Every Thanksgiving my son-by-marriage, Jay, makes a great salad using mixed greens, pomegranate seeds, walnuts and feta cheese. Then, the other day I came across an article on cauliflower that I had saved from The Philadelphia Inquirer. The writer of the article wrote about using grated cauliflower, which I put on the previous avocado recipe the other day. Now I can make holiday salad recipes that are dairy free, for those who avoid dairy for health reasons or because they are vegans. (Seehttp://www.menupause.info/glossary/)

The three ingredients I want to highlight are: walnuts, and cauliflower, and pomegranates. (Read also about cauliflower under Golden Beet Soup featured a few days ago.)

Walnuts are an excellent source of Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids, a heart protective fat that must be taken from our diets. The Omega 3s also help with cognitive function, have anti-inflammatory functions, may be helpful for those with rheumatoid arthritis, and for those with skin problems such as psoriasis and eczema. The source of this information, www.whfoods.com, also notes that walnuts contain the antioxidant ellagic acid, which supports the immune system and has anticancer properties.

Cauliflower, which I mentioned in Golden Beet Soup last week, also is considered an anticancer food. This cruciferous veggie contains compounds that increase the liver’s ability to neutralize potentially toxic substances. Additionally, cruciferous vegetables, such as cauliflower, are known to reduce the risk of a number of cancers, especially lung, colon, breast, ovarian and bladder cancer. Finally, recent research shows that crucifers provide significant cardiovascular benefits, as well. Source: www.whfoods.com

Pomegranates have been in the limelight for some time now, because of theitantioxidant (Seehttp://www.menupause.info/glossary/) qualities. They are low in calories and a good source of potassium.Pomegranate juice may also help to prevent prostate cancer and help to prevent plaque build up in arteries. Finally, pomegranate seeds appear to boost the immune system. (Source:www.about.com)

Even though you can buy the seeds already removed from the fruit itself, I prefer to peel my own. I came across a little booklet from POM, the company that has successfully promoted pomegranate juice. It explains how to remove the seeds underwater. The directions are verbatim:

1. Slice off both ends of the pomegranate so it will stand up steadily. Score the husk in quarters.
2. Submerge the fruit and break apart in a bowl of water to free the arils (seeds).They will sink to the bootm of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top. Discard the membrane.
3. Drain the liquid and put the arils to one side. Now you are ready to enjoy fresh arils with your favorite dishes and recipes.

Note: I did this before Thanksgiving and froze the arils, but upon thawing, they became soggy, so I do not recommend freezing them.

Holiday Salad with Pomegranate & Walnuts

This salad is made with feta cheese, not cauliflower, but if you grate enough of this veggie, it should look like this, unless you want to toss the cauliflower throughout the greens….your choice.

Utensils: Cutting board, knife, bowl for pom seeds, strainer or salad spinner, bowl for salad
Prep. Time: 15 minutes if pomegranate seeds are gathered earlier; otherwise, add 10 minutes to do the pomegranate
Cooking Time: None
Category: Gluten Free and Dairy Free if cauliflower is substituted for feta cheese

Ingredients

one head organic lettuce (Try Boston or red tipped curly leaf lettuce) or mixed greens
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or candied walnuts)
1 cup pomegranate seeds (called arils)
salt & pepper and your favorite dressing
1/2 c. or more of feta cheese or 1/2 c. or more of grated, organic cauliflower

Directions

1. Wash and spin dry lettuce or mixed greens. If using leaf lettuce, tear leaves into small pieces.
2. Add walnuts, pomegranate seeds, and salt & pepper.
3. Toss with your favorite dressing and top with feta cheese or grated cauliflower.

Serve immediately. Feel free to add other items of your choice.

Holiday “Snow” Salad

Utensils: Cutting board, knife, strainer or salad spinner, bowl for salad
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: None
Category: Gluten Free & Vegan

Ingredients

One head organic lettuce or mixed greens
One or two pieces fennel bulb,sliced
8-12 Organic cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 – 1 cup grated, organic cauliflower
Sprouts (I used my own mixture of clover, alfalfa, & radish)
Salt & Pepper to taste and your favorite dressing

Directions

1. Wash and spin dry the greens or lettuce, tearing lettuce leaves into small pieces
2. Wash and slice tomatoes or leave whole if small enough. Slice fennel bulb.
3. Wash & grate cauliflower and set aside.
4. Toss salad greens, tomatoes, and fennel with salt & pepper and your favorite dressing.
5. Add sprouts and grated cauliflower and serve immediately. (Dressing tends to make sprouts soggy and take away the snow white look of the cauliflower.)

I almost never deep fry. One exception: potato latkes (pancakes) at Hanukkah. There are probably as many latke recipes as there are Jewish cookbooks, but I gathered today’s recipes from the hints and suggestions of friends and came up with one or two that are really simple, just potatoes, onions or scallions, and optional eggs or carrots.

These are the organic, thin-skinned potatoes I used, leaving the skins on when I grated the potatoes.

Potato Latkes #1

Utensils: Fry pan, cutting board & knife, food processor or hand grater, bowl
Prep. Time: 10-15 minutes
Cook. Time: 5- 10 minutes
Category: Vegetarian, gluten-free
Note: If you are going to make a “lotta latkes” consider preheating the oven to keep the first batch warm

Ingredients

3-4 potatoes (I use small, organic potatoes with light yellow skins and leave them on), scrubbed and cut into chunks
1 egg, beaten
1/2 small onion, cut coarsely
salt& pepper to taste
peanut or olive oil
organic applesauce &/or sour cream/yogurt

Directions

Hint: Preheat your fry pan with oil before grating the potatoes, enough to allow the latkes to “swim in shallow waters.”The raw ‘taters turn brown quickly, so you want to be ready to fry them as soon as they are grated and mixed. If you are using a non-stick pan, don’t preheat.

1.Place 1/2 the potato chunks and half the onion in the food processor on grate and whir until shredded. Place in a bowl while grating the other half.
2. Whip up the egg and add to the potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix well.
3. Take a large spoonful of the potato/egg mixture ad place in the pan heated with oil. (Actually, the amount of oil is not as much as real deep frying.)Flatten with the back of the spoon and fry until crisp on one side; flip over and fry the other side. The amount of crispness is up to you. (My husband likes almost burnt!) Since there is no flour, they may spread, so space them far enough apart to be able to flip them.
5. Remove the cooked latkes and place on a paper towel to drain. Serve as soon as possible, or place in oven while you fry the rest of the potatoes.
6. Serve warm with applesauce and/or sour cream. Makes about 5 – 6 medium-sized latkes.

Potato Latkes #2

Utensils: Fry pan, cutting board & knife, food processor or hand grater, bowl, spatula
Prep. Time: 10-15 minutes
Cook. Time: 5- 10 minutes, depending on desired doneness
Category: Vegan, Gluten-free
Note: If you are going to make a “lotta latkes,” consider preheating the oven to keep the first batch warm.

Ingredients

3-4 organic potatoes (See above)
one carrot, sliced into chunks
2-3 scallions (white part), minced
salt& pepper to taste
peanut or olive
non-dairy sour cream and/or organic applesauce

Directions

Hint: Preheat your fry pan and add oil before grating the potatoes. They turn brown quickly, so you want to be ready to fry them as soon as they are grated and mixed. If you are using a non-stick, don’t preheat.

1. Place 1/2 potato chunks, carrot chunks, and scallions in food processor and shred. Place in a bowl. Put the other half of the veggies in the food processor and shred; add to bowl.
2. Drop soup spoonfuls of the mixture into the pre-heated, oiled fry pan, allowing them room to spread when you press them down with the back of your spoon.(Because these have no eggs and no flour, they tend to fall apart if made too large, so keep them smaller than the recipe above.) Fry on one side; flip; fry on the other to desired doneness.
3. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with applesauce or non-dairy sour cream. Makes 6-7 small latkes.

Note: For “traditional” latkes, made with flour, eggs, and onions, feel free to Google potato latkes.

P.S. Thanks to my daughterBasha for these lovely ginkgodishes with tiny ones for the applesauce and sour cream They were her Hanukkah present to me last year.