Thursday, June 10, 2010

Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette & Field Roast


Wow, it's been almost a month since I've posted. I've been doing some traveling for work and pleasure and staying extremely busy! Wanted to share a recipe for an amazing, quick homemade vinaigrette salad dressing that I make on the reg, and also review one of my favorite new faux-meat products - Field Roast!

The inner carnivore in me is always looking for hearty, delicious things to chew on that satisfy my protein cravings and make me wonder, with all the amazing products out there, why I took so long to stop eating meat! Many vegetarians don't take well to the fake meat replacements, and I guess its fair to say that some of the products out there tend to be rubbery and un-appetizing.

Fortunately, I have found a few that I really like. I discovered Field Roast at my local Whole Foods and decided to give it a shot. I bought the 'quarter loaf' retail item in Lentil Sage and was excited to read the nutritional panel. It is VERY low fat, with only 1.5 grams per serving (zero saturated or trans fats) and it packs a whopping 16 grams of protein into each serving. It is also relatively low in sodium, which is something I've been paying a lot of attention to lately. And the suggested serving size is pretty on point, certainly enough to add to a salad or sandwich and fill you up properly. I've made salads with it several times now, and to me it is the perfect vegan lunch - a big, hearty salad that leaves me full and happy with no carbs. I haven't tried the other flavor varieties, but the lentil sage loaf is flippin' incredible! I've alos heard excellent things about their vegan sausages, but trust me, the Field Roast loaves are dynamite!

The vinaigrette is simple, easy and always satisfying. A little goes a long way and I love the way it coats the lettuce lightly, unlike a lot of store bought dressings. Although it can be made in bulk ahead of time, I generally make it just for me everyday so that it comes out a bit different every time, making it a tad more spicy or sweet depending on what I'm feelin' at salad time...

Here's the recipe:

Equal parts extra virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar - about 1/2 tbsp each.
2-3 tsp brown or dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
a few drops balsamic vinegar
cayenne pepper
fresh ground black pepper

Put the oil, apple cider and balsamic vinegar, mustard, and honey together in a small bowl. Add a few pinches of cayenne on top and grind some black pepper on as well. Mix well so that it emulsifies, and that's it. I love using different mustards, as they really change the flavor. I have an aioli garlic mustard that works great, or sometimes spicy brown is the way to go. Some days I add lots of cayenne which gives it a nice kick, or you can add more honey/less mustard for a sweeter vibe.

When using the Field Roast, I like to keep the salad fairly simple because I love it's flavor. Here's how this one went down...

organic baby greens
about 2 oz. of Field Roast, sliced and cubed
1/4 cup raw walnuts, crushed
1 jarred roasted red pepper, drained and diced
vinaigrette

The Field Roast and walnuts go really well together, and with the dressing and a bit of roasted red pepper tossed in, its a hit. I make this almost daily, and I urge you to get inspired and creative with the salad fixins and make it happen! Would love to hear if anyone has suggestions for other uses of Field Roast...

7 comments:

  1. We recently discovered Field Roast stuff too and are in love with it. Unfortunately our Canadian Whole Foods here in Vancouver doesn't carry it so we have to drive down to Bellingham to stock up. But it's worth it!!! The sausages are to DIE for.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heather how do you cook the sausages? I made some grilled in a pan but they tasted like cardboard...:( Paulette

      Delete
  2. Good to see you posting again! We love field roast. Have you had their sausages? Yum!
    This salad looks great!
    Veganomicon has a great recipe that's super easy to make and it's called easy seitan cutlets,I think. Anyways they are great for grilling with a chimichurri sauce brushed on, it definitely satisfies those carnivores out there. We've grilled them for quite a few carnivores and they really liked them, it's the texture.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you thank you!

    I have not tried the sausages, but have read amazing things about them. I use the Tofurkey Italian Sausages all the time, but have been looking for something to change it up a little - sounds like I must give them a shot...
    Thanks for sharing the seitan cutlets idea, looks easy and delicious...

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've never liked fake meat, but I am going to try the field roast. Anything with lentils sounds good to me!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I wish I could write a longer email, but I leaving now to get to Whole Foods and get a field roast! Boy, Justin, you just make it sound so....ooops! Gotta go. Byyyyyyyyyye!
    -Nell

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh geez...for the "m"

    ReplyDelete