Spicy Salads to Keep you Warm

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY NATALIE FINDLAY

Ahearty stew is a traditional comfort meal come the chilly temperatures of fall. What if you want the warmth but not the heaviness of a stew or the time it takes to make? These spicy salads will leave you satiated and warmed up in no time at all.

The pumpkin and lentil salad is a meal unto itself that will satisfy even the hungriest of tummies. Coated with spices and layers of peppers to provide just enough heat to warm you up on the inside.

The roasted kale and pear salad is filled with a variety of flavours and textures that play between sweet and spicy ,and will be happy to stand up beside your favourite protein.

The rice noodle salad is bright and light but definitely brings the heat.

Along with your family favourite winter stews and soups, these salads will add more warmth into your kitchen and your stomach this winter.

Spiced Pumpkin and Lentil Salad with Jalapeño Dressing

Serves 2

1 medium delicata squash Drizzle olive oil 1 tsp ground cumin ½ tsp ground garlic ½ tsp paprika ½ tsp ground coriander To taste sea salt 2 poblano peppers 2 jalapeño peppers 1 bay leaf 2 garlic cloves, rough chop 1 cup dried lentils 3 cups water ½ lime, juiced ¼ cup (60 mL) avocado oil ¼ cup (60 mL) pomegranate arils 1. Preheat oven to 350º F. 2. Slice squash into 3 cm thick rounds. Remove seeds. 3. Season with cumin, garlic, paprika, coriander, and sea salt. Drizzle with olive oil. 4. Bake squash for 15 - 20 minutes or until soft when pierced with a fork. 5. On another baking sheet, roast the poblanos and 1½ jalapeño peppers (reserve ½ a raw jalapeño) for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap to soften. Remove the skin from the flesh of the peppers. Thinly slice the poblano peppers and reserve. 6. In a small pot, add the bay leaf, 1 garlic clove, lentils, water and sea salt. Cook lentils 20-30 minutes until all water has been absorbed and lentils have softened. 7. In a mini food processor or hand blender, add the other garlic clove, lime juice, avocado oil, roasted and reserved raw jalapeño and combine to a purée. Season with sea salt to taste. 8. Toss the lentils together with the dressing. Disperse the lentils between 2 plates and top with the squash, poblano peppers and pomegranate arils. Serve warm.

Spiced Pumpkin

Roasted Pears and Kale with a Spicy Honey Dressing

Serves 2

1 cup honey ½ Tbs (8 mL) chili garlic sauce 1 bunch kale (approx 8 - 10 leaves) 2 cloves garlic, minced To taste sea salt Drizzle olive oil 2 large pears 2 medium red onions ½ cup walnuts 1 tsp dried thyme ½ cup blue cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. 2. In a small bowl combine honey and chili garlic sauce and reserve.

Roasted Pear

3. Remove the vein from the kale and tear leaves into bite size pieces. Season with 1 clove garlic, sea salt and olive oil. 4. Cut pears into 8 wedges and remove the core. Peel onion, trim the ends and cut into wedges. Roughly chop the walnuts. 5. Add the pears, onion and walnuts to a medium bowl and coat with olive oil, garlic, thyme and sea salt. 6. In 1 or 2 baking trays spread the kale, pears, onion, and walnuts. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and stir. Place back in the oven and bake another 10 minutes or until kale and nuts are toasted and pears and onions are softened. Remove from oven. 7. Place ingredients on plates, top with crumbled blue cheese and dressing. Spicy Prawn and Rice Noodle Salad

Serves 2

1 Thai red chili ½ lime, juice 1 tsp fish sauce 2 tsp sugar 2 cm piece ginger, peeled and grated 3 cm piece lemongrass, firm outer leaves removed, minced 3 Tbs (45 mL) rice vinegar 3 small eggplants Drizzle avocado oil 100g vermicelli rice noodles ½ red pepper ½ large carrot 2 Tbs cashews 10 raw prawns Mint leaves for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. 2. Seed and thinly slice the Thai chili. 3. Combine the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, ginger, lemongrass, and rice vinegar in a small pot and heat just until the sugar melts. Remove from heat and add the Thai chili. Reserve. 4. Thinly slice the eggplants and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with avocado oil and a pinch of salt. Bake for 30 minutes, turning after 15 minutes. 5. Fill a medium sized pot ¾ the way with water. Bring to a boil. Add the vermicelli noodles and boil 3-4 minutes. Drain. Run under cold water. Reserve. 6. Thinly slice the red pepper and reserve. Thinly slice the large carrot and reserve. 7. When the eggplant has approximately 10 minutes left to cook, remove from oven and add the cashews to the baking sheet and place back in the oven for the cashews to toast as the eggplant finishes cooking. 8. Shell and devein prawns as desired. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 3 minutes at 350º F. You want the prawns to just be cooked without turning rubbery. Assemble all ingredients between 2 bowls and drizzle with the sauce. 9. Garnish with cilantro and mint leaves as desired.

Spicy Prawn

Natalie is a freelance writer, photographer, and pastry chef. A graduate of Cordon Bleu’s pastry program, she manages her own business too to create custom-made cakes.