Grilled Asparagus and Spinach Salad with Smoked Paprika Dressing

I'm really overwhelmed at the response to my last post. Thank you all so much for your words of support and encouragement and for your menu suggestions. I'm keeping a tally and will definitely let you know what will be on the final menu. I wish you could all be there!

I suppose I'm going to have to refer to this as "the recipe that broke my grill pan." To be fair, it wasn't the recipe's fault that the pan broke--I blame that on Emeril. A fairly new cast iron double-sided griddle, it should hold up in an earthquake, not succumb under the pressure of some tender, green asparagus. It was only the fourth time I'd used it, the second day in a row I'd used it to grill asparagus for this salad, and I wasn't abusing it or teasing it or anything. The asparagus were sizzling, and I was on the other side of the kitchen tossing the spinach with the salad dressing when I heard a loud POP. When I rushed to the stove I found my grill sporting a 4-inch long crack from one side into the middle.

Fortunately, the asparagus were fine. I may have lost a grill, but I wasn't about to lose my asparagus! Since creating this salad the day before, I had developed a constant craving for it that wouldn't go away. That doesn't often happen to me when salads are involved, particularly fat-free salads. You may not have noticed, but I don't put a lot of salad or salad dressing recipes on this blog, and there's a reason for that. While many fat-free dressings are good enough for me to use to moisten my own salads, they don't really pass my First Test of Bloggability: Would I serve it to someone else? Honestly, for most fat-free salad dressings, the answer is no. When company comes over I invariably whip up an olive oil vinaigrette rather than subject my guests to one of my fat-free dressings. The Goddess Dressing is a notable exception--as is this one.

While I would call the Smoked Paprika Dressing good, it's very good in this particular salad. Its smokiness complements the real star of the show, the grilled asparagus. Though I love roasted asparagus, it's got a rival in my affections now. Something about the grilling, even in a pan on the stove, imbues the asparagus with the deep, slightly-charred flavor of a charcoal grill. They don't cook long enough to get scorched or soft, so they maintain a solid, salad-like crunch. Even if you decide to skip the dressing, do give the salad a try, tossed with your own favorite dressing. But maybe use a different brand of grill.



Grilled Asparagus and Spinach Salad
(printer-friendly version)

If you're eating this salad as one course of a meal, consider this recipe about 2 servings. But if you're like me and like a really big salad as a meal on its own, call this one serving and perhaps toss a handful of chickpeas into it to make it more filling.

8 ounces asparagus, tough ends snapped off
olive oil spray
salt and freshly ground pepper
4 ounces baby spinach
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts (may omit or substitute chickpeas)
Smoked Paprika Salad Dressing (see below)

Set a seasoned grill pan over medium-high heat. While it is heating, snap off the tough ends of the asparagus, place it in a dish, and spray it lightly with olive oil (just a couple of quick sprays). Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to distribute the oil and seasonings.

Put the asparagus on the grill and cook, turning often, until just beginning to brown in places but still crisp and bright green, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and cut spears in half.

Toss the spinach with the dressing and arrange in two bowls or plates. Divide the asparagus between the two salads, and sprinkle each with a tablespoon of walnuts.

Makes 2 standard servings. Each serving, with walnuts but excluding dressing: 60 Calories (kcal); 4g Total Fat; (47% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 46mg Sodium; 3g Fiber. Weight Watchers 1 Flex Point.

Without walnuts or dressing: 36 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (30% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 46mg Sodium; 3g Fiber. Weight Watchers Core/ Zero Points.


(The grill the day before it cracked.)

Smoked Paprika Dressing

2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon white organic miso
1 tablespoon Nayonaise (or other vegan mayo) OR silken tofu
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon ground flax seeds
1/2 teaspoon paprika
small amount of sweetener to taste, just enough to offset the lemon juice (I used a tiny scoop of calorie-free stevia.)

Put all ingredients into a small blender and puree until smooth. Let rest for at least a half hour to allow flavors to develop. Makes about 4 servings (enough for 4 standard-sized salads).

Per serving (using fat-free Nayonaise and stevia): 12 Calories (kcal); trace Total Fat; (23% calories from fat); trace Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 82mg Sodium. (Calories and fat grams increase slightly when made with other mayo or sweeteners.)

Family-Friendly Recipes Class

I have some huge news...and a favor to ask. A few days ago I received an email from Mary McDougall of the McDougall Program asking if I would be a part of their Celebrity Chef Weekend. Well, after I checked a few times to make sure that a) she hadn't misaddressed the email and b) I wasn't hallucinating, I wrote her back confessing that I had never given a cooking demonstration before. I don't even watch cooking shows on TV. Plus I get stage fright whenever I have to talk to more than one person at a time. But I told her that if she is willing to take a chance on me, I would love to do it. After all, I owe my both veganism and the theme of this blog to the McDougall Program, which changed my diet for the better about 14 years ago. And though I may not always stick to it as diligently as I should, I know that the program really is the healthiest way for me to eat.

So I agreed to come out to Santa Rosa, California, and teach a class on "Family-Friendly Recipes." I intend to focus on easy, low-fat recipes that everyone, particularly children and omnivores, will enjoy. I've got just a few weeks to come up with a menu, and that's where I need your help. If you've cooked something from this blog that your omnivorous family and friends have enjoyed, please drop me a comment and let me know what it was. My daughter has already put in her votes for Mac and Cheese and Lasagna, but I could use some more vegetable-heavy recipe suggestions. Help!

And if you're able to attend, I'd love to see you at the weekend, June 27-29. (I have a hard time typing "Celebrity Chef" in relation to myself, so from now on I will just call it "the weekend.") I think the schedule is still being worked out, but I know for sure that Bryanna Clark Grogan will be there (I'm a huge fan!) You'll also get to meet Dr. John and Mary McDougall and eat some amazing food. Details are available here.

I know that my posts have been scarce this week, but stay tuned. I've got the recipe for my new favorite salad almost finished and should have it posted tomorrow.

Note to email subscribers: To comment all you have to do is click on the title of the post, and a window will open in your browser; scroll all the way to the end and click "Post a Comment." A comment box should pop up; if it doesn't, you may have to set your browser to enable pop-ups.

E Cooks: Banana Coffee Cake

It's been a long time since my daughter has helped me out with a recipe, so yesterday when E volunteered to assist me with breakfast, I eagerly set her to work measuring and stirring. I had the recipe all worked out on paper, so I didn't think there'd be much opportunity for her to contribute creatively. As she does with any endeavor, she asked a thousand questions: "What's the difference between baking powder and baking soda?" "Why do you add salt when cake isn't salty?" "Why do you call it 'flax egg' when there isn't any egg in it?" Though she often takes her interrogations to ridiculous extremes ("If we shot the batter into space..."), on this particular occasion she asked a lot of good questions that gave me the chance to educate her a little on baking--or at least the little I know about baking.

When it came time to add the banana to the cake, she stopped me with a question: "What, only one banana? It needs more than that or it's not really banana cake!" I had to agree, so I dutifully added another banana. And you know, the higher fruit to batter ratio just might have been what made this cake so incredibly delicious.



It's creamy. It's sweet. It's so creamy and sweet that I almost called it Banana Pudding Cake. The bananas melt down to a creamy layer that dissolves into the cake around it so that it's hard to tell where bananas end and cake begins.

All four of us--my crew plus E's friend G--were amazed at how good this was. D and I actually had the same articulate response: "Mmmmm. Ohhhh." In fact, this cake may have been too good: with 4 of us and only 6 pieces, there weren't enough "seconds" to go around. Perhaps it would be better to serve it as dessert after a full meal than to count on it as a filling breakfast because it will just make you want more!



Banana Coffee Cake
(printer-friendly version)

I like to use turbinado or demerara sugar for the topping because the coarse texture adds crunch, but feel free to use any natural (or brown) sugar.

1 tablespoon flax seeds, ground
4 tablespoons warm water
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup soy yogurt
1/3 cup vanilla soymilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup agave nectar
1 cup white whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bananas

Preheat the oven to 375F and oil a pie pan or an 8-inch square baking dish.

Mix the ground flax seeds with the warm water and set aside to thicken.

Mix the turbinado sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Combine the soy yogurt, soymilk, vanilla, and agave nectar in a bowl. Add the flax mixture.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour the soy yogurt mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread to cover the bottom. Slice the bananas and place the slices over the batter. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon-sugar. Spread the remaining batter over the bananas. Sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon-sugar. Bake for 25 minutes, or until cake appears set in the middle. Allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting into 6 slices and serving.

Makes 6 servings. Per serving: 211 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (5% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 49g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 308mg Sodium. Weight Watchers: 4 Flex Points.

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If you're looking for easy recipes that kids like to make as well as eat, take a look at some of our other E Cooks collaborations:

Banana Coconut Bars
E's Fruit Salad with Strawberry Sauce
Southern-Style Banana Pudding
Rainbow Stir-Fry

My other coffee (aka "breakfast") cakes:

Pineapple Coffee Cake
Coconut Chai Breakfast Cake
Sugar-Free Coconut Chai Breakfast Cake

Rasedar Rajma (Kidney Beans in Curry Sauce)

Have you ever picked up a cookbook and opened it right to the page with the perfect recipe, the one that exactly suited your mood and for which you had all the ingredients? No? Well, neither have I. Normally I pour over multiple cookbooks, imagining this recipe and that--or this recipe combined with elements of that--but I never just pick the first recipe I come to. Until yesterday.

I was all set for a long perusal of Neelam Batra's The Indian Vegetarian, a book which miraculously had no torn bits of paper or sticky notes marking its pages. I settled into my comfy chair, sipped my coffee, and allowed the book to fall open, to page 266 as it happened: Kidney Beans in a Curry Sauce on the left, Black-Eyed Peas with Garlic and Scallions on the right. I was immediately drawn to the kidney bean dish because it sounded a lot like an Indian version of my home-state comfort food, Red Beans and Rice. I checked over the list of ingredients, and except for fresh ginger, I had all the ingredients. After a 15-minute trip to the nearby Indian grocery, where the ginger is the freshest in town, I had everything I needed for a complete Indian dinner, including a package of onion naan, brown basmati rice, and tender young okra to be roasted with curry powder.

I took several liberties with the recipe, including leaving out the 1/2 cup of cilantro which Ms. Batra adds to the beans along with the ginger. (I'm one of those people who doesn't like cilantro, though I have been training myself to tolerate it in small amounts as a garnish; feel free to use it if you like.) I also changed the cooking method of the beans, omitted the oil, and adjusted the seasonings a bit. My dish, while still mild, may be a little more highly spiced, but I think it's true to the flavor and style of the original--simple home-cooking, the kind that's universally comforting, nourishing, and delicious.

By the way, my husband insists that Black-Eyed Peas with Garlic and Scallions should be the next thing I cook from this book, and if I can get around the whole cup of cilantro it uses, I just might give it a try.



Rasedar Rajma (Kidney Beans in Curry Sauce)
(printer-friendly version)

2 cups dried kidney beans
6 cups water
1 tablespoon ginger root
1 teaspoon salt
1 onion,minced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ajwain seeds
2 cups tomatoes, finely diced
1/4 cup soy yogurt
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground fenugreek
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/8 teaspoon red chilli pepper or cayenne (more to taste)
chopped cilantro (optional garnish)

Rinse the kidney beans and put them in a large pot or pressure cooker along with 6 cups water, the ginger root, and the salt. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. (In a pressure cooker, bring to high pressure and then remove from heat.) Remove from heat and allow the beans to rest, covered, for at least 1 hour. Drain the water, add another 6 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Simmer until beans are tender, about an hour. (Alternately, pressure cook the beans: bring to high pressure and cook for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow pressure to come down naturally.) When the beans are done, leave them in their cooking liquid while you make the sauce.

Spray a saucepan with canola oil and heat to medium-high. Add the minced onion, and cook until it's beginning to brown, stirring constantly. Add the garlic and ajwain and stir for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook until their liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in the soy yogurt and the coriander, fenugreek, turmeric, garam masala, and chilli pepper.

Drain 2 cups of liquid from the beans and stir half of it into the sauce. Add the sauce to the beans and stir. If the sauce is too thick or dry, add some or all of the reserved bean cooking liquid. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for at least 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and flavors have blended. Check seasonings and add salt to taste. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with cilantro if you like, and serve with basmati rice or chapatis, paranthas, or naan.

Makes about 6 servings. Per serving: 240 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (4% calories from fat); 16g Protein; 44g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 386mg Sodium; 17g Fiber. Weight Watchers Core/4 Flex Points.

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[Since so many people have commented on the bowl, I thought I'd let you know that it's by Alissa DeAmonti at DeAmonti Designs. I bought it and several other of her pieces (including this green dish) at the Mississippi Farmers' Market last month, but I believe she also sells her pottery at ARTichoke at 1012 E. Fortification Street in Jackson. ]