Salads

Pea Salad

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Peas straight from the freezer retain their crisp exterior and soft, creamy interior in this simple-to-make salad. For a subtler onion flavor, soak onion slices in cool water, then thoroughly drain before folding into the mayonnaise mixture.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 c mayonnaise
  • 1/4 c sour cream
  • 1 Tab white wine vinegar
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground
  • pepper
  • 1 lb frozen peas (do not thaw)
  • 1/2 small red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (1/2 c)
  • 1/4 c packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 4 oz bacon (about 4 slices), chopped
  • 2 oz aged white cheddar, shaved or coarsely grated

Directions:

  1. Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, and vinegar in a large bowl.
  2. Season generously with salt and pepper.
  3. Fold in peas, onion, and parsley.
  4. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.
  5. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until browned and fat is rendered, 8 to 10 minutes.
  6. Transfer to paper towels to drain and crisp.
  7. Let salad stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
  8. Gently fold in cheddar and bacon just before serving.

Makes:  4 cups
Source:  marthastewart.com

 

Quick and Easy Potato Salad

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An interesting variation on potato salad.  It turns out a light brown color because of the onion soup mix – a bit odd, but tastes good – like onion soup dip.  I added a pound of bacon to a double recipe because, you know, BACON.

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 in pieces
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 2 celery ribs, finely diced
  • 1⁄2 medium red onion
  • 2 large hard-boiled eggs (optional)
  • 3 Tabs sour cream
  • 1⁄ c mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp mustard
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 -3 Tab onion soup mix (I put 3 but I like the onion’s)
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Put potato pieces in a large saucepan and add water to cover the potatoes by one inch.
  2. Salt the water.
  3. Bring to a gentle boil over medium high heat.
  4. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 5 to 8 minutes until potatoes are tender.
  5. Drain potatoes in a colander and allow to cool.
  6. In the meantime, mix sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, onion soup mix, salt, and pepper.
  7. Transfer potatoes into a medium bowl.
  8. Add celery, egg and onion.
  9. Pour dressing over top and mix gently.
  10. Chill for about an hour in the refrigerator. Four hours for best flavor.

Serves:  6

Source:  Genius Kitchen

Jicama and Orange Salad

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Simple and different. A good salad to take somewhere – add the dressing when serving.   Also a good winter salad when tomatoes and such are not at their best.

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 lb jicama, peeled and cut into 1 1/4 by 1 1/2 inch strips
  • 12 navel oranges, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 c sesame oil
  • 3 c rice vinegar
  • cilantro

Directions:

  1. In a large bowl, combine jicama and oranges.
  2. Toss lightly to mix.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar.
  4. Add cilantro
  5. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat evenly.
  6. Serve at once.

Serves: 25

Source:  One of the non-profit school/church/volunteer group cookbooks I have since given away.  They are the best source for interesting recipes!

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Sacramento Salad

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Feel free to vary the lettuce type and the kind of nuts, maybe even use pears or cantaloupe for the fruit.  Salads are usually built by inspiration and what is on hand.

Ingredients: 

  • 3 heads Romaine lettuce
  • 1/2 lb (8 oz) blue cheese chunks
  • 6 whole red apples, cored and sliced very thin
  • roasted walnuts
  • 1 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 c  Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 c honey
  • 1/4 c wine vinegar
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Spread nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet.
  3. Roast for 5 to 10 minutes.
  4. Toss the nuts around occasionally to ensure even cooking. Nuts are done when they appear a shade darker and smell toasty.
  5. Add the greens, cheese and apples into a large salad bowl.
  6. Mix the olive oil, Dijon,  honey and vinegar in a small jar and sprinkle with and salt
    and pepper.
  7. Put the lid on the jar and shake well to mix.
  8. Pour a little of the salad dressing over the top of the salad and toss to combine. Taste the salad and add more dressing to taste.
  9. Sprinkle with walnuts.

Serves:  20 – 25

Source:  Lost the recipe.  These are the ingredients on the prep list.

Roasted Fruits

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So, you probably know that roasted vegetables have a sweeter and deeper flavor to them –  and the same applies to roasted fruit!   Roasted fruit is a delicious addition to salads, cereals, rice dishes, chicken, fish, tacos, desserts and more.

Directions: 

1) Toss sliced fruit with a few teaspoons of olive oil or canola oil
2) Use parchment paper or a Silplat mat for easy clean-up
3) If desired, sprinkle with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger
4) Roast in a 400° oven. Times will vary based on the size of fruit – anywhere from 15 – 25 minutes.

Tips on roasting specific fruits:

Oranges/Grapefruit – Slice thinly (1/8-inch thick) and roast for 25 minutes. You can drizzle a little bit of honey over the grapefruit slices. Toss in salads, serve over fish or snack and enjoy them on their own. Try Roasted Orange, Asparagus and Cheddar Grilled Romaine Salad or Roasted Citrus and Kiwi – @MJ and The Hungryman

Grapes – Keep on the stems and roast for about 20 minutes. Mix into oatmeal, granola or rice dishes or try these recipes:  Honey-Roasted Grapes with Peanut Butter Granola
Maple + Mustard Roasted Chicken with Roasted Figs & Grapes – @Katie Cavuto
Sweet & Savory Harvest Rice Bowl – Natalie @Nutrition Ala Natalie

Avocados – Use firmer avocados. Peal, cut in half and remove pits. Sprinkle with a dash of cumin and sugar. Place cut sides up and roast for 15 minutes. Serve with tacos, nachos, chicken, fish or mash onto toast or try this Roasted Avocado Salmon Taco Salad.

Strawberries: My new favorite – each piece is tastes like a burst of strawberry jam – without the added sugar. Slice in half and place cut side down on parchment. Roast for 20 minutes.  Try Maple Vanilla Oatmeal with Roasted Strawberries – @Uproot From Oregon

And here are even more types of fruit to try roast along with some recipes for inspiration:

Figs:  Roasted Figs Blue Cheese & Walnut Spread – @Craving Something Healthy

Peaches:  Roasted Peach Salad with Peach Vinaigrette @Marisa Moore, Roasted Peaches and Figs with Mascarpone and Almonds – @Avocado A Day

Apricots: Roasted Apricot-Almond Smoothie – @The Foodie Dietitian, Brown Sugar Roasted Apricots with Creme Fraiche – @Mom’s Kitchen Handbook

Cranberries:  Spiced Cheese Cakes with Roasted Cranberries @My Cape Cod Kitchen,
Roasted Cranberry Brie Pastry Puffs @The Nutrition Adventure. )I made these at Christmas – delish!) Butternut Squash and Roasted Cranberry Quinoa @Nutritioulicious

Pears: Maple Pecan Roasted Pears – @Your Choice Nutrition, Spinach Salad with Roasted Pears @Food Confidence, Roasted Pears with Dried Plums and Pistachios @Nutrition Starring You

Apples: Autumn Salad with Roasted Chicken and Apples @Edwina Clark, Cinnamon Roasted Apples @Amy Gorin

Roasted Grapes with Walnut Oil
Roasted Orange Wedges with Herbs

 

How to Roast Fruit

  • Select fruit that’s ripe, but still firm — using fruit that’s too soft will lead to the fruit steaming, which will minimize browning.
  • Tossing fruit with a touch of oil (olive or nut oils are nice choices), citrus juice, or a splash of wine (or rum or beer) will ensure the fruit produces a sauce during roasting.
  • Add a little sugar to further encourage caramelization. Dust cut sides of the fruit with raw sugar for extra crispy edges. Try mixing sugar with warm spices like cinnamon and mace before sprinkling on the fruit.
  • Spread fruit out in a single layer on a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet to maximize browning and ensure even cooking.
  • Roast the fruit for 20-40 minutes depending on the size of the fruit. Roasted fruit should be tender throughout — test for tenderness by poking cooked fruit with the tip of a paring knife. If the knife easily pierces the fruit with little resistance, it’s ready.

Whole Fruit

  • Fall fruits with edible seeds, like figs and grapes, are excellent roasted whole.
  • Larger fruits like apples and pears should be cored before roasting (and stuffed, if desired), and then served whole or sliced.

Chopped Fruit

  • Fruit should be evenly chopped to ensure even cooking.
  • Fruit that is cubed then roasted will have a more uniformly browned exterior and crispier exterior than fruit that is roasted whole and then chopped.

Perfect Pairings

  • Cored apples stuffed with raisins, hazelnuts, and brown sugar, and then roasted whole.
  • Figs roasted with rosemary and walnut halves, served chilled with blue cheese (or goat cheese!) and crackers.
  • Pears roasted with cinnamon and a split vanilla bean, and then chopped and served as a compote over ice cream.
  • Toss quartered and seeded apples alongside a pork roast during the last 20-30 minutes of cooking.
  • Persimmon wedges (try underripe fuyu persimmons for best results) roasted with grated nutmeg and honey.
  • Roasted red grapes lightly coated in a splash of sherry vinegar and tossed with cooked farro and big flakes of Parmesan.
  • Tuck maple-drenched, roasted fresh cranberries into your favorite pancake batter.
  • Roast all the fall fruit you can get your hands on, squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice over the top (add a drizzle of honey, if necessary) and serve as an elegant warm fruit salad.

Mt Nebo Mock Lobster Salad

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Look for the White Trash cookbooks – a real piece of Americana.  It reads like a history book with recipes.  By the end of the book you are practically one of the family.

Ingredient:

  • 1 c chopped celery
  • 1/3 c green peppers, diced
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 lb saltine crackers, broken into small pieces (1 sleeve, approx 40 crackers)
  • 1 c mayonnaise
  • 2 c tomato juice or V8

Directions:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine celery, green pepper, eggs, and crackers.
  2. Measure mayonnaise into a medium bowl.
  3. Whisk in tomato juice or V8 until blended.
  4. Pour over cracker mixture.
  5. Cover and refrigerate 3-1/2 hours or overnight.

Serves: 8 to 10, depending on serving size

Source:  White Trash Cookbook II:  Food for Gatherings

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Jumbo Jim’s Tower of Fruit

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Jumbo Jim’s Tower of Fruit is a tradition at our summer parties.  It is pretty free form and flexible – how big is the group, how much table space, what fruit is in season.  We sometimes have dishes of sweet dips for the fruit.

Ingredients:

  • kiwi
  • cantaloupe
  • honeydew
  • watermelon
  • oranges, lemons limes
  • pineapple
  • bunches grapes – red and green
  • strawberries

Tower:

  • lettuce, kale, Swiss chard (large leaves of something)
  • parsley
  • green Styrofoam pieces – cubes and/or rounds to use like building blocks
  • long skewers
  • toothpicks

Directions:

  1. Arrange Styrofoam (of various sizes)  to form the structure for the tower.  Stair step them up to a single round top piece.
  2. Skewer them securely together with long skewers.
  3. Cover them with lettuce, kale or other large leafed greens secured with toothpicks.
  4. Cut the whole pineapple in half lengthwise.  Leave the top on.
  5. Extract the fruit, leaving a shell to use as a dish.
  6. Cut the cantaloupe in half.  You can use a v shaped tool to make the edge fancy.
  7. Extract the fruit, leaving a shell to use as a dish.
  8. Cut the honeydew in 1/3 – 2/3 to make a deep shell.  You can also use a little watermelon.
  9. Cut a thin slice off the bottom so it will sit flat.
  10. Extract the fruit, leaving a shell to use as a dish.
  11. Cut all the fruit you extracted into large bite size pieces- keep them separate.
  12. Now comes the fun.  Place the honeydew at the top of your”tower”.
  13. Arrange the cantaloupe on the next layer.
  14. Use the half pineapples on the lowest corners.
  15. Skewer all these in place.  They will be the bowls for your fruit.  You can add other containers – large sea shells, pretty baskets, etc.
  16. “Decorate” the tower with parsley (fill in blank spots) half oranges, lemons, limes (cut side out) and even flowers (real or not).
  17. At party time, fill the containers with a variety of fruits – not necessarily what the container originally had.
  18. Don’t forget toothpicks for serving and a dish for used toothpicks.

Serves:  Usually more that you think it will.

Source:  Jim Kleerup

 

 Mediterranean  Island Salad

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This salad got its name because we needed an “Island” name or a meal at the “Welcome to the Islands” camp-out.  Lettuce with “stuff” can be called anything you want!  Check out the “Oil and Vinegar Dressing: A Template” on the blog (Margie’s Kitchen, food is good.)

Ingredients:

  • romaine
  • goat cheese
  • beets – canned shoestring (pickled, if you can find them)
  • chives
  • oil and vinegar dressing

Directions:

  1. Cut or tear romaine into bite size pieces.
  2. Place in large bowl.
  3. Drain beets.
  4. Add to lettuce.
  5. In a jar with a screw lid mix chives, salt, pepper and goat cheese with the vinegar (1 part) and the  oil (3 parts).

Serves:  Figure 3 – 4 people to a head of romaine

Source:   ??

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Antipasto Bar

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Antipasto (plural antipasti) is the traditional first course of a formal Italian meal. Typical ingredients of a traditional antipasto include cured meats, olives, peperoncini, mushrooms, anchovies, artichoke hearts, various cheeses (such as provolone or mozzarella), pickled meats, and vegetables in oil or vinegar.  In other words – choose what you like to nosh on and put it out!  And guess what – it could even be dinner.

  • 1 bx cherry tomatoes
  • 1 *Spiced Vegetables – carrots
  • 3 *Spiced Vegetables –  beets
  • 1 lb *pickled mushrooms
  • 1 head *marinated cauliflower
  • 1 large jar marinated artichoke hearts
  • 2 jars pickled asparagus
  • 1 ½# salami – thinly sliced
  • 1 lb mortadella
  • 1 pk provolone cheese (cut in 1/4th)
  • 1 jar pepperocini
  • 5 jars assorted olives ( or fresh)
  • 1 lb Parmesan or Mozzarella cheese cubes
  • 1 tin anchovies
  • 2 tin sardines
  • 2 bunches parsley (decoration)
  • many flat breads
  • 4 bx bread sticks
  • 1 bag garlic bagel chips
  • 2 lbs grapes
  • *Italian Cheese Triangles

Just open cans, and arrange contents artfully, garnishing with parsley and grapes.

The * items can be prepared a couple of days in advance.  The Cheese Triangles freeze.

Serves:  This quantity was an appetizer for 75 people.  You can scale it down for a smaller group.

Spinach and Avocado Salad

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Sometimes you just want easy!

  • 1/2 lb spinach (buy the packaged stuff!!)
  • 2# bacon, diced, cooked, drained (or 1/2 c cooked bacon pieces you can buy)
  • 1/3 c crasins
  • slivered almonds
  • 3 avocado
  • Honey Mustard Dressing (you can buy this too!)

Directions:

  1. Rinse the spinach.
  2. Dry in a towel.
  3. Remove the stems if so inclined.
  4. Add crasins, almonds and avocado
  5. Toss with about a half a cup of dressing.

Serves:  4 – 6

Source:  What we had on hand.

Honey Mustard Dressing

Ingredients:

  • 3 c mayonnaise
  • 1/2 c sugar
  • 1/2 c honey
  • 1/4 c prepared mustard
  • 1/4 c white vinegar
  • 1/4 onion, minced
  • 1/4 bunch parsley, chopped
  • 1 c vegetable oil

Directions:

  1.  Combine the mayonnaise, sugar, honey, mustard, vinegar, onion and parsley.
  2. Blend in oil.
  3. Chill about 1 hour before serving.

Serves:  Makes about 6 cups

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