So, I served this salad at a JazzVox pre-concert meal on Sunday, May 14th. The following Tuesday morning we left for Europe. So, I’m pretty sure you understand why I didn’t post this recipe until we returned.

But I must say, for being such a simple recipe, this salad was a hit, thanks to Kate from the cookieandkate.com cooking site. (A great site BTW. Check it out!) And of course, being me, I did make a few insignificant changes. But boy oh boy, this is one terrific tasting salad. Crunchy and very easy to make. And not only is it healthy and mayonnaise free, its vegetarian and vegan as well. (At least I think it’s vegan.) (I’m not really an expert on vegan.)

Anyway, now that I’m home and finished posting my trip report (always a priority), I am back to posting recipes.

So, I hope you make this salad and enjoy it as much as our guests did. And I know, no bacon. How can you possibly make a broccoli salad without bacon? Well, take it from me, no one seemed to mind the lack of bacon at all. Not one person came up to meet ranting and raving about the lack of bacon in the salad. They just told me how much they loved it. And I must say, our guests have pretty decerning palates. These are jazz lovers! I rest my case!

And sorry, no picture. But I was crazy busy and completely forgot to photograph the salad. But take it from me, it looks like every other broccoli salad you have ever seen.

Well, that’s it for today. Both of us have colds. (And no, we didn’t catch our colds on our return flight from Europe. I woke up with a scratchy throat the day we were leaving. And since have generously shared my illness with Mr. C.) Not Covid, because we have tested multiple times. Never-the- less, we have not had a cold as nasty as this in years. So, take care. Our friends report that they too have had really bad colds. Something very contagious is definitely making the rounds.

So, take it easy if you can. Pamper yourself and those around you.

And as always, peace and love from our house to yours.

⅓ c. finely chopped red onion

ice water

⅓ c. extra-virgin olive oil

2 T. apple cider vinegar

2-3 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 T. honey

1/8 tsp. granulated garlic

1/8 tsp. granulated onion

1/8 tsp. fine sea salt

freshly ground black pepper (not too much)

1 lb. (about 6 cups) broccoli florets and peeled stalks roughly chopped

½ c. sunflower seeds  

⅓ c. golden raisins, chopped

Combine the red onion* and ice water in a small bowl. Make sure the onion is under water. Let the onion mellow out while you make the dressing and chop the veggies. Then drain the onion and pat dry before adding it to the bowl with the broccoli.  

In a salad bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, granulated garlic, granulated onion, salt, and black pepper together.

Add the chopped broccoli, sunflower seeds, golden raisins, and chopped red onion.

Stir until all ingredients are coated with the dressing.

I highly recommend letting the salad marinate for at least 20 minutes, or overnight in the refrigerator is even better. Give the salad a good stir before serving. You might even want to give the salad a taste and add salt if required.

*It seems to me that red onions seem to be getting “hotter” than I remember them being in the past. So, letting the cut onion spend some quality time in ice water helps reduce the onion’s bite. This is true for other onions and shallots too.  

OK, for those of you who have not had the distinct pleasure of eating quinoa (pronounced “keen-wah”), have I got a great new vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free, make ahead salad recipe for you. But before I go any further, perhaps you would like to know a bit about quinoa. (For those of you who already know all about this amazing seed, please feel free to skip the next paragraph.) But for those of you who were lucky enough to be born with inquiring minds, but have yet to discover this ancient food, allow me to provide you with a bit of information on the subject.

Quinoa originated in the Andean region of Ecuador, Bolivia, Columbia, and Peru where it was successfully domesticated about 5,000 years ago. According to the Huffington Post web site, quinoa is high in protein (its protein balance is similar to milk and has more protein than rice, millet, or wheat), is a good source of riboflavin (riboflavin helps reduce frequency of migraine attacks by improving the energy metabolism within the brain and muscle cells), is alkaline-forming (helps balance the bloods pH level), has only 172 calories per ¼ cup of dry quinoa, is gluten free, and is a complex carbohydrate that helps our bodies maintain a lower glycemic index.

So, when I was figuring out the menu for an upcoming home concert, I decided to serve 3 salads, 2 of which I wanted to be both vegetarian and vegan. (The third, Quick and Easy Cole Slaw (recipe soon to be published) would also be vegetarian, but because mayonnaise would be the main dressing ingredient, it would not be vegan.) So, I decided on a simple green salad with mustard-herb dressing. And then, why not a salad made with quinoa.

So, as I was researching other cooks’ recipes for quinoa salad, I decided to also look at my own recipes containing this healthy ingredient. And there, in living color was my warm side dish recipe for Lemony Quinoa with Fresh Herbs. After glancing at the ingredients, I thought this could easily be made vegetarian and served as a salad. (Sometimes I even impress myself.) (Mind you, not as often as it would please me to be able to brag about to one and all.) Anyway, I modified my existing recipe to fit my needs, and the recipe you see below is the result. And it was really delicious.  

So, if you too would like to serve a healthy salad to your family and friends, that can be made ahead, and almost everyone can eat, this is the recipe for you.

Well, that’s it for today. Both Mr. C. and I are in recovery mode. Last Sunday we hosted a luncheon and classical music concert for our friends who are themselves classical musicians, friends of the musicians performing on Sunday, or our friends who regularly listen to classical music. It was so amazing. Most people are used to hearing Mr. C. play straight up jazz, jazz infused rock and blues, jazz standards and soul, and traditional tango music. So, hearing him play classical music was a side of Mr. C’s talents they had yet to hear. For me, it was a dream come true. I am a classical music lover. So, to have people in our home who are also passionate about classical music was simply heaven.

May you too also continue to enjoy what makes you happy and brings you peace. It doesn’t matter if it’s travel, or watching football, or taking trips in your RV, or cooking a great meal for your family, or reading books, or hiking, or playing golf, etc. What matters is that you take the time to do something that feeds your soul. And it makes you happy.

We need all the help we can get during these difficult times. We are all on a roller coaster. If we don’t take good care of ourselves, we aren’t going to be able to help others endure the havoc a few very wealthy, irresponsible people are imposing on our country. It truly does take a village.

Peace and love to all.  

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil  

1 c. dry quinoa, well rinsed (I used tricolored quinoa)

1⅓ c. vegetable broth  

pinch kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp. lemon zest

2 T. fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste

1 T. chopped fresh basil

⅓ c. loosely packed finely chopped Italian parsley

 In a medium saucepan, heat oil and add rinsed quinoa. Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the quinoa is lightly toasted.

Add broth, salt, and pepper.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes or until the broth is entirely absorbed. Stir periodically.

Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Let the cooked quinoa sit until mostly cooled, then stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice.

When completely cooled stir in the chopped basil and parsley, fluff again with fork until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning and add additional lemon juice if desired.

Cover and refrigerate. Remove from the fridge about 45 minutes before needed and fluff again just before serving.

OK, I had never (to the best of my knowledge) tasted a sweet pickle before making this salad. I’m a dill and bread and butter pickle gal. Well, that is, until I offered to make one of the salads for Duck Fest. Allow me to describe “Duck Fest”. An annual get-together for friends to eat duck (this time duck mousse, duck quesadillas, duck tenders, 5 salads, and the best cake you ever tasted).

This was this year’s Duck Fest cake. Amazing to look at, and irresistibly delicious. Part of the cake was chocolate and the other white cake with a blueberry filling. Yum to the max!

To this event, each person is asked to bring a “duck” gift wrapped in a brown paper bag. Then it’s a regular white elephant gift exchange where guests exchange gifts that are impractical or humorous. The goal is to have fun, not to get a valuable gift. Players then draw numbers and take turns picking a gift from the pile. Players can also steal a gift that another player has opened. But hosts Mark and Vicki have limited the “steals” to only one. Good thinking! Otherwise, it’s just too chaotic. (And presently, we all have enough “chaotic” in our lives.)  Anyway, it’s a fun event. And all of us who are lucky enough to be invited always have a great time. And thank you Mark and Vicki for yet another wonderful afternoon of friends, fun, and wonderful food. But back to this salad.

Vicki gave me the recipe from the foodiecrush.com site and provided the ingredients. She had made a couple of changes to the recipe herself, but I told her I would follow the recipe closely. Which I did. Almost. But I have been experiencing more and more how raw onions often have a sharp taste. So, soaking cut onions in ice water that you plan to serve raw significantly reduces the strong, pungent flavor by leaching out the sulfur compounds responsible for the sharp taste. So, that’s what I did. I also may have inadvertently added a bit more chopped sweet pickle to the mix. My bad!

But let me make this perfectly clear. This recipe makes for one delicious macaroni salad. It’s easy to prepare. It should be made ahead. And it feeds an army. Although the recipe calls for hard boiled eggs, I personally think they could be left out and no one would know the difference. And eggs, well, they’re a bit pricy now. So, forget the eggs if you must and spend those extra dollars on good quality pasta instead. Using good quality pasta and cooking it al denté is the key to making any macaroni salad better.

The other tiny, itsy-bitsy modification I made was what I always do when preparing salad ahead of time. I take the salad out of the fridge before serving it, stir it, taste it, and if not perfect, I figure out what is needed to make it better. In this case, the salad was a bit dry, and it needed just a bit more pickle flavor. So, I made a bit more dressing and chopped up a couple more pickles.  

I do this every time I serve a salad that has been happily residing in my fridge overnight. And why I never serve salad to guests in the original mixing bowl. And yes, it means one more bowl to wash. But we all eat with our eyes first. And a messy bowl of salad is not as appealing as one served in a nice bowl with a bit of something decorating the surface.

Well, that’s it for today. I’m just about finished with Louise Penny’s 2024 book entitled The Grey Wolf set once again in and around the Québec village of Three Pines. Great writing as always. So, I recommend you read this book. And make this salad. You will not be disappointed. You can even eat this salad while reading this book. A two thumbs up if ever there was one!

And as always, peace and love to all.  

1 lb. sm. tube shaped pasta like ditalini or tubetti (small shells or small elbow macaroni works too)

⅓ red onion, finely minced

2 celery ribs, diced (leaves too) 

1 red bell pepper, small dice

1 yellow or orange bell pepper, small dice

 heaping ½ c. chopped sweet pickles (sweet gherkins) 

1 c. mayonnaise

¼ c. plus 1 tablespoon sweet pickle juice

2 tsp. granulated sugar

1½ T. Dijon mustard

½ tsp. kosher salt, or more to taste

freshly ground black pepper

3 hard-boiled eggs, diced, opt.

1-2 T. chopped fresh parsley, opt.

Cook the pasta in salted water until al denté. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water until the pasta is cool to the touch. Shake the colander to drain away as much pasta cooking water as possible. While the pasta sits, toss it occasionally with clean hands. (I drain the pasta and just leave it sitting in the colander in my sink while I chop the veggies and do all the other prep work.)

Place the finely minced red onion in a bowl with ice water. Set aside for about 20 minutes before draining. Dry the minced onion in a paper towel.  

Place the cut celery, minced red and yellow bell peppers, chopped sweet pickles, and onion in a large mixing bowl.  

In a small mixing bowl, whisk the mayo, pickle juice, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper together.

Add the dressing to the veggie mixture along with the drained pasta and chopped hard boiled eggs. Stir carefully so as not to break up the chopped hard-boiled eggs.

Taste and adjust seasoning.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, but even better if refrigerated overnight.

Before serving, especially if the salad has been refrigerated overnight, stir the salad and if it seems a bit dry, make just ⅓-½ cup more dressing (rough estimate of amounts) and ⅓ cup more minced pickles and add them to the mix. Stir the salad again, taste, and add salt and/or pepper as needed.

Transfer the salad to a nice salad bowl and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley.

Best when allowed to be unrefrigerated for about an hour before serving.