Jan recently discovered that her birth father’s people live/lived in the mountainous region of along the Jalisco / Nayarit border. She asked for a Mexican Christmas with tamales this year. I decided that I needed a salad to go with them. A site I found describing Jalisco cuisine mentioned a pico de gallo of “pieces of jicama, orange, pineapple with lime juice and ground chili.”
Karl’s Jalisco Pico de Gallo
Filed under Salads, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian
I was looking for a vegetable side dish to go with my meatloaf. A few weeks ago, I discovered that letting the root vegetables marinate in a marmalade base worked really well as a salad dressing. This is what I settled on for tonight’s salad.
Karl’s Asian Pear-apple , Radish,
and Arugula Salad
Filed under California Fusion, Green Vegetables, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian
Usually when you buy radishes from the supermarket—and even from the farmer’s market—the leaves are almost always wilted and sorry looking—good only for compost or the trash bin. Yesterday, a new farmer had shown up at my local market and he had really fresh radishes.
Karl’s Sautéed Red Radishes and Greens
Filed under California Fusion, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian
Since I have been writing this blog, I have felt pushed to constantly upgrade my skills and recipes—new, different, better. I read Cook’s Illustrated and I get e-newsletters from NYTimes and Serious Eats—to the point that my inbox is full of posts that I do not have the time to read. I mine these posts—not so much for recipes—but as a source of new ideas and techniques.
Karl’s Chinese Poached Chicken Salad
Filed under California Fusion, Chicken, Main Dishes, Poultry, Salads, Sauces and Spices, Vegetables
This salad is based loosely on my mother’s potato salad. Although I remember my mother’s salad having celery, it was not on her 3×5 card. I also could not conceive of potato salad without black pepper.
Karl’s Memorial Day Potato Salad
Filed under Holidays, Potatoes, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian
Sunday, we had Venezuelan pernil arepas and South American slaw for dinner. The question is what do I do with the leftover pork, cabbage salad, and tomato slices for a weekday meal? If I was just by myself, I would go for mixing the meat and tomatoes into a savory rice dish—something that Jan would instantly describe as “too heavy!”
Karl’s Leftovers: Venezuelan Pernil Summer Rolls
(Pulled Pork)
Filed under California Fusion, Main Dishes, Pork, Salads
A while ago, Jan went to Napa and came back raving about Pica Pica’s arepas. She demanded that I learn how to make these South American pocket breads. I did my best, based only on her description and what I could find on the internet. Last week, we went up to San Francisco and I actually got to try one of Pica Pica’s arepas. I decided to try to make them again.
Karl’s South American Slaw
Filed under California Fusion, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian
This Sunday we had a complex soup, cioppino, that would take up most of my attention. I did not want to have just a plain greens salad, but it needed to be simple. Fortunately, yesterday was Jan and my 33rd anniversary and I had made salmon wraps for dinner.
Karl’s Leftovers:
Salmon Salad with Raspberry Radish Slaw
Filed under California Fusion, Fish, Green Vegetables, Salads, Vegetables
Jan has been working 70-80 hour weeks lately—if only she would get paid for some of that overtime. It is hardly surprising that she has ended up working on our anniversary. Today is Jan and my 33rd anniversary. We are having the major celebration with cioppino tomorrow with the kids, but there is still tonight’s dinner to make special.
Karl’s Salmon Lettuce Wraps
with Raspberry Radish Slaw
Filed under Broiling, California Fusion, Fish, Main Dishes, Salads, Seafood
I had bought meat to make tacos al pastor for dinner, but Jan said wanted something lighter—code word “salad.” A few weeks ago, I made a chicken taco salad that was a raging success, a dish sure to become a regular family meal. However, it doesn’t always have to be exactly the same, I thought about trying that as an al pastor taco salad.
Karl’s al Pastor Taco Salad
with Hot-Pan Salsa
Filed under California Fusion, Main Dishes, Pork, Salads, Vegetables
karllueck
Miriam
Jabberwocky Stew 