Get creative with winter salads

Winter is upon us. So are the New Year’s resolutions we made to try and eat better in the coming months.

With that in mind – and knowing that some of us may be coming off of a sugar rush from holiday sweets (and looking forward to Valentine’s Day and Easter chocolates on the horizon) – here is a healthy option summed up in one word: salad.

Salads in winter? Sure.

“Winter is definitely the time of year where you have to be creative with your salads but I find that there are still lots of great locally grown items out there to be adventurous with,” said Brandon Velie, chef and owner of Juniper restaurant in Ridge Spring.

“What I look for in a winter salad is first and foremost what I can get locally,” said Velie. “That being said (local) green leafy lettuces like arugula and romaine are hard to come by this time of year, so I tend to think more along the lines of kale, collards or mustard greens for my salads. If it is a really cold day, I might make a warm potato salad with a mustard/ bacon vinaigrette or maybe a winter squash salad.”

Start with the greens. Don’t be afraid to mix up a variety of non-traditional greens since that is what’s available: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, collards and kale. You can still find baby spinach, arugula, romaine and red or green lettuces in larger grocery store vegetable bins.

And don’t forget the root vegetables such as turnips, carrots, beets, onions and potatoes. These can be roasted in the oven and tossed in green salads. Roasted carrots, onions and beets will add a mild sweetness to salads while potatoes and turnips will bring a bit of earthiness to the greens.

You can easily make a salad a main course by simply adding about four ounces of a protein (meat, fish or cheese) per person. Velie says his baby kale, pecan and goat cheese salad (recipe below) “goes great with grilled chicken or Manchester Farms Quail over the top. Or even some grilled salmon or South Carolina shrimp.”

Prepare the vinaigrette: Place balsamic vinegar, cranberry sauce, honey, ginger and orange juice in a blender or food processor and blend. Slowly drizzle in oil. Once all oil is in, blend for about ten more seconds.

To prepare salad: In medium bowl toss kale and 2/3 of the dressing. Divide kale on to four plates then sprinkle goat cheese and pecans and drizzle remaining dressing over the salad.

Brandon Velie, Juniper

Prepare the vinaigrette: Put the mustard in a heavy bowl. Slowly add olive oil and walnut oil while whisking. Add lemon juice and sherry vinegar. Finish with chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper.

To prepare salad, toss Brussels sprouts, peanuts, cheese and parsley in a salad bowl with the vinaigrette, to taste.

“A New Turn in the South: Southern Flavors Reinvented for Your Kitchen,” Hugh Acheson

Prepare the vinaigrette: whisk together the sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard, shallots and salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Gradually incorporate the oil in a slow drizzle, while whisking, until emulsified. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Set aside.

To prepare salad, heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and pancetta. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, or until the pancetta becomes translucent. Add shrimp and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are nearly cooked through, about 4 minutes.

Add the remaining salad ingredients to the pan and toss to warm through, about 1 minute. Transfer salad to a large bowl and toss lightly with vinaigrette, using just enough to lightly coat the salad. Reserve remaining vinaigrette for later use. Check seasoning in salad and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Divide salad among four salad plates, serve immediately.

“The Charleston Chef’s Table: Extraordinary Recipes from the Heart of the Old South,” Holly Herrick

Related content: http://www.thestate.com/living/article28004506.html

This story was originally published January 13, 2016 at 9:45 AM.