This salad is just like your Grandmother; it’s full of flavor, a little sassy, a bit crunchy yet soft, a little sweet, and gets better with a some time in air conditioning (the refrigerator). You can add almost any ingredient that you would consider to be Italian for immense flavor and beauty. Roasted red peppers, olives, parsley, basil, tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, all dancing together in the name of beans. It’s nutritious, satisfying, colorful, and absolutely delicious. It’s also excellent with a nice hunk of crusty Italian bread to soak up the delicious oil and vinegar, and all the other fabulous flavor.

Serves 10+

Prep time: About 45 minutes if beans are already cooked.

5 to 6 cups of cooked beans, I like to use a variety of chick peas, black beans, and kidney beans, but you can use any beans you like.

1 Large Red Onion finely chopped

1 medium bunch of Celery finely chopped

1 cup of chopped Roasted Red Peppers

1 cup of chopped Ripe Tomatoes of any kind

¾ cup of green olives halved

1/3 cup of chopped Parsley

1/3 cup of chopped Basil

1/3 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/3 cup of Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Chop all ingredients, mix together thoroughly, refrigerate for a minimum of two hours to allow flavors to blossom.

You can eat this salad as is, or add to a nice green salad, put it inside of pita pocked with some fresh mozzarella, or anything else you would like. Great for pot lucks, as an appetizer at a holiday party or any party. Enjoy!

---

Gabby Aron is a private chef and nanny based in Highland Park.

These little nuggets may just be tasty enough to trick your most carnivorous friends into enjoying vegan style “meat balls”. This recipe is simple, yet so full of flavor, texture, variety, and color. They make a great appetizer to serve at parties, to put in a snug lunch box compartment, or shoved inside a pita pocket with other veggies as well.

Chinese Yam and Quinoa Bites with an Asian Kale Salad

4 large Chinese Yams
2 cups of cooked quinoa
one small bunch of scallions
4 cloves of garlic chopped,
1.5 Tbs chopped ginger
1.5 Tbs tamari
2 Tbs toasted sesame seed oil

1 large bunch of kale

Miso toasted sesame seed dressing for Kale salad:
2 Tbs mild miso
4 Tbs toasted sesame seed oil
2 Tbs brown rice vinegar
1 Tbs water

1-2 tbs optional black or white sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, golden raisins, or even cashews.

Cook Quinoa, 1 cup dry = 2 cups cooked

Poke yams with a fork, then place in the oven on a baking tray with no seasoning or wrapping and bake at 400ºF for up to 55 minutes, or until very tender. When done, let cool for up to 30 minutes.

When cool, cut in half, and scoop out the inside into a large bowl. Add chopped garlic, chopped scallions, ginger, tamari, sesame seed oil, and cooked quinoa. Using your strong hands, mash and completely combine all ingredients. The mixture should be smooth and starchy. (It’s an added bonus and lovely surprise that there is no egg or other binder necessary to hold all the ingredients together, the yams are doing all the work!)

Now you can roll the mixture into little mini meat ball shapes, about 3/4 inch in diameter.

Prepare baking tray with parchment paper, spray, or spread cooking oil. Place yam bites into neat rows, and bake for 25 minutes at 375 F. They should develop a nice crisp, and a light golden brown color.

Wash, de-stem, and rough chop your lovely kale. Combine all dressing ingredients to make miso toasted sesame seed oil dressing, with a mini whisk or food processor. Pour over kale and massage until completely combined. While the yam quinoa bites are still in the oven, place salad in the fridge to marinate.

When the little bites are ready, place every so lovingly over the kale salad and voilà!

Optional: add golden raisins and cashews for garnish!

 

---

 

Gabby Aron is a private chef and nanny based in Highland Park.