Easy dinner recipes: Three citrus salad ideas to keep it light
Dinner doesn’t get much easier than a basic salad, but why not dress it up a little with all the great citrus to be found in the market right now? Slices of sweet tangerines or rich pink grapefruit, or segments of vibrant blood orange, can add just the right tang to a salad, not to mention added texture and bright color.
Beets and blood oranges with mint and orange flower water: “My idea of salad in winter is similar to my take on salad in general,” says chef Suzanne Goin. “It’s a way of celebrating what’s around now. I’m a big fruit-and-vegetable fan, and that becomes the focus for me.” She combines roasted beets with sliced blood oranges in a vivid display of color and flavor, tossed with thinly sliced fresh mint and a dressing of blood orange and lemon juices, shallot, red wine vinegar, olive oil and fragrant orange flower water.
Pink grapefruit and fennel salad with crab: Fresh pink grapefruit, arugula, freshly shaved fennel and red onion are tossed in a simple dressing of olive oil, grapefruit juice and red pepper flakes, the salad tossed with Dungeness crab meat in this simple yet rich dinner option. The recipe, from Food editor Russ Parsons, comes together in only 20 minutes.
In 2009, Food did a story on fresh tofu in Southern California. We included a recipe for fresh, homemade tofu -- very light in flavor, this delicate tofu is almost like a custard with its creamy texture.
The method is simple: Combine some cold soy milk with nigari water (a brine used to set the soy milk) and steam the milk until it sets up like a custard. The whole process takes about 15 minutes.
- See more at: https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2012/03/test-kitchen-tips-homemade-tofu.html#sthash.6Tjk9w9Z.dpu
In 2009, Food did a story on fresh tofu in Southern California. We included a recipe for fresh, homemade tofu -- very light in flavor, this delicate tofu is almost like a custard with its creamy texture.
The method is simple: Combine some cold soy milk with nigari water (a brine used to set the soy milk) and steam the milk until it sets up like a custard. The whole process takes about 15 minutes.
- See more at: https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2012/03/test-kitchen-tips-homemade-tofu.html#sthash.6Tjk9w9Z.dpuf
In 2009, Food did a story on fresh tofu in Southern California. We included a recipe for fresh, homemade tofu -- very light in flavor, this delicate tofu is almost like a custard with its creamy texture.
The method is simple: Combine some cold soy milk with nigari water (a brine used to set the soy milk) and steam the milk until it sets up like a custard. The whole process takes about 15 minutes.
- See more at: https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2012/03/test-kitchen-tips-homemade-tofu.html#sthash.6Tjk9w9Z.dpu
In 2009, Food did a story on fresh tofu in Southern California. We included a recipe for fresh, homemade tofu -- very light in flavor, this delicate tofu is almost like a custard with its creamy texture.
The method is simple: Combine some cold soy milk with nigari water (a brine used to set the soy milk) and steam the milk until it sets up like a custard. The whole process takes about 15 minutes.
- See more at: https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2012/03/test-kitchen-tips-homemade-tofu.html#sthash.6Tjk9w9Z.dpuf
In 2009, Food did a story on fresh tofu in Southern California. We included a recipe for fresh, homemade tofu -- very light in flavor, this delicate tofu is almost like a custard with its creamy texture.
The method is simple: Combine some cold soy milk with nigari water (a brine used to set the soy milk) and steam the milk until it sets up like a custard. The whole process takes about 15 minutes.
- See more at: https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2012/03/test-kitchen-tips-homemade-tofu.html#sthash.6Tjk9w9Z.dpu
CALIFORNIA COOKBOOK: Find hundreds of great recipes
Tangerine, butter lettuce and goat cheese salad: Sweet tangerine segments are combined with butter lettuce, fresh goat cheese and crunchy toasted hazelnuts in this easy salad which uses only a handful of ingredients and comes together in a mere 30 minutes (and that includes roasting time for the hazelnuts!).
You can find all three recipes below.
And for more ideas, click through our easy dinner recipes gallery and check out our Dinner Tonight page, devoted to recipes that can be made in an hour or less. Looking for a particular type of recipe? Comment below or email me at noelle.carter@latimes.com.
MORE RECIPES: 99 more easy dinner ideas in about an hour or less
BEETS AND BLOOD ORANGES WITH MINT AND ORANGE FLOWER WATER
Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Servings: 6
Note: From A.O.C. chef-owner Suzanne Goin
3 bunches small to medium beets
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons best-quality olive oil, divided
Kosher salt
5 large blood oranges
2 tablespoons finely diced shallot
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
A few drops orange flower water
Freshly ground black pepper
12 mint leaves, sliced thinly on the diagonal
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the greens off the beets, leaving about half an inch of the stems attached. (Save the leaves for sauteing later.) Clean the beets well, and toss them with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt.
2. Place the beets in a roasting pan with a splash of water in the bottom. Cover tightly with foil and roast about 40 minutes, until tender when pierced. (The roasting time will depend on the size and type of beet.)
3. When the beets are done, carefully remove the foil. Let them cool, then peel them by slipping off the skins with your fingers. Cut the beets into one-fourth inch thick slices.
4. Slice the stem and bottom ends from four of the blood oranges. Stand the oranges on one end and, following the contour of the fruit with your knife, remove the peel and cottony white pith. Work from top to bottom, rotating the fruit as you go. Slice the oranges thinly, into 8 to 10 pinwheels, and discard the seeds.
5. Juice the remaining blood orange. Combine the diced shallot, vinegar, lemon juice, one-fourth cup blood orange juice and one-half teaspoon salt in a small bowl and let sit 5 minutes. Whisk in the remaining one-half cup olive oil, and a drop or two of orange flower water (be careful, it can be overpowering; a little goes a long way). Taste for balance and seasoning. Carefully toss the beets in a bowl with half the vinaigrette and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning.
6. Place one-third of the beets on six chilled plates, loosely in a random pattern. Continue arranging the oranges, mint and remaining beets, layering the ingredients, letting them intertwine but not pile up on one another too much. You should have a beautiful, natural-looking mosaic effect. Spoon the rest of the vinaigrette over the salads and sprinkle a few drops of orange flower water over each one.
Each serving: 303 calories; 3 grams protein; 25 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fiber; 22 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 79 mg. sodium.
PINK GRAPEFRUIT AND FENNEL SALAD WITH CRAB
Total time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
2 pink grapefruit
1 head fennel
1/4 red onion
Salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup torn arugula
4 ounces lump Dungeness crab meat
1. Peel the grapefruit and cut it into sections: Using a very sharp knife, cut off the top and the bottom of the grapefruit, so it will sit flat on the cutting board. Starting where you see the pink grapefruit separate from the white pith, cut away one section of peel and pith, following the line of the fruit. This will expose the underlying fruit. Continue cutting away sections of the peel and pith until only fruit remains. When you’re done, go back over the fruit, removing any traces of pith.
2. Working over a small bowl to catch the juice, slice the fruit into sections -- make a cut between the fruit and membrane, then do the same on the other side, freeing pure fruit. Repeat until you have removed all the fruit from the membrane. Squeeze any juice from the remaining membrane into the bowl. You will need about 2 tablespoons
3. Quarter the fennel lengthwise and remove the triangular core at the center. Use a mandolin or a very sharp knife to slice the fennel as thin as possible, about one-eighth inch; you’ll have about 3 cups, lightly packed. Do the same with the red onion; you’ll have about one-half cup. Combine the fennel and red onion in a large bowl.
4. Add one-half teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes to the reserved grapefruit juice and whisk in the olive oil.
5. Toss the fennel with just enough of the dressing to lightly moisten it. Arrange the fennel on a platter in a low mound.
6. Add the arugula to the same bowl and toss to moisten it; you may need to add another teaspoon of vinaigrette. Arrange the arugula on top of the fennel.
TANGERINE, BUTTER LETTUCE AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD
Total time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
1/3 cup hazelnuts
2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
Salt
2 teaspoons minced shallots
3 tablespoons hazelnut oil
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 pound tangerines, peeled, broken into segments and stripped of any pithy strings
1 head butter lettuce, cored and torn into bite-sized pieces (about 4 cups)
3 ounces crumbled goat cheese
1. Toast the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet in a 400-degree oven until they smell toasty, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately cover with a damp kitchen towel. Let stand 10 minutes, then wrap the hazelnuts in the towel and rub to remove as much of the papery skin as possible. Chop coarsely; you should have about one-fourth cup
2. Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, one-half teaspoon salt and shallots in a small bowl and let stand 10 minutes to let the shallots soften. Whisk in the hazelnut and vegetable oil.
3. Combine the hazelnuts and butter lettuce in a large bowl. Pour over just enough of the dressing to moisten lightly, tossing gently. Season to taste with more salt if necessary. Arrange the lettuce on a platter in a low mound.
4. Add the tangerines to the same work bowl and toss to coat lightly with any vinaigrette remaining in the bowl. Scatter the tangerines over the top of the lettuce. Scatter the crumbled goat cheese over the top and serve immediately.
Each serving: 265 calories; 7 grams protein; 8 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 23 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 16 mg cholesterol; 257 mg sodium; 5 grams sugar.
7. Add the grapefruit and crabmeat to the same bowl and toss very gently to avoid breaking up the citrus or the crab. You want it barely moistened; if you need, add another teaspoon of vinaigrette. Arrange this on top of the arugula and serve immediately.
Each serving: 224 calories; 8 grams protein; 18 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 14 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 21 mg cholesterol; 284 mg sodium; 8 grams sugar.
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