Dungeness Crab Spring Salad

It's time to get all fancy pants with a salad recipe that couldn't be simpler to put together. How simple? From fridge to plate in 5 minutes flat, that simple.

Do you ever fantasize about throwing these glamorous dinner parties that leave your guests wondering how on earth you pulled off such an elegant affair with such grace and effortlessness? I used to, quite often. And then I would proceed to try although I don't know with how much grace and effortlessness I succeeded...

I absolutely adored throwing impromptu food gatherings, I just lived for it. A motley crew would assemble, and we would all converge in my pretty little garden at the table with the mismatched chairs and dine from mismatched plates, creating a cool Mad Hatter's tea party sort of vibe. Italian feasts, signature cocktails, shrimp boils and multi-course mimosa bar brunches- there was always something tasty going on.

But now that I get paid to prepare other people's dinner parties, and as my business grows and my free time shrinks, playing hostess has become quite the rarity. It makes me a little sad, but then I remind myself that since I get to make food for a living it doesn't really feel like work, and that cheers me right back up. Nonetheless, I need to get back into the whole dinner party thing, it really is the best thing ever. In the meantime though, at least I can live vicariously through this blog and pretend what I would serve at my next dinner party, and right now it would be this colorful Dungeness Crab Salad.

You would be wise to keep this recipe in your back pocket- what a stunning first course. I mean, it doesn't get much more fabulous than Dungeness crab, does it? Plus, it's a cinch to prepare. Choose fresh lump crabmeat from your local fish market, that way you can skip the messy job of removing the meat from the shells and keep your apron spotless. Pair it with delicate butter lettuce, crisp spring radishes, creamy avocado and sweet mango for a perfectly balanced dish. A simple honey-lime vinaigrette is all you need to enhance these flavors, but a glass of zesty Sauvignon Blanc wouldn't hurt either! Right now I'm loving the 2012 Sauv from Fox Wine Co.- it's a great warm weather wine with a nice mineral streak that plays well with the briny crab, and the tropical notes compliment the mango element of the salad perfectly.

serves 4
Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. lime juice
zest of 1 lime
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 lb. cooked Dungeness crab, chilled
1 head butter lettuce, leaves rinsed and torn
2 radishes, thinly sliced
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1 mango, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. minced chives

Instructions
1. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, honey, lime zest and juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place crab in a separate bowl and pour half of dressing into the bowl, tossing to combine with the crab. Reserve the other half of vinaigrette.
2. Divide lettuce, mango, avocado and radish evenly among plates. Top with dressed crab and drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over each salad. Garnish with chives.

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Mango Vegetable Spring Rolls with Ginger-Date Dipping Sauce

Today's recipe is one I adapted from Tone it Up, an online fitness and nutrition community I have been following for the past couple of years. Trainers Karena and Katrina are two personal trainers who have developed a uniquely interactive online health and lifestyle website. They primarily post fun workout challenges and videos, but I especially love to browse their site for healthy recipe inspirations. These Mango Vegetable Spring Rolls are just one of the many health conscious dishes that they created for their nutrition plan. They spring rolls are crisp and colorful, and the date sauce is absolutely to. die. for. I may or may not have licked the bowl.

This recipe is easily adaptable in that you can use whatever veggies you have on hand, which is exactly what I decided to do when I had a craving for something fresh and an abundance of produce just begging to be used. But the best part about this recipe, besides the fantastic flavor of course, is that the spring rolls are raw, vegan and gluten free- a triple threat. This is exactly the sort of thing to have for a post-Thanksgiving detox meal after the turkey and mashed potato leftovers are long gone. Your waistline (and your taste buds) will thank you!

adapted from Toneitup.com
Ingredients
for the dipping sauce:
1/4 cup gluten free tamari
6 dates
2 tsp. fresh grated ginger
1 garlic clove
3 tsp. toasted sesame oil
2 tsp. white miso
2 tbsp. lime juice

for the spring rolls:
1/2 cup baby spinach leaves
1 mango, sliced into matchsticks
1/2 bell pepper, sliced into matchsticks
1 carrot, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1/2 cup basil, chopped
8 chives
4 rice paper wraps

Instructions
1. To make the dipping sauce, place tamari, dates, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, miso and lime juice in a food processor and blend until smooth. If the sauce appears too thick, thin out by adding water 1 teaspoon at a time and pulsing until a desired consistency is reached.
2. Dampen the rice paper wraps by soaking them individually in a shallow bowl filled with lukewarm water for 15-30 seconds. Spread on a flat, clean surface. Bundle spinach in the center of the wrap followed by 1/4 of each of the remaining ingredients.
3. Grab end of rice paper closest to you and fold over ingredients, tucking as you go. Fold in each side and continue to roll away from you. Halve diagonally and serve with dipping sauce.

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