Pink Berry Rice Picnic Salad

One of the foods I've most missed was the "pink salad" my family traditionally makes for summer potlucks and picnics. So when my grandmother figured out how to make a version that was "safe" for everyone in the family's allergies and food intolerances, I had to make my own version too. Hers had crushed canned pineapple instead of the mandarins, and, since she had previously crushed frozen strawberries, she drained the pineapple and strawberry juice to thicken instead of using apple juice.

You could probably use any type of fruit and fruit juice, and the quantities don't have to be exact. If you use granulated sugar instead of honey, you may need to increase the amounts of both sugar and liquid, or if you have less than a half-cup of liquid, you may want to reduce the starch accordingly.

Approximate amounts:

1/4 cup apple juice
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons starch (I used Kuzu starch this time; tapioca flour or arrowroot powder should work just as well)
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 cup sliced fresh mandarin oranges (this was about 4 tiny oranges, with the segments separated and cut in half)
1 to 2 cups cooked rice (I used 2 cups of cooked brown rice for my version)

Later, you'll need:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon honey
Vanilla to taste, if desired.

Mix the fruit juice and honey in a small saucepan, stir in the starch, and heat slowly, stirring with a whisk to keep it from becoming lumpy, until thickened. Add the sliced fruit and mash with a potato masher or use an immersion blender until the fruit is mashed up to your taste.

Stir in the cooked rice and chill the fruit and rice mixture until it begins to set and is cool enough not to melt your whipped cream. :)

Whip the cream with the honey and vanilla. When the rice and fruit mixture is cool, gently fold in the whipped cream.

You can eat this right away, but the flavors will blend and the rice will soften nicely if you leave it in the refrigerator for a while before serving.

Serve chilled.

My kids loved this, and it's so much healthier than the version we used to make with flavored gelatin and artificial whipped topping. :) If you can have cottage cheese, it could probably be substituted for the rice, but we haven't found an excitotoxin-free version of cottage cheese yet.

Super-Simple Hummus

Zap 3 or 4 whole unpeeled garlic cloves in the microwave for about 20 seconds (or you can roast them in the oven, of course). Then simply pop them out of the peels for this recipe.

Combine in blender:

Garlic cloves
A 15-oz. can of garbanzo beans, including liquid (a 16-oz. can would be fine too, if that's what you have)
1/8 cup olive oil
2 to 3 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Blend until smooth. You may have to pulse it and stop occasionally to stir with a spoon to release a trapped air bubble, as this is very thick. You can add a bit more olive oil, plain yogurt or water if necessary to blend it.

Serve with crackers, bread, chips, raw vegetables and/or whatever else you like to dip. :)

Feel free to tweak the amounts of seasonings, or to add your favorite flavor--sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives or fresh green herbs instead of the cumin might be tasty (though probably not all together. :) ). If your beans aren't already salted, you may want to increase the salt.

Quinoa Apple Salad

This recipe is modified from Martha Stewart's Curried Quinoa Apple Salad recipe.

Rinse 1 cup of dry quinoa well and cook with 2 cups of water. I bring it to a boil in a covered pot, then turn off the burner and leave the pot on the stove for about 20 minutes for perfectly cooked quinoa.

In a separate container mix together for the dressing:

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

2 to 3 tablespoons olive or grapeseed oil

1 teaspoon curry powder (I use a nightshade free curry powder and heap the measurement a bit)

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sweet spice (optional--this is a mixture with cinnamon, cardamom and other sweet spices by the same manufacturer that makes the curry powder I use; I will edit the post to add the name later)

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1 tablespoon diced shallot

Stir the dressing into the cooled cooked quinoa, add 1 diced apple (grannysmith or Gala apples are good in this recipe) and 2 tablespoons currants.

This recipe is excellent chilled. I usually make a double batch and keep it in the refrigerator for a ready-made quick snack.

Gingered Chicken Fruit Salad

My mom makes a fabulous chicken fruit salad that I have fond childhood memories of eating. Unfortunately, it contains apples, grapes, mandarin oranges, celery, almond slivers, cool whip and mayonnaise. Most of which, of course, are ingredients we can't have.

So this week I tried to develop my own version. I thought it turned out well, but DH and the kids weren't crazy about it. Since they generally don't like fruit salad anyway, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. I enjoyed it.

This recipe would be easy to change for various dietary restrictions. Freely substitute any fruit you can have. To make it gluten-free, use rice or seaweed noodles. To make it vegan, you could use cooked beans or tofu instead of the meat. Use your imagination!

Anyway, here's what I put in:

8 to 12 oz. package of pasta, cooked al dente (slightly firm)--I used kamut spirals
2+ cups each of red and green grapes, halved (for a total of between 4 and 5 cups)
1/2 cup diced celery
1 raw zucchini, peeled and diced
2 firm pears (a tad green is fine)
About 5 cups cooked cubed chicken
Other fruit to your taste--I really would have liked to add mandarin oranges or a couple of sliced tangerines or oranges. Since I didn't have any oranges or pineapple, I added a peach and a kiwi fruit.


For the sauce/glaze, mix together:

3 tablespoons Ginger Spread (Trader Joe's makes one that's just ginger and cane sugar)
4-6 tablespoons lemon juice (equivalent to the juice of 2-3 lemons)
2 tablespoons agave nectar (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt (you may want to omit or reduce the salt if your chicken was presalted)

Warm the glaze mixture slightly until it stirs together well. Then stir in:

1 can of cranberry sauce (I used whole-berry Kosher for Passover cranberry sauce; Trader Joe's cranberry sauce also seems to be corn-free)

The lemon-ginger mixture would probably make a great glaze all by itself. I got a bit carried away and added cranberry sauce too.

Drizzle the sauce over the salad and stir to coat. Taste and add more salt, lemon juice or sweetener if needed. Chill salad before serving if desired.