The four weeks of the High Holidays are often preceded by the angst of trying to create menus that are in turns delicious, creative, traditional, untraditional and easy to make.
My goal, with the following recipes, is to help you create the appearance of a gourmet start to your meal on a pennies budget. Simple, elegant salads that you can prepare before you head out to shul and plate just before everyone sits down to eat.
Avocado, berry and mango salad
Dressing
o 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
o 1/2 cup olive oil
o 3 tbsp. honey
o salt and pepper to taste
Salad
o 4 ripe mangos, peeled and sliced
o 4 ripe avocados, peeled, sliced and drizzled with lemon juice
o 2 packages fresh raspberries, washed and dried
o 2 heads bib or red leaf lettuce, torn
o 1 cup honey-roasted cashews or almonds, chopped
In a small bowl combine the vinegar, oil, honey, salt and pepper, whisk to combine. Set aside.
Place the lettuce in a bowl and drizzle half the dressing over the top. Toss to coat. Divide the lettuce among 8 plates. Arrange the mangos, avocados and raspberries on the plates and drizzle a little dressing over the top. Sprinkle the chopped nuts over the top of the plates and serve with the remaining dressing. Serves 8.
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Smoked almond and honey orange salad
Dressing
o 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (with pulp)
o 3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice (with pulp)
o 1 tbsp. honey
o 1/3 cup olive oil
o 1 tbsp. chopped green onions
o 1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
o salt and pepper to taste
Salad
o 3 oranges peeled and sliced into rounds (blood oranges look wonderful if you can get them)
o 2 heads romaine lettuce, shredded
o 3 carrots, julienned
o 1/3 cup dried cranberries or fresh pomegranate seeds
o 1 cup smoked almonds, chopped coarsely
Set out 8 salad plates. In a glass bowl combine the orange juice, lemon juice, honey, green onions, parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk to combine and set aside.
In a bowl, combine the lettuce and carrots. Drizzle about 1/3 of the dressing over the salad and mix to coat. Divide the orange slices among the plates, placing them toward the edge of the plate. Divide the salad greens among the 8 plates and then top with the cranberries and smoked almonds. Drizzle a little more dressing over the top of the salad and serve with the remaining dressing. Serves 8.
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Crazy fall chopped salad
o 4 ears of corn, husked, kernels cut off
o 1 red onion, diced small
o 4 stalks of celery, sliced thin
o 3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
o 2 cups sugar snap pea pods, sliced in half
o 1 cucumber, diced
o 1 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
o 1 cup sliced radishes
o 2 avocados, diced
o 1 cup chopped red or green peppers
o 1/4 cup rice wine or apple cider vinegar
o 2 tbsp. honey or sugar
o 1/3 cup olive oil
o salt and pepper to taste
o 3 tbsp. salted sunflower seeds
In a large salad bowl combine the olive oil, vinegar of choice and honey. Whisk to combine and season with salt and pepper. Add the corn, red onion, celery, snap peas, cucumber, dill, radishes, avocado, tomato and red pepper. Mix to coat. Let set for 10 to 15 minutes. Before serving sprinkle the sunflower seeds over the top of the salad. Serves 6 to 8.