Mom's Famous Coleslaw--now with honey! :)

Mom's Famous Coleslaw (Photo courtesy of Dad!)

My gold standard for coleslaw is my mother's recipe--finely shredded cabbage and carrots with a tangy yet slightly sweet mayonnaise dressing.  We request it as a side dish just about every time we get together.  I was getting ready to post another coleslaw recipe to the blog that I made for a recent gathering and wanted to include Mom's, too.  (You really gotta try it!)  That's when I learned that my dear momma doesn't really follow a recipe.  Ah!  But she generously agreed to make a batch and try to track what she does.  This time, instead of adding a pinch of sugar, she added honey--we all thought it was delicious!  Thanks Ma!

I'm including here the other coleslaw recipe I made at the gathering to go with hamburgers and veggie burgers.  The cabbage is thinly sliced rather than shredded and the recipe includes some unique ingredients (cucumbers and fresh tomatoes) that set it apart.  If you like your coleslaw crunchy & shredded, rather than finely grated, this should do the trick.  It's a Lucinda Scala Quinn recipe called Tangy Sweet Coleslaw from the August 2008 issue of Martha Stewart Living.  

Mom's Famous Coleslaw--now with Honey!
1/2 small head of cabbage, finely grated
2 carrots, finely grated
a little onion (a tablespoon or two), finely grated
1/4 cup (maybe more) mayonnaise (don't even THINK about using Miracle Whip!)
a capful of cider vinegar (from a quart bottle)
a soup spoon of honey

Combine the grated cabbage, carrots and onions in a bowl. Combine the mayonnaise, vinegar and honey and pour over the vegetables and combine.  Add some more mayonnaise if you think you need it.  4-6 servings (with no leftovers!)

Honeyed Coleslaw
1/2 a large head of cabbage, thinnly sliced
2 tablespoons coarse salt
2 small carrots, grated
2 small (or 1 medium) tomatoes, seeded and cut in a 1/4 dice
1/2 seedless cucumber, cut into 1/4 dice
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons apple-cider vinegar
coarse salt and pepper to taste
Place the shredded cabbage in a strainer and place over a bowl..  Toss the salt with the cabbage, being sure to even distribute the salt throughout and let the cabbage sit over the bowl for about an hour.  This will soften it a bit and it will reduce a little.  Rinse the cabbage and pat dry with a non-terry cloth kitchen towel.  Place the cabbage, carrots, tomatoes and cucumber in a bowl and toss to mix well.  In a smaller bowl, whisk the yogurt, mayonnaise, honey and vinegar together until well blended.  Pour this over the cabbage and other vegetables.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and chill for at least two hours.  This can be made up to one day in advance (though truth be told, we've been eating the leftovers for a few days!).  When ready to serve, stir well to be sure the dressing is evenly distributed.  Makes 8 generous servings.

Quinoa Salad (or Pilaf) and Bonus Recipe: Lentil Burgers!

I had dinner with my favorite 3-year-old and 1-year-old yesterday--Sam and his brother Bohdan.  They are a coupla busy guys!  Bohdan's new word is  "Uh-oh!" which comes in quite handy when a spoon or cup is dropped from the high chair.  I made this quinoa salad/pilaf and lentil burgers for dinner.  Can't say either of these two guys offered a ringing endorsement of them--but neither one of them spit them out.  Speaking of spitting, for "bessert" (Sam's favorite part of any meal!) we had watermelon and spit the seeds off the porch.   Sam & Bodhan's mom and dad liked the quinoa and burgers, so they make it on to the blog!

QUINOA SALAD or PILAF (you be the judge!)

This recipe is adapted from the May/June 2006 issue of Vegetarian Times.  I added the celery and red pepper--and honey, of course!  Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is a seed and provides a nice alternative to rice.  Here's a link to more information from and entity called the Quinoa Corporation.  You can play around with the ingredients here.  If you don't have a red pepper, mushrooms or zucchini would do--or skip the vegetables entirely and just use the herbs.

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well 

2 cups broth 

1 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 stalks celery, diced into 1/2 inch pieces

1 red pepper, diced into 1/2 inch pieces

2-3 spring onions (or scallions) sliced into 1/4 in rounds--including much of the green part.

1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped mint.

1/2 cup shelled pistachios (unsalted if you can find them), chopped

   

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, toast the quinoa until it begins to brown and "pop" (about 3 to 5 minutes).  Add the broth to the pan, cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until the quinoa absorbs the broth.  Transfer to a bowl and cool.

While quinoa is cooking, saute the celery and red pepper in 2 tablespoons olive oil until softened but still a bit crunchy.  Turn off heat, add spring onions and stir.  Add to cooled quinoa in bowl.

Add parsley, olive oil, lemon juice and mint to the bowl and toss to mix well.  Stir in nuts.  Taste and correct seasoning--may need some salt and pepper.  Let sit for 20 minutes for flavors to develop.  Serve at room temperature or refrigerate and serve chilled.  Makes at least 8 servings.

LENTIL-MUSHROOM BURGERS

There isn't a drop of honey in these burgers at all--but we've been eating these about once or twice a week.  Unlike many home made bean burgers, these actually hold up well in a burger bun.  The recipe comes from our vegan friend, Emily.  I've adapted it to our non-vegan tastes (but include the vegan directions below, too).  This recipe makes 8 burgers.

8 ounces mushrooms, washed and chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

3-5 cloves of garlic, chopped

4 cups cooked lentils, thoroughly drained and dry as you can get 'em (divided)

1/3 to 2/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons soy sauce or (tamari)

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 egg*  (see vegan substitution below)

salt and pepper to taste

Saute the mushrooms in the olive oil until they are very soft and have released their juices--about 5 minutes or so.  Add the garlic and saute a few minutes longer.  In a food processor, add the mushroom mixture, 2 cups of the lentils, 1/3 cup oats, corn starch, tomato paste, soy sauce, paprika and oregano. Pulse 5-10 times to thoroughly combine and chop the ingredients.  Place the mixture in a bowl and add the remaining 2 cups of lentils and the egg.  Mix with hands to combine.  The mixture should be more sticky than crumbly. If it is too wet to hold the shape of a burger, add up to another 1/3 of oats--but no more.  The burgers will be sticky and a little messy to work with.

On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, form mixture into 8 burgers about  2 1/2 or 3 inches wide and 1 inch thick (the size of an average burger).  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to one day.

Bake burgers in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for about 25 minutes.  If you want cheese lentil burgers, you can place cheese slices on top and broil for a few minutes.  You can also grill these burgers after you bake them--just a few minutes on each side to give them some grilled flavor.  

*VEGAN SUBSTITUTION:  In place of the egg, you can use 2 tablespoons chia seeds soaked in 3 tablespoons warm water.  Add these to the mixture when you pulse everything in the food processor. 

Spinach Orange Salad with Honey-Sesame Dressing

This is another great recipe from the Vegetarian Times.  The dressing also makes a nice dipping sauce for spring rolls or Asian dumplings or pot sticklers.  Though it seems as if spring really has sprung in these parts, this is a nice winter salad that can help to chase the winter blues away.

Spinach Orange Salad with Honey-Sesame Dressing
1/4 cup toasted almonds, chopped
6 cups baby spinach
2 oranges, peeled and sectioned
1 or 2 very thin slices of red onion, cut in half and broken apart
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Arrange the spinach, orange slices and red onion on a platter.  Sprinkle with almonds on top.  Drizzle about 1/4 cup of the dressing and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Honey-Sesame Dressing
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (or extra virgin olive oil)
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
Blend honey, vinegar, soy sauce and red pepper flakes in a food processor.  With the processor running, drizzle in the oils and keep the processor running a minute or so more to emulsify.  Unused dressing can be kept in the refrigerator for about two weeks.

Healthy Honey Dishes for a Happy 2013!

Robert and I celebrated New Year's Day with a delightful dinner of Honeyed Lemon Salmon en papilotte ("in paper"--which, in our case was actually a piece of aluminum foil).  When you cook fish in a little packet of parchment paper (or aluminum foil) it steams the fish, keeping it nice and moist. The packet also helps to guard against over-cooking.

I'm also including a recipe here for a delicious and brightly-colored chopped salad, which was the hit of the Cookie Day 2012 (an annual gathering of nieces, nephews and friends to over-decorate sugar and gingerbread cookies and celebrate being together).  I wish I had a picture of the salad, folks, but it got eaten before a camera could be found.  Scroll down for some great Cookie Day 2012 photos, though! :)

Honeyed Lemon Salmon en papilotte
The original recipe comes from the Seattle Bon Vivant blog, but I made a number of changes to the recipe.

MARINADE (for 1 ~8-ounce salmon fillet)
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or rosemary or tarragon)
1 clove garlic, minced

Combine all of the ingredients and pour over the salmon fillet. Cover and marinate in the fridge for about an hour.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Take the salmon out of the marinade and place on a large piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil, skin side down.  It's fine to include some of the garlic and herbs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold the paper over the salmon like you're wrapping a sandwich and securely fold down to enclose completely.  Place on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.  Carefully unfold wrapping and check that fish is done--it should flake but still be a little translucent.  It may need another five minutes.  In general, 1/2 lb of salmon serves one person--though Robert and I usually just split a small fillet.

Colorful, Delicious & Healthy Chopped Salad
The inspiration for this salad came from two recipes from Mark Bittman, the wonderful food columnist for the New York Times.  Bittman and Sam Sifton (another Times writer) took on the task of making a "feast in a day" just before the holidays and that included a chopped salad.  Bittman's book, The Best Recipes in the World also includes a chopped salad of cabbage.  This is what I made with the ingredients I had and it was fantastic!  The honey, of course, is "SteffesWood Apiary" original addition.  This salad feeds a crowd--we had 14 people here for Cookie Day (though no leftovers to take a photo of, alas.)

1 small head purple cabbage, chopped in 1/2 dice
kosher salt
1 sweet red pepper, seeded and chopped in 1/2 dice
1 sweet yellow pepper, seeded and chopped in 1/2 dice
1/2 English (seedless) cucumber, chopped in 1/2 dice
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped in 1/2 dice
3 celery stalks, chopped in 1/2 dice
1 can large ripe olives, cut in half or thirds
1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Chop the cabbage, place in a colander or sieve over a bowl and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt, tossing to incorporate the salt well.  Let the cabbage sit in the colander for about an hour.  The salt will pull out some of the water from the cabbage and wilt it a bit.  Once the cabbage has wilted, rinse it thoroughly with water and drain then dry the cabbage as best you can using a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) or paper towels.  You don't want the cabbage to be wet so that the dressing will adhere to it.  Place the dry cabbage in a bowl along with all of the other vegetables, olives and parsley.  Toss to create a colorful mixture.  Drizzle the honey over the salad and toss well to incorporate the honey with the salad.  Put the lemon juice and oil in a jar with a tight fitting lid, secure the lid firmly and shake to emulsify the oil and lemon juice.  Pour over the salad and toss.  Taste and add salt and pepper.  The salad can be served immediately or covered and refrigerated for up to four hours to feed hungry cookie baker a little something nutritious. :)

Celebrity Guests at Cookie Day 2012

Refreshing Cucumber Salad with Honey

I bought some pickling cucumbers at a farm stand, thinking that I might get ambitious and make some pickles.  The cukes were too bitter for that, though (and truth be told, they were hanging out in the fridge a bit longer than they should have--not a good venue for pickle potential!).  Mollie Katzen's classic Moosewood Cookbook came to my rescue with this recipe, which she calls "Balkan Cucumber Salad."  It's like a deconstructed cold cucumber soup (click here for last year's post that includes Katzen's Chilled Cucumber Soup recipe).

This salad is best very cold, though refrigerating the salad for a few hours also makes it weep a bit.  Stir it well before sprinkling on the walnuts and serving.



Refreshing Cucumber Salad with Honey
1/2 cup thinly sliced (or minced) red onion
5-6 small cucumbers, peeled if bitter or not homegrown
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup yogurt
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, minced
1/2 cup (packed) fresh parsley, minced
1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced
1/2 cup walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped

Soak the onion in cold water for about 30 minutes.  Drain thoroughly and pat dry.  Cut cucumbers in half and seed them and then slice into 1/4 inch half rounds.  Add everything else EXCEPT the walnuts. Cover and chill for at least an hour.  Just before serving, give the salad a good stir and sprinkle the walnuts on top.  Makes about 4 generous servings.

Got Summer Squash? Make Pasta Salad!

The zucchini and summer squash are coming in fast and furious in the garden, despite the fact that the wretched squash vine borer has had its way with a few of our plants. Grrrr.  This is a delightful pasta salad that you can serve immediately or put in the fridge and eat later.  The origins of the recipe come from the July 2009 issue of Martha Stewart Living, but my adaptation is below.  It's a nice change from a traditional pasta salad dressed with a vinaigrette.

Summer Squash Pasta Salad with Honey
Serves 4

1/2 pound gemelli (or other short, tubular pasta)
about 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
1/4 cup raw almonds
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound summer squashes (about two smallish yellow squash and zucchini), cut into 1/2 inch circles
3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons cooking sherry
1 Hungarian hot pepper, ribs and seeds removed and minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente.  Drain, place in a bowl and stir in two tablespoons of olive oil.  While pasta is cooking, toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, shaking or stirring occasionally until fragrant--about 3 minutes.  Remove from skillet, roughly chop and set aside.  Add two tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet and, over medium-high heat, saute the garlic for a few minutes.  Add the squash, with a sprinkling of salt and saute, turning occasionally, until squash is thoroughly cooked.  Add the toasted almonds and the squash to the pasta and toss.

Return the skillet to medium heat and add the honey, bringing to a simmer while stirring.  Add the sherry and Hungarian hot pepper and cook until the mixture reduces a bit but is still runny--about 1 minute.  Pour over the pasta mixture and toss.  Add the minced basil and thyme and taste, adding salt and pepper as needed. Drizzle with a little olive oil.  You can serve this right away or refrigerate and serve later.  Bring it to room temperature before serving.

Spicy Black Bean, Corn and Peach Salad (and Whole Wheat Flatbread!)

Ah, the peaches are in at McConnell's Family Farm! They truly (truly!) need no embellishment and never disappoint. These are the peaches that convinced me once and for all that it's worth waiting for local fruit to ripen:  I'll never buy another mealy grocery store peach as long as I live!  

While the best way to enjoy these peaches is simply on their own, they will ripen quickly.  We bought a box  about four days ago and a few are showing signs of heading south.  McConnell's corn on the cob is also in, so I decided to put together a kind of southwestern bean salad adding a few peaches to the melange. It's a bit spicy, which Robert likes, but you can play around with the ingredients and turn the heat up or down as you like. (Skip the ground chipotle pepper, for example, or only add half of the jalapeno).

I needed something to go with the salad and tried out Alice Waters's flat bread recipe posted on Carol Stabile's blog, Can't Handle the Heat?  Carol's a friend, colleague and mentor (in the academy and the kitchen).  I used the flatbreads to make a kind of black bean salad fajita (and tinkered with them only minimally--adding a tablespoon of honey; what can I say?).  Read on!

Spicy Black Bean, Corn & Peach Salad

2 cups cooked black beans (or 1 15 oz can, drained)

3 ears of corn, cooked and cut from the cob (or about 1 1/2 cups)

1 stalk celery, minced

1 jalapeno pepper,seeded and minced

1/4 cup red onion, minced

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon honey

2 peaches, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks

salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, add the beans, corn, celery, jalapeno pepper and onion and gently toss to mix. Sprinkle the oil, ground chipotle pepper, salt and cayenne pepper over the mixture and gently toss again.

In a small to medium bowl, combine the juices and honey, stirring well to be sure the honey dissolves.  Add the cut, peeled peaches to the juice and honey mixture (the hope is that this will keep the peaches from turning brown too quickly).

Add the peaches/juices/honey mixture to the beans n'at (as we say Pittsburgh) in the large bowl and gently toss.  Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.  You can serve this salad right away or cover and refrigerate for up to four hours.  Serves 8 (easily).  Try them with flatbread!




Alice Waters's Whole Wheat Flatbread
(via Carol Stabile's Can't Stand the Heat? blog)

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon honey (optional!)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

In a bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.  Stir in the water, olive oil and honey and knead to form a moist dough.  Cover with a towel and let sit for 30 minutes.

Heat a cast iron skillet.  Divide dough into 16 balls. (They will seem quite small, but this is a lovely, pliable dough that will roll out to a thin bread.) Roll each ball into a 6 by 3 inch oval. (Mine were more like raggedy circles.)   I lightly oiled the skillet and cooked one flatbread at a time, about two minutes on each side.  Carol notes they're "great with hummus or other bean dips.  Good with peanut butter and jam.  Better still with Nutella."  They're lovely with a bit of honey and cinnamon, too!

Beet & Beet-Greens Salad

We have an amazing crop of beets this year, one of my favorite vegetables from the garden.  An old friend is coming to visit today and I wanted to make something special with the beets for lunch.  I'm ashamed to say that I often compost the beet greens, favoring the sweet beet root--I could eat them every day.  A recipe by David Tanis in last Wednesday's New York Times inspired me to use the beet greens in this dish.  I hew pretty close to the recipe--with the addition of honey, of course!  This dish will use up a few bowls and took me about 40 minutes to make.  It was worth it, though!

Beet & Beet-Green Salad

makes about 4 to 6 servings

2 pounds medium beets in skin, well washed 

12 to 16 ounces beet greens (or chard or other greens)

2-4 tablespoons olive oil (doesn't have to be extra virgin)

kosher salt

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

(If you don't have coriander and cumin seeds in your spice cupboard, then used ground cumin and, if you'd like, some cilantro--the flavor will be a bit different.)

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE

1/3 cup red onion or shallot, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, finely grated

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon toasted cumin-coriander mixture

Pinch cayenne

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

FOR THE YOGURT SAUCE

1 cup full-fat plain yogurt

1 garlic clove, finely grated

2 tablespoons honey

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch cayenne

1 teaspoon toasted cumin-coriander mixture

2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons freshly snipped dill for garnish

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Trim the tops off the beets and scrub them well.  Line a baking dish (or cookie sheet with sides) with a large enough piece of tinfoil that will be able to enclose the beets completely.  Pour about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil on the foil, add the beets so that they are in one layer.  Sprinkle 1-2 more tablespoons of olive oil on top and toss the beets so they are thoroughly coated in oil.  Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon kosher salt on top.  Completely enclose the beets in the aluminium foil and roast in the oven about 45 minutes to an hour (depending on how big those beets are).  Remove from oven and let them sit to steam and then cool a bit while you work on the rest of the dish.  them in a baking dish in one layer (if some beets are larger, halve them so they will cook evenly). When the beets are cool, open up the foil and slip off the skins--the skins should slip off easily if the beets are fully cooked. Cut into wedges.

Chop the beet greens into ribbons and then wash very well.  Add the greens to the pot of boiling salted water and cook until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Drain, cool under running water, then squeeze out excess water.

In a dry pan over medium heat, toast the coriander and cumin seeds until fragrant and just lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Grind to a coarse powder. 

Put the onion, garlic and vinegar in a small bowl and leave for 5 minutes or so, then whisk in the remaining ingredients.

Put the yogurt in small bowl. Add the garlic, honey, salt and pepper, cayenne, cumin-coriander mixture, mint and olive oil.

Season the beet wedges lightly with salt and dress with half the vinaigrette. In a separate bowl, lightly salt the greens and dress with remaining vinaigrette. Arrange dressed beets and greens on a platter and top with a little smear of the yogurt sauce. Sprinkle with dill, and pass the rest of the yogurt sauce at the table. 

Curry & Honey Nut Butter Sauce for Spicy Cold Salads

A few days ago, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published a recipe by Scott Jurek for Indonesian Cabbage Salad with Red Curry Almond Sauce and this is my take on that recipe--with honey added, of course!  The Curry Nutbutter Sauce makes a great cabbage salad (photo above) as well as a sauce for cold noodles.  Try this instead of coleslaw or pasta salad for your 4th of July picnic! The curry sauce makes it a spicy dish--but not too spicy--and it is both a refreshing and "meaty" with lots of umami.


Curry & Honey Nut Butter Sauce 
Makes about 1 1/4 cups of sauce
1 clove garlic, minced, and soaked for 5-10 minutes in 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup almond butter (or peanut butter or cashew butter)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced cilantro
2-3 tablespoons honey (I used summer honey)
2 teaspoons green curry paste (if you don't have green or red curry paste, substitute 1-2 teaspoons of hot pepper flakes)
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

While the minced garlic is soaking, in a small bowl, stir the water into the nut butter and blend well.  Add the remaining ingredients (including the water that the garlic soaked in) and stir to combine well.  The sauce will be a bit soupy.

Spicy Cabbage Salad
serves 6-8 as a side dish
1/2 head of cabbage (medium-sized), coarsely shredded
2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin rounds
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 2-inch long pieces
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 to 3/4ths cup Curry & Honey Nut Butter Sauce (recipe above)

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and let sit for about 20 minutes for the flavors to meld.  Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.

Variations: you can play around with the vegetables for this dish.  Try adding cucumber instead of (or in addition to) the bell pepper.  The Post-Gazette recipe included sliced bok choy, which would be another nice addition.  Try adding some fresh (or thawed frozen) peas.

Spicy Cold Noodle Salad
serves 2 for lunch
1/2 pound linguini, cooked according to package directions and rinsed with cold water
1/2 cup cucumber, julienned
1/2 cup red bell pepper, julienned
1/2 to 3/4ths cup Curry & Honey Nut Butter Sauce
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds (or chopped peanuts)
2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Toss the noodles, cucumber, red pepper together to mix.  Pour the Curry & Honey Nut Butter sauce on top and mix well.  Toss in the sunflower seeds and fresh mint and toss again.  Place in two bowls and top each with 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil.  Serve!

Honey and Infants (+ healthy salads for new parents!)

My niece and her husband just had their second child (a boy!) and I've been making some healthy meals to keep them well fed while they settle in with their new one.  Preparing food for the newly expanded family and an email exchange with our friend Jarrett (also a new papa and a big honey fan!) made me look more closely into the reasons that infants should not be fed honey.  My niece is breastfeeding and I wanted to be sure that  any honey I used in the meals I'm making wouldn't cause any trouble.  So, first things first: I'm not a doctor and I'm not dispensing medical advice here, but this WebMD page suggests that if eaten in "food amounts," then honey is fine for a breastfeeding mom to eat.

Why shouldn't infants (under 1 year old) have honey?  An in-depth 2002 article from American Family Physician offers a wonderful overview of this issue, which is worth a read if you're a new (or old!) parent  with questions.  The reason that raw unpateurized honey should not be fed to infants under 1 year old is that it may contain botulism spores that a baby's young intestines are not yet equipped to combat.  The American Family Physician article also includes this surprising information:  though infant botulism is rare worldwide, most diagnosed cases are in the U.S.  The article attributes this to more awareness in the US (not that there are more spores in the US).

Looking for less in-depth but reliable info about infant botulism and honey?  Here are two great sources:   the Mayo Clinic website and the U.S. National Library of Medicine's Pub-Med Health webpage.   If you want to do your own searching for more information about this, try "infant botulism and honey" as search terms.

Two Healthy Salads for New Parents (both with lovely lime dressing!)

Quinoa, Red Pepper & Black Bean Salad with Honey-Lime Vinaigrette
Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is a seed that growing in popularity primarily because it's a great source of protein and easy to make.  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations compares the nutritional quality of quinoa to dried whole milk.  You can find it now in many grocery stores near the rice section.  Most of the quinoa we get in the US is grown in Bolivia.  As with just about every food option, the popularity of quinoa has advantages and disadvantages.  Want to read more?  Check out "The Paradoxes of Quinoa" from the Alpha Galileo Foundation.)

1 cup quinoa
2 cups cooked black beans (or 1 can, drained)
1 red bell pepper, diced in 1/4- inch dice
2 scallions, sliced in 1/8-inch circles (include some of the green part)
1-2 tablespoons honey
juice of one lime
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

Place quinoa in sauce pan with 2 cups water, cover and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for about 20 or until all the water is absorbed.  Cool.  Place cooled quinoa in a large bowl.  Add the peppers, beans and scallions.  In a small jar, combine the honey, lime juice, vinegar and vegetable oil and shake to emulsify.  Pour over salad and mix well.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

This delicious corn salad comes from Jarrett who claims they're making it at least twice a week!

Grilled Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing
2 ears fresh sweet corn, grilled and scraped from cob (remove husks and grill over medium heat for about 10 minutes, turning--the corn should have some brown spots on it and be tender, but not mushy)
1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 avocado, diced in
2 ears fresh corn
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
Gently toss all of the above in a bowl

Honey Lime Dressing
juice of one lime
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
dash of cayenne (optional--I'd leave this out if making for a new breastfeeding mom)
Place dressing ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously to combine.  Pour over salad and gently toss.  Let sit for 10-15 minutes so flavors meld and deepen.  Enjoy (and thanks, Jarrett!)

Barley Salad and Beekeeping with Danielle!

We visited the hives yesterday with one of our favorite beekeepers, Danielle M., who is one of the farmers at Churchview Farm and an accomplished baker at La Gourmandine Bakery in Lawrenceville.  Danielle is tending six hives at Churchview.   What's the barley salad have to do with this?  Nothing really--just made it as part of celebrating Mom's birthday yesterday (Happy Birthday, Mom!) and wanted to include a recipe in this post.  The salad was a big hit at Mom's birthday party and a breeze to make. Scroll to the bottom for the recipe AND a great find the queen photo!

Danielle showing her skill.  In this hive, we were checking to be sure it was "queen right," which means that it had an active, laying queen.  The best sign that a hive is queen right is the presence of newly laid eggs.
   

This is a frame of capped brood, which is a great sign of a thriving colony.  The filled in cells are bees in the pupa stage and will soon emerge to join their sisters.

An active entrance of busy foragers bringing in pollen and nectar.  An active entrance like this is a good sign that the colony is thriving.

We were also checking for swarm cells.  A quick way to do that is to tip the super up on its end and look at it from the bottom because the bees build swarm cells on the bottom of the frame.  Here, we see a number of what are called "play cups." These are potential swarm cells--but they don't have an egg or larva in them yet.  A colony will often build play cups just as insurance in case they need to make a queen.  However, on the bottom left side, you can see swarm cell in formation.  There's also one in the center of the middle frame.  In both cases, the cells are damaged, so there won't be any queens emerging there.

Can you find the queen?  Look for a bright blue dot!

BARLEY SALAD

This is adapted from a Martha Stewart Living recipe.  Makes about 8 servings.

1 1/2 cups pearl barley (not instant)

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons summer honey

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup fresh mixed herbs (I used chives, cilantro, parsley, thyme and oregano)
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse barley well and place in a large saucepan with 3 cups water.  Bring to a boil, add 1/2 teaspoon salt, lower heat and simmer for about 40 minutes until barley is tender.

While barley is cooking, whisk the onion, mustard, vinegar, honey and oil in a bowl.  When barley is finished, drain if necessary and add to bowl, mixing well.  Let cool for about 15 minutes and add herbs, mixing well and adding salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  

Broccoli Salad

It's been quite awhile since I've posted to this blog.  The mid-semester demands of teaching have kept me away from the kitchen--and the bees.  Here's a great broccoli salad that makes a wonderful side dish or nice lunch to pack.  It's slightly sweet from the honey and dried fruit and can be adapted with anything you have on hand.  Swap out the dried currants for some black olives and add some crumbled feta cheese, for example.  Hope you enjoy!

BROCCOLI SALAD
1 bunch of broccoli cut into large spears
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/4 cup dried currants (or raisins, or craisins or other dried fruit)
2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1-2 tablespoons honey (I used our summer honey for this)
salt and pepper to taste.

Bring a large pot of water to boil and add about a teaspoon of salt.  Prepare a bowl of ice water.  Put the broccoli spears in the boiling water and blanch until the spears turn bright green.  Drain and immediately plunge into the ice water.  Drain the spears, drying well, and chop into about a 1/2 inch dice and put in a bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine well.  Taste and check seasonings.  Serve cold.  Makes about four servings.

Couscous Citrus Salad

Oranges get me through the winter.  I made this salad with Israeli couscous, but you could use regular couscous or another kind of grain--brown rice, farro, quinoa.  This made a great mid-week lunch.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups broth (or water)
1 cup Israeli couscous (but see above)
salt to taste (especially if you're using water)
2 oranges, cut into sections. (Then cut each section in thirds.)
1 stalk of celery, sliced
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or raisins, or currants)
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
salt and pepper to taste

Boil the broth or salted water and add couscous.  Lower heat and simmer about 10 minutes.  Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking.  Drain well again.  Place the drained couscous in a large bowl and section the oranges over the bowl to catch all of the juices.  Put the cut oranges in the bowl along with the sliced celery, dried cranberries, olive oil and ginger.  Mix well.  Refrigerate for at least two hours (or over night).  Toss again and check seasoning before serving.  Makes four servings

Cauliflower Salad and Delicious Honey Oat Quick Bread

If you've been indulging a bit much over the holidays, here a few healthier dishes to help kick-start the new year!  The cauliflower salad offers a cheery burst of colors and the honey oat quick bread is just slightly sweet--it almost tastes like a yeast bread.  Together they make a nice, light meal.

Honey Cauliflower Chopped Salad for a Crowd
1 small head cauliflower, broken into small (1/4-1/2 inch pieces)
1 red pepper, in 1/4-1/2 inch dice
1 green pepper, in a 1/4-1/2 inch dice
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 cup black olives, sliced
Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons lemon juice (freshly squeezed is nice)
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind (optional)
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar (could substitute red wine vinegar or cider vinegar)
1/4-1/2 cup honey (I used amber, summer honey; spring honey would also be good)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper

Combine the vegetables, onion and olives in a bowl.  Place the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well to combine.  (Start with 1/4 cup honey.)  Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss well.  Refrigerate for about an hour to let the flavors meld.  Taste and add more honey (or salt and pepper).  Can serve cold or at room temperature. Serves 8-10.

Honey Oat Quick Bread
This is adapted from an Eating Well recipe, which appeared in the January/February 2007 issue.  Check out the reviews at the link above.

2 tablespoons plus 1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
8 ounces yogurt (low fat is fine)
1 large egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey (I used amber summer honey but fall honey would be lovely, too!)
3/4 cup low or nonfat milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in the middle position.  Lightly oil 9 by 5 inch loaf pan.  Sprinkle 1 tablespoon oats in pan, covering bottom and, as best you can, sides.  Whisk the flours, baking powder, soda and salt together in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, beat 1 cup of the oats, yogurt, egg, oil and honey, mixing well.  Stir in the milk.  Stir this into the flour, gently mixing until combined--taking care not to over-mix.  You want the batter to be combined so that everything is moist, but don't beat it.  Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth to the edges.  Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of oats on the top.  Bake for about 40 to 50 minutes until the loaf is very brown.  The top will crack. To test that it's done, insert a toothpick in the crack--if it comes out clean, it's ready!  Cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes then loosen with a bread knife.  This is great toasted the next day! Makes 1 loaf--or about 12 1-inch slices.

Local Apple Salad

During the fall, I make this just about every day to pack in my lunch.  This recipe is easily adapted to anything you might have on hand. I've added 1/2 cup of sliced grapes, a handful of raisins, a sprinkle of cinnamon. If I don't have walnuts, I'll use almonds.  For me, the key ingredients are the apples, vinegar and ginger.  The vinegar keeps the apples from turning brown, so you can make this salad ahead. It's easily doubled if you're making the salad for more than one person.

LOCAL APPLE SALAD FOR ONE
1 local, tart eating apples (McConnell's Farm Jonagolds are particularly good with this!). Core the apples (but don't peel) and cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1  rib celery, cut in 1/4 inch dice
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 tablespoons of honey (I use fall honey for this)
Toss the vinegar with the chopped apple.  Toss in the celery and walnuts, add the ginger, salt and olive oil and mix to combine.  Drizzle the honey over and mix to combine.This makes about 1 cup of salad and is easily doubled if you're making it for two.

Honey-as-Seasoning for Fall Harvest Bounty!

Back-to-school means were slacking on our blog posts, folks.  My apologies to those who have a hankering for honey recipes and need more ideas!

In these two recipes, the honey acts almost like a seasoning, rather than a main ingredient.

Peaches, Figs, Maytag Blue Cheese & Honey
Our dear friends, Jeff and Laurie, made time in the midst of canning tomatoes to feed me dinner last week. They asked me to bring a seasonal fruit side dish or dessert, and this is what I made.  I would work as a nice "first course," side dish, or--as we used it--dessert. It received rave reviews from Jeff, Laurie and bonus guests, Beth and Steve, who stopped by on their way home from a trip to Chicago.

Two, large-ish fresh peaches, peeled. (McConnell's Farm peaches are amazing!)
Four fresh figs, washed
4 oz Maytag blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup almonds, toasted and chopped
2-4 tablespoons summer honey
Just before serving, slice the peaches into 1/2 inch wedges and place in a bowl.  Cut off the stem of the figs, and quarter or "sixth," and add to bowl, and gently toss.  Crumble blue cheese over the fruit.  Add almonds and drizzle honey over top.  Gently toss and serve.  Serves 5-6 (but you might want to add another peach if you're serving six).

Baked Tomato & Cheddar Cheese Pasta
Jeff and Laurie roast their tomatoes before canning them, and gave me the idea for this casserole.  I'll confess that it doesn't look very pretty--it's definitely for a week-night family meal.  Yet it has a pleasing, comfort-food flavor and is a great use of end-of-the-season plum tomatoes.
6-8 medium fresh plum tomatoes, peeled and diced (you could use a 14-oz can of whole tomatoes)
1/2 cup diced sweet onion (like Vidalia)
4 oz sharp yellow cheddar cheese, diced in 1/2 inch dice
2 oz sharp yellow cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 pound dry pasta  (I used medium shells, you could use any smaller size cut pasta)
2 tablespoons summer honey
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped (you could substitute fresh oregano or basil)
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly oil a casserole or 8x8 square baking pan.  Boil pasta in salted water for about 4 or 5 minutes less than the package directs.  The pasta should be pliable, but not quite al dente, so it will soak up the tomato juices.  Place the tomatoes, onions, diced cheese & pasta in casserole and toss to combine.  Stir in honey, thyme, salt & pepper. Taste and add more seasoning if needed.  Sprinkle grated cheese on top and bake for about 30 minutes. The cheese should be thoroughly melted in to the dish and it should be bubbling. Let sit for 10 minutes so that the pasta absorbs the cheesy-tomato-y juices.  Serves 4.

A Honey of a Father's Day Meal

It's all honey all the time for this Father's Day meal! Maybe your dad is already sweet and so one (or two) of these dishes might do the trick. The honey in the steak and the potatoes is not that overpowering, though--so the entire meal is one that even an already sweet dad would enjoy. These dishes all serve about four people.

SEARED BLACK PEPPER HONEY STEAK

We adapted this recipe from Lynne Rosetto Kasper and Sally Swift's How to Eat Supper cookbook. You can check out the original recipe on Rosetto Kasper's Splendid Table website.

3 tablespoons dry red wine

3 tablespoons honey--the fall honey is fantastic with this, but summer honey also works well

3 large garlic cloves, smashed

freshly ground black pepper (about 1 teaspoon)

olive oil

1-1/2 to 2 pounds steak (about 1-1/4 or 1-1/2 inches thick--get it from McElhaney's!)

kosher salt

more freshly ground pepper

Combine the wine, honey and garlic cloves and pepper and pour over steak. Let it marinate while you make the rest of the meal. Coat the bottom of a frying pan with olive oil and heat over medium high heat. Pat the steak dry with a paper towel and add to the pan. Let it sear on one side for about 3 minutes, while you sprinkle the top with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Turn and cook 3 minutes more, sprinkling with more salt and pepper. Turn heat to medium low and cook, turning for about 2 or 3 more minutes until internal temperature is between 125 and 130 for medium rare. (This splatters a lot, so be prepared for the mess.) Let steak rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. You can thinly slice and use this for sandwiches if you'd like. Two pounds serves four people.

HONEY ROASTED NEW POTATOES

1 pound small new potatoes

2 tablespoons melted butter (or olive oil or peanut oil--or 1/2 butter and 1/2 oil)

3 tablespoons honey (spring or summer)

1 tablespoon dry mustard (or 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper flakes)

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Scrub new potatoes and place in a pot of salted water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook for no more than 5 minutes. Drain, return to pot and shake over the flame to dry potatoes and get them ready to roast.

Combine the butter (or oil), honey and mustard (or cayenne pepper). Pour over potatoes in the pot and toss to coat well.

Line a rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil (this will save clean up time!). Pour coated potatoes onto cookie sheet, and spread out, giving them lots of room. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper, being sure each potato gets a nice dose of salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 35 to 50 minutes, shaking pan after about 15 minutes and then at least once again. Begin testing to see if they're done at 35 minutes and keep roasting until a paring knife easily slides in (and out).

Dr. J's FAMOUS SPINACH, APPLE, CHEDDAR SALAD WITH HONEY POPPY SEED SALAD DRESSING

1 pound fresh spinach, washed and dried

1 crisp green apple (like a Granny Smith), chopped

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted

1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

Toss together. When ready to serve, toss with Honey Poppy Seed Salad Dressing (recipe follows)

HONEY POPPY SEED SALAD DRESSING

2/3 cup honey (summer honey works best here)

2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated onion

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine everything but the olive oil in a food processor. While the processor is running, slowly pour in the olive oil until all is emulsified. Just before serving, pour about 1/4 on the salad and toss. Add more dressing as needed. Serve extra dressing on the side.

HONEY STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE BISCUITS

for the strawberries:

2 cups strawberries, cleaned and hulled (and sliced or halved, if large)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/8 cup honey (summer honey is best)

Combine and set aside while you make the shortcakes.

for the biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter

1/4 cup spring (or summer) honey

2-3 tablespoons whole milk, plus more for tops of biscuits.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together. Cut butter into flour mixture until it's about the size of peas. Combine 2 tablespoons of milk with the honey. Pour over flour and gingerly combine (I use my hands for this). Add another tablespoon of milk if you need to--you want the dough to just barely come together. On a floured surface, pat dough out into a rough square (about 6 by 9 inches). Cut into six squares. If you'd like, you can cut the squares into triangles. Place on an ungreased baking sheet, being sure sides don't touch. Brush tops with some additional milk. Bake for about 10 minutes until tops brown.

To serve, split warm biscuits, top with strawberries. Serve with sweetened whipped cream (beat 1/4 cup of whipping cream with 1/8th cup of honey) or vanilla ice cream (or some plain yogurt sweetened with a little--you knew this was coming, right?  honey!).

Memorial Day Picnic Recipes

SPICY VEGETARIAN HONEY-BAKED BEANS!

Dark fall honey makes a great substitute for molasses in baked beans. These beans are quite spicy, so if you want to tone that down a bit, add a little less (or omit altogether) the chipotle pepper.

2 cups dried navy beans (we've actually used black-eyed peas for this recipe with great results)

2 teaspoons

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried ground chipotle pepper

1/2 cup dark fall honey

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

ground black pepper to taste

Rinse and pick through beans to be sure there aren't any stones. Place in a bowl and cover with cold water three inches above beans. Place in fridge and soak over night. (If you're short on time, you can place beans in a pot, add water to cover three inches. Bring just to a boil--just until the small bubbles appear around the edges of the pot. Turn off heat and cover for 1 hour. You'll be ready to continue with the recipe.)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large, oven-proof pan (like a Dutch oven) and saute onion and garlic until soften. Drain beans, rinse well, and add to pan. Stir in 4 cups water, chipoltle pepper, tomato paste, honey and salt and stir well. Cover pot and place in oven. Cook for 3 to 4 hours, checking about once an hour to stir and see if the beans need more water. Add more water as needed. Serve hot or at room temp. Beans should be very soft and the sauce quite thick.

Another vegetarian addition: Add a few pats of butter when you remove from the oven to make the beans even more...mmmm!

Omnivorian addition: You can fry 4 or 5 strips of bacon (cut in 1/2 inch pieces) until crispy. Remove from pan, drain on paper towels and reserve. Saute the onion and garlic in the bacon fat. Add the fried bacon when you add the beans. Makes about 8 to 10 servings

HONEYED COLESLAW
Very simple--but deliciously tangy. You can also use sour cream instead of the Greek yogurt (that is if your calorie budget can bear it.)

4 cups finely shredded cabbage

1 cup Greek yogurt

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons celery seeds

Combine well and chill. You can add some shredded carrots for color.

Makes 8 servings

GRILLED SKIRT STEAK WITH HONEY MARINADE

We sent this recipe out last year to the folks who subscribe to our email newsletter list recommending this marinade for the delicious skirt steaks the McElhaney Family Farm sells at the St. James Farmers' Market (and elsewhere). One reader wrote that McElhaney steaks are so good, nothing should be added to them! So, if you want to "gild the lily," try this recipe.

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup summer (or fall) honey

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger

1/2 cup canola oil

2 pounds skirt steak

Combine everything except the steak in a jar with a good-fitting lid and shake to mix well. Add the steaks to a zip-lock bag along with the marinade and refrigerate over-night (but not longer). Prepare grill for cooking on medium-high heat. Remove steaks from the bag and discard marinade. Grill for 6 to 8 minutes on each side (slightly less for very thin steaks). Let rest 5 minutes (crucial step!). Slice thinly against the grain and serve slices with freshly grated horseradish or horseradish sauce. This recipe serves 4, but if used for sandwiches it will serve 8.

Looking for dessert? Check out our honey rhubarb pie recipe previously posted!

A Bevy of Honey Salad Dressings

It's been great weather for salad greens this year, though this batch of lettuce we planted in our cold frame has been bitter from the start.  Nothing like a nice honey-based salad dressing to offset any bitter green! Read on for a selection of dressings for any of the greens you may be enjoying before the weather really heats up.

Poppy-Seed Dressing
1/2 cup summer honey
1 tsp. dried mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon finely grated sweet onion
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
In a small food processor, add the honey, mustard, salt, vinegar and onion.  Process until well-blended.  While the processor is going, slowly pour in oil until the dressing is well emulsified. Pour into a bottle or jar and add poppy seeds. Makes about 1 1/2 cups dressing.  Store in refrigerator--keeps for about 2 or 3 weeks.

Mary Helen's 3-3-3 Salad Dressing
One of our regular customers at the St. James Farmers' Market in Sewickley shared this simple, versatile and delicious dressing recipe with us last year.
For one cup of dressing:
1/3 cup honey (summer honey is best)
1/3 cup vinegar (we've used cider vinegar, red wine vinegar and home-made raspberry vinegar all with good results)
1/3 cup oil (we've used extra virgin olive oil and canola oil)

Combine well, taste and add salt and pepper. To this basic dressing, you can add chopped garlic or minced onion, herbs such as parsley, dill or thyme, a little Dijon mustard--let your imagination be your guide.

Honey Mustard Dressing
This recipe comes from Kim Flottum's Honey Handbook (reviewed in Review of Honey Cookbooks, Part I).  He claims it's a salad dressing "to die for" and we tend to agree!
1 3/4 cups mayonaise
1/2 cup summer honey
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced onion
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Makes about 2 cups.

BONUS!  
Chopped Salad Recipe with Honey & Garlic Dressing
The ingredients in this chopped salad can be adapted to include whatever produce happens to be in season.  All vegetables and fruits should be chopped in about a 1/2 inch dice.

1 tart apple, cored but not peeled.
1 tablespoon raw cider vinegar
1/2 small head red cabbage
1-2 carrots
6-8 medium-sized romaine lettuce leaves, torn into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Anxiously waiting for our 2011 garlic!

1/4 pecans, toasted
Honey & Garlic Dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 small garlic clove, finely diced
salt and pepper to taste
Combine the dressing ingredients in a food processor or jar and blend well.  Placed the diced apple in a salad bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon cider vinegar.  Add each veggie to the bowl as you dice it, waiting to add the lettuce, cranberries and pecans until you're ready to serve.  When ready to serve, add the lettuce, cranberries and pecans and drizzle on half of the dressing, tossing well.  Taste and add more dressing if needed.  Remaining dressing can be stored in the fridge for a week.  Makes 4 servings and is easily doubled.

Lentil, Beet & Honey Salad

Two-for-one recipe day here at SteffesWood Apiary!  Robert has been busy cleaning up the garden this spring and planting peas, pak-choi and beets. The beets made me hungry for this salad, which is one of the best salads in the world--bar none!  It has lots of fabulous umami--a rich savoriness that makes this salad a meal on its own (especially if you're a beet fan).  It's adapted from Martha Stewart Living magazine

1 lb fresh beets, trimmed
1/2 cup water
1 3/4 teaspoons coarse salt, divided
olive oil
3/4 cup dried lentils (French green lentils are lovely, but plain brown ones also work--they may not need to cook as long, though)
1 1-inch knob of fresh ginger, sliced in 1/4 inch slices
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt, divided
1/2 cup red onions, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar (or other flavored vinegar--truth be told, cider vinegar would be fine!)
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger)
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
Lettuce (for serving--optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place beets in dish with 1/2 cup water and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon coarse salt.  Cover with aluminum foil.  Bake until beets are tender, about 50 minutes.  When cool enough to handle, peel beets and toss with a little olive oil.  Chop beets into 1/2 inch pieces. (See note at the end of the recipe for an alternative way to prepare the beets.)

While beets are baking, place lentils and ginger slices in a sauce pan and cover with 1 inch of water.  Bring to a boil and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain and discard ginger.  Stir in 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt.  In a small bowl, combine 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt with ginger, onion, vinegar and honey.  Steep for 15 minutes.  Stir in oil and coriander.  Pour onto warm lentils and toss to coat.  Stir in mint and cilantro.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.  Place beets on top of lentils. Serve on a bed of lettuce, if you'd like.

NOTE: A few years ago on a blistering mid-July day, Burgh Bees and Slow Food offered honey-based recipes at the Farmers@Firehouse Market in the Strip District and served this salad.  The Slow Food cook who prepared the salad couldn't bear to turn on her oven, so she grated the raw beets and put them in the salad--it was delicious.  Just sayin'!