So despite all the musing and worship I receive from family members for being so tech savvy and internet-knowledgeable (I’m on FIVE forms of social media) I’m really quite behind on these things compared to the rest of my generation. Granted, I was one of the first 1,000,000 people to watch the Gangnam Style video (and that new one which was not as funny), so I guess I have some handle on this internet thing.
You bet I did
Anyways, I am unfortunately not very tech savvy/knowledgeable, so it’s taken me this long to figure out how to link this blog to a corresponding Pinterest page. Pinterest? That’s for female nerdy foodie teachers who like crafts and secretly planning weddings that are not even close to being in the works yet. Exactly… of course I’m on Pinterest. If you’re not already this is basically how it works;
So if you are on Pinterest, or have been thinking about it, you should follow my page! There’s a link at the bottom of this post. To illustrate how bad with technology I am, notice how I couldn’t figure out how to make it cool or use the Pinterest logo as my link, so it’s just a text link…stay tuned for Kosher By Default’s adventures in technology, as I try to figure out how to make that a bit better.
SALAD! Today’s dinner is nice and light, and also really delicious.
Seth is demonstrating essentially what I do when I find that magical balance between food that tastes good and is also healthy. Some notes;
Cutting your onions for the dip using a mandolin is so much better because a) it takes you less time to cut, and b) the onions will cook quicker on the stove. Having the onions cut so thin also reduced cooking time by about half, which is nice for those people that don’t have 50 minutes to cook onions. Don’t have a mandolin? You should get one. It’s a lot of fun.
Don’t assemble your salad until right before you want to serve it. You can definitely prep everything in advance, as I have done above, but wait until the last minute to put it all together so everything doesn’t get mashed up/soggy.
CARAMELIZED ONION DIP
Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large yellow onions (1.5 lbs.), finely sliced
1 cup low-fat sour cream
1 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
6 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. In a large pan over medium heat sauté the onions in the olive oil along with a couple of pinches of salt. Stir occasionally with a spatula and cook until the onions are golden brown, and caramelized, 30-40 minutes (more or less depending on how thickly your onions are sliced).
2. Set aside and let cool.
3. In the meantime, combine the sour cream, yogurt, onion powder, and salt. Set aside until the caramelized onions have cooled to room temperature.
4. Dice up 2/3 of the caramelized onions, and add to the mixture.
5. Pour dip into serving bowl and top with the remaining onions.
6. Serve with chips, crackers, or vegetables.
Original – http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/caramelized-onion-dip-recipe.html
WATERMELON AVOCADO AND FETA SALAD
Ingredients
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 cups spinach
3 cups 1-inch watermelon cubes
2 cups peeled and halved cucumber slices
1 firm-ripe avocado, sliced horizontally (make sure it is firm otherwise it will be goopey and not so great for a salad)
3/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
4 tbsp fresh basil, sliced into strips
Salt and pepper
Directions
1. In a small bowl combine the lime juice, olive oil, honey, and salt, and whisk until emulsified.
2. If you’re not a keener and didn’t do so immediately after reading the ingredient list, prep your veggies/fruit now.
3. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, watermelon, cucumber, onion vinaigrette and toss gently.
4. Add in the feta, avocado, basil, and seasoning and mix just to distribute the ingredients evenly.
Original – http://topoftheapple.com/2012/07/14/watermelon-avocado-salad-with-feta/
TOGETHER
Dip 1, while onions cook begin salad 1-2
Dip 2-6
Salad 3-4
Kosher By Default 