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Asparagus and green almond risotto (vegan)

9.5.2022 By Juulia Leave a Comment

green almond risottoVegan green almond & asparagus risotto with almond & Amontillado cream

Green almonds & asparagus risotto

Few weeks ago I made an exciting discovery at my local international grocery store: green almonds!!! I’ve never seen these seasonal delicacies IRL, so I instantly grabbed a box and took it home. At home there was a bunch of green asparagus waiting to be used, an open bag of peeled almonds + annoyingly almost empty bottle of Amontillado. One thing led to the other… and soon I had one of the best vegan risottos I’ve ever prepared on my plate!

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almond risotto green almonds

Green almonds

Green almond = young almond. And as you may already know, almond is no nut, but a stone fruit! Almonds are the seeds of the almond fruits. When they are young, their skins are soft, succulent and fuzzy. At this stage, the almond itself is but a translucent little nugget. When the almond is this young, you can eat the whole thing!

The flavor of green almond is fresh, sour, lemony and slightly grassy. There is a distant echo of almond flavor, which will later become more pronounced… but honestly if I didn’t know I’m eating almond, I’d have no idea. The flavor is more reminiscent of rhubarb and common wood sorrel to me! Both are dear flavors of my childhood, so needles to say I fell in love with green almonds at first bite. In Middle Eastern countries fresh green almonds are often dipped in salt and eaten as a snack, and that’s how I like to munch on them too. You can dip them in sugar too, if you have more of a sweet tooth than I have. Green almonds can however be added to all kinds of dishes! Salads, soups, stews, pestos, dips… you name it! You can also pickle them, marinade them or even make green almond liqueur!

green almonds

Season and storage

The season of green almonds is short, and lasts from April to early June. As time passes, that fuzzy green shell hardens and dries up as the almond inside matures. If and when you get your hands on these funny and tasty little things, don’t hesitate to buy them! You’ll likely have to wait a whole year if you don’t – at least if you live in a country such as Finland. Just remember to check the stage of the almonds before cooking: if the shell is tough and bitter it’s best to peel the almonds before using them.

I read that green almonds don’t really store well, so I was prepared to say goodbye to a part of the big box I’d bought. I did my best still, and stored my stash washed, dried and loosely wrapped in ever so slightly damp kitchen towel. This bundle was placed in a plastic container with its lid left open in one corner. Stored like this in the fridge, the green almonds kept well over 2 weeks! And in that time I managed to eat the whole big box.

vegan asparagus risotto

green almond risotto

My recipe today is a vegan risotto made with green almonds and asparagus. The green almonds add in a good dose of fresh sourness, which is balanced by a creamy white almond and Amontillado puree. The idea for this recipe is very loosely based on white gazpacho aka ajo blanco!

I totally understand that green almond is an ingredient that isn’t readily available everywhere. You’re likely also not reading this blog during the short season of green almonds! So, I’ve come up with a few ideas on how to substitute green almonds in this risotto. I’d chop some wild or cultivated sorrel to the risotto at the very last minute to get a tart flavor. To achieve a similar texture as well as flavor, I’d try adding in some finely cubed green apple, rhubarb or even green tomato!

Green almond and asparagus risotto

This vegan asparagus risotto gets its fresh flavor from green almonds and its creaminess from white almonds soaked and pureed with sherry!
Course first course, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Fusion
Diet Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword risotto
Servings 2 people
Author Juulia
Prep Time 1 hr
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 1 hr 30 mins
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Equipment

  • Immersion blender

Ingredients
 

  • 250 g green asparagus
  • 1½ dl risotto rice
  • 6 dl vegetable stock (You may need a bit more or less)
  • 1 dl fresh green almonds (Test that they are still fully edible and haven't gone too hard or bitter!)
  • 3-4 cloves garlic
  • 1 big spring onion
  • 75 g vegan butter
  • 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp sugar (if using dry sherry)

Almond cream:

  • 1 dl peeled white almonds
  • ½ dl dry or medium dry sherry
  • ½ dl water
Notes:
  • Risotto is best served immediately after it's done and on a warmed up plates!
  • The amount of liquid needed depends on the rice you use (among other things). If you run out of stock before the risotto is done, heat up some water in the stockpot (with the asparagus ends and all) and use that.
  • I usually use Amontillado in this recipe. If you're using dry sherry, add in a little sugar to the risotto to balance the tartness of the green almonds!
  • If and when green almonds are not available, you can have a similar tartness in the mix with a handful of sorrel or some quickly blanched finely minced rhubarb. Also finely cubed tart green almond could work, or green tomato!
  • Green almonds start to discolor and brown soon after being sliced. To serve your risotto with freshly coloured green almond, slice them at the very last minute!

Instructions

Preparation:

  • Mix half a deciliter of sherry with water and add the almonds. Allow to soak for at least half an hour (or overnight in fridge). Puree the almonds with their soaking liquid until creamy and smooth.
  • Wash and snap off the hard parts of the green asparagus, chop up the stalks in bite sized pieces (c. 2-3 cm). Thinly slice the green onions, separating the white and green parts. Peel and thinly slice the garlic, wash the green almonds and remove the hard ends. Slice the almonds.
  • Heat the veggie stock and add in the hard ends of asparagus. Allow to bubble for about 5 minutes, then lower the heat a lot just to keep the stock warm under a lid. If you want to serve the risotto later with some asparagus tips, quickly blanch them in the stock and remove before fully cooked!
  • Set the oven to warm up to about 50 °C and put the plates you're serving the risotto from inside to warm up.

Making the risotto:

  • Heat up the vegan butter in a heavy bottomed pot or deep frying pan. Add in the black pepper and allow to "bloom" for a minute or so to release some peppery aroma into the butter. Add in the garlic and sautee until it's softened and translucent, just about to start browning.
  • Add in the risotto rice (+ sugar if using dry sherry). Stir the rice in the pan until each grain is coated with the butter and starts to get translucent in the edges. I like to keep stirring until some of the garlic is getting a bit caramelized, then add in the white parts of the spring onions.
  • Start adding in the asparagus infused veggie stock, about half a deciliter at a time. Stir the rice until the liquid is almost fully absorbed, then add in the next half a deciliter of stock.
  • Keep adding and absorbing the stock until the rice is getting near to being al dente but is still a bit too much under cooked. Add in the asparagus and green almonds at this point!
  • Keep adding more stock until the rice has a tiny bit of bite but is no longer under cooked. Add in the almond cream and the green part of the scallion (reserve a little of both for serving). Check the seasoning, add a pinch of salt or some more black pepper as necessary. A tiny pinch of sugar might also be needed to balance out the tartness of the green almonds!

Serving:

  • Spoon the risotto on the warmed plates. Garnish with finely sliced green onion greens, a spoonful of the almond and sherry cream, some freshly sliced green almonds and asparagus tips.
  • Serve the green almond and asparagus risotto immediately!

Read more about green almonds from Spruce Eats! Have you used green almonds? How? I’d love to hear your tips!

almond risotto


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“Dan dan slaw” aka cabbage salad in the style of dan dan noodles

3.5.2022 By Juulia Leave a Comment

kaalisalaatti

Dan dan noodles

A few years ago I became a dan dan noodle addict. We were eating dan dan noodles a few times a week at some point, all year round! I’ve made several recipes based on this iconic Sichuan noodle dish. One with ingredients available in an average super market, another with ingredients I was hunting down for months 😀 I love dan dan noodles soupy and more dry, vegan and with meat, with traditional ingredients and with more of a fusion twist. There is just something so special about the overall flavor combination! Toasty nutty numbingly spicy sauce, bouncy noodles and that spicy savory crumb… Heavenly.

And would you believe it – this combo is equally delicious with shredded cabbage playing the part of noodles!

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dan dan kaali

“Dan Dan slaw”

After a few years of intensive noodle slurping, I had to have a bit of a pause. It ended when after a few months of a “dry” season, I suddenly had a huge urge to eat that delicious sauce again… but, I had zero noodles around. Instead, I had a head of young cabbage! I whipped up a batch of the sauce & fried some plant based mince for the topping and used thinly shredded cabbage instead of the noodles. OMG. The most addictive cabbage salad was born!

When the shredded new cabbage is rubbed with the delicious sauce, it softens quickly and becomes almost silky. I kid you not, prepared like this I can literally eat almost a head of cabbage in one go… Add some spicy fried protein and peanuts on top, and “dan dan slaw” is a tasty meal in itself! No carbs needed. (Don’t get me wrong, I do love my noodles too!)

kiinalainen kaalisalaatti

Cabbage slaw in the style of dan dan noodles

I often make a double batch of the sauce and the spicy mixture, this way a batch of delicious dan dan slaw is ready in 5 minutes. Just mix the cabbage with the sauce and heat the protein mixture. Chop up some scallion greens on top, or if it’s foraging season, run to the nearest forest (that’s 5 meters from the door for me) and pick some garlic mustard on top!

If you are as big of a dan dan noodle fan as I am, you likely already have your own recipe for this tasty Sichuan dish. But if not, below you’ll find how I most often make this dish. I like to make my sauce rather nutty with plenty of either peanut butter or Chinese sesame paste or both. But I can imagine in Sichuan the sauce would have a lot more chili oil! And if you’re craving for noodles instead of a head of cabbage, just serve the sauce & topping with noodles and some greens instead!

"Dan dan slaw" aka cabbage salad in the style of dan dan noodles

How to make a head of cabbage disappear? Shred it and mix it with a numbingly spice and nutty sauce inspired by the iconic Sichuan dan dan noodles. Throw in some radishes, cucumber or carrot if you feel like it, and serve it with a savory protein mixture, some scallion greens and some peanuts!
Course Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine Fusion
Diet Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword foraging, salad, vegan, vegetarian
Servings 4 people
Author Juulia
Prep Time 15 mins
Total Time 15 mins
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Ingredients
 

  • 1 head young cabbage (about 600 g)
  • 1-2 spring onions
  • 1 bunch radishes (optional)
  • 1-2 carrots (optional)
  • 1 small cucumber (optional)

Dressing:

  • 4 tbsp (Chinese) sesame paste (or tahini, or peanut butter, or a mix of the two)
  • 2 tbsp Chinese light soy sauce
  • 1-2 tsp red and/or green Sichuan peppercorns (toasted on a dry pan until fragrant then finely ground )
  • 1-2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar (or rice wine vinegar)
  • ½ tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 clove garlic (grated)
  • 1½-2 tbsp agave syrup (or maple syrup, or brown sugar...)
  • 1-3 tbsp Sichuan style chili oil

Spicy crumb:

  • 250 g plant based protein "mince" (or a grated block of tempeh)
  • 1-2 tbsp Sichuan style chili oil (or Lao Gan Ma chili crisp)
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp red and/or green Sichuan peppercorns (toasted on a dry pan until fragrant then finely ground )
  • 1 tsp Chinese five spice
  • 1½-2 tbsp Chinese light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sweetener of choice (agave syrup, maple syrup, sugar...)
  • ¼ tsp toasted sesame oil

To serve:

  • dry roasted peanuts (to taste)
  • scallion greens (to taste)
  • mint / coriander / garlic mustard / thai basil (to taste)
Notes:
If you happen to have some preserved Sichuan mustard greens (suì mǐ yá cài) I recommend adding a few tablespoons into the protein mixture! The flavor is so unique and adds a layer of smokey funky umami to the topping.
I highly recommend always dry toasting and grinding Sichuan peppercorns as you need them. Pick out stems first! The pre ground store bought stuff just has not got the same punch!
I usually use red Sichuan peppercorns for dan dan noodles, but sometimes I mix things up by adding in some green ones as well. They're equally numbing but their flavor is somewhat more herbaceous compared to the red ones!

Instructions

Sauce:

  • Mix all the ingredients of the sauce together. Loosen up with a bit of water as needed! Adjust the level of heat with the chili oil, the acidity with the black vinegar, the salinity with soy sauce and the sweetness with the syrup. Don't worry if the sauce tastes intense at this point, it's supposed to. It's going to season a whole head of cabbage after all!
  • Shred the cabbage and finely mince the scallions. Put some of the greens to the side for serving. Slice the radishes, chop up the cucumber and shred the carrots if using. Mix the salad ingredients with the sauce, rubbing the cabbage with the sauce with your hands until it softens a little.

Spicy topping:

  • Mince the garlic and grate a piece of the ginger. Heat up some chili oil in a frying pan and brown well the protein you're using. Add the garlic and ginger to the pan once you've gotten a good color on the protein mixture. Season the mixture with toasted and ground Sichuan peppercorns, five spice, soy sauce and the sweetener of choice.
  • Once the liquid is absorbed into the mixture, add in the toasted sesame oil and check the flavor. Add more chili oil / soy sauce / sweetener as needed. The mixture is meant to be a condiment, so it can be rather strong in flavor!

Serving:

  • Serve the dan dan slaw in bowls, topping the slaw off with a few spoonfuls of the spicy topping. Add a handful of roasted peanuts and scallion greens on top, as well as some fresh herbs of foraged greens!

 

kaalisalaatti


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Finnish sourdough mead (sima)

27.4.2022 By Juulia Leave a Comment

hapanjuurisima

Sima – finnish sourdough mead

It’s almost May Day aka Vappu in Finnish – that means it’s time to make some sima! Sima is a traditional Finnish mead, a refreshing very low alcohol drink made with honey, sugar, yeast, lemons and water. You add a few raisins to each bottle, and once they float, the mead is ready to drink!

I’ve stopped using commercial yeast years ago and prefer to make my sima the way I make my bread too: with a sourdough starter! Sourdough mead is more fresh in flavor in my opinion, and the mead gets ready super fast.

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hapanjuuri sima

sima hapanjuurella

Sourdough mead – traditional and experimental

Traditional Finnish mead is made with lemons, (brown) sugar, honey, yeast and raisins, but we’ve been experimenting with all kinds of other citrus fruits, as well as with different warm spices. Whilst experimenting, we’ve discovered a few things! The seeds of the chili are best removed for instance (LOL) and anything can get too overpowering if left in the mixture for too long. That’s why strong spices are best added in big pieces – they’ll be easy to remove once the flavor is how you like it!

Spices we’ve experimented with include lavender, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and fresh chili. Of the previous year’s batches, grapefruit & cardamom mead was a real winner, whilst the chili & lime turned out a bit too spicy. This year’s combo is of ginger, lemon and green cardamom! Juuso wanted to add in some fresh tamarind too, and I said no. I’m already in regret, so maybe next time?

I like my mead relatively “sour” so I add more lemon than traditional Finnish recipes usually call for. Mead is always sweet, but I prefer to add a lot of lemon to balance off the sweetness. Mead can be made with white sugar too, but Juuso and I are fans of a mixture of brown sugar and honey! If you’re a vegan, you should obviously leave out the honey 🙂

Finnish sourdough mead (sima)

Traditional Finnish mead is a very low alcohol beverage, made with honey, sugar, yeast (sourdough starter in this case) lemons and water. You add a few raisins to each bottle, and once they float, the mead is ready to drink! Sima is traditionally served during the May Day celebrations.
Course Drinks
Cuisine Finnish
Author Juulia
Prep Time 30 mins
3 d
Total Time 3 d 30 mins
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Equipment

  • 4 sterilized 1 liter bottles with flip top or twist caps

Ingredients
 

  • 300 g brown sugar (or half white sugar, half brown sugar)
  • 3 tbsp organic honey (c. 100g)
  • 3 liters water
  • 3-5 big organic lemons (juice and peels)
  • ½ tsp active sourdough starter
  • raisins

Optional:

  • lime, orange, grapefruit...
  • cardamom, chili, ginger, cinnamon...
Notes:
We often use flip top bottles and if you do too, I highly recommend releasing the gasses from the bottles a few times after closing the bottles and moving them to cold storage. There is a bit of a danger of the bottles exploding otherwise!
If you like, you can replace some of the lemons with other citrus fruits.
We often experiment with spices too - a bit of fresh chili (careful though, it gets very spicy very fast!), a few cardamom pods, a stick of cinnamon or a few slices of fresh ginger are all wonderful additions to the traditional mead!

Instructions

  • Wash the lemons well and peel their yellow fragrant part off to a big pot that will fit at least 3,5 liters of water. Heat half of the water to boiling point, dissolve the sugar and honey to the water. Pour the mixture over the lemon peels and add the rest of the water.
  • Once the liquid has cooled off to body temperature, add in the juice of the lemons. Taste and add more lemon juice if you like a more sour mead. Don't worry if the mead tastes very sweet at this point, it will change as the mead ferments.
  • Mix in the active sourdough starter. (Make sure the liquid isn't too hot, around 27°C is a safe temp for the starter!)
    Cover the pot and leave at room temperature to ferment. It should take +/- 24 hours for the starter to start fermenting the mead, you should see tiny bubbles form at the top of the liquid.

Bottling:

  • Once the bubbling has started, sieve off the lemons and spices and fill the sterilized bottles with the mead. Leave some empty space at the top! Add a few raisins to each bottle. Put the lid on the bottles, but don't close it all the way. Allow the bottles to ferment in room temperature for about a day and move them to fridge after that, at which point you can close the lids all the way.
  • I recommend allowing the mead's flavors to develop a few days before drinking, and to open the lids a bit a few times to prevent too much gasses building up inside the bottles!
  • The mead is ready to drink once the raisins float to the top and it's best consumed within 4-5 days.

 

Ps. Three liters of sourdough mead is the perfect amount for our two person household! Why? Because mead gets over fermented if you leave it in the fridge for too long. Also, too much of any good thing will turn it into a bad thing… If you’re making mead for a bigger party, I recommend doubling or tripling the recipe. Well, after trying it out first to see if you like it, of course!

appelsiinisimaIt’s alive!

hapanjuurisima

You can read more about Finnish Sima and Vappu in Wikipedia (oh, Wikipedia, what would we do without you?)


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Caviar dip with potato chips!

25.4.2022 By Juulia Leave a Comment

caviar dip

Caviar dip

Caviar dip has been trending in Finland, and I feel like every one of my food blogger friends has posted a recipe for it now! We’ve had it lots of times whilst celebrating May Day and New Year’s Eve, Midsummer and Independence Day… Pretty much every “big” day there is 😀 A while ago a popular Finnish foodie couple posted about it on their Instagram, aaand people went literally nuts with it here! And I totally get why. If you are a fan of fish roe and potato chips, you already know this is going to be a heavenly combination bursting with flavor and texture!

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https://www.vaimomatskuu.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Mätidippi-MIX-stopmo.mp4

 

salmon roe spread

caviar dip

“Caviar” dip…

I know I’m calling this a “caviar” dip, but I’m definitely NOT using real caviar here. I mean… it would be a bit too much of a splurge for me personally. (Though now I’m dreaming of a caviar + potato chip pairing trial à la Food and Wine.) Instead, I love to use cold smoked salmon roe! I personally adore the gentle smokiness it adds to the mix, but you could of course use any fish roe you like, or use a plant based alternative. Since salmon roe is also rather large in size, the fish eggs pop in your mouth in a fun and textural way as you eat!

…my way

The recipe is extremely simple. Just mix the roe with some creme fraiche (or plant based alternative!) and season to taste! I love to add freshly grated horseradish, black pepper and chives – and that’s really it! To change things up a bit, I sometimes use some fresh dill, or a squeeze of lemon. Either way, this dip is heavenly served with potato chips, or spooned on top of some sweet and malty dark rye bread.

caviar dip recipe

Caviar dip, my way

Caviar dip is decadently delicious served with potato chips or with some dark and sweet rye bread! I love to make mine with cold smoked salmon roe, chives, horseradish and creme fraiche.
Course dip, Snack
Servings 4 people
Author Juulia
Prep Time 10 mins
Total Time 10 mins
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Equipment

  • grater

Ingredients
 

  • 200 g creme fraiche, full fat (or vegan alternative)
  • 150 g cold smoked salmon roe (or vegan alternative)
  • 3-4 tbsp finely chopped chives
  • freshly grated horseradish (to taste)
  • freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)
Notes:
To change things up a bit, you can add in some fresh chopped dill if you want, and a squeeze of lemon!
You can also substitute the chives with a few tablespoons worth of very finely chopped shallot.
If you're using plant-based seaweed roe, you can add a tiny bit of liquid smoke for the smokey effect!
After a while, the horseradish may start congealing the dip a bit. Don't freak out, it still tastes fantastic! If this bothers you, leave the horseradish out.

Instructions

  • Mix the creme fraiche with the salmon roe and the chives. Season to taste with freshly cracked black pepper and freshly grated horseradish ( I add about 1 tbsp depending on how pungent the horseradish is.)
  • Serve the caviar dip with potato chips, or spoon on top of some sweet and malty dark rye bread!

 

The horseradish effect

Note: Horseradish can indeed make the dip sort of congeal after a while. It has enzymes (? dunno if that’s the correct word, I’m not a scientist!) that cause gelling when reacting with other things. I remember reading about this in relation to salmon roe in particular, but I simply can’t find the article anymore! Here’s however a link to another post regarding gelling ketchup with horseradish! If the change in this dip’s consistency bothers you, you can grate the horseradish to a separate little pinch bowl. Then just add a sprinkle on top of each dip covered chip as you eat them!

salmon roe dip

https://www.vaimomatskuu.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Mätileipä-loop45.mp4

What would you serve caviar dip with?


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Kiwi salad with vegan feta & za’atar-tahini dressing

9.4.2022 By Juulia Leave a Comment

Kiwi salad

Kiwi salad!

Fresh, sweet and tangy kiwi salad = our favorite salad of the year so far! Kiwi is chopped into this salad with skins and all (!) and the dressing is whipped up from tahini, lemon juice, za’atar and preserved lemon. A generous amount of delicious vegan feta seals the deal! This flavor combination is surprisingly addictive, but I’m even more surprised with the fact that I’m eating kiwi with those hairy skins.

Jump to Recipe 

kiwi with skin

Don’t knock it ’till you try it

The hairy skins of kiwi fruits literally give me the chills – I have a similar gut reaction to fuzzy peach skins. I struggle touching these delicious fruits with my hands, and the thought of biting into them is the stuff of nightmares to me! I remember vividly my horror as I watched Nadiya’s Time to Eat on Netflix a year ago, and Nadiya Hussain made a kiwi feta salad without peeling the kiwi. Are you nuts? I thought. Who wants to eat that???

Fast forward a year and here I am, writing a blog post about a kiwi salad with unpeeled kiwi fruit. Life can be full of surprises, as everyone who’s been awake for the last 2 years is painfully aware of, I’m sure. The thought of kiwi with skins on didn’t leave me alone and once I finally felt brave enough to try it, I’ve been making it non stop. The image I had (and still have) in my mind about eating the skin of the kiwi does not match with the reality. Unless I knew what I’m eating, I don’t think I’d even know it! Mixed into the salad and the creamy tahini dressing in particular, the skins are a zero problem to me. And the best thing is, this salad comes together so much faster than if I’d take the time to take all those skins off.

If you’re like me and can’t stand the hairy kiwi skins, I dare you to dare yourself. Hopefully you’ll be as positively surprised as I’ve been!

Kiwi salad kiwi feta salad

Kiwi salad

My kiwi salad today is heavily inspired by the salad I saw in Nadiya’s show, all the way to the za’atar-tahini dressing. I however didn’t look up the recipe when I first made this, I was just playing it by memory. Now that I’m finally typing this recipe here, I looked up Nadiya’s recipe and compared my memory of the salad with the original recipe.

And you know what? It’s close! Nadiya’s kiwi salad has fresh dill instead of the mint I used, and she adds red onion to the mix. The salad I came up with has other veggies instead. Kiwi and cucumber are paired with fennel and blueberries, as well as lamb’s lettuce! The sauce on the other hand is pretty one-on-one. Tahini thinned down by lemon juice, seasoned to taste with fresh garlic, a drizzle of olive oil and agave syrup (instead of the honey Nadiya uses) and lots of za’atar. The dressing is already delicious like this, but I love to add a quarter of salt preserved lemon zest. If you have some around, I’d recommend you to do the same! The salt preserved lemon adds a doze of salinity but more importantly, a funky citrus kick to the dressing!

Kiwi salad with vegan feta & za'atar-tahini dressing

Sweet kiwi and blueberry, fresh cucumber and fennel, salty vegan feta and preserved lemon, tangy za'atar and tahini dressing... So good! Kiwi fruit is used in this recipe with skins and all. Don't knock it 'till you try it!
Course Lunch, Salad, Side Dish
Diet Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword salad, vegan, vegetarian
Servings 4 people
Author Juulia
Prep Time 15 mins
Total Time 15 mins
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Equipment

  • box grater / microplane

Ingredients
 

  • 4 kiwi fruits (preferably organic)
  • 100 g blueberries
  • 1 small fennel
  • ½ medium sized cucumber
  • 70 g lamb's lettuce (or baby spinach)
  • 1 bunch of fresh mint
  • 200 g (vegan) feta

Za'atar-tahini dressing:

  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp agave syrup
  • 2 small cloves of garlic
  • 2 tbsp salt preserved lemon peel, finely minced
  • 1 lemon juice
  • 4 tsp za'atar
  • 4 tbsp tahini
  • 2-4 tbsp water

Instructions

  • Finely mince the salt preserved lemon peel (don't use the flesh) and mix it with tahini, agave syrup, olive oil and lemon juice. Grate in the garlic and season the dressing with za'atar. Mix well and thin the sauce down with a few tablespoons of water.
  • Wash and dry the kiwi, blueberries, cucumber, mint, fennel and salad. Remove the hard ends of the kiwis and chop the fruits to 8-12 pieces. Half the cucumber lenthwise and chop into bite sized pieces. You can also make thin ribbons out of the cucumber with the help of a mandoline. Cut the fennel bulb in half and finely slice the fennel.

Assembly:

  • Layer the ingredients of the salad on four large plates, or one large platter: start with the lamb's lettuce, followed by the cucumbers, fennel and kiwi. Drizzle the dressing on top and finish the salad with crumbled up (vegan) feta, blueberries and mint. Serve immediately!

Ps. If you live in Finland, I highly recommend using the new oat based vegan feta Mö Kreikkalainen in this salad! It’s so good. We all ought to eat more plant-based food and cut down the use of animal based ingredients. With vegan cheeses like this, the choice is easy in my opinion!

kiwi salad with feta


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Jella Juulia

Vaimomatskuu ruokablogi

Hi! My name is Jella and I’m a Finnish food blogger, content creator and food photographer from Helsinki. Click here to read more about me!

Recent Posts

  • Asparagus and green almond risotto (vegan)
  • “Dan dan slaw” aka cabbage salad in the style of dan dan noodles
  • Finnish sourdough mead (sima)
  • Caviar dip with potato chips!
  • Kiwi salad with vegan feta & za’atar-tahini dressing

Instagram

Napoli ❤️ I got to experience Napoli for the Napoli ❤️

I got to experience Napoli for the first time this Spring and instantly fell in love with it! The only thing that would've made the trip better would've been a kitchen to play in so I could've bought all this fresh ingredients, not just shoot them (and more time. Lots more time...)

Sharing this tempting veggie stall I was admiring in Napoli's Stella neighborhood, inspired by @lucia_carniel_lultimafetta and her wonderful street scene from Napoli (I'll add it to my story!) #foodartluciaproject  #foodartproject
@thesouthasiankitchen
@foodartproject

#napolipix #napoligram
#rionesanità #streetphotos #napolistreetphotography #napoli❤️ #foodartblog #produceisbeautifulproject #gothictonic #rehurakkaus
#rusticgamestrong #marketstall #veggielove #italygram #travelwithme #hautescuisines #mediterraneanfood #ofsimplethings #matkakuva #travelitaly #naplesitaly
Vegan tomato & corn galette 🍅 Mehevä vegaanin Vegan tomato & corn galette 🍅

Mehevä vegaaninen tomaatti-maissigalette blogissa nyt! Täyte on surautettu silken tofusta, kaurakermasta, maissista, misosta ja paistetusta valkosipulista. Päällä on rutosti mehukasta tomaattia! Pohja onnistuu helposti myös gluteenittomana ja siksi tämä suolainen piirakka toimiikin moneen ruokavalioon.

Ohje on julkaistu alunperin täällä Instassa @fazersuomi yhteistyönä; se löytyy myös Reelseistäni sekä Fazerin sivuilta!
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#tomaattigalette #galette
#gluteenitonleivonta #leivonta #vegaaninenleivonta #suolainenpiirakka #resepti #vegaaniruokaa #tomatogalette
#reseptivinkki #ruokablogi #reseptiblogissa #kasvisruokaa #rehurakkaus #eatcaptureshare #myopenkitchen #foodartblog #foodandflatlay #foodfluffer #foodstylingandphotography
🌸🌿🌞 swipe for some early summer light + a 🌸🌿🌞 swipe for some early summer light + a little #botanicalpickmeup 🌞🌿🌸 + welcome to my TED talk on the newest @instagram update! Oh yes, it has been pushed on me and my feed looks like absolute

s h i t

Perfect day to post something pretty and calming which nobody will likely see, since the visibility of my stills is 

s h i t 

too. After 8+ years and 5000+ posts on this platform, I feel a little rant building up in me...

👎 No, I don't want a constant stream of Reels from accounts I don't follow force fed on me.

📢 I want to see content from accounts I actually choose to follow on my homepage.

I _STILL_ want to see _STILLS_. 

That's why I'm here! If I want to find new accounts to follow, I'll go on the Explore tab. If I want to watch Reels (which I rarely do), I'll go on the Reels tab. And if I want to buy stuff I will not do it here #sorrynotsorry

👎 No, I don't want to create full screen "immersive" content only. No, I don't want to view full screen content only. I'm "immersed" enough on this screen already as it is, if you know what I mean...

📢 I want us all to be able to pick the ratio for our content, based on what's best for the content. Be it 4:5, 1:1, something else, or even... landscape... *gasp*!

👎 No, I don't want my not full screen photos penalized with a coloured background surrounding them. No, I don't want my feed to look like a bunch of stories. No, I don't want to scroll through constantly changing colours, it's awfully distracting! (Yeah I hate it in stories too)

📢 I want to focus on the photography, not what's surrounding it, or on top of it 👇 

👎 No, I don't want captions overlaid on my photos, and I don't want them on top of your pics either.

📢 I want to be able to read what's on your mind. I respect and appreciate your mad talent and wouldn't dream of covering it up with anything! Yeah I struggle to write captions (LOL not today tho!), but I still love to read them!

🤷‍♀️ But yeah... I'm no @instagram unfortunately. I'm just one of the people who has made this platform what it is today. Shame on you IG, shame on you.

~ end rant ~

#instagramupdate #instagramupdate2022
Green almonds 💚 Ootko maistanut vihreitä eli Green almonds 💚

Ootko maistanut vihreitä eli nuoria manteleita? Niissä on ihanan kirpeä maku, vähän kuin söisi ketunleipää! Blogissa vihreän mantelirisoton ohje, sesonki loppuu kohta!

Have you tried green almonds? They have a refreshing sour flavor and a succulent texture! I chopped these up and mixed them to a vegan risotto, recipe in blog ~ link in bio 💚

#texthursdays @texthursdays 
#produceisbeautifulproject @produceisbeautiful #foodartblog #raw_foodie #raw_kitchen #myseasonaltable #aseasonalshift #satokausi #satokausikalenteri #sesonkiruoka #seasonalfood #greenalmond #greenalmonds #vihreämanteli #seasonaleating #rehurakkaus #mystoryoflight
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  • Food photography (1)
  • Recipes (40)
    • Desserts (1)
    • Drinks (6)
    • Eggs (1)
    • Meat (3)
    • Pasta (2)
    • Preserving (1)
    • Salad (4)
    • Seafood (6)
    • Soups (5)
    • Stocks and broths (3)
    • vegetarian and vegan (28)

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Languages

  • suomeksi
  • in English

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