Carrot Wheat Berry Salad with Lemon Caraway Yogurt

This Carrot Wheat Berry Salad with Lemon Caraway Yogurt is a perfect fall salad that works well as a meal or as a first course if you like. It’s also a fun one to prepare for guests, because it’s just a little unusual. This Carrot Wheat Berry Salad with Lemon Caraway Yogurt makes a great meal because it’s chock full of good things and is served on filling wheat berries. I served it in small portions for my Scandinavian Thanksgiving Menu, but we were really glad there were leftovers so we could eat it for dinner for the next few days. And I continued to make it all winter long since it feels fresh and light while still being easy to make in the winter. And it’s fun to swap out the root vegetables or mix them up. It’s great with parsnips, rutabagas, turnips, etc. But don’t take my word for it, try out this Carrot Wheat Berry Salad with Lemon Caraway Yogurt and make it to your exact preference. Full disclosure, this recipe is based closely on a food and wine recipe. I made it because of its Scandinavian pallet and I was thrilled that it went so well … Continue reading

Gingerbread Crouton Fall Panzanella

The inspiration for this Gingerbread Crouton Fall Panzanella comes from a spread I saw in a Williams-Sonoma catalog! quite some time ago, and I must say, I’ve never made the recipe as it’s written. I served it as the salad course on my Caribbean Thanksgiving Menu and it’s so good, it’s made it into my regular fall repertoire. I always make all dishes served at Thanksgiving vegetarian (except the main dish). When I have lots of guests coming, I try to make all of the food as accessible as possible, at least in terms of accommodating allergies and dietary restrictions, but tastes, not so much. It’s the Wild West in my kitchen and you just have to give it a try, right? When I decided to make the Gingerbread Crouton Fall Panzanella it was in no way an exception to the feed the vegetarians rule. The original calls for bacon, which I’m sure would be good, but I like it just fine without. The gingerbread croutons are very rich and when paired with pickled berries and onions, well, let’s just say there’s plenty going on. I will admit that I do salt the squash and even the arugula itself liberally, … Continue reading

Fall Kale Salad with Spicy Garbanzos

I’m back on the kale salad band wagon, but this time, I’ve taken a decidedly Autumn turn with my Fall Kale Salad with Spicy Garbanzos. This salad is definitely hearty enough to eat for dinner and it’s great vegetarian or with the bacon. When I make it vegetarian, I double the garbanzo bean part of the recipe. In fact, I pretty much always make double the garbanzos, or even triple, because whatever is leftover makes a delicious snack. I for one am always looking for ways to make healthy and delicious snacks to keep the munchies at bay. And the spicy garbanzos are definitely a delicious and healthy snack. If you aren’t just adding extra garbanzos and you are indeed using bacon, make sure you keep it separate until just before you’re going to serve the salad. That way it stays extra crispy, which is a great contrast to the squash which shouldn’t be mushy, but isn’t crunchy either. Finally, it’s time to get apple picking, because apples are not just for dessert; they’re great in my Fall Kale Salad with Spicy Garbanzos. I often add fruit to salad, but in this particular Fall Kale Salad with Spicy Garbanzos the … Continue reading