Shredded Potato Warm Salad

INGREDIENTS:

2 Potatoes (any waxy types will do)

4 stalks Celery

1 Carrot

SEASONING:

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Sugar

1 teaspoon Soy Sauce

pinch of White Pepper

1 teaspoon White Sesame

1 tablespoon Sesame Oil

DIRECTION:

1. Peel the potatoes; cut them into sticks. Rinse them under running water to get rid of the starch.

2. Cut carrot and celery into sticks.

3. Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add potato; blanch it for 5 minutes. Scoop it out and run it under the tap water to stop the cooking process.

4. Next, blanch the carrot and celery for 5 minutes. Drain well. Run the carrot and celery under running water to stop the cooking process.

5. In a large mixing bowl, add potato, carrot, and celery. Add the seasoning; mix well. Let it marinate for 10 minutes before serving.

Eggplant Salad with Dandelion Green

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups Dandelion Leaves, rinsed, cut to bite size

1 Chinese Eggplant, cut into 1 cm rounds

1 Avocado, pitted and cut into large chunks

10 Dried Dates, pitted

15 gram Feta Cheese

1 handful Hump Seeds (optional)

1 handful Pumpkin Seeds, toasted

Vegetable Oil (for frying)

DRESSING:

3 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

2 Olive Oil

1 tablespoon Agave Syrup

Salt and Pepper

DIRECTION:

1. Heat up 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil on a non-stick pan.  Add eggplants; fry them over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Flip them over and fry for another 5 minutes.  When the eggplants start to give in, press it gently with a spatula to release their juice and allow the juice to evaporate.  Transfer the eggplant to a dish.

2. In a large mixing bowl, add all salad ingredients and dressing.  Toss it gently with clean hands until well combined.  Serve immediately.

Roasted Yam and Swiss Chard Salad with Pomegranate and Feta Cheese

Yam is one of the common ingredients we use in our salad starting in late fall.  They are sweet, comforting, abundant and inexpensive.  To add a more complex note, you can always add pomegranate, cheese, or even dried fruits in it.

Roasted Yam Ingredients:

2 Sweet Yam, peeled and cut into chunks

4 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1/2 teaspoon Curry Powder

1/2 teaspoon Cumin Powder

1 teaspoon Onion Powder

1/3 teaspoon Salt

Salad Ingredients:

1 Pomegranate, shelled

2 cup Rainbow Chard, torn into bite size

1/4 cup Feta Cheese

Dressing Ingredients:

4 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 tablespoon Agave Syrup

Direction:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.  In a small bowl, toss together the yam ingredients until the yams are well coated.  Place them in the oven to bake until golden and slightly crispy outside; about 25 minutes.

2. Arrange the salad ingredients on a serving plate; set aside.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and agave syrup; set aside.

4. Once the yams are roasted, remove them from the oven to cool.  Top them on the bed of salad green and drizzle the dressing over; serve immediately.