Watermelon Radish and Cabbage

INGREDIENTS
1 cabbage, quartered, cored, & shredded
2 medium Watermelon Radishes, cut into matchsticks
2 teaspoons salt + more to taste
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon cider vinegar or fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Ground pepper to taste
4 tablespoons olive oil

PREPARATION

• Combine shredded cabbage and salt in a bowl and massage with fingers until cabbage is tender.
• In a separate bowl, combine vinegar, pepper and olive oil.
• Add radish to cabbage and sprinkle with dressing.
• Toss and serve.

This salad will keep relatively well and may even be tastier after it sits for a couple hours.

Quinoa Salad with Swiss Chard and Radishes

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa 
• 2 cups water
• 1 bunch Swiss chard  
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley 
• 5 medium to large radishes, chopped
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1.5 tbsp honey 

Prepare the quinoa according the package.  The secret is to bring the water to a boil then weigh out the quinoa to the gram. Add the quinoa to the boiling water, stir, cover, lower to a simmer and then leave it alone!  After about 12 minutes you will get perfectly fluffy, cooked quinoa! While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Chop the chard the parsley and the radishes.

Prepare the dressing by whisking the lemon juice with the oil, salt and honey until everything is dissolved.

Once the quinoa is done, toss it with the chard and half the parsley. The heat from the quinoa will, in essence, cook the chard making it wilt just enough.

After letting it cool for a minute or 2 add the rest of the parsley, radishes and the dressing.  Toss to combine all the flavors. 

Radishes

Ingredients 

1 shallot or half of a small red onion

 2 to 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar 

kosher salt

 2 to 3 watermelon radishes 

2 to 3 oranges, clementines, grapefruit, etc. 

a handful of walnuts, toasted and chopped 

 goat cheese to taste 

chives, minced, optional, but they add some nice color

 olive oil to taste 

Instructions 

1. Mince shallot. Place in small bowl. Cover with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the vinegar depending on how big of a salad you are making. Add a pinch of salt. Set aside.

 2. Cut off one end of the radish. Leave the other intact so you have a handle when you run the radish down your mandoline. Peel the radishes if you wish, though it is by no means necessary. Thinly slice on a mandoline. Arrange radish slices on a platter.  Try to fold some of them so they're not all squished down in one flat layer, but arrange however you wish. Season all over with salt.

 3. Cut off each end of each orange. Squeeze each end over the radishes, then discard. Use a sharp knife to remove the skin from the orange. Cut in between membranes to remove each slice. Squeeze remaining membrane all over the radishes to extract any juice. Scatter oranges over the radishes.

 4. Scatter walnuts and goat cheese to taste over the radishes and oranges. Pour macerated shallots and vinegar over top. Drizzle olive oil to taste (one to two tablespoons) over top. Scatter chives over top if using. 

5. Let sit a few minutes (or longer — it benefits from a brief rest) before serving.