Cowgirl Chef: Turn favorite soups into salads

• 1 large or 2 small red beets, trimmed and rinsed
• 1 pomegranate
• A handful fresh dill, finely chopped
•  1/2 cup sour cream
• Red wine vinaigrette (recipe follows)

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees and wrap the beets in foil. Place them in the oven, directly on the rack, and cook for 1 to 2 hours, or until a knife easily slides into the flesh (baking time will vary according to the size of beets). Let cool.

2. Slice the top and bottom off of the pomegranate and score along the ridges, being careful to not cut into the seeds. Break the pomegranate into pieces along the scored parts and knock the seeds into a bowl with the back of a wooden spoon. Repeat with all of the other pieces until you’ve removed all of the seeds.

3. Peel the beets and chop into  1/2-inch cubes and put these into a bowl along with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the pomegranate seeds.

4. Make the vinaigrette.

5. Pour the vinaigrette over the beets and pomegranate seeds and toss. Add about  1/2 teaspoon of the chopped dill and toss again. To serve, divide the mixture among serving plates, add a spoonful of sour cream, and sprinkle with a few more pomegranate seeds and dill on top.

Red wine vinaigrette:

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chopped shallot
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste
•  1/4 cup olive oil

1. Whisk together the red wine vinegar, chopped shallot, Dijon mustard and salt and pepper, and slowly add the olive oil. Taste for seasonings.

Nutritional analysis per salad, based on 2: 439 calories, 39 grams fat, 21 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams protein, 26 milligrams cholesterol, 97 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber, 78 percent of calories from fat.

• 2 large carrots (for color, I used 1 yellow and one red), sliced into 1-inch pieces
•  1/2 pound Yukon Gold or red-skinned potatoes, sliced into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup red kuri or butternut squash, sliced into 1-inch pieces
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 8 Brussels sprouts, quartered
• 2 big handfuls baby spinach
• 2 cups croutons, preferably homemade (see note)
• 1 cup cannellini beans, rinsed
• Fresh Parmesan, for serving
• Basil vinaigrette (recipe follows)

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Put the carrots, potatoes and squash onto a large baking sheet and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Toss and spread out evenly on the pan. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until browned. Turn the veggies to the other side about halfway through cooking.

2. Put 1 tablespoon olive oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the Brussels sprouts. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook, watching constantly and flipping as needed, until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Set these aside.

3. Make the basil vinaigrette.

4. To assemble the salad, put the baby spinach, Brussels sprouts and croutons in a salad bowl with a couple tablespoons of the vinaigrette and toss. Divide between two large plates and add the carrots, potatoes and squash, plus the cannellini beans. Using a vegetable peeler, make a few curls of Parmesan and scatter on top of salad. Drizzle with more vinaigrette.

Note: It’s easy to make croutons. Slice stale bread into cubes, toss with a little olive oil and salt and pepper and slide into the oven, set on broil, for 3 to 5 minutes.

Basil vinaigrette:

• 1 tablespoon sherry wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chopped shallot
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 large basil leaves, chopped
•  1/2 cup olive oil

Whisk together the sherry wine vinegar, chopped shallot, Dijon mustard and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add the basil leaves and olive oil, and combine. Taste for seasonings.

Nutritional analysis per salad: 910 calories, 57 grams fat, 89 grams carbohydrates, 16 grams protein, no cholesterol, 575 milligrams sodium, 13 grams dietary fiber, 55 percent of calories from fat.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 leeks, sliced (white parts only)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, well-rinsed and chopped into  1/2-inch ribbons
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 cups cooked lentils (canned are fine)
• 1/2 cup cooked sausage crumbles (optional)
• 1/4 cup goat cheese or feta crumbles
• Fresh thyme for serving
• Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

1. Put the olive oil, leeks and a pinch of salt and pepper in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the leeks soften and begin to caramelize, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the leeks from the skillet into a bowl and set aside.

2. In the same skillet (there will still be a little oil left, so you don’t need to add any extra), cook Swiss chard ribbons and nutmeg over medium heat until chard begins to wilt, about 3 to 5 minutes. Taste for seasonings.

3. While the chard is cooking, warm the lentils and sausage in a small skillet.

4. To assemble, divide the following into two shallow bowls: lentils with sausage, Swiss chard, caramelized leeks, goat cheese or feta crumbles and fresh thyme. Splash some balsamic vinegar on top.

Nutritional analysis per salad: 472 calories, 20 grams fat, 54 grams carbohydrates, 24 grams protein, 15 milligrams cholesterol, 90 milligrams sodium, 17 grams dietary fiber, 36 percent of calories from fat.

• 4 corn tortillas
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
•  1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more, to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1 head romaine lettuce, sliced
• 4 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 avocado, chopped into 1-inch chunks
• Small handful cilantro, chopped
• Spicy buttermilk dressing (recipe follows)

1. Set the oven on broil. Slice the corn tortillas into  1/2-inch-wide strips and put into a bowl. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt and lay out on a baking sheet. Slide into the hot oven and watch them carefully. They’ll crisp in 1 to 3 minutes, tops. Remove from the oven and set aside.

2. Put the other 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onion becomes translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken, chili powder, cumin and salt to taste. Stir until incorporated and warmed through. Remove from heat.

3. Make the spicy buttermilk dressing.

4. To build salads, using two dinner-size plates, place half of the romaine, chicken, cherry tomatoes, avocado chunks, cilantro and tortilla strips on each plate. Drizzle with spicy buttermilk dressing.

Spicy buttermilk dressing:

•  1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 to 2 tablespoons Valentina or Cholula sauce
• Salt to taste

Whisk ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste for seasonings. Note: You may do this in advance and keep refrigerated.

Nutritional analysis per salad, with 2 tablespoons dressing per serving: 613 calories, 36 grams fat, 49 grams carbohydrates, 33 grams protein, 56 milligrams cholesterol, 716 milligrams sodium, 14 grams dietary fiber, 49 percent of calories from fat.