Today’s recipe guest post comes from Susan who blogs at Learning and Yearning. Thanks Susan!
After a long, hard winter it’s so wonderful to be rewarded with the foods of spring. And nothing says spring quite like rhubarb! I really wanted to find a few new ways to use my rhubarb this year. I have rhubarb wine brewing, and when we were at our cottage at the lake for Memorial Day weekend someone mentioned roasting rhubarb and adding it to salad. Ah! Why hadn’t I thought of that.
When we returned home after that beautiful weekend, I wasted no time trying out a few ways to make rhubarb salad. Strawberry-Rhubarb Spinach Salad, and Rhubarb Salad with Goat Cheese and Walnuts were both winners.
I roasted the rhubarb to a few different degrees of softness, and for salad, we found that still slightly crunchy was best. To roast the rhubarb, simply cut your rhubarb to desired size and drizzle with maple syrup. Bake at 350° for 8 – 10 minutes.
Strawberry-Rhubarb Spinach Salad
Salad:
- 6 – 8 oz fresh spinach
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, quartered
- 2 – 3 stalks fresh rhubarb, cut into 1″ pieces, roasted, and cooled (see above)
- 1/2 onion, chopped
Dressing:
- 1/3 c. olive oil
- 2 T. balsamic vinegar
- 2 T. maple syrup
- 1/4 t. sea salt
- 1/4 t. dry mustard
Mix together the dressing ingredients, and toss with the salad ingredients.
Rhubarb Salad with Goat Cheese and Walnuts
Salad:
- 6 – 8 oz. leaf lettuce
- 1/2 c. crumbled goat cheese
- 2 – 3 stalks fresh rhubarb, cut into 1″ pieces, roasted, and cooled (see above)
- 1/4 c. walnuts, soaked, dried and chopped*
Dressing:
- 1/3 c. olive oil
- 2 T. balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 t. sea salt
- 1/2 t. oregano
- 1/2 t. basil
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
Mix together the dressing ingredients, and toss with the salad ingredients
*For digestibility, it’s best to soak and dry raw nuts. Here’s how: Place 1 c. walnuts and 1 1/2 t. sea salt in a bowl and cover with room-temperature filtered water. Soak 8 hours. Preheat oven to 150 degrees. Drain nuts and spread in one layer on a baking pan. Dry nuts in oven for 12 – 24 hours stirring occasionally, until very dry and crisp. A dehydrator may be used instead of an oven.
What great ways do you use rhubarb?
Susan Vinskoski is master gardener and author. Her blog Learning and Yearning is a natural living site about gardening, healthy living, real food recipes and so much more! Check out her book The Art of Gardening to learn more about building nutrient rich soil and a better garden.
Creative idea Susan! Can’t wait to try it. I’m always looking for things to do with rhubarb that don’t involve a lot of sugar.