Late Fall Salad

I spent the last week experimenting a bit with what I ate. Driven by curiosity, I spent a week eating all of the traditional breads and grains. Months ago, I had wanted to see how my body reacted to eating wheat bread because, having chosen a more "paleo" diet out of lifestyle choice rather than because of any allergic reaction, I didn't really know what my body would do with it. 

So, I made fresh focaccia and smothered it with avocado, just to see what would happen. A headache ensued, and I figured the two were related. Still, results didn't seem conclusive, since a few weeks later when I tried again, seeking some sort of pattern in reaction, I got no headache at all. Which of course begged the question: was it the bread that caused the headache in the first place? 

I had to know. This last week I wrote down everything I ate, adding in some bread here and there. To be honest, I'm in such a habit of not eating grains that I had to make a real effort to buy bread rolls. I wrote down exactly how I felt afterwards, and tried to just generally listen to my body.

Have any of you done this before? A week-long experiment to see how you feel? It was harder than I thought it would be: Hard to change the way I eat, for one, but also hard to feel sure of yourself as you write anything down. I found myself doubting what I was feeling and what I wasn't. 

Honestly the swirls of doubt muddied my conclusions. My journal would go like this: 

• 1 piece of bakery bread toasted with goat cheese, steamed asparagus. Reaction: sharp headache. But I also think I drank too much coffee. 

• 8 crackers, Cauliflower Parsnip Soup, Grass-Fed Sausage. Reaction: none. I did only eat 5 crackers though. 

• Ciabatta roll with goat cheese, tomatoes with basil, balsamic reduction. An apple and a square of chocolate. Reaction: Pounding headache and brain fog. Am I just stressed?

• And on. Every bullet clouded with a line of doubt. 

How is anyone supposed to draw any conclusions when they are filled with this much conflicting information! So instead I am going to focus on what I know: 

1. Eating a couple of crackers here and there (or, ehem, crust on pumpkin pie) will likely not make me feel horrible

2. Eating a full piece of bread for breakfast might give me a headache, shorten my patience, and just generally cause inflammation. But since I'm not positive, I should continue listening to my body and feeling out what works and what doesn't. 

3. My body knows best. I should listen to my body and try not to doubt it. I should also be open to what it's telling me, and maybe do something about all of that stress I noted, because that can't be good. 

4. Sometimes you just need a big old bowl of veggies. And when that's what you need, you should make this salad. 

Late Fall Salad

Primal, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

So many of fall’s favorite flavors in one bowl!

Serves: 6   |    Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 bunch dinosaur kale
• 10 ounces arugula
• Perils of 1 pomegranate
• 1/4 pound brussels sprouts
• 1/4 cup pepitas
• 4 ounces soft goat cheese
• 2 cups cubed butternut squash
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Balsamic vinaigrette

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss the cubed butternut squash in the avocado oil and spread out on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until squash is tender through and crispy on the edges. Remove from oven, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and set aside to cool.
2. Remove stems from the kale and chop into bite-sized pieces. Place in the bottom of your salad bowl, and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Using your hands, rug the oil into the kale to begin to soften the leaves.
3. Add the arugula to the bowl and toss with the kale. Top mix of greens with crumbles of goat cheese, pomegranate perils, pepitas, and cooked butternut squash.
4. Slice brussels sprouts into think slices, as if to shred them. Add to the salad.
5. When ready to eat, drizzle salad with your favorite balsamic vinaigrette and toss.

Curried Cauliflower Salad with Apple & Fennel

I first discovered this combo at a networking event, at which I spent more time taste-testing all of the appetizers than talking to people. If you know me, you’re probably thinking, “typical.”

That night, after having just a nibble of a salad with cauliflower roasted with curry powder, apple, and fennel, I went home and made my own version of the same thing — one bite was not enough! Since then, I’ve made the recipe several times, tweaking it as I go. Here’s where I ultimately landed: a roasted cauliflower salad with dice apple and thin slices of fennel, tossed with arugula and drizzled with an apple cider vinegar, curry and honey vinaigrette.

Cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables to roast. I’m guilty of popping several of the roasted florets into my mouth right as the pan comes out of the oven, still piping hot. It’s super versatile, making it a very good base for this salad, which once dressed is FULL of flavor.

Fennel pairs well with curry vinaigrette because fennel seed is often featured in curry. Fennel bulb is brighter and fresher than fennel seed, and provides a satisfying crunch. Meanwhile, apple is sweet and tangy, a contrast to bitter arugula.

It’s not in the recipe, but occasionally I’ll add a handful of toasted walnuts or pepitas to this salad, too. Nuts go a long way in making a salad feel full!

Unlike most salads, I think of this as cold weather fare. Apples and cauliflower are delicious and easy to find well into late fall, and in the summer I’m not as motivated to turn on my oven to roast a pan of veggies. The curry vinaigrette is warming, and the whole salad goes well with roasted chicken or mahi mahi.

Watch the video below, or keep scrolling for the recipe!

Curried Cauliflower Salad with Apple & Fennel

Published September 22, 2016 by Caitlin Sherwood

Yield: 6   |    Active Time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the salad:

1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 apples, one diced and one sliced for garnish

1 bulb fennel, sliced thin

4 cups fresh baby arugula

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1/4 teaspoons black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Place cauliflower on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat. Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through and edges are browning. Set aside to cool.
3. Make vinaigrette: combine all ingredients for vinaigrette in a jar and shake to combine.
4. Assemble salad: place arugula in bowl, and top with cauliflower, apple, and fennel. Drizzle with half of vinaigrette and toss to combine. Add more vinaigrette as desired.

Israeli Chopped Salad

Summer is young and I can already tell it's going to be a hot one. I'm all skirts and tank tops during the week, and headed to the mountains for cooler air on the weekend. You know that saying "cool as a cucumber?" I think I know why they say that: when it's blazing hot outside, cucumbers are the best thing for cooling you down. 

Actually all of the flavors in this salad will cool you down: heirloom cherry tomatoes, freshly squeezed lemon juice, parsley, and crunchy radishes. 

Chopped Israeli Salad

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free,    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

Fresh, cooling — just the salad you need this summer.

Serves: 8   |    Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 cucumber
• 1 pint of heirloom cherry tomatoes (regular cherry tomatoes will work as well)
• 1/4 cup parsley (Change it up: minced parsley or basil also work well)
• 5 radishes
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Wash the vegetables and dice into 1-centimeter pieces. Toss in a large salad bowl. Mince parsley.
2. Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic, lemon juice. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Toss to combine again. Serve.