Hearty Winter Salad
By Mark Mulcahy
During the winter I tend to steer towards warm comfort foods: pot pies, slow cooked chilis, baked potatoes, etc. While these satisfy my comfort food needs, they often feel a little heavy, so I’ve come up with something I can make fairly quickly and easily after work that is hearty and healthy but not heavy.
It's a salad with sautéed organic veggies that gives me everything I want in a mid-winter meal from a whole slew of Melissa’s organic vegetables.
I start with a large bowl filled with ½ baby arugula and ½ chopped romaine. You can just use one or the other, but I like the combination of romaine’s crunch with the earthy arugula flavor.
Next I peel and mince 4 cloves of organic garlic and 1 large organic onion and put them into a pan with some butter and sauté over medium high heat.
While those are cooking I wash and cut my organic asparagus into 1” pieces and add to the pan.
Now comes the real yummy addition I wash and cut ¼ pound whole fresh portobello mushrooms, ¼ pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, ¼ pound fresh cremini mushrooms into ¼” slices. Before slicing remove the stems, finely dice them and add them to the other ingredients in the pan.
When the onions are translucent, add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and sauté until mushrooms are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer until mushrooms are tender, 5 to 8 more minutes.
Remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes then top your salad greens with a few large scoops of the mixture, sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese and your favorite balsamic vinaigrette and toss. After you have thoroughly enjoyed this new winter favorite, package up the rest of the vegetable mix and keep for another salad or an omelet or egg scramble in the morning.
For this recipe you’ll need
½ pound organic asparagus
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 cloves of organic garlic, peeled and minced
¼ pound whole fresh portobello mushrooms
¼ pound fresh shiitake mushrooms
¼ pound fresh cremini mushrooms
Handful of baby arugula
Handful of chopped romaine (3 or 4 leaves)
2 Tbsp. of Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings
If you are on a budget yet still want to enjoy this salad substitute, peel and julienne organic broccoli stems for the asparagus. This will give you something hearty for the salad and you can use the broccoli crowns for another healthy meal during the week.
You can also use ¾ pound of organic cremini mushrooms instead of all 3 types, which will still provide the mushroom yum factor in the meal.
Enjoy this new favorite and try some organic vegetable variations based on what brings you comfort in these cold winter months.
During the winter I tend to steer towards warm comfort foods: pot pies, slow cooked chilis, baked potatoes, etc. While these satisfy my comfort food needs, they often feel a little heavy, so I’ve come up with something I can make fairly quickly and easily after work that is hearty and healthy but not heavy.
It's a salad with sautéed organic veggies that gives me everything I want in a mid-winter meal from a whole slew of Melissa’s organic vegetables.
I start with a large bowl filled with ½ baby arugula and ½ chopped romaine. You can just use one or the other, but I like the combination of romaine’s crunch with the earthy arugula flavor.
Next I peel and mince 4 cloves of organic garlic and 1 large organic onion and put them into a pan with some butter and sauté over medium high heat.
While those are cooking I wash and cut my organic asparagus into 1” pieces and add to the pan.
Now comes the real yummy addition I wash and cut ¼ pound whole fresh portobello mushrooms, ¼ pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, ¼ pound fresh cremini mushrooms into ¼” slices. Before slicing remove the stems, finely dice them and add them to the other ingredients in the pan.
When the onions are translucent, add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and sauté until mushrooms are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer until mushrooms are tender, 5 to 8 more minutes.
Remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes then top your salad greens with a few large scoops of the mixture, sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese and your favorite balsamic vinaigrette and toss. After you have thoroughly enjoyed this new winter favorite, package up the rest of the vegetable mix and keep for another salad or an omelet or egg scramble in the morning.
For this recipe you’ll need
½ pound organic asparagus
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 cloves of organic garlic, peeled and minced
¼ pound whole fresh portobello mushrooms
¼ pound fresh shiitake mushrooms
¼ pound fresh cremini mushrooms
Handful of baby arugula
Handful of chopped romaine (3 or 4 leaves)
2 Tbsp. of Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings
If you are on a budget yet still want to enjoy this salad substitute, peel and julienne organic broccoli stems for the asparagus. This will give you something hearty for the salad and you can use the broccoli crowns for another healthy meal during the week.
You can also use ¾ pound of organic cremini mushrooms instead of all 3 types, which will still provide the mushroom yum factor in the meal.
Enjoy this new favorite and try some organic vegetable variations based on what brings you comfort in these cold winter months.
