Giada De Laurentiis’ Escarole and Olive Salad With Raspberry Dressing Is Perfectly Festive for Your Holiday Dinner
Just in time for your holiday dinner table, celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis is here with the perfect side dish that flawlessly marries sweet with tart.
Here’s the Eat Better, Feel Better author’s escarole and olive salad with raspberry dressing recipe.
Giada De Laurentiis’ new cookbook
With her just-published cookbook Eat Better, Feel Better, De Laurentiis offers readers healthy recipes both with hearty ingredients like quinoa and brown rice, as well as the more comforting pasta.
“Many people think there needs to be a drastic change in order to eat healthily, but that’s not true,” De Laurentiis told La Cucina Italiana in March. “My cooking still stays true to my Italian roots, with lots of delicious, fresh ingredients. Eating well is not about eliminating foods. It’s about noting how they affect you and eating less of those that challenge your health.”
The Rome-born chef made it clear it’s ok to continue eating foods you love, as long as they love you back.
“That doesn’t mean you can’t eat pasta or dairy,” she said. “As an Italian, I would never tell you that! Eating well is about finding the right balance for you. The real goal is to rethink the food we’re putting in our bodies and reduce the amount of inflammatory foods and toxins, but not eliminate things entirely.”
How her ‘Eat Better, Feel Better’ happened
De Laurentiis who owns and runs several restaurants, hosts Food Network shows, and is a single parent to her 12-year-old daughter Jade realized when she began to feel run down that something had to change.
She realized she couldn’t care for herself and also optimally care for her child and all her other obligations.
“For me, it took awhile to find out what works to de-stress, as it might for you too,” she wrote this month on her blog, Giadzy. “I resisted meditation for so long… to be frank, my mind just doesn’t shut up. Instead, I slowly started to incorporate quiet time wherever I could – even if it was just pausing for a moment in a corner of the bathroom or in my closet.In your daily routine, take notice of what things bring you the most joy and peace.”
The Giada’s Italy author wrote that, for her, the things that give her peace include walking her dog, cooking for her family, taking a hot bath, and her skincare routine.
De Laurentiis’ escarole and olive salad with dressing
For this mouth-watering salad, De Laurentiis starts with a cup of raspberries, olive oil, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and kosher salt. Puree the ingredients in a blender on high speed until well-blended, then set aside.
Now for the salad components: place a chopped head of radicchio, chopped escarole, sliced fennel, and coarsely chopped olives in a large bowl and toss.
Add half of the raspberry dressing and toss well, tasting to see if more dressing is needed. Serve in individual bowls and top with sesame seeds, raspberries, and more chopped olives – and enjoy with the rest of your holiday feast.
