down to 190 degrees — the water will steam and may move around a little in the pan, but it won’t quite be to a boil. Add 1 Tablespoon of vinegar to the water. Gently crack in the eggs, working in batches if needed to prevent to eggs from crowding the pan. Let the eggs poach for 4 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon.
In a small dish, whisk together the olive oil, remaining vinegar, and mustard. Crumble the bacon. Combine the asparagus, bacon, and cheese in a large bowl and coat with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide the asparagus salad between two plates and top with the poached eggs.
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