salad is one of those go-to dinners that doesn't take much preparation, or sometimes even much thought. and for someone without a dishwasher, salads prove to (for the most part) be an easy cleanup. salad night, is also known as one-bowl-to-clean-night. creating salads is somewhat of a way for me to clean less, and to have more time at night to get stuff done, like wedding planning. we're a little under two months away and much of the larger items are taken care of. we have definitely procrastinated on the smaller things like place cards, table numbers, favors, even our wedding cake and wedding bands. i have titled myself the most non-bride ever. my mom calls me "zen bride", i'm not sure how much of that is true, but i'll take it. frank however gets to see another side of me: the one that wakes up in the middle of the night or at the crack of dawn with a laundry list of things to get done. he calms me and assures me it will all get done, but when i say!? and then it works itself out. kind of like this salad. it kind of just worked itself out; it didn't come from a recipe book, nor was it adapted from another blog. it was a culmination of what was looking cute at the farmer's market and my dream of a creamy vegan dressing.
the dressing can be molded and shaped by what you like. don't care for garlic? cut it out and add more shallot. like a lot of garlic? add more than a couple cloves. adjust the seasoning to your liking as well as the amount of lemon juice. next time i would even add a handful of herbs into the mixture, maybe some lemon thyme, or parsley.
roasted radish + garlic salad with coconut milk dressing
| serves 2 for dinner, and 4 as a side dish
for the dressing i used full fat canned coconut milk, i'm sure the 'light' coconut milk would work here too. however, i'm not sure how the boxed coconut milk (So Delicious) would be. if you use it, please let me know how it turns out. before i opened the can i shook it well; sometimes the coconut fat and liquid separate. as for the salad, if you're using fresh young garlic - as i did here - you can use more cloves that with store bought or more mature garlic. the young garlic is more subtle, and therefore you can use and tolerate more of it.
3.5 ounces radishes (about 2 handfuls) cleaned and sliced lengthwise
1 small head of garlic, peeled and separated (reserve 2 small roasted cloves for the dressing)
2 large handfuls pea shoots, mache, or sprouts, washed and dried
3.5 ounces mixed baby greens, washed and dried
2 small carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1/4 cup cashews, toasted
| for the dressing
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
2 small garlic cloves, roasted
1 tablespoon shallot, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
| directions
pre heat the oven to 425°
in a medium bowl, coat the cut radishes and garlic with olive oil and sprinkle with large grain sea salt. place in oven and cook for 12-15 minutes, rotating halfway through. let cool. lower the heat to 350° and toast cashews for 5-6 minutes, until lightly brown and fragrant. let cool
while radishes are roasting, wash and dry your greens, and cut the carrots
in a large bowl, toss mixed greens, pea shoots, carrots, cooled radishes and garlic. add dressing and mix. break up the cashews between your fingers and top the salad with them. serve and enjoy
| dressing directions
in a miniature food processor, add the coconut milk, olive oil, roasted garlic, shallot, and lemon juice. puree until smooth. add salt and pepper to taste (if you don't have a small processor, mince the shallot and garlic by hand and whisk the ingredients until combined.) let the dressing rest in the refrigerator until ready to use