Saturday, March 28, 2009

...salad daze [aka, chopped veggie salad with jicima & cashews]

[note: I use pre-cut veggies when I have no time or hand issues...
one can, of course, cut up everything from scratch...]



you can start with any one of these...
[or really any canned bean you want...
though I prefer those cooked without extra spices, etc...]

I like black beans, drained & rinsed...
[put into a 6 qt container...]



since the jicima is already sliced into stix...
it's easy to chop into cubes...
this size container is about 2 med sized jicima...



then I add a small container of chopped red onion...
and chopped celery [after draining the celery...]



sometimes, they have diced carrots with the onions & celery...
today they didn't...so I adapted...
[ie...diced "matchstick" carrots...]



I think it's always better to buy broccoli crowns or heads...
than "pre-cut"...[they're a lot fresher...]
and not too hard to cut up, even with a weird hand...
but make them small-ish...[bite size...]

sometimes I also use cauliflower...
zucchini & other summer squash work well too...
if you add cucumber or cut tomatoes...
remove the seeds or it will get mushy...

I have NOT had any luck...
with either radishes, mushrooms or green onions...
[they get slimy...]



a 1 lb bag of frozen peas...
[don't thaw, but make sure the peas aren't clumped...]
I suppose edamame, lima beans or corn might work too...
though I really like the peas...

I use a large spoon to mix the veggies...

and then add this...



note that this is the REAL deal...
REAL buttermilk...[homemade is fine...]

I use an entire 16 oz bottle for this amount of veggies...
I think the coating is just right...

after mixing well...
[I have been known to shake to combine...]

you have this...



to serve, add a sprinkle of these...



it gets better as it sets...

it can be stored without dressing...
and each serving dressed as needed...
I never mix the cashews into the salad and store...
they get rubbery...I always add them before serving...

there are an infinite number of variations on this recipe...
the dressing... the nuts... the beans...
the veggies... and you could add meat or even tofu...
and though I never have, one could probably add pasta too...

I discovered this salad at a school potluck years ago...
and have enjoyed it ever since...
I hope now you'll enjoy it too...

2 comments:

Sharon said...

Looks good! How long does it keep? I'd like to try it.

catsinger said...

...hi Sharon...
it keeps a long time, though I usually eat it up pretty fast...
it will last longer if you only dress the servings as you use them...
[add the cashews as you serve too...]
the acid in the buttermilk will break down veggies after a week or so...
the jicima is my fave...stays crunchy... it's great for a warm weather meal...