Near & Far Giveaway: Radicchio Salad w/ Figs & Walnuts


Heidi Swanson is one of the original food bloggers, starting her food blog 101 Cookbooks, 12 years ago, and one of the first blogs I ever read.

She is also a pioneer in the world of healthy foods.
Cooking and baking with healthy and natural ingredients, such as agave, amaranth, nut flours, quinoa and coconut products.
I had never even heard of these ingredients until I started reading food blogs such as Heidi's.

I recently met Heidi at her Near & Far book launch at Food52 and she was beautiful, as well as nice and believe it or not, shy!


Her new book Near & Far travels thru her home in San Fran; France; Italy; Morocco; and Japan.

Beautiful gentle photographs of her travels accompany lovely simple recipes to match.

The first recipe I tried was a simple salad made w/ radicchio and arugula.

What makes this salad so unique is the dressing. It uses a tsp of heavy cream. Don't skip it, it really finishes the salad.

And of course you know I was attracted to this salad because it uses figs!
I like dried figs even better than fresh ones, just saying.


Heidi's Salad w/ Radicchio, Arugula, Figs & Walnuts (adapted from Near & Far)

juice of 1 lemon
sea salt
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp finely crushed whole coriander seed
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon heavy cream
4.5 ounces arugula, shredded
1 medium head radicchio (about 10 ounces), cored and shredded into 1/4-inch ribbons
1/2 cup walnut halves, toasted and cooled
3 ounces Pecorino cheese or Parmigiano cheese, grated or sliced
3.5 ounces dried figs, stems removed and cut in half

Combine the lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, the honey, and coriander in a bowl or jar. Whisk in the olive oil, followed by the heavy cream. Taste, and adjust with more of any of the ingredients if needed.

Combine the arugula, radicchio, and walnuts in a large bowl. Toss with two-thirds of the dressing until well coated. Add the cheese and figs and more dressing if needed and toss again.


and I have 3 signed copies of Near & Far to give away.....so please leave a comment about your favorite salad and 3 winners will be chosen randomly. Don't forget to leave your name and email address! (duh).

Comments

Katie C. said…
I like a basic green salad with tomato, cucumber, red onion, celery, parsley, and egg!
NATHALIE B said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Elizabeth said…
I like lots of salads, but these days I could go for a hearty winter salad with roasted delicata squash. Thanks for the contest and the blog!
Unknown said…
y favorite salad changes with the season. I love a vinaigrette made with shallots and a little mustard on almost any seasonal ingredients. Sometimes goat cheese or a little blue cheese crumbles on top pretty much makes it a meal. Your beautiful salads remind me to try new ingredients all of the time. Thanks.
Lali said…
One of my favorites right now is a celery salad with lemon vinaigrette, chopped dates, toasted chopped almonds with shavings of Parmesan cheese..don't forget the celery leaves as a garnish...it's really good and a nice fall-winter salad. You are my go to for most of my recipes...thanks so much!!

Rosie
Natalia said…
I'm a huge salad fan! Any wild greens (arugula, mache, endive, radicchio, spinach) with fruit & nuts and some cheese. My favorite dressing - cold pressed olive oil, a vinegar (white balsamic is my favorite!), some salt & pepper and fresh herbs - voila!

Will have to try this salad - it looks yummy!
Natalia
nkbilash@gmail.com
Terrah said…
I've just made a salmon salad..the salmon was mixed with greens, quinoa, and tomatoes. I topped the salad with a lemon pepper mixture from the grinder, and best of all, I topped everything with honey Dijon salad dressing.

email: justaskwriter@gmail.com
cyclingrandma said…
Love salads with some cheese, some nuts, some fruit. Feta & Watermelon, arugula & fig, anything really.
Lali said…
forgot my email...sorry

rosie.remora@gmail.com
Chris r. said…
I love a traditional Greek Salad. As a side or a meal, add a protein and it totally works for me!

reardoncd@comcast.net
Unknown said…
Salads that have dimension and textural variations as well as temperatures are my favorite.

Dried Figs or Cherries are my fav - love adding roasted vegetables - and i love mixing greens and herbs as well.. Fresh Salt added before the homemade dressing. My go to is white balsamic, olive oil, cumin, agave, s&p - or a garlic aioli is also a winner. Sometimes it is just some lemon juice and olive oil.

My inspirations come from the other dishes I am serving or not....
Anonymous said…
I love a greek salad (American Greek or tradational greek)... Also Enjoy pear and arugula with cranberries and figs.... Makes me hungry thinking about a yummy salad..

Rosemary
Macy said…
I love all salad EXCEPT those with kale.
Macy.Egerton@gmail.com
Give me a Nicoise salad and I'm happy!

Mary
semslibrarylady@gmail.com
Anonymous said…
I like all kinds of salads and have tried and liked a lot of the recipes you have posted. To use my harvested beets and carrots in the winter, I grate them and add craisins, apple chunks and sliced almonds and dress with a vinaigrette. Thanks for blogging and the great giveaway! Holiday blessings to you.
Cathy
bobcathy@idaho.net
Anonymous said…
I love all your healthy salads , thanks for sharing ,
Natalie
email nbensa0404@gmail.com
Lisa Walker said…
I just like a good salad, love to have some nuts, cheese, fruits/ veggies. Blue cheese and beets, nuts and dried fruits, watermelon and balsamic glaze and of course some edamame, chick peas,etc are good too. Loved reading everyone's comments, everyone seems to have good ideas.

Lisa Walker
lisa23175@yahoo.com
Janice Brunell said…
I'm hooked on Deb's adaptation of the red cabbage/dates/feta salad. So delicious—it's addictive! But then again I love the yellow split peas and salad greens from SuperNatural everyday—I could eat hat every day....but then again.....oh hell it's so hard to choose! Love your blog and inspiration—Jersey girls have such good taste!--Janice
email: janicebrunell@mac.com
Gail said…
I love a salad that has feta, olives, raisins, and roasted peppers. Greek salad is another favorite of mine.

grosenb562@gmail.com
Ciao Chow Linda said…
Oh you and your figs, Miss Stacey. Like you, I love the dried ones almost better than the fresh, unless they're picked fresh off the tree in Italy, where they're so much better than what we get here. Your salad looks very inviting, and I shall try it - with the cream and coriander seed, but then I've always favored salads with arugula and radicchio. I might just add some endive and make it a tricolor.
Unknown said…
Any salad with feta and I'm game!

- Judith
Marty said…
My favorite salad is made with Lamb's ear lettuce, Belgian endive, crispy pancetta and white wine vinegar. I could eat this any day of the week. I love your blog and I hope I win your lottery. ;)
Marty said…
I didn't follow directions very well. My email address is martyvec@gmail.com.
Jeanne said…
Love a salad with arugula, red onions and a simple dressing. Threewishesstudio@gmail.com
Debra Hoehne said…
Spinach, pignolis, strawberry, beets, egg, avocado, tomato, olive oil & red wine vinegar. Yum...:)
debbic@ptd.net
Kayla.Holstad said…
My favorite salad is one from my mom that we grew up eating! Bok Choy Salad

1 stick of butter
2 pkgs plain Ramen noodles, crushed
3 oz. sliced almonds (3/4 cup)
½ cup sesame seeds (~ 2 ounces)
1/3 cup sugar
2 lbs bok choy
4 green onions
2/3 cup salad oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sugar

Make the salad in 3 steps:

1. In a pan melt 1 stick of butter. Add: crushed Ramen noodles, almonds, sesame seeds and sugar. Stir until lightly browned ~5 min. Let cool at room temperature.

2. Chop 2 lbs bok choy and onions into bite size pieces. Refrigerate.

3. Mix together oil, wine vinegar, soy sauce and sugar. Shake salad dressing well until completely mixed through, pour over bok choy and stir to coat. Let sit to soak a few minutes.

Prior to serving, crumble almond mixture over bok choy.

Kayla.holstad@gmail.com
Hi! Jumped on over from Instagram. I started following Heidi for the same reasons as you. SNE was the first cookbook I bought, ever. Needless to say she's influenced my salad life. My favorite is a hearty green like baby spinach with avocado and any toasty nut and strong cheese, with any other add-in I have around and a punch maple-mustard-oil vinagrette... : ) Salvegging-- mermaid.meredith@gmail.com
bigpilot said…
I love any kind of salad with goat cheese in it. I also believe a good salad should have some kind of protein, nuts, vegetables, and cheese for a minimum.
Larry
lawmarks@gmail.com
Anonymous said…
One of my fav salads is the asparagus, lentil pesto combo you posted awhile ago.
This recipe sounds delicious w/figs.
Would love to win this cook-book!
Happy holidays!
Dennee6@hotmail.com (remember 2ns, 2es when you send the email that I won! 😀
Dennee I
Portia825 said…
Spinach salad with sliced naval oranges, thinly sliced red onion, and a light citrus olive oil dressing. Axelrod6@gmail.com. Edna
Anonymous said…
Hello Stacey

Salad is my Summer Comfort Food! Not that I don't eat any in winter, it's just so appropriate for cooling you down on hot humid lazy summer days!


One of my all time favorites is Uborka Saláta,  cucumber salad the Hungarian way.

You peel and slice paper thin slices of cucumber, if you have a mandolin slicer it's easy, if not, use a potato peeler. 

Put your slices in a bowl,  sprinkle generously with salt and let them render their juices.  

In the meantime,  mix together (this is all to your taste, it's not an exact science, let your taste buds guide you!)

About 1 cup of sour cream, lots of garlic, a little bit of sugar, half a cup of vinegar, freshly ground black pepper.

Let this mixture stand until you squeeze out the salted cucumber slices.

When you've squeezed the life out of your cucumber slices,  mix them with the sour cream vinaigrette.  

Now comes the part that separates this Cucumber Salad from other cucumber salads...  Paprika!  Not any kind, real genuine Kalocsai Paprika! Although in a pinch... you can use what you have available, but real hungarian kalocsai sweet paprika is like powdered sunshine!  Sprinkle your salad generously with Paprika and you're done.


My mom used to make this salad, generous amounts of it, with the Sunday meal, but no matter how big the bowl, us kids would always squabble over the last bits.  There never seemed to be enough!


It's even good the next day, if you manage to have leftovers... I never do!


Nowadays I often make it with roast or fried chicken, my husband would walk five miles on his knees for it! 


As we say in Hungarian...  Egészségedre!  To your health!


Marie
homeosante_marie@hotmail.com
Unknown said…
Dear Stacey...having just recently discovered your blog i am excited and eager to read and try so many of your recipes. Absolutely loved your Instagram postings from Paris...what fun! AND, your Thanksgiving menu makes me want to cook it all over again.
I enjoy many types of salads but find a salad that has a contrasting taste and or texture to be so interesting and really fun to eat. I especially like a salty/sweet taste. Feta with fruit or pears with blue cheese. Texture such as Goat cheese with anything crunchy...nuts, celery, pomegranate seeds...you get my thought, right? Thank you for the chance at the fun cookbook giveaway! Looking forward to new blog and Instagram postings. Enjoy the day!
Kimt said…
I love all salads especially with some fruit and of course nuts of any kind. This one looks fabulous and beautiful...so will try immediately.
Amen Kahwajy said…
Not exactly a salad but in this cold weather I love the salad add in for Pho, like the sprouts and cilantro and peppers...very refreshing, warming and light.
Amen Kahwajy said…
Not exactly a salad but in this cold weather I love the salad add in for Pho, like the sprouts and cilantro and peppers...very refreshing, warming and light.
Anonymous said…
I haven't met a salad I didn't like. My standard go to one is made with a mix of lettuces, cucumber, purple cabbage, red onion, carrots, nuts, dried fruit and feta cheese. I like to try different dressing combinations to keep it interesting.



Memd249@verizon.net
This salad has everything I love! I'm living in the south of France, and these things are very available. I will try it with dried figs for winter ... Thanks!
bonnie
Anonymous said…
Leslie:
I love a fresh-from-scratch caesar salad complete with soft boiled egg and anchovies.
leslieannstevenson@yahoo.com
Veena said…
Love an arugula salad with dates, pears and fig vinaigrette (of course, made with Maill mustard).
Anonymous said…
A simple salad with homegrown lettuce a little good olive oil/lemon or good vinegar and salt and pepper - simple, good
Anonymous said…
Mmm, salads are my favorite! One of my favorite salads is from the Jerusalem cookbook. Spinach with dates! I think you've posted it here before. Also, Greek!
-Michelle