Primal Salad with Figs, Bacon and Toasted Pecans Recipe

shelley — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:33:01 +0000

Have you ever eaten a fresh fig? It doesn’t surprise me that many people have not. Their season is relatively short and they can cost $1 or more per fig. Even at that price, however, it is hard for this primal eater to pass up such a sweet fruit that is so versatile in the kitchen. You can eat figs raw, sautee them with butter, roast them in the oven, even deep-fry them (can’t wait to try that!). Figs would also make a perfect base ingredient for a primal dessert. Given their syrupy, sweet interiors, I expected figs to score pretty high on the glycemic index. Surprisingly, according to this glycemic index table, fresh figs score a mere 35, which means they have a low impact on blood sugar.

Last night I made a fancy dinner for just Dave and I. It was an ordinary Thursday but sometimes it’s fun to make a nice dinner for no good reason. We kicked things off with an expensive (for us) bottle of Malbec and then moved on to this salad with the figs. The entree was carmelized scallops with a balsamic reduction sauce (recipe to come). I made ’starter’ salads but this would make an amazing entrée-sized salad, too. Eat it outside with a nice glass of wine. Top it with some gorgonzola cheese if you are so inclined.

Salad with Figs, Bacon and Toasted Pecans

The proportions here are approximate. I tend not to measure when it comes to salads. I recommend adding as little or as much of any particular ingredient as appeals to you. I also included some ingredient substitutions that I think would work just as well. Use what you have!

Salad:
3 cups of mixed greens (using or mixing in some bitter greens, such as dandelion greens, makes a nice flavor addition)
1/3 cup of toasted pecans or walnuts (toast raw nuts by placing them on a cookie sheet in a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes)
4 slices bacon, cut into ¼ inch pieces and fried until crisp
2 fresh figs, cut into wedges

Dressing:
1 tsp minced shallot
2 tbsp Olive oil
2 tbsp White balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, or white wine vinegar
Salt and fresh ground pepper

Combine salad ingredients, except figs, in a large bowl, set aside. To make the dressing, combine the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until combined (I actually use a mini food processor so I don’t have to fuss with mincing the shallots). Dress the salad and toss. Divide onto two plates and top each with the fig wedges.

Yield: 2 salads

This post is participating in Fight Back Fridays at Food Renegade

Salad with Creamy Curry-Lime Dressing and Seared Shrimp Recipe

shelley — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 15:09:48 +0000

Inspired by the homemade mayonnaise I made yesterday I decided to create a primal dressing for one of the many salads I will be eating over the next several days (see my post on my CSA farm share). I got the idea for the flavors in this salad one especially frantic afternoon a few weeks ago. I rushed into Whole Foods hoping to find a quick bite before my night class. I ended up with a delicious curry tofu salad. Unfortunately I am pretty sure it had loads of sugar in it. I added a small amount of agave nectar to the dressing here but if you want to make this 100% primal, it would be good without, too.

I frequently just defrost a few shrimp at a time to top a salad or go with some other vegetable dish. However, other sources of protein, such as chicken, steak, or pork tenderloin would go wonderfully with this salad as well, and might be less trouble depending on what you have on hand.

Salad with Creamy Curry-Lime Dressing and Seared Shrimp

For the salad:
4 cups or more chopped salad greens (I used a mixture of spinach and red-leaf lettuce)
½ cucumber, chopped
2 large green onions, sliced thin
½ apple, cored, chopped
½ red bell pepper, chopped
1 large carrot, shredded
¼ c. golden raisins

For the dressing:
2 tbs homemade mayonnaise
1 tsp curry powder
juice from half a lime
1 tsp agave nectar (this is optional – I liked the little bit of sweetness this gave the dressing)

For the shrimp:
10-12 raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used rather large ones, 12-15 ct/lb)
salt, pepper
pinch of sugar (again, optional. This gives the shrimp a nice, carmelized exterior)
1 tbs coconut oil

Assemble the salad in a large bowl. Assemble the dressing and combine with the salad. Divide the salad among two large plates.

Mix the shrimp with the salt, pepper and sugar in a bowl. Heat the coconut oil on medium-high heat until very hot. Add the shrimp and cook for approximately 4 minutes, turning half way. Top salad with cooked shrimp.

Makes 2 large salads

This Primal Life » salads

Primal Salad with Figs, Bacon and Toasted Pecans Recipe

Salad with Figs, Bacon and Toasted Pecans

Salad with Creamy Curry-Lime Dressing and Seared Shrimp Recipe

Salad with Creamy Curry-Lime Dressing and Seared Shrimp