A Little Bit of Everything Salad

A Little Bit of Everything Salad

Ingredients:

fresh spinach leaves
fresh romaine leaves
fresh strawberries, cut up
a granny smith apple, cut up
mandarin oranges
dried cranberries
toasted almonds
a bit of shredded rotisserie chicken
poppyseed dressing

Directions:

Just mix it all together and you’ve got one fantastic salad!

Salad Oriental with Poppy Seed Dressing

Salad Oriental with Poppy Seed Dressing

Ingredients:

Salad:

2 heads red lettuce
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 c. pecans, lightly sauteed in butter
1 c. mandarin oranges
1 avocado, sliced
1 pt. strawberries, sliced

Dressing:

1 c. oil
3/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tbsp. poppy seeds


Directions:

Mix salad ingredients together and chill.Mix dressing ingredients well and sprinkle on salad just before serving.

Pasta Caesar Salad

Pasta Caesar Salad 

Ingredients:

penne pasta, cooked
romaine
baby tomatoes
red onions, thinly sliced
shredded parmesan cheese
grilled chicken
croutons
caesar dressing
salt and pepper to taste
drizzle of lemon juice

Directions:

Make Caesar Salad as usual. Add grilled chicken and cooked penne pasta. Toss and serve.

KFC Coleslaw

KFC Coleslaw

Ingredients:

8 cups finely diced cabbage (about 1 head)
1/4 cup diced carrot
2 tablespoons minced onions
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:

Finely dice cabbage and carrots.
Place cabbage and carrot mixture into large bowl and add minced onions.

Using regular blade on food processor, process remaining ingredients until smooth.

Pour over vegetable mixture and mix thoroughly.

Cover bowl and refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving.

Texas Wedge Salad

Texas Wedge Salad

Ingredients:

1 head of iceberg lettuce
2 cups Pico Vinaigrette
1 cup blue cheese crumbles

Cut the head of lettuce into 4-6 wedges and top with a generous portion of Pico Vinaigrette.  Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of blue cheese on top.

Pico Vinaigrette
1/4 cup tomato juice
1/4 apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 egg yolk
1-2 cups extra virgin olive oil
cold water
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup Pico de Gallo

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the tomato juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, and egg yolk.  Pour the mixture into a blender and slowly add the oil until the dressing thickens.  If it becomes too thick, thin it with water a tablespoon at a time.

Pico de Gallo
1 teaspoon salt
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
3 jalapenos, seeded and diced
juice of 5 limes

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss well.

Spicy Southwest Coleslaw

Spicy Southwest Coleslaw

Ingredients:

3 c shredded cabbage
1 carrot, shredded
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded/diced
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 c canola oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cayenne pepper
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine cabbage, carrot, onion, red pepper, jalapeno & cilantro. Whisk together oil, vinegar, sugar, cayenne pepper, salt & pepper. Pour over vegetable mixture & toss to combine. Cover & refrigerate for at least 1 hr.

Serve on Cilantro Citrus Chicken!

Roasted Red Potato Salad

Roasted Red Potato Salad
 
Ingredients:

13 small red potatoes, diced
Rosemary
Olive Oil

½ cup Mayonnaise
½ cup Milk
1-2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
Pepper
Salt

Directions:

Dice red potatoes.  Using your fingers, pull off the rosemary leaves by sliding and pinching your fingers down the sprig.  Chop the rosemary leaves.  Add the diced potatoes to a baking dish.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and some of the chopped rosemary.  (You’ll need more rosemary for the sauce.)  Drizzle some olive oil over the top.  Toss in the baking dish.  Roast the potatoes at 400 for 25-35 minutes, or until softened.   (Larger pieces of potatoes will take longer to cook.)  In a small bowl, add the mayonnaise, milk, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.  Whisk and then add the remaining rosemary leaves.  Mix in the rosemary.  Pour the sauce over the roasted potatoes.  Toss the sauce with the potatoes.  Serve Roasted Red Potato Salad warm…or chill for at least 2 hours and serve cold.

Cucumber and Tomato Vinaigrette

Cucumber and Tomato Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1 cucumber, sliced & quartered
1-2 tomatoes, chopped
olive oil
salt & pepper
balsamic vinegar


Directions:


Mix cucumbers & tomatoes in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with balsamic vinegar, and salt & pepper it liberally. Serve with black beans and rice.

Classic Cobb Salad

Classic Cobb Salad


Ingredients:

Dressing:
3/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Salad:
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cored and shredded
1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 bunch watercress, some of the stems trimmed, chopped
2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (we used a Stilton)
6 strips cooked bacon, roughly chopped
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 medium tomatoes, peeled*, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chives, minced

Directions:

Make the dressing: Combine the canola oil, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire, sugar, and garlic in a blender. Purée the ingredients to make a smooth dressing and season with salt and pepper. Set the dressing aside.

Make the salad: On a (very) large platter, combine the iceberg and romaine lettuces along with the watercress. Arrange the blue cheese, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, chicken, and avocado on top of the greens in neat rows. To serve, drizzle salad with dressing, season with salt and pepper, and top with chives. Alternatively, toss everything together in a bowl. Serves 4 to 6

Do ahead: Salad dressing keeps, covered and refrigerated, for up to one week. Individual ingredients (except the avocado, which is too prone to browning) can be prepped and chopped, and kept in separate containers in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble the salad. However, no doubt due to sturdiness of 2/3 of the lettuces, I found that the entire assembled salad kept surprisingly well wrapped in plastic in the fridge for a few hours.

* To peel a tomato: Cut an X in bottom of each tomato and blanch in a large pot of boiling water for 10 seconds. Immediately transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to cool. Slide the skins right off, starting at the X. Completely befuddled by the need for this step? Skip it.

Blue Cheese Dressing

Blue Cheese Dressing

Ingredients:

1/4 cup blue cheese (crumbled, room temperature)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons buttermilk
3 tablespoons sour cream
lemon juice to taste
slat and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Mix everything until smooth. (makes 1/2 cup)

Wilted Spinach Salad with Candied Pepper Bacon & Apples

Wilted Spinach Salad with Candied Pepper Bacon & Apples


Ingredients:

8 slices thick-cut bacon
6 TBS plus 1 tsp brown sugar, divided
1 tp coarsely ground black pepper
2 pkgs (6oz each) fresh baby spinach
1 medium Granny Smith apple, cored and cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup thinly slice red onion wedges
3 TSP apple cider vinegar
4 tsp Dijon Mustard
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut into wedges

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line Large Bar Pan with a sheet of Parchment Paper. Arrange bacon slices in a single layer on bar pan. Top bacon slices evenly with 2 TBS plus 1 tsp brown sugar; sprinkle with the 1 tsp of black pepper. Bake 22-25 minutes or until crisp; remove bacon from bar pan to paper-lined plate and cool completely. Reserve 2 TBS bacon drippings from bar pan. Cut bacon into 1/2 inch pieces using Chef's Knife

2. In Stainless (6-qt) Mixing Bowl, combine spinach, apple and onion. Whisk remaining 4 TBS brown sugar, reserved bacon drippings, vinegar and mustard in Small Micro-Cooker until well blended. Cover; microwave on HIGH 2 minutes or until bubbly. Pour over spinach misture; toss to coat using Bamboo Spatulas. Season with salt and black pepper. Top with egg wedges and bacon pieces, serve immediately.

Spinach Salad with Bacon, Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms

Spinach Salad with Bacon, Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms

Ingredients:

2 eggs
4 slices bacon (cut into 1 inch slices)
1 cup red onion (sliced)
4 ounces mushrooms (sliced)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 small clove garlic (grated)
salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces baby spinach
1/4 cup mild blue cheese (crumbled)

Directions:

1. Cover the eggs in water, bring to a boil, turn off the heat, cover and let sit for 7 minutes.
2. Transfer the eggs to cold water and let cool enough to hold.
3. Remove the shells from the eggs and slice.
4. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a pan and set aside reserving 2 tablespoons of bacon grease.
5. Caramelize the onions in the remaining bacon grease and set aside.
6. Caramelize the mushrooms in the remaining bacon grease and set aside.
7. Add the vinegar to the pan and deglaze it.
8. Add the reserved bacon grease, sugar, mustard, garlic and season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
9. Assemble salad and toss with dressing.

Chipotle Buttermilk Dressing

Chipotle Buttermilk Dressing

Ingredients:

1/2 cup buttermilk

scant 1/2 cup mayonnaise (low fat is fine OR swap 1/3 cup Greek yogurt plus 3 tablespoons oil)

1/4 cup ketchup

1 clove garlic

1/3 cup green onions, chopped

1 teaspoon mild chili powder

1/8 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (Add more if you like, but start small)

1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper

juice of one lime

1 tablespoon honey

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a blender and process until smooth. Store in the refrigerator for one week. It's great as a dressing for a brown rice or quinoa salad, too.

Carrot Ginger Dressing

Carrot Ginger Dressing


Ingredients:

1/2 cup coarsely chopped carrots

1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery

1/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil

2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped onions

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons catsup

2 teaspoons fresh lemon jjuice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 dashes hot pepper sauce

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth and thick.

Sour Cream Poppy Seed Noodles

Sour Cream Poppy Seed Noodles

Ingredients:

 

8 ounces Egg Noodles

3/4 cup Sweet Peas, frozen

1 tablespoon Butter

1 + 2/3 cup Sour Cream

1/2 cup Yellow Onion, thinly sliced in half moons, or 1/3 cup Green Onion, diced

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons Poppy Seeds

Sea or Kosher Salt and fresh Black Pepper

Directions:

1. Cook noodles according to package directions adding the peas right in to cook with them.

2. While the noodles cook add the sour cream, yellow onion, Parmesan and poppy seeds to a large mixing bowl.

3. Drain noodles and peas, add to bowl along with a tablespoon of butter.

4. Toss well until all the noodles are coated with sour cream. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Broccoli Crunch

Broccoli Crunch


Ingredients:

4 -5 cups tiny broccoli florets (and chopped stalks if you like)
1 garlic clove, smashed and chopped
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/4 cup almond butter
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons hot water
2 small crisp apples, cut into bit-sized pieces (if you aren't going to use the apples immediately, let them sit in a bowl of water with the juice of 1/2 a lemon)
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup toasted or candied walnuts or almonds
1/3 cup pan-fried crunchy shallots*
chives (optional)

Directions:

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and salt as you would pasta water. Boil the broccoli just long enough to take the raw edge of - 10 or 15 seconds. Drain and immerse it in cold water (or let cold water run over it). At this point, I like to spin the broccoli in a salad spinner to get the water off, but a few good knocks against the sink in a strainer can do the trick pretty well. Set aside.
Make the dressing by sprinkling the salt over the clove of garlic. Smash the clove and chop, smash and chop - turning it into a paste. In a small bowl whisk the salty garlic paste with the almond butter, lemon juice, honey and olive oil. Add the hot water and whisk until light and creamy. Taste, make any adjustments and set aside.
In a large bowl gently toss the broccoli, apples, red onion, most of the shallots and nuts with a generous drizzle of the almond dressing. Turn out onto a platter and finish with the rest of the shallots and chives if you like. Serve family style.
Serves 4.
*Stir together the shallots, a splash of clarified butter (or olive oil) and big pinch of salt In a large skillet over medium heat. Stir every few minutes, you want the shallots to slowly brown over about fifteen minutes. Let them get dark, dark brown (but not burn), and if needed turn down the heat. Remove from skillet and onto a paper towel to cool in a single layer where they will crisp up a bit.

Beet and Goat Cheese Arugula Salad

Beet and Goat Cheese Arugula Salad 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons shallots, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon honey
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 medium beets, cooked and quartered
6 cups fresh arugula
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries or dried cherries
1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cubed
3 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled

Directions:

Line a baking sheet with foil. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Whisk the vinegar, shallots, and honey in a medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with salt and pepper. Toss the beets in a small bowl with enough dressing to coat. Place the beets on the prepared baking sheet and roast until the beets are slightly caramelized, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Set aside and cool.
Toss the arugula, walnuts, and cranberries in a large bowl with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper. Mound the salad atop 4 plates. Arrange the beets around the salad. Sprinkle with the avocado and goat cheese, and serve.

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Gorgonzola and Pecans

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Gorgonzola and Pecans
 
Ingredients:

mixed greens
gorgonzola cheese crumbles
pecans
roasted butternut squash, cut into bite sized pieces
1 bottle champagne vinaigrette dressing by Gerards

Directions:

Peel and slice the butternut squash into thin strips. layout on a sprayed cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. place in the oven on broil until it is soft enough that you can cut through with a fork and the edges are a little brown. [turn once]

Place pecans in a small skillet over medium heat. toast pecans for about 10 minutes.
arrange salad putting down mixed greens, roasted squash, gorgonzola crumbles, toasted pecans, and some champagne vinaigrette.

Spicy Cucumber Salad with Peanuts

Spicy Cucumber Salad with Peanuts

Ingredients:

2 cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise and seeds removed
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 cup of water
3 TB sugar
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 TB minced sweet yellow onion or red onion
1 TB chopped dry roasted peanuts

Directions:

Peel the cucumber then cut in half lengthwise. Take a small spoon and scoop out all the seeds from the cucumber. Cut into bite size pieces and place in a colander, sprinkle with salt and toss well. Drain 1 hour. Place on several layers of paper towels (I used 2). Let stand for 5 minutes, pressing down occasionally. Rinse and pat dry.

Combine vinegar, water, sugar, and pepper in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cook until reduced to 1/3 cut (about 10 minutes). Remove vinegar reduction from heat; cool. Stir in onion. Combine cucumbers and vinegar deduction in a medium bowl; toss well. Sprinkle with peanuts. Enjoy.

Asian Noodle Salad

Asian Noodle Salad

Ingredients:

1 packages linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled
1/2 to 1 head sliced Napa cabbage
1/2 to 1 head sliced purple cabbage
1/2 to 1 bag baby spinach
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1 orange bell pepper, sliced thin
1 small bag bean sprouts
3 sliced scallions
3 peeled, sliced cucumbers
LOTS of chopped cilantro—up to one bunch
1 can whole cashews, lightly toasted in skillet

DRESSING:
Juice of 1 lime
8 TB olive oil
2 TB sesame oil
6 TB soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 TB fresh ginger, chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 hot peppers or jalapenos, chopped
More chopped cilantro—LOTS

Directions:

Mix together salad ingredients. Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on platter.

*Dressing keeps up to three days before serving, WITHOUT cilantro.