Salad as a Meal Challenge: Patricia Wells' Cookbook Giveaway!

Congrats #3 and #52! - Kayte71 and cpage2323

Well! One month past and many salads consumed - this post marks the last of my Salad as a Meal Challenge. I hope you guys have learned that salads can not only be healthy, but also super fun to eat (I certainly did -- I'm definitely going to incorporate some of Patricia's recipes into my storage bank!)

Patricia's book, Salad as a Meal, came out a few days ago and is already #14 on the Amazon food and wine list! Before it sells out, I'm going to give TWO lucky readers a chance to own their own copy of this salad Bible!

 You can enter up to THREE times:

1. REQUIRED: In my comments section, tell me what is your favorite vegetable. (my favorite is fiddleheads). Also please leave me your email address so I can contact you if you win
2. Follow Finance Foodie on Twitter (leave a separate comment telling me this)
3. Reblog / Retweet this giveaway (leave a separate comment telling me this)

Contest ends Thursday April 21 at 5pm EST. Winners will be chosen via random integer generator on random.org announced on the financefoodie.com site shortly afterwards that night!

[Full disclosure: books were provided to me by Harper Collins]

Salad as a Meal Challenge: Chilled Evergreen Tomato Velouté

"Hits the spot..."

As part of my Salad as a Meal challenge, I said I’d be posting a few selected recipes from Patricia’s book, along with step by step pictures and commentary [in bracketed red font] on how I created the dish from my kitchen. Just a reminder to folks that since I usually eat out and rarely use my kitchen (but am trying to change that!), my cooking skills/tools are limited -- so please excuse my urban jungle self when I make substitutions! So without further ado, may I present…

Chilled Evergreen Tomato Velouté

12 SERVINGS

EQUIPMENT: A BLENDER OR A FOOD PROCESSOR [I used a blender -- still saving up for a food processor]; 12 CHILLED GLASSES.

Salad as a Meal: Egg Crepe + Ginger Ale Meal

Egg Crepe Stir Fry with Brown Rice

+ 
Fever-Tree All Natural Ginger Ale

= 

NOM! NOM! NOM!

Salad as a Meal: Olive Tapenade

In Patricia Wells' cookbook, the recipe called for black olives. I, however, think green olives taste so much better! #dealwithit! 

Salad as a Meal: Zucchini Carpaccio with Avocado, Pistachios, and Pistachio Oil Recipe

"I've got sunshine on a cloudy day..."

As part of my Salad as a Meal challenge, I said I’d be posting a few selected recipes from Patricia’s book, along with step by step pictures and commentary [in bracketed red font] on how I created the dish from my kitchen. Just a reminder to folks that since I usually eat out and rarely use my kitchen (but am trying to change that!), my cooking skills/tools are limited -- so please excuse my urban jungle self when I make substitutions! So without further ado, may I present…

Zucchini Carpaccio with Avocado, Pistachios, and Pistachio Oil

2 SERVINGS [cookbook gives instructions for 4 servings, so I basically halved everything]
EQUIPMENT: A SMALL JAR WITH A LID  [ironically, a small jar seems like a simple everyday item, but after searching far and wide in my kitchen, I could not come up with this, so I used Tupperware]; A MANDOLINE OR A VERY SHARP CHEF’S KNIFE. [oops....all I had was a slightly dull knife I got from a street corner in Chinatown]

Salad as a Meal: Guacamole Light!

Lower calorie guacamole (peas were used as a replacement for a portion of the avocado), served with Wasa crackers.

Salad as a Meal: Scenes from Cooking!

About to add anchovies to my Salade Niçoise...

Salad as a Meal Challenge: Stocking Up the Fridge!

Getting my fridge "greened out" for all my salads! 

Salad as a Meal: Egg Crepes with Mushrooms and Spinach Recipe

"Wonderful feeling, wonderful day..."

As part of my Salad as a Meal challenge, I said I’d be posting a few selected recipes from Patricia’s book, along with step by step pictures and commentary [in bracketed red font] on how I created the dish from my kitchen. So without further ado, may I present…

Egg Crepes with Mushrooms and Spinach

1 SERVING [cookbook gives instructions for 2 servings, so I basically halved everything]
EQUIPMENT: A 10-INCH NONSTICK CREPE PAN [I didn’t have this so I used a regular non-stick pan]; 1 WARMED PLATE

Salad as a Meal: Chef's Salad

Dish #2 Made from Patricia Wells' Salad as a Meal Cookbook...

Salad as a Meal: Salade Niçoise

Dish #1 Made from Patricia Wells' Salad as a Meal Cookbook....

Salad as a Meal Challenge: The Beginning

“Leaves of grass…”

If you are a long time reader of this site, you know how much I dislike salads (or what I fondly refer to as rabbit food). So when I got an email from William Morrow Publishing asking me if I wanted to participate in a month long challenge where I would replace regular meals with salad creations from Patricia Wells’ soon to be released cookbook (aptly titled) Salad as a Meal, I was like “heck to the no!” and deleted that note ASAP.