Wedge Salad with Creamy Garlic Dressing

I think iceberg lettuce is complete underrated.  I know it's out of "style", but I just love a crispy, cold wedge of iceberg! Tonight we had wedge salads with homemade creamy garlic dressing with baked potatoes.  And I got to use my crazy powerful new blender.  That thing would blend up the silverware into a smoothie, I think!

Wedge Salad with Creamy Garlic Dressing

4 cloves garlic
16 oz Greek yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
juice of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Add garlic cloves to blender and pulse until they are minced.  Add yogurt, mayo, and lemon juice and blend.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

To assemble the salad, cut iceberg lettuce into wedges and drizzle with dressing. Add chopped bacon and blue cheese (if you want).  I did not because I'm watching my calories. But blue cheese would be great on this! 

Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

As you are resolving to hit the gym or start the couch to 5k to lose weight for 2012 (you *are* doing that like everyone else, right?),  remember that exercising is only part of the equation.  You've got to eat right! No more fast food, don't eat out too often, and don't even bring the junk food into your house.  Do eat more fruits and veggies, fewer processed foods, and drink water instead of soda.  Easy, right? Ha!

Here's a basic salad dressing recipe that you can use for any type of salad.  We had a big salad with rotisserie chicken, apples, pecans, craisins, and goat cheese, but you could add anything you like.  When I make up a salad I like for it to have lean protein, something crunchy (like nuts, radishes, sunflower seeds, or apples), something sweet (maybe raisins, craisins, or fruit), and a little cheese. 

Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette 

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon pressed or grated fresh garlic
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
pinch of sugar
1/4 cup good olive oil

In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, garlic, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and a pinch of salt.  While whisking, slowly add the olive oil until the vinaigrette is emulsified. (You can also put all the ingredients in a small jar with a lid and shake it up.)  Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. 

Fresh Cranberry Apple Salad

Sick of leftovers yet?  How about a salad to get all that gravy out of your system? :)  This salad is so festive with the red and green...it's time to deck the halls! I think I'm the only person in the entire country who doesn't have a tree up yet...

Cranberry Apple Salad
serves 6-8

1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped (I use a food processor)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
2 large Granny Smith apples, chopped
1/4 cup sliced green onions
romaine lettuce or spinach mix

In a small bowl, combine cranberries and sugar.  Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.  You can just do this in the morning before serving the salad.  In a medium bowl, mix lime juice and mustard.  Add oil in a slow stream, whisking constantly.  Marinate nuts, apples, and onions in dressing 1-4 hours. 

To serve (the really pretty way), line a large bowl with greens.   Spoon apple mixture over the leaves.  Make a well in the middle of the apple mixture and spoon in cranberry mixture.  OR you can just mix everything together (like I did).

Greek Salad with Chicken

This is a quick one.  It's also super healthy and yummy.  The kids made gagging noises at the thought of salad with feta in it.  I don't like fake (or real for that matter) vomit noises at the table (or anywhere else!),  but I was too exhausted to acknowledge said noises, so they just ate chicken.  John and I loved this salad. 

  

Greek Salad with Chicken

1/3 cup red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar
6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
white meat of rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced
1/2 large seedless/hothouse cucumber, chopped
1/4 large red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Whisk vinegar, oil, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add lettuce, chicken, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, red pepper, and feta; toss to coat.

Mesclun Salad with Honeycrisp Apple Vinaigrette

Sandwiches made with leftover ham from last night and a big salad. That was dinner for us tonight.  By the way, mesclun is just a fancy word for the baby lettuce mix that is in every grocery store these days.

Mesclun Salad with Honeycrisp Apple Vinaigrette


1 bag mesclun salad mix
1 honeycrisp apple, chopped
1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup chopped pecans

2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons apple cider
1/4 cup olive oil
2-3 tablespoons honey (to taste)
salt and pepper

Combine the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar and shake.  Pour over salad greens and toss.  Top with apples, goat cheese, and pecans.

Autumn Apple Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

So I was starting dinner and when I looked in the fridge for the chicken, it wasn't there.  Guess where I found it? Yep, in the car.  In the 90 degree car where it had been for about 6 hours.  Um, not eatin' that. I also found the skirt steak for tomorrow night in the same bag I forgot to bring in...So I called an audible (like that football reference? I'm trying hard this year to like football) and we had ham and cheese sandwiches instead of chicken, along with this delicious Apple Autumn Salad with Maple Vinaigrette. 

Autumn Apple Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

For 2 large salads; adjust the amounts to your taste 

4 cups arugula/spinach blend
1 Honeycrisp apple, cut into slices (Have you tried the Honeycrisp apples? They are the best!)
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
big pinch of salt
freshly ground black pepper

In a glass jar with a lid, combine the maple syrup, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Put on the lid and shake well to combine.  Add the olive oil and shake well again.  Drizzle over salad greens tossed with apples, walnuts, dried cranberries, and goat cheese.

Pear, Apple, and Blue Cheese Salad with Maple Syrup Vinaigrette

This salad is a great combination of all 5 tastes: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami (I've been waiting to use that one; it means savory, you know).   The maple syrup and pears are sweet, the blue cheese salty, the arugula bitter, the vinegar and green apples are sour, and the walnuts are savory.  I've had a version of this salad many times at restaurants, but never with the maple syrup.   Delicious! 

Pear, Apple, and Blue Cheese Salad with Maple Syrup Vinaigrette
For 2 large salads; adjust the amounts to your taste 

4 cups arugula
1 Granny Smith apple, cut into slices
1 Bartlett pear, cut into slices
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons maple syrup*
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
big pinch of salt
freshly ground black pepper

In a glass jar with a lid, combine the maple syrup, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Put on the lid and shake well to combine.  Add the olive oil and shake well again.  Drizzle over arugula tossed with apples, pears, walnuts, and blue cheese.

* In the south, many people consider pancake syrup (like Mrs. Butterworth's) to be maple syrup, but it isn't.  Maple syrup is a natural product that comes from maple trees.  Mrs. Butterworth's is corn syrup flavored with, well, whatever Mrs. Butterworth puts in it...
If you haven't ever tried real maple syrup with your pancakes, waffles, and french toast, you must.  You will never go back to the Mrs.

Healthier-for-You Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

Tonight we had Wedge Salads with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing along with Tomato Basil soup from Sam's (it's in the refrigerated section) to celebrate that it's finally cooler than 95 degrees at dinner time.  Summer is OVER!

Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
1 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic
juice of one lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese

Grate garlic with a microplane or chop very finely. Add the yogurt, mayo, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and whisk to combine.  Gently stir in the blue cheese. If the dressing is too thick, add a little skim milk to thin it.

Wedge Salad

To assemble the salad, cut a cold head of iceburg lettuce into quarters.  Drizzle with the Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing over the top.  Top with crispy bacon and extra blue cheese. 

Homemade Caesar Salad

When I go to restaurants, I like to order things I cannot make at home.  Either dishes with ingredients unavailable to me, things I've never heard of, or dishes I don't know how to or don't like to cook.  Caesar Salad fits into the category of food I don't know how to cook.  Until now! Thanks to the good ol' interwebs, the Caesar is no longer a mystery!

Caesar Salad (adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook)

2 1/2 cups cubed crusty bread for croutons
3 garlic cloves
2 large egg yolks**
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon minced flat anchovy filet*
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 large heads romaine, torn into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (actually Parmigiano-Reggiano, which is sold in the bulk cheese case at my Walmart)
freshly ground black pepper

Make the croutons.  Spread bread on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake at 350 until golden, about 7 minutes.

Grate the Parmesan cheese in the food processor.  Cut the block of cheese into big cubes and just pulse the food processor until it's a fine consistency.  Remove cheese from processor.

Add the garlic cloves and anchovy* to the food processor.  Chop them very finely.  Add egg yolk, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and process until frothy.  With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil.  Process for about 10 seconds.

To assemble the salad, toss dry romaine with Parmesan cheese, dressing, and croutons. 

*I left out the anchovy, only because my Walmart didn't have anchovies.  The dressing was delicious, but didn't have the distinctive "Caesar" taste; I'm certain because it was lacking anchovies.  Don't leave them out!

**I know you're not really supposed to eat raw eggs, but I like living on the edge. Seriously though, don't serve them to babies, unhealthy people, or pregnant women.  Be sure they are fresh (organic and free range if possible) and rinse the eggs before you crack them. 

Autumn Chopped Salad

I feel like a broken record saying this, but are you using Pinterest yet?  It's such a great place to get ideas.  Anyway, I found this recipe for Autumn Chopped Salad there, but I changed the recipe quite a bit.   I know it's not Autumn yet, but school started today around here, so it feels like it!

 

Autumn Chopped Salad

1 large head of romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
2 medium pears, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (I did this in the microwave)
4 oz. crumbled feta cheese

Rotisserie chicken, chopped white meat

Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

Toss salad with vinaigrette right before serving.

Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4-1/2 cup olive oil

Combine ingredients in a small jar with a lid and shake it up.

Caprese Salad

The Caprese Salad is my favorite summer salad.  I just love it. And because of our crazy hot weather, perfect tomatoes have been in short supply!

If I told you ever crazy thing that happened today, you would think I'm exaggerating...But I had dinner alone (it was quite nice, I might add), after the air conditioner repairman left at 9pm...

Here's what you need to make a glorious Caprese Salad:

Perfect tomatoes
fresh mozarella
fresh basil
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
salt and pepper

Just throw it all together and you'll be happy!

Grilled Skirt Steak Salad

As you may have noticed by now, we don't eat a lot of red meat in our house.  But once in a while, it's just the perfect dinner.  And Beta (she's almost 6) always wants steak for if given a choice, it's one of the few foods she likes.  So she was thrilled with dinner tonight...

Have you ever tried skirt steak?  It's inexpensive, cooks quickly, and I think it has a really good flavor.  It's also really juicy if it's cooked properly.   You just have to remember not to overcook it (medium rare is how it should be eaten), to let it rest at least 10 minutes before cutting, and to slice it thinly against the grain. 

Grilled Skirt Steak Salad

1 pound skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat
olive oil
garlic powder
onion powder
salt
pepper
chili powder
brown sugar
blue cheese
tomatoes
romaine lettuce
Steakhouse Vinaigrette

Drizzle the skirt steak with olive oil, and then sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, and brown sugar.  Rub the spices in and let the steak come to room temperature while the grill preheats to high. 

When the grill is as hot as it will get, grill each side for about 2-3 minutes depending on the thickness of the steak. Remember, it continues to cook while it rests, so don't overcook it!  Take the steak off the grill, cover with foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the vinaigrette. 


Steakhouse Vinaigrette
1 tablespoon coarse Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
Combine ingredients in jar with a lid and shake to combine. Season with salt and pepper and adjust ingredients to taste. 

Pomegranate and Chicken Salad with Goat Cheese and Almonds

I ran across a package of pomegranate arils (those seeds inside a pomegranate) at my Walmart Neighborhood Market yesterday and I knew a big salad was in order! It was a perfect, quick dinner because all I had to do was throw it together.

The kids ate the chicken and some spinach, but didn't care for the pomegranates.  I think they are a little too tart for them.  But I love those things! And the creamy goat cheese goes perfectly with the tartness of the pomegranate.

Pomegranate and Chicken Salad with Goat Cheese and Almonds
arugula and baby spinach
rotisserie chicken
pomegranate arils
goat cheese
slivered almonds
Champagne vinaigrette
2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
pinch of salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
Mix ingredients in a lidded jar and pour over salad and toss.

NWA Blogger Event / Summer Panzanella

I made a super quick Summer Panzanella for dinner tonight, because I've been B-U-S-Y getting ready for the NWA Blogger Meet Up on Monday.  I'm making boxed lunches for everybody at the event, and today I was working on baking brownies.  And not regular ol' brownies, folks.  Barefoot Contessa's Outrageous Brownies. And outrageous is right!! I can't wait for you to try them.

Have you RSVP'd for the event?  It's on Monday from 11-1 at the Acumen building on Gregg Street in Fayetteville (across the street from Arsaga's).  It's going to be so fun to finally get face to face with some local bloggers I've "met" on twitter.  I seriously cannot believe how many of y'all are coming!  If you haven't RSVP'd, take a second to do it, just so I can make sure I have enough lunches for everybody.   I'm so excited about lunch, but I don't want to tell you the menu quite yet...

Summer Panzanella

I made it tonight with yellow peppers, green onions, farmers market heirloom tomatoes, and day old bread from Walmart (97 cents, yo!).  It was so cold and refreshing on this hot summer night.

Wax Bean and Potato Salad with Creamy Basil Vinaigrette

I went to the Farmers Market this morning for tomatoes, and came home with the tomatoes, but also purple and yellow baby potatoes, green onions, and yellow wax beans.  I wasn't sure what I was going to make, so I searched the interwebs and found a great recipe, but I changed it up a little bit.

John tasted the salad and said in a surprised way, "wow, that's so good!"  He fessed up that he couldn't believe a salad with wax beans, potatoes, and arugula could be very tasty.  But it is (and healthy, too).  

Wax Bean and Potato Salad with Creamy Basil Vinaigrette 
1/3 cup walnuts
1 1/2 pounds small potatoes, cut in half
1/2 pound (or so) yellow wax beans
3 or 4 green onions, white and green parts
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
fresh basil, chopped, to taste
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 ounces baby arugula

Toast walnuts quickly in the microwave for one minute.

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to a colander to drain and cool. Set aside.

Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Return pan of water to a boil. Add wax beans, and cook until just tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to ice-water bath to stop the cooking. Drain.

Whisk together vinegar, yogurt, mustard and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl; season with pepper. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking until emulsified. Add basil. Set dressing aside.

Arrange arugula, potatoes, and green beans on a platter. Season with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Drizzle with dressing and sprinkle with toasted walnuts; toss to coat.

BLT Salad

It's been so hot here (about 10 degrees above normal for June) that all I can think about cooking is salad.  This one is one of my favorites.  You must try making your own croutons.  Not only are they a fraction of the cost of boxed ones, but they are delicious!  And for salads, I like to cook bacon in the microwave because it gets really crispy.

BLT Salad

bacon
lettuce
tomatoes
Homemade Croutons
BLT Dressing

Homemade Croutons

The best way:
Cube leftover, stale french bread into equal size chunks, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, garlic powder, and bake at 400 for about 20 minutes, or until brown and crispy. 
OR the way I did it because I was in a hurry:
Cube regular whole wheat sandwich bread, fry in a skillet on medium-high heat for 10 minutes until really golden brown.  The croutons are a little more chewy this way, but still really good.
 
BLT Dressing

1/4 cup real mayo (Hellmans)
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
2 cloves of garlic, grated
juice of half a small lemon
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste 
basil and chives to taste

Chicken Taco Salad with Cilantro Lime Sour Cream

Who doesn't love a taco salad?  Even a bad taco salad (e.g. Taco Bell) is still pretty good, in my opinion.  I set out to make a fresher, healthier, more tasty one for dinner tonight, and I think I succeeded.  And I love how colorful it is!

For 4 salads:
1 rotisserie chicken (I only used the white meat)
salad greens
2 avocados
4 small tomatoes
2 ears of fresh corn
fresh salsa from deli case (my new Walmart Neighborhood Market has a fresh salsa in the deli case that is pretty good)
1/2 cup shredded Monterrey Jack
tortilla chips
salt and pepper
Cilantro Lime Sour Cream (recipe follows)

Before assembling the salad, prep all the ingredients.  Shred the chicken from the rotisserie chicken.  Cut up avocado and spritz with lime juice if you're not using it immediately to keep it from browning.  Cut corn off the ears and microwave for just one minute to cook it.  Cut up tomatoes. Shred cheese. Assemble salad to your tastes, salt and pepper the whole thing, then top with the Cilantro Lime Sour Cream. 


Cilantro Lime Sour Cream
1/2 cup light sour cream
juice of one whole lime
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
salt and pepper

Mix well. And that's it. 

Quinoa Citrus Salad with Avocados

This salad was perfect for the excruciatingly hot and humid weather we're having this week.  It's cold, creamy, crunchy, tangy, and healthy.  You can see perfect pictures and descriptions here, but here is my adapted recipe.   I can hardly wait to eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Quinoa Citrus Salad with Avocados
serves 6-8

Ingredients:
for the salad:
1/2 red onion, minced
2 large grapefruits, divided into segments and chopped
1 large red bell pepper, diced
3 ears fresh corn, kernels chopped off (I microwaved the fresh corn for one minute to get rid of the starchy taste)
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 large (ripe but firm) avocado, diced
1 small bunch cilantro, minced

for the dressing:
juice of 3 limes
1 tsp cumin
3 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:
Bring quinoa to a boil with 2 cups water with a pinch of salt. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until all water is absorbed and quinoa is light and fluffy. Remove from stove and let cool while you prepare the rest of the salad.
Place red onion, grapefruit, cilantro, bell pepper, avocado and shucked corn kernels in a large bowl. Toss to combine.
In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Add quinoa to salad then pour over dressing. Toss well and serve.
Salad will keep in sealed tupperware containers for up to five days in the fridge.

Chicken Salad with Basil and Pine Nuts

Now this is a QUICK meal.

Rotisserie chicken
Spinach and Arugula salad mix (something NEW at my NEW Walmart Neighborhood Market!)
Cherry Tomatoes
Fresh Basil (I got mine from my awesome Mother's Day garden)
Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
Toasted Pine Nuts
Balsamic Vinaigrette

Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic , crushed through a press or grated on a microplane
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• large pinch of sugar
• Salt and freshly ground pepper , to taste

Combine the balsamic, mustard and garlic in a small jar. Season with salt and pepper and add sugar.  Add olive oil and shake well until combined and thickened. Toss with greens and reserve leftover for lunch salads throughout the week.

Texas Caviar

I could eat this as main dish. Love it!  Perfect for a Memorial Day cookout. 

5 cans of black eyed peas, drained and rinshed
Small bottle of Italian dressing (may need to use all - add some stir, add, stir, etc.)
1 purple onion - finely chopped
1 green bell pepper
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper  - all finely chopped
2 stalks celery - finely chopped
jalapenos - to taste
1/2 tsp. garlic - minced
salt and pepper to taste
fresh cilantro to taste
juice of one lime
Mix all together and enjoy - I usually serve with Fritos.