In this holiday menu, my Coconut Carrot Soup is a creamy soup at its finest. The combination of carrots, ginger and coconut is so warming and really delicious. Not a ginger fan? It’s easy enough to leave it out.
And what could be better than a recipe that doesn’t require excellent knife skills? Since the soup ingredients are blended, dicing imperfection won’t be noticeable at all.
For the Caesar Salad, making your own dressing is an easy way to cut down on the fat and calories and tailor the taste to your palate. I’m a big garlic fan, but feel free to scale back – your dressing will still be delectable. Romaine hearts hold up especially well against a hearty dressing.
The Lemon Salmon recipe is perfect for a crowd. Little work is required and the end result is so tasty. Roasting lemons really brings out the flavors. You can encourage your guests to squeeze the warm lemon atop the salmon for even more flavor.
The lemon in the Grilled Asparagus nicely complements the salmon without imparting an overpowering lemon flavor. Because one dish has roasted lemon and one has lemon zest, they are bright without being redundant.
If you don’t have a grill pan — it’s a wonderful kitchen item to have, especially if you’re tight for space — you can easily roast the asparagus in the oven for a similar texture. But really, nothing beats the smokiness of a grill.
COCONUT CARROT SOUP
Ingredients:
1 pound carrots, peeled and thinly diced
1 cup diced celery
1 tablespoon diced ginger
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
1 can coconut milk
3 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
coconut milk yogurt, optional
Preparation:
In a large stock pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium low heat, then add the carrots, celery and ginger. Cook until soft, about 18-20 minutes.
In a small skillet, heat the last 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté the onions until translucent, then set aside.
Add the can of coconut milk to the carrot and celery mixture and stir to combine. Add 2 cups of stock and stir to combine.
Place half of the onion into the carrot mixture and place the mixture in a blender to combine until smooth (you can also use an immersion blender directly into the stock pot). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve with remaining sautéed onions and optional coconut yogurt on top.
CAESAR SALAD
Ingredients:
2 large heads romaine lettuce hearts
3/4 cup low fat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard (can be omitted for Passover)
1 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
hot pepper flakes, optional
Preparation:
In a blender or food processor, combine yogurt, olive oil, garlic, mustard and lemon juice.
Taste, then season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Halve each lettuce heart and dice, then place in a large bowl.
Toss the greens with half of the salad dressing to start, adding more to your taste.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.
LEMON SALMON
Ingredients:
1 pound salmon, sliced into 4 fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
1 lemon, thinly sliced
4 sprigs rosemary
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Coat each piece of salmon with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and peppercorns.
Place lemon slices over salmon and roast until cooked to your liking, about 10 minutes or more.
Serve on a platter with rosemary springs.
GRILLED ASPARAGUS
Ingredients:
1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 lemon, zested
Preparation:
Heat a grill pan until hot (or roast in the oven).
Toss asparagus with olive oil and place on grill pan, cooking about 3 minutes each side.
Sprinkle warm asparagus with Parmesan cheese and lemon zest.
Megan Wolf is the author of “Great Meals with Greens and Grains.”
