Malibu Farm’s menu has always featured a chop salad, says founder Helene Henderson, author of the new restaurant-inspired cookbook, “Malibu Farm Sunrise to Sunset” (Clarkson Potter, $40). But the original version was a classic one with meat and cheese.
“It was and is a delicious salad, but customers kept trying to modify it with more vegetables, asking for vegetables we did not have available,” Henderson says. “We experimented with several different vegetables and finally settled on squash, which is sweet, and marinated beets, which are acidic, for our perfect combo.”
The result was this Vegan Chop Salad — although, she says, “guests often add grilled chicken, fish, or steak to the ‘vegan’ salad!”
Vegan Chop Salad
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped fresh black kale (also called dinosaur kale or lacinato kale)
½ cup cooked quinoa or other grain (optional)
Classic Chop Dressing (recipe follows)
2 cups cubed roasted butternut squash (recipe follows)
1 cup classic marinated roasted beets (recipe follows)
2 avocados, sliced
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
2 cups garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
Watermelon radishes, sliced thin, for garnish (optional)
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, toss the romaine, kale, and quinoa (if using) with the Classic Chop Dressing. Then layer the butternut squash, roasted beets, avocado slices, cherry tomatoes, garbanzo beans, and radishes (if using) decoratively on top.
Classic Chop Dressing
Makes ½ cup
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt to taste
1 small shallot, chopped fine (about 1 tablespoon)
½ cup (8 tablespoons) olive oil, canola oil or a blend of the two
DIRECTIONS
Spoon some Dijon mustard into a small bowl. It really does not matter how much, but let’s say 2 heaping tablespoons. Thin it with red wine vinegar until it has the consistency of heavy cream. This is your ratio of mustard to vinegar. Season with salt and add the finely chopped shallot. Now slowly whisk in the oil to emulsify. I like my dressing to be roughly 50 percent oil and 50 percent vinegar because I like it highly acidic, but a more traditional ratio would be double (or more) oil to vinegar. The dressing can be made several days in advance and stored in the fridge.
Cubed Roasted Butternut Squash
Makes about 4 cups
INGREDIENTS
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into medium (½-inch) or small (¼-inch) dice
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste
3 tablespoons agave nectar or honey
Juice from 1 lemon
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a bowl, toss the chopped squash with the olive oil. Spread the squash cubes out on a sheet pan and roast in the oven until they are just soft and a little browned but not mushy, 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and drizzle with the agave and lemon juice.
Classic Marinated Roasted Beets
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
4 medium-size beets, any color, skin on
1⁄3 cup olive oil
Salt to taste
Dash of sugar
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ shallot, chopped fine
A few tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, dill, or chives
1 garlic clove, grated
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Place the beets in a small ovenproof dish, drizzle them with a few tablespoons of the olive oil and a dash of water, and cover the dish with foil. Roast the beets in the oven until they are just soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on their size.
Allow the beets to cool, then peel the skin off the beets by rubbing a paper towel over them or by rubbing them under running water. Chop them into a fine dice or slice them into whatever desired shapes. Place the beets in a small bowl and season them with salt and a tiny dash of sugar, and drizzle with the remaining oil. Add the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, shallot, herbs and garlic, and toss. Marinate for 30 minutes before using. The marinated beets will keep for 1 week in the fridge.
Reprinted from MALIBU FARM SUNRISE TO SUNSET by Helene Henderson. Copyright © 2021 by Helene Henderson. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.
