Recipe Tuesday...

I am giving you Salad Recipes today.  I absolutely love salads and the variety of ingredients you can put in to them.

Spinach Salad With Avocado and Pepper

Con Poulos

Serves 4

Hands-on Time: 05m

Total Time: 20m

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh bread cubes (½ inch)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• kosher salt
• 1 5-ounce package baby spinach (6 cups)
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1⁄2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 4 to 5 tablespoons Balsamic-Dijon Vinaigrette
• or bottled balsamic vinaigrette

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the bread with the olive oil and ¼ teaspoon salt. Bake, tossing once, until golden and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, toss the spinach, avocado, bell pepper, olives, shallot, and croutons with the vinaigrette.

Tip

Place olives in a glass jar with lemon or orange rind and cover with olive oil. They'll keep for months in the fridge.

Nutritional Information

Calories 298; Calories From Fat 210; Protein 5g; Carbohydrate 19g; Sugar 4g; Fiber 6g; Fat 24g; Sat Fat 3g; Calcium 120mg; Iron 4mg; Sodium 630mg; Cholesterol 0mg

Spinach, Apple, and Walnut Salad

Maura McEvoy

Serves 4

Hands-on Time: 10m

Total Time: 10m

Ingredients

• 2 Golden Delicious apples, cored, cut into large dice
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 (5-ounce) packages (8 cups) baby spinach leaves
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Directions

1. Toss apples with 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice. Place spinach in a large bowl; remove long stems and bruised leaves. Whisk together remaining juice, olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt, and ground pepper to taste. Toss spinach with apples and dressing. Divide between four bowls. Top with cheese and walnuts.

Tip

Use a paring knife to cut fruits and vegetables.

Nutritional Information

Calcium 145mg; Calories 379; Carbohydrate 25g; Cholesterol 18mg; Fat 28g; Fiber 4g; Iron 3mg; Protein 12mg; Sat Fat 8g; Sodium 199mg

Pan-Grilled Tomato and Feta Salad With Lemon-Caper Dressing

William Meppem

Serves 6

Hands-on Time: 30m

Total Time: 30m

Ingredients

• LEMON-CAPER DRESSING:
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 heaping tablespoon capers, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• SALAD:
• 3/4 pound green beans, trimmed
• 1 4-ounce piece of feta cheese (not crumbled)
• 3 large slicing tomatoes, cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bunch arugula, or 1 bag mixed salad greens
• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions

1. Make the dressing. Combine the oil and lemon juice in a small jar and shake vigorously. Mix in the capers and parsley; set aside.

2. Put the salad together. Heat a large pot of lightly salted water to boiling. Drop in the green beans and cook, uncovered, 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain, then rinse immediately with cold water. Cut the feta into 4 slices and set aside to drain on paper towels. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle the tomato slices with the thyme, salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Place the tomato slices in the skillet and cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Flip and brown the other side. Arrange the arugula on 4 salad plates. Place a few tomato slices on each plate along with some of the green beans. Coat the feta in the bread crumbs. Add the oil to the skillet and brown the cheese on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Add to the salad plates. Drizzle the dressing over the salads.

Tip

If pressed for time, use packages of presliced vegetables found at most supermarkets.

Nutritional Information

Calories 215; Calories From Fat 147; Fat 17g; Sat Fat 4g; Cholesterol 7mg; Sodium 649mg; Protein 7g; Carbohydrate 13g; Sugar 4g; Fiber 4g; Iron 2mg; Calcium 165mg

source

Recipe Tuesday...Salads

I love salads, usually all salads so here are a few of my favorites from my favorite cooks and chefs.

Cucumber, Tomato, Mint Salad

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Prep Time:

10 min

Inactive Prep Time:

1 hr 0 min

Cook Time:

0 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

5 servings

Ingredients

• 10 ounces goat cheese
• 2 to 4 ripe tomatoes
• 4 medium sized cucumbers, thinly sliced
• 2 small white onions (Vidalia will work great for this if they are available), julienned
• 20 mint leaves
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Directions

In a large mixing bowl crumble goat cheese. Add tomatoes, cucumbers and onions to bowl. Cut mint leaves chiffonade-style into shreds and add to salad. Add vinegar and olive oil. Mix well. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Refrigerate for 1 hour, then serve.

Black Bean Salad

Recipe courtesy Guy Fieri

Prep Time:

10 min

Inactive Prep Time:

1 hr 0 min

Cook Time:

--

Level:

Easy

Serves:

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cans black beans, drained, about 30 ounces
• 1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1/4 cup diced green onions
• 1/4 cup diced pineapple
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 4 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• Pinch ground cumin

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad

2008, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, All Rights Reserved

Prep Time:

8 min

Inactive Prep Time:

30 min

Cook Time:

2 hr 0 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

6 servings

Ingredients

• 12 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seeds (not cores) removed
• 1/4 cup good olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 16 ounces fresh salted mozzarella
• 12 fresh basil leaves, julienned

Directions

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Arrange the tomatoes on a sheet pan, cut sides up, in a single layer. Drizzle with 1/4 cup of olive oil and the balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with the garlic, sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 2 hours until the tomatoes are concentrated and begin to caramelize. Allow the tomatoes to cool to room temperature.

Cut the mozzarella into slices slightly less than 1/2-inch thick. If the slices of mozzarella are larger than the tomatoes, cut the mozzarella slices in half. Layer the tomatoes alternately with the mozzarella on a platter and scatter the basil on top. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Serve at room temperature.

Thankgiving Recipe... Salads

This is my last Thanksgiving Recipe post.  I hope you all got some great ideas for your upcoming Thanksgiving Feast.

Waldorf Salad

From Food Network Kitchens

Prep Time:

15 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

10 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 servings (4 cups)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup walnuts halves
• 1/2 cup non-fat yogurt
• 2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 lemon, zest finely grated
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large crisp apples, such as Gala
• 2 ribs celery (with leaves), sliced into 1/2-inch-thick pieces (leaves chopped)
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 head Boston lettuce, trimmed, washed, and dried

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.

Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool and break the nuts up into small pieces.

Whisk the yogurt, mayonnaise, parsley, honey, and lemon zest in a large bowl and season generously with pepper.

Halve, core, and cut the apples into 3/4-inch pieces, leaving the skin intact. Add the apples, celery and raisins to the bowl, and sprinkle with the lemon juice; then toss with the dressing. Cover and refrigerate if not serving immediately.

When ready to serve, toss walnuts into the salad. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a large platter, or divide them among 4 salad plates. Place the salad on the lettuce and serve.

Green Salad with Creamy Mustard Vinaigrette

Copyright 2002, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, All rights reserved

Prep Time:

10 min

Inactive Prep Time:

hr min

Cook Time:

hr min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
• 1 extra-large egg yolk*, at room temperature (see Note)
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• Salad greens or mesclun mix for 6 to 8 people

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, garlic, egg yolk, salt, and pepper. While whisking, slowly add the olive oil until the vinaigrette is emulsified. Toss the greens with enough dressing to moisten and serve immediately.
Note: If you're worried about raw egg, just omit it.


I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and remember to count your blessings.