It’s finally that time of year, when all we want is coziness in the form of hot beverages and belly-warming meals. It’s also greens season, meaning all the leafy greens like kale, chard, collards, arugula, and spinach are abundant and frost-sweetened, just screaming at you to make a salad. But do you really want a salad when it’s cold out? You do, and you will, when it’s dressed up and warmed up and transformed from a cooling side dish to a hearty, filling meal.
The General Algorithm to Make Salads Hearty:
Base: choose your favorite greens.
Warm Elements: roasted root veggies are the best this time of year, but any roasted or sauteed veg will do. This adds warmth, texture, and substance to the salad.
Protein: add chicken, beans, tofu, etc. to truly make this salad a filling meal.
Grains: make it more of a “power bowl” situation by adding rice or quinoa for a satisfying dish.
Toppings: you can never go wrong with a fried egg on top, crumbled feta, chopped nuts–the combinations are endless.
Dressing: a delicious dressing brings the whole thing together, and homemade is best. Check out this blog post that goes in depth on dressings to get inspired.
Ashley’s Warm Bean Salad (serves two)
One of Wash and Pack Manager Ashley’s regular weeknight dinners is a Warm Bean Salad. It’s filling and fueling after a day of farm work, and it comes together pretty quick.
Ingredients:
Greens of choice (arugula, lettuce, spinach, etc.)
1 can (15oz) Beans (black beans, navy, chickpeas)
2 servings Seasonal Veggies
2-4 Eggs
Simple Dressing for the Greens: Olive Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Salt, Honey. Add a spoonful of premade coleslaw dressing or Greek Yogurt if you have it on hand.
Seasoning and Sauce for the Beans: You can mix this up, but I usually go with a splash of Soy Sauce and Sweet Chili or Barbecue, spiced with Garlic Powder, Paprika, Ginger, Cumin, Pepper.
Instructions:
Grab two large bowls and add your Greens. Dress them with a small amount of that simple homemade vinaigrette (keep in mind that the sauce from the beans acts as as secondary dressing/seasoning).
Heat a frying pan on the stove at medium heat. Chop your Seasonal Veggies into small pieces for quick cooking (carrots, broccoli, and squash are some of my favorites). Rinse and drain your canned Beans. Add your Seasonal Veggies to the hot pan and cook for a few minutes until tender. You can leave these veggies as is with a simple seasoning and add to your salad, or keep them in the pan as you cook the Beans and sauce.
Add the rinsed, drained Beans to the pan. Lower the heat a bit. Since the Beans are already cooked, we only need to heat them up. Add your seasonings, then sauce. I only add about a couple tablespoons worth of sauce. Too much overpowers the salad. Cook for a few minutes until you’ve reached a desired consistency.
As the Beans cook for a couple minutes, heat a second pan for the Fried Eggs.
Crack 1-2 Eggs per serving in the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook to your preference. I like over-medium.
When the Beans are done, add them on top of the Greens. The warm beans wilt the greens (in a good way) and add that hearty, warm element to the salad.
Add the Fried Eggs.
Top with any other desired ingredients: cheese, nuts, chives, etc. Enjoy!
More Hearty Salad Recipes:
Roasted cauliflower, feta, currants, and parsley salad. Recipe here
Beet, arugula, avocado, goat cheese, walnut salad. Recipe here
Heirloom Carrot Salad (with pea tendrils, herbs, and cheese). Recipe here
“Christmas Salad”- arugula, citrus, pecans, and pomegranate. Recipe here
Before we sign off, please note that there will be no pauses in the CSA delivery schedule this holiday season. We’re chugging right along through the week of Christmas and New Year’s. If you’ll be out of town, you have the option to pause your share, or you can donate the value of your share to Sunday Lunchbox.
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