RECIPES

Holiday Salad
Serves 8

1# fresh mixed greens, preferably baby greens (cleaned)
2 large tart crisp apples, cored and sliced thin
½ c. currants, soaked in ½ c. Marsala wine
Juice and zest of 1 orange
1 c. spiced pecans (recipe follows)

Grate one orange (for zest)
Squeeze orange over apples to keep them from turning brown. Remove apples from orange juice.
Toss greens in dressing (recipe follows)
Place on plate; fan apples
Spread currents and pecans on top
Garnish with orange zest.

Spiced Pecans
2 T cold water
1 egg white, slightly beaten
½ t. salt
1 T. sugar
¼ t. cinnamon
1/8 t. ground black pepper
2 c. pecan halves

Add water to beaten egg white and dissolve sugar in mixture
Add salt and spices; mix well.
Dip nuts in mixture and place nuts flat side down on greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 250 for 1 hour or until golden brown.

Dressing
1 c. cider
½ c. orange juice (from 1 orange)
1 c. canola oil
2 t. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil cider and orange juice in saucepan until it is reduced by half; cool.
Whisk mustard, salt and pepper, with cider/orange reduction
Slowly whisk in canola oil
Taste and adjust seasoning.

Buy fresh for fabulous holiday dining

Julie Stanley, the owner of Food Dance Café in downtown Kalamazoo, is an advocate of buying locally from the farms, and eating fresh foods. Recently, she shared with the Greater Guide her philosophy about buying fresh and cooking fresh and shared one of her favorite holiday side dish recipes.

For her restaurant and her home, Julie shops at the farmer’s market and buys from local farmers. For instance, her turkeys are purchased from Otto’s Poultry in Middleville, and some of her produce comes from Scobey’s Produce in Wayland along with Blue Dog Greens in Bangor. She says, “The shorter the distance, the better the food.”

Readers might question the differences between fresh and organic. Although it might say “organic” in the grocery store, it still could be coming from large industrial farms, Julie notes. What shoppers think of as organic and what suppliers call organic may be entirely different. When produce is purchased from the farmer or at the farmer’s market, you know that even if it isn’t organic, it is local and fresh picked. Some of the produce at grocery stores is Michigan produce. Look on the tag before you buy.

In the old days, people preserved their foods and stored vegetables and apples in root cellars. Operating on somewhat the same philosophy, Julie and her staff freeze sweet corn and pureed basil among other foods to preserve the harvest. That way, in the dead of winter, there is fresh-tasting sweet corn and basil to put in soups and stews and other side dishes.

When you eat what is in season, your winter eating might include squashes, broccoli, brussel sprouts, potatoes, cranberries, dried fruit, apples, cauliflower, hearty greens and pumpkins. That is why traditional dishes for the holidays often include these foods. Here is a recipe from Julie that uses foods readily available during the holiday season.

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