Category: Salad

Arugula Salad With Watermelon and Blueberries with Lime Dressing

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A salad full of flavorful textures. It looks good and tastes even better with spicy arugula and pecans with sweet watermelon and blueberries.

Salad Ingredients

5 ounces arugula

3 C watermelon diced

1 C blueberries, rinsed and dried

1/2 C blue cheese crumbled

1/3 C spiced pecans, recipe below

Lime Vinaigrette Ingredients

1/2 C olive oil

1/4 C  lime juiced

1/2 C fromage Blanca or sour cream

4 t maple syrup or honey

1/2 t cumin

1/4 t red pepper flakes(optional)

Salt and pepper

Spiced Pecans Ingredients

8 ounces pecan halves

4 T sugar

1/4 – 1/2 t cayenne pepper

2 T butter, melted

Directions

Set over temperature to 350º.

Mix vinaigrette ingredients and set aside.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread pecans out on baking sheet and bake for 15 – 20 minutes.

Melt butter and mix sugar and cayenne. Remove pecans from oven and toss with melted butter and dry mixture. Let the coated pecans cool. Store in an air tight container.

In large bowl, add arugula, watermelon, blueberries, cheese, and sliced pecans. Drizzle with lime vinaigrette. Toss and serve.

Note:

This salad goes well with grilled salmon, especially sockeye(red) or chinook(king). We love this in the summer when the salmon are running.

 

Roquefort Grape Spiced Walnut Salad

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Roquefort with sweet grapes, salty bacon, and spicy nuts in a green salad provide the pallet with a balance of flavors and textures

Ingredients

1 head baby romaine

1 head of butter lettuce

30 – 36  red seedless globe grapes halved

4 slices of bacon crumbled(optional)*

2/3 – 1 C Roquefort crumbled(Point Reyes Bay Blue)

2/3 C spiced walnuts*

Lemon garlic vinegarette

Directions

Serve 6

In large salad bowl rip romaine and butter lettuce into large pices. Add grapes, Roquefort, bacon, and walnuts.

Dress with lemon garlic vinegarette and serve.

Served with potato leek soup and olive bread.

Notes

*We used turkey bacon for less fat content

*Spiced walnuts or spiced pecans

Grapes went well with this Roquefort as it is creamy with a very mild blue cheese taste.

 

 

 

Little Gem Blood Orange Salad

Little Gem Avocado Citrus Salad

A crisp flavor filled salad with oranges, avocados, and seeds. Made with Little Gems that have been described as a miniature romaine with a butter lettuce sweetness.

Ingredients

2 Little Gem lettuce heads

3-4 Blood oranges

2 avacados  sliced

1/2 C Feta crumbles or Cotija

1/3 C cilantro leaves

1/2 C pepitas or sunflower seeds*

Lime dressing

1/2 C olive oil

1 lime juiced

1/2 C fromage Blanca*

4 t maple syrup or honey

1/2 t cumin

1/4 t red pepper flakes(optional)

Salt and pepper

Directions

Mix dressing ingredients together and set aside.

Remove little gem leaves and using small pastry brush dress leaves lightly with dressing.

Cut peel and membrane from oranges. Slice into thin circles.

On a serving plate. layer whole little gem lettuce leaves. Leaf stems should face center of the plate. When arranged, the leaves should have a circular pattern.

Next, distribute slices of orange on top of the little gem leaves.

Cut avocados into slices and layer onto leaves.

Sprinkle cilantro, Feta, and seeds generously over the salad. Drizzel additional dressing and serve.

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Notes:

Serves 4

Little Gems[sucrine] are a cross between romaine and butter lettuce. They are versatile as a stuffed appetizer, in salads, or grilled.

When  I’m in a hurry I chop the little gems and make a tossed salad.

*We use sprouted seeds. They are available in the bulk food section of our groceries or available prepackaged.

*Fromage Blanca substitutes are plain Greek yougurt or quark

We had this for dinner last night with Mexican roasted corn and green chili soup.

 

Mache Strawberry Blueberry Salad

Ingredients

3.5 ounces mache*

1 C strawberries sliced

1/2 C blue berries

1-2 T cilantro leaves

1/2 C crumbled chèvre or soft goat cheese

1/2 C pumpkin seeds salted(sprouted) *

Dressing

1/2 C olive oil

1/4 C champagne vinegar

2 T lime juice

2 t honey

1 garlic clove minced

2 t  jalapeño diced fine *

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Salad dressing.  Add oil, vinegar, juice, and honey to shaker and  mix. Add garlic, diced jalapeño pinch of salt and shake till emulsified. Adjust just seasoning to taste.

Salad. Combine mache,strawberries, blue berries, cilantro, chèvre, and pumpkin seeds in large salad bowl. Drizzle on dressing and toss gently. Serve immediately.

Notes:

* Mache is delicate and lightly sweet–not bitter.  The brand I purchase is pre-washed.  Mache blends are easier to find than mache rosettes. Spring greens or a baby lettuce leaves would also work.

* Sprouted pumkin seeds are sold at Costco® and are also good as a snack.  Non-sprouted seeds can be substituted and are more widely available.

* Add jalapeño to taste. I have used a Serrano when I could not find jalapeños.  Skip the peppers if desired and perhaps try fresh cracked black pepper.

Raspberry Feta Green Salad with Walnut Vinegarette Dressing

Ingredients

Salad

6 C of salad greens

8 ounces raspberries

1/2 C walnuts crumbled

1/2 C Feta crumbled

Dressing

Walnut Vinegarette

Directions

Serves 6

Rinse and dry salad greens. Place in large salad bowl.

Toss with Walnut vinaigrette.

Top with raspberries, walnuts, and feta.

Drizzle a light amount of dressing on top to finish–the lettuce is all reeady coated.  Toss lightly and serve.

Another option is to place dressed lettuce in bowls and place raspberries, walnuts, and feta on top.

 

Pear Melon Gorgonzola Salad*

 

Ingredients

3 pears ripe

1 lemon juiced

1 C rose wine

1 t brown sugar

1/2 t cumin

1/3 C Gorgonzola cheese

1/4 C pistachios

1 cantaloupe seeded

2 limes  zested and  juiced

2 T honey

1 t Dijon mustard

1/4 C olive oil

Salt  and pepper

Directions

Serves 3-6

Cut pears in half and remove cores. Place in skillet add lemon juice, wine, brown sugar, and cumin. Simmer until tender but firm. Chill in wine sauce.

Lime Vinegarette

Whisk lime juice, zest, honey, Dijon, olive oil and salt and pepper in small bowl. Adjust seasoning  if needed.

Cut  cantaloupe in half and remove seeds then using melon baller cut 12 balls. Place a smear of wine sauce on serving dish. Place pears on wine sauce and add melon balls to cored out center of pears. Sprinkle with Gorgonzola and pistachios. Dress with lightly with  lime vinagarette. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Note:

*Can  also be served on a bed of arugula

 

 

 

 

Pita Pockets with Boca Chic’n Veggie Patties

Vegetarian burgers with salad and a pita pocket.  A great way to eat fast, healthy, and vegetarian.

Ingredients

2 pitas sliced in half

4 slices of pepper jack cheese

4 Boca chic’n patties

3 C chopped salad including lettuce or slaw, spinach,tomato, peppers, broccoli, onion, celery, carrots, black olives,and cucumbers.*

1 sliced avacado

Paul Newman’s® Sesame Ginger Dressing

Directions

Heat oven to 410º

Place 4 patties on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes and then turn them over and bake for another 5-7 minutes.

Insert  slice of cheese per half pocket and place them on baking sheet. Place them in oven about 3-5 minutes to melt the cheese.

While patties cooking make a chopped salad and slice the avacado.

Remove patties and pitas from oven. Place a pattie in each pocket and liberally stuff them with chopped salad and avacado.  I like salad pouring out of the pitas.

Serve with Paul Newman’s Sesame Ginger Dressing

Notes:

* Salad can be made with any vegetables on hand.

*Another dressing to try is Paul Newman’s® Lite Raspberry & Walnut Salad Dressing.

 

 

E’s Couscous Salad

Ingredients

1 box Near East® Original Couscous

2 cups vegetable broth

1 T olive oil

1 cucumber diced

1 package green onions chopped

1 tomato diced

1 can black olives diced

1/2 cup red pepper diced

1 cup feta crumbled*

2 T olive oil

Paul Newman® Italian Dressing

Salt and pepper

Pine nuts toasted

Directions

Serves 6-8

Bring broth and oil to boil. Add couscous then cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes then remove cover and fluff. Concurrently add all vegetables, Feta, and black olives to salad bowl and toss with Italian dressing and set them aside to marinate.  Add couscous to vegetables . Add olive oil and mix. Add additional Italian dressing to sufficiently coat and season salad. I add a few tablespoons at a time so ingredients are coated but not drowning. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with pine nuts sprinkled on the top.

Note:

We serve this with grilled salmon, corn salsa,and a huge green salad. For dessert frozen raspberry jam with vanilla ice cream.

*President® Feta and Greek fetas are recommended. Drier with a nice crumble for salads. Danish types are creamier

 

My Grandmother’s Summer Salad(Pasta)

Ingredients

3 cups pasta rinsed and drained*

1 cup celery diced

1/2 cup radishes large dice plus 3 for decorating

1/4 cup green onions

1/4 cup carrots diced

1/4 cup new peas

1 t parsley chopped

2 eggs hard boiled diced plus one for decorating

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1 t Dijon or yellow mustard

Salt and pepper

Paprika

Directions

*My Grandmother liked to use bows(Farafalle) or spirals(Fusilli) instead of elbow macaroni.

In small bowl combine mayonnaise, sour cream, and mustard and set aside. In serving bowl add pasta and vegetables and toss. Add the dressing and combine.  Season liberally with salt and pepper. She then dressed her finished salads with rose radishes and egg slices arranged on top and sprinkled paprika on the eggs. I use egg slices and radish slices with chopped parsley or cilantro in place of paprika for dressing up finished salad. Refrigerate a couple hours for ingredients to blend. 6 servings

Note: My Grandmother had three vegetable gardens every summer. She raised food for summer feasting with family and friends but also put away food for the winter months.

 

 

Curly Kale Salad with Lemon Garlic Parmesan Dressing*

Ingredients

1 bunch  of curly kale

1/2 cup olive oil

5 garlic cloves minced

1/3 cup Parmesan Reggiano grated plus 1/4 cup  set aside

1/3 cup lemon juice

Salt and pepper

Directions

Remove kale ribs, wash and spin and tear into bite size pieces or if in a hurry rough chop.

Pour into salad dressing shaker, olive oil and lemon juice. Add minced garlic and cheese and shake. Add pinch of salt and ground black pepper

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Toss kale with about 1/2 of the dressing. Sprinkle with set aside cheese and serve. Serve 2-4

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Note: I have used Lacinato Kale and Red Russian Kale also but prefer curly kale for this recipe as its ruffled leaves capture and hold the cheese and garlic.

Notes

*Use the best olive oil available for salad dressings. An extra virgin olive oil that is fruity and peppery is my favorite for salad dressings and dipping..

*I buy a Parmesan-Reggiano that is cut from a wheel. I bought pre-packaged Parmesan that was expensive and was disappointed. It made a big difference in the flavor balance of the salad dressing and the taste of the finished dressed salad.