Jicama-Pineapple Slaw with Honey Lime Vinaigrette

Are you ever so brain dead after work that you pull into your drive way and realize you just listened to the public radio pledge drive the whole way home? Or worse, a solid 20 minutes of commercials? And by listen, I mean you actually heard every word...you just couldn't think enough to care or change the station? This is me, all the time.

On the other hand, some days I get in the car and hear the news start, and immediately have to just turn it off. No more words, too many words! Peace and quiet is all I can handle on those days.  

These are the days I want to come home to dinner already prepped and ready to go: zero effort, just delicious satisfaction on a plate so that I can do nothing more than relax. 

Lately, we've been getting home pretty late, after we manage to leave the office and hit the gym. Like 8:30pm. When I get home at 8:30pm, the last thing I want to do is cook dinner... By the time 9pm hits, I'd rather be in bed than pulling something from the oven or dishing something onto a plate! 

Anyways, it's made me want to start planning ahead of time, by loading up the slow cooker with Korean Pork or Enchilada Beef in the morning. When I'm doing really well, I'll even prep a side dish while I'm making breakfast or packing lunches--something that will stay fresh if it's stored in the fridge all day. This Jicama-Pineapple Slaw is perfect for these days, because the jicama and carrots stay crisp and fresh long after you put everything together. 

You can eat this slaw as a topping for tacos or taco bowls, but you can also just eat it as a salad. Make a big batch! You'll save yourself chopping and planning the next day. 

Jicama-Pineapple Slaw with Honey Lime Vinaigrette

Paleo, Primal, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    |    Print This Recipe

This slaw works as a topping for tacos or as a salad on it’s own.

Serves: 6   |    Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 Jicama (2 cups, chopped into matchsticks)
• 3 large carrots (1 cup chopped into matchsticks)
• 1 mandarin orange or tangerine, cut into wedges
• 1/2 cup pineapple, diced
• 1/2 cup minced cilantro
• 1 small jalapeño (or 1/2 large jalapeño), cut into thin slices
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Dash paprika
• Dash granulated garlic (garlic powder)
• Salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Toss jicama, carrots, orange wedges, diced pineapple, jalapeño and cilantro in a salad bow.
2. Then, whisk together lime juice, honey, olive oil, paprika, granulated garlic, and a dash each of salt & pepper.
3. Drizzle dressing over vegetables, and took until coated.
4. Store in airtight salad until you are ready to eat! Stays good for 3-5 days in the fridge.

Roasted Asparagus & Crunchy Radish Salad

Early spring always feels like such a tease. For two weeks it was 80°F and the next week we were watching spherical snow fall from the sky and land on the road where it turned instantly into slush. Even though March feels like it should be all spring and flowers and showers, it's usually the snowiest month of the year for us. Whatever accumulates never lasts long this time of year, melting with in a day or two. 

The moment you have yourself convinced it's finally spring and the warm weather is here to stay, Mother Nature takes charge again and drops some white stuff outside your window. It is too warm for soup. Potatoes and winter squash are long gone, but asparagus and spring radish are yet to come. This is the limbo between winter and spring we are in. I desperately crave fresh produce picked from the garden, a dose of vitamin D from the sun, and a late evening where the skies stay light past 6pm.  

Roasted Asparagus & Crunchy Radish Salad

Published March 9, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 3-4   |    Active Time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients:

1 bunch asparagus

1 tablespoon avocado oil (or other neutral cooking oil)

1/2 red onion

1/4 cup pine nuts

2 cups baby spinach

1/2 cup radishes, sliced

2-3 tablespoons parsley, minced

Freshly cracked pepper to taste

For the Vinaigrette:

1 clove garlic, minced

Juice of 1 lemon

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

1/4 cup olive oil

Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Chop the thick ends off of the asparagus and discard. Chop remaining asparagus into 3rds and toss in avocado oil. Cut red onion into wedges. Spread in even layer on baking sheet. Place in oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until asparagus begins to crisp. Remove asparagus from oven, and allow to cool.
3. Toast pine nuts in oven on a separate baking sheet for 3-5 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly browned.
4. Meanwhile, make vinaigrette: place all ingredients in a jar. Close jar, and shake until combined.
5. Assemble salad: Place spinach and radishes in large salad bowl, and top with asparagus and red onion. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and toss to coat, and season to taste with black pepper. Serve.
6. Notes: Crumbles of goat or feta cheese make great additions to this salad, just sprinkle on top at the end.

Maple Roasted Carrot Salad

The sunset glimmers for a few minutes as I drive home. I stayed late at work, but the days are getting longer, so I get to catch this brilliant pink and indigo show anyways. By the time I make it home, the moon is full and the rest of the sky dark. You can tell this means spring is coming, but here the ground is still frozen and hard. 

I am just starting to think about what we will put into our garden and carrots are one of the first crops that comes to mind. They are one of the first crops we'll be able to plant--leafier greens will need to wait until after our frost date, which is in May. Because that's still a long ways off, I try to reel in my thoughts and expectations. 

Still these spring thoughts put me in a springy mood, so when I get to the kitchen the meal that ensues is bright and fresh. Carrots are the cornerstone, roasted in avocado oil so that even though they are off-season, their sweetness is bold. 

The rest is simple: baby spinach (more spring vibes there), the biggest, juiciest dried cranberries I've ever had (they're from Made in Nature), and toasted walnuts. 

Maple Roasted Carrot Salad

Paleo, Primal, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    |    Print This Recipe

Carrots are roasted with avocado oil and maple syrup, which brings out their natural sweetness.

Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup avocado oil
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger, grated on microplane
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 large carrots
• 6 cups baby spinach
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts

For the dressing:
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Cut carrots into equally sized sticks, about 3 inches long and 1 centimeter thick. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, avocado oil, orange zest, ginger, and salt. Place carrots in bowl and toss to coat. Then, spread carrots out on sheet pan in even layer and place in oven.
3. Bake carrots for 20 minutes, until they are softened through and starting to brown on the edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
4. Whisk together ingredients for dressing. Fill salad bowl with spinach, and top with carrots, cranberries, and walnuts. Pour dressing over salad when ready to serve, and toss.