Category: Salads

Avocado Ring

This was a favorite for “Lady Luncheons” of another era.  Makes a good molded salad for something different.

Ingredients:

  • 3 oz pkg lemon gelatin
  • 1 c water, boiling
  • 1 c sour cream
  • 1 c Miracle Whip (or mayonnaise, if you must)
  • 1 c avocado, mashed

Directions:

  1. Pour boiling water over gelatin and stir until disolved.
  2. Cool.
  3. Add sour cream, mayo and avocado.
  4. Turn into ring mold or 9 small molds.
  5. Serve on lettuce garnished with watercress, red grapes, apples, frozen strawberries or, at Christmas time, cranberry sauce.

Serves: 12 (when served with other salads as a luncheon plate – more likely 6-8 as a main dish)

Source:  Winnifred Kleerup

Pasta Salad

Try this with the flavored noodles – spinach, tomato, etc.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb pasta – shells, spiral, etc.
  • 5 celery stalks, chopped
  • 1 cucumber cut into small pieces
  • 3 tomatoes diced
  • 1/2 red onion diced
  • 1/4 lb mushrooms sliced
  • 12 olives, sliced (green or ripe – your choice)
  • 1 bottle Bernstein’s Italian dressing

Directions:

  1. Cook pasta.
  2. Mix with vegetables.
  3. Marinate it all in the dressing, making sure you have plenty of dressing – enough to puddle in the bottom of the bowl.
  4. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Serves: 6-8

Source:  John and Susan Nitta

Broccoli Salad III

A rather different broccoli salad – made mostly the day befor.

Ingredients:

  • 1 bunch green onion, sliced thin
  • 1 bunch broccoli (1 1/2-2 lbs)
  • 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1 c cheese, grated
  • Italian dressing

Directions:

  1. Separate the broccoli into bite size pieces – slicing the stem thinly.
  2. Blanch the broccoli in boiling water about 4 minutes.  You want it still crisp.
  3. Drain broccoli and add green onions and beans.
  4. Marinate in Italian dressing over night.
  5. Just before serving, add tomato and cheese.

Serves: 6

Source:  Karen Eckardt

 

Marinated Roast Beef

You can use this on a salad or on bruschetta.  Great way to used leftover roast beef or steak. (Dreamer!)

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 c vinegar
  • 2 Tab salad oil
  • 1/4 tsp dry mustard
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 Tab Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 tsp sugar
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • leftover roast beef

Directions:

  1. Mix.
  2. Chill for at least 3 hours.
  3. Turn, stir meat if not covered.

Serves:  Depends on how much beef.

Source: Gerrie Hastings

German Potato Salad

Summer at the cabin in Wisconsin.  German Potato Salad – always there.  And always “discussions” on the ONE TRUE  potato salad.
Ingredients:

  • 5 lb potatoes
  • 1 lb bacon
  • 4 medium onions, chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • 1/4 c sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 c cider vinegar
  • 1/4 c prepared mustard
  • 1 1/2 c mayonnaise
  • 9 eggs, hard boiled (save one for garnish)
  • 1 green onion (optional)
  • paprika

Directions:

  1. Peel, quarter and slice  potatoes into 3/8 inch slices.
  2. Cook in boiling salted water until just tender.
  3. Drain.
  4. Place in large bowl.
  5. Cut bacon into 1/4 inch pieces.
  6. Place bacon in a skillet and fry until almost crisp.
  7. Remove bacon from pan add onion.
  8. When half cooked add celery, cook until tender and transparent.
  9. Remove excess fat from pan.
  10. Add sugar, mayonnaise, vinegar, and mustard
  11. Heat a few minutes to blend.
  12. Add back the bacon, onion, and celery.
  13. Quarter and slice eggs. (except one for garnish)
  14. Place in bowl with potatoes.
  15. Pour dressing over potatoes.
  16. Stir gently to mix.
  17. Correct for salt.
  18. Garnish with sliced egg, green onion, and paprika.
  19. Serve warm.

Serves:  18

Source:  WMK

Red Quinoa & Mushroom Pilaf with Dill

Quinoa is a great addition to your kitchen – hot as a side dish or in soups,  cold as a salad.  And healthy too!  

  • 3 1/2 c homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock
  • 1 oz mixed dried mushrooms
  • 2 c red quinoa (6 c cooked)
  • 1 Tab olive oil
  • 8 oz cremini or white mushrooms, quartered
  • 2 shallots, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp coarse salt
  • freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 1 Tab fresh thyme, finely chopped
  • 1 Tab unsalted butter
  • 1/4 c plus 1 Tab fresh dill, finely chopped
  • 3 Tab finely chopped chives
  • 2 Valencia or navel oranges, peeled and pith removed, thinly sliced.

Directions:

  1. Bring stock to a boil.
  2. Pour over dried mushrooms in a small bowl.
  3. Soak until soft, about 6 minutes.
  4. Pour liquid through a fine size into a bowl.
  5. Set aside.
  6. Rinse quinoa thoroughly in  fine sieve, drain.  This gets the bitter tasting husks off.)
  7. Heat oil in  large pot over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.
  8. Add fresh mushrooms, shallots and 1/4 tsp salt.
  9. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms and shallots have released their liquid and are slightly caramelized, about 7 minutes.
  10. Add quinoa.
  11. Cook, stirring until it begins to pop and crackle, about 5 minutes.
  12. Add reserved soaked mushrooms, reserving soaking liquid and thyme to pot.
  13. Bring to a boil.
  14. Stir.
  15. Cover and reduce heat.
  16. Simmer until quinoa is tender but still chewy, about 20 minutes.
  17. Stir in 1/4 tsp salt, pepper to taste and butter.
  18. Just before serving, stir in dill and chives, and oranges and toss gently.  ( or serve it cold as a salad.)

Serves:  6 – 8

Source:  silveradocare.com/sierravista

 

Marinated Mushrooms and Vegetables Salad

This is a salad no one else will bring to a pot luck!  And notice – nothing seasonal, the only fresh ingredients are mushrooms and celery.

Ingredients:

  • 2/3 c vinegar
  • 2/3 c salad oil
  • 1/4 c onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 lb mushrooms, halved or quartered
  • 1 can artichoke hearts (14 oz) drained and halved
  • 1 can baby corn (14) oz drained
  • 1 c ripe olives, pitted
  • 1 c celery, sliced
  • 1 jar pimiento (2 oz) drained and sliced

Directions:

  1. In a saucepan, combine vinegar, oil, onion, garlic, sugar, basil, oregano, and salt ant pepper to taste.
  2. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
  3. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
  4. Pour marinade over vegetables.
  5. Stir to coat.
  6. Cover and chill for several hours or overnight, stirring occasionally.
  7. Drain.
  8. Serve in lettuce lined bowl.

Serves:  Makes 7 cups

Source:  Donna Barasch

 

 

Wilted Spinach Salad

The Chez Cary was THE fancy restaurant in the 60’s Orange County.  (Long gone) They would mix this table side and flame – spectacular! 

Ingredients:

  • 1 – 2 bunches spinach
  • vinegar
  • watercress
  • 8 bacon slices
  • 4 Tab sugar
  • 4 Tab wine vinegar
  • 1/2 oz Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 lemon
  • cognac

Directions:

  1. Remove stems from spinach.
  2. Clean with cold water with a little vinegar and dry leaves.
  3. Place in a salad bowl with watercress.
  4. Cut bacon into 1/2 inch squares.
  5. Cook until done.
  6. Add sugar, wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce.
  7. Heat to a boil.
  8. Strain dressing over spinach leaves, leaving bacon in the skillet.
  9. Squeeze lemon over leaves then toss until wilted.
  10. Drain dressing off salad.
  11. Place spinach on plates.
  12. Add cognac to the bacon.
  13. Ignite and spoon over spinach.
  14. Serve at once.

Serves: 6

Source:  Chez Cary

 

Sumi Salad

Love this great Asian cabbage salad!  Serve as a main dish by adding chicken or shrimp.  Peanuts are good too.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tab oil
  • 1/4 c sliced almonds
  • 1/4 c sesame seeds
  • 8 green onions, finely sliced – including the green part
  • 1 head cabbage, finely chopped
  • 2 (3 oz) pkg Ramen  noodles, broken into pieces (save the seasoning packet for something else.)
  • 1/4 c sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 6 Tab rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 c oil

Directions:

  1. Heat oil in  skillet.
  2. Toast almonds and sesame seeds lightly.
  3. Mix sugar, salt, rice vinegar, pepper and oil.
  4. Combine with onions, cabbage, dressing.
  5. Cover and chill several hours.
  6. Just before serving, add Ramen noodles.
  7. Sprinkle with almonds and sesamie seeds.

Serves: 10 1/2 cups

Source: Jay, cook for COR staff.

Spiced Vegetables

This is really good added to an antipasto tray.  The beets are just plain good by themselves.

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 c wine vinegar
  • 1/4 c water
  • 1/4 c sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp celery seed
  • 1 can beets (whole or sliced), or carrots, or green beans

Directions:

  1. Mix sugar, salt, celery seed.
  2. Add water, vinegar, cinnamon stick.
  3. Boil together  4 minutes.
  4. Pour over drained vegetable.
  5. Refrigerate.

Serves:  Depends on what else you have.

Source: Lucia Henderson