That yummy kale salad from GAW

Ok I need this here because yum and then I don’t have to worry about losing the photo Cheese Pusher sent me again...

To try to type it out... with a couple of notes...

4 c kale [washed, ribbed, and torn into bite-size pieces]

4 Tbl olive oil [thats a quarter cup, people]

1/2 Tbl sesame oil

1 Tbl liquid aminos [I subbed in soy sauce after K couldn’t find this at the store]

1 Tbl rice wine vinegar 

1 Tbl lemon juice

4 tsp fresh ginger

Sprinkle salt and pepper 

To paraphrase: Prep kale. Mix rest. Rub liquid into kale. Delicious. 

Maple Dressing and Poppy Seed Dressing

Ok, this doesn't fit the theme this month or last month or really anything, other than I was typing these up for someone else and I thought, "Hey! I could post these recipes too!" And you know, it's summer now, you might want to eat a salad. :)

Maple Dressing

1/4 C. Mayonnaise (do not use miracle whip*)

1/4 C. Pure Maple syrup

3 Tbs. White Wine Vinegar

3 Tbs. Sugar

1/2 C. Vegetable oil

+ Salt & Pepper to taste

Blend first 4 ingredients. Then slowly whisk in the vegetable oil last, then season to taste. Keep in a container you can shake to mix before using. Makes 6 servings.

Poppy Seed Dressing

1/2 C. Sugar

1 Tsp Salt

1/4 C. White Wine Vinegar

1 Tsp. Dry mustard

1/2 C. Olive Oil

1/2 C. Canola Oil

3 Tbs. Mayonnaise

41/2 Tsp. Poppy Seeds

1 Tbs. Onion Juice

Mix: Sugar, Salt, Mustard, and Vinegar until blended

Add: Olive oil, Canola oil and onion juice mix until blended

Add Mayonnaise & Poppy seeds last - you will have to stir a bit to incorporate the mayo

Throw in some cooked chicken and grapes and the Poppy seed dressing makes for an interesting sort of chicken salad as well.

Cous cous salad

1 box whole wheat cous cous
1 15 oz. can of kidney beans
2 medium scallions
1 cup fresh broccoli
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/3 c. tomato juice
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp olive oil

Prepare cous cous per instructions. When cous cous has cooled to room temperature, mix with beans (strained), scallions, and broccoli. In a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients. Pour over salad and toss lightly.

The vegetables and beans can be varied for different flavors.

Greek Salad

3-4 Roma Tomatoes

1/2 Red Onion

1-2 Green Peppers

2+ Cucumbers

Feta Cheese (we like lots)

Kraft Greek Salad Dressing



Chop into bite size pieces. Pour the Greek Salad Dressing over and mix.



Enjoy! I meant to post this in August and it did not happen.

Tomato not really recipes

Most of the things I make with tomatoes aren't recipes.

Case in point: last night for supper, we grabbed some tomatoes, cucumber and basil from the garden, cut them up with cubes of fresh mozzarella and drizzled a little 18-year balsamic vinegar over the lot of it.

Or cutting a tomato in half, topping it with mozzarella and throwing it on the grill or under the broiler until the cheese is melty and starting to brown. Maybe sprinkling it with oregano or pressing a fresh basil leaf into the top before you serve it.

Puck's mom is in town, and on hearing me wax rhapsodic about both garden tomatoes and Colorado peaches, sent me this New York Times link, which includes the following:

"Mix wedges of tomatoes and peaches, add slivers of red onion, a few red-pepper flakes and cilantro. Dress with olive oil and lime or lemon juice. Astonishing."

I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds really good and like something I would never think to try on my own.

(Those of you who don't like tomatoes, follow the link anyway -- it's 101 summer salads, many of which have no tomato at all. I think I need to make the walnut, bleu cheese and raspberry one too.)

And we have all tried BLTs with avocado, right?

Temp's Refreshing Summer Salad

I may be hopeless at putting my own recipes up, but damn it, I can cut and paste for others. :-) Here's the zucchini salad Temp brought to mai tai, as posted on her blog.

Temp's Refreshing Summer Salad

Take 4 or 5 Zucchini and peel them, and then keep using the peeler to make ribbons into a bowl until you get down to the seeds.

Open up a jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil and chop some of those up and toss into the zucchini until you have a good ratio. Pour about a tablespoon of the oil in there too.

Take a lemon and shave about a tablespoon of zest off it into the zucchini. Squeeze about a tablespoon of lemon juice in there too (This is less than when I served it this weekend, and much less than the 2 tablespoons I recall the original recipe asking for).

Season with coarse salt and ground pepper.

This would probably also be good with artichokes, but I like the color of the tomatoes in there. It's also a little soppy, so you can let the zucchini sweat a little before putting the other stuff in there.

Wednesday Fun #90 - You say "salad," I say, "holy mess of vegetables, Batman!"

June was salad month - green salads, pasta salads, fruit salads, whatever. (Remember, you can always post recipes that don't fit any given month or post monthly-themed recipes even in other months... like the next month... Just sayin'...)

Now, my definition of salad growing up was rather small. You had your lettuce as a base, and some kind of (probably Kraft) salad dressing to go on top. And sometimes that was it. Otherwise, toppings might include cherry tomatoes, big tomato wedges, cucumbers, carrot slices, chopped celery, Vidalia onions, maybe some peas... You know, other vegetables.*

The first time I saw a salad (might've been a Cobb salad...) that had cheese? hard-boiled egg? and ham? was just strange! Those weren't vegetables! What were they doing on a salad? And how would it taste?

Just fine, thank you very much. Just fine! In fact, YUM!

I'm still not much of one to make or eat a main dish salad - one with meat/cheese/chickpeas/protein of some kind or that's all gussied up with thematic ingredients (Asian chicken salad with chow mein noodles & mandarin oranges, I'm looking at you!), but that's often 'cuz I just don't think of salads that way. Not that I don't enjoy them; I just never think of them.



But hey, how about you? What constitutes a "salad" in your head? Or what's your favorite topping(s) to throw on a salad? Conversely, what do folks put on salads that is just plain wrong in your book? Is there a special, super-good salad at a restaurant out there that you ALWAYS order when you go? Let's talk salads!




*Exception to that definition of "salad" was the Midwest classic 7-layer salad, but that was special! It had BACON! :) (And is something I still love to this very day.)

Easy Pasta Salad

This is my favorite pasta salad - so easy and versatile.

1 package Wacky Mac
Salad Dressing - I'm partial to Newman's Own
Whatever looks good in the produce department
Whatever else you want to put in it

Cook the Wacky Mac in a dutch oven (big enough to cook the whole package at once). While the noodles are cooking, chop whatever vegetables, pepperoni, etc. that you want to put in it. When the noodles are done, run cold water over them to completely cool them before adding everything else. Pour salad dressing over everything and toss. Chill for at least an hour or so before serving. Or not.

Especially good in this salad:
Red, orange, and yellow peppers
Black olives
Parmesan cheese
Fresh green beans
Pea pods
Jicama

This salad is awesome to just have in the fridge, keeps for days, but never lasts that long.

June Theme - Salads

Hellll-ooooo, springtime!

That's right - the days of sun and fun and frollicking in the grass are here! Who needs soups or stews or oven-cooked hot things now? We want easy-peasy dishes that we can just throw together from what's on hand after we come in from a few hours spent outside! Let's have nice, light, easy, yummy salads!

Ones like these!

• Quick Pickles from DiploWhat sound delicious and super-easy!
• Nectarine might call this Winter Salad, but I think it sounds yummy and substantial enough for a meal-salad.
• Her Easy, No-Prep Salad sounds perfect for when you've suddenly been invited to a BBQ and want to bring something more impressive than deli take-out...
• Looking for something a little Mediterranean? Try The Sexy Blonde's Roasted Bell Pepper Antipasto!
• Only 3 ingredients needed for DiploWhat's Tomato Snack. It makes me impatient for my garden tomatoes to start producing (in, like, what, weeks and weeks and weeks?!)!
• And while Diplowhat calls her Tahra's Tabbouleh "very yummy and filling," she does confess it will "leave you with bad breath." ;)

How 'bout you? What delicious salad-y sort of recipes do you have? Don't worry if it's a simple, not-a-real-recipe one - many salads are - we'd love to hear it!

Citrus Chicken

An embarrassingly long time ago, The Sexy Blonde made this for Wednesday Dinner. It was delicious, and I said she should post the recipe to Recipeeps. But, with the whole new mom + full-time-job thing, she didn't think she'd have time.

"Oh, I'll do it!" I said. So she promptly emailed me a link to the recipe. I not-so-promptly failed to post it here for a very long time. Oops?

Anyway, this is delicious and makes your kitchen smell heavenly. From Cooking Light.


Citrus Chicken

1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cups bagged prewashed baby spinach

Preparation

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Pour 1/4 cup juice mixture into a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag. Seal; let stand 5 minutes. Add oil to remaining juice mixture; stir well with a whisk.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until done. Place 1 1/2 cups spinach on each of 4 plates. Divide chicken evenly among servings; top each serving with 1 tablespoon juice mixture.

Quick Pickles

I meant to post this back in January. Sorry. Anyway, this is a wonderful summer treat as it's nice and cool, but really is good any time. You can adjust this to add or subtract anything you like.

1 c. white vinegar

3/4 -1c. sugar (I prefer 3/4)

Mix these two together in a casserole dish or any other container that can hold the rest of the ingredients. It will take a bit of stirring.

1-2 regular cucumbers, sliced, or 1-3 Chinese or English cucumbers, chopped (depending on size) (see pictures)

Layer the cucumbers in any dish with a layer of salt in between each layer of cucumber. Let the cucumbers "sweat" for 1-2 hours. (Will need less time if using Chinese or English cucumbers). Rinse.

Put cucumbers in the vinegar/sugar mixture. Also add (at any time):

1/2 - 1 onion, sliced and cut in half (easy to eat slices)

3-4 red chilis (optional) de-seeded and sliced (They will not be spicy after soaking, but add a good flavor.)

1/2 - 1 red or yellow bell pepper (optional)

Put this all in the fridge and chill for at least 1 + hours. Enjoy! Will keep in the fridge for 3+ days.

*if the cucumbers taste at all salty after marinating for an hour, don't worry. The longer they soak, the less salty they will taste, until there is no salt taste.

Winter Salad

This was not the salad I was looking for and I have to admit I have not made this one. My mother had it at a potluck and said it was wonderful so it was on my computer. It looks good and something different. I might try making it for my cooking club next Thursday as we are doing Thanksgiving Sides. I will post all the good things people bring for all of you next weekend.

Winter Salad
1 1/2 head romaine lettuce
1 C. shredded swiss cheese
1/2 cup craisins
1 cup cashews
1 apple cubed
1 pear cubed
grapes to taste
Dressing: 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 t salt
1 t. dijon mustard
1 T poppy seed
1 T grated onion
1/3 c lemon juice
2/3 c oil

Salad - easy no prep

Just wanted to share a great salad we have been making this summer.

Buy a bag of Broccoli Slaw - Poppy Seed Dressing - Gorp (mix of dried fruits and nuts- no chocolate) - Mayo of your choice (I like Miracle Whip)

Mix together - eat!!

Tastes good the next day also.

Roasted Bell Pepper Antipasto

This one is from The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook. I made it without the green peppers and used yellow and orange bell peppers along with the red ones. It's listed in the appetizer section, but it made a great side dish. They suggest it could be served with some Italian salamis and cold meats.

3 red bell peppers
2 yellow or orange bell peppers
2 green bell peppers
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
5 Tbsp olive oil
few drops of hot pepper sauce
4 canned artichoke hearts, drained and sliced
1 garlic clove, sliced
salt and ground black pepper
basil leaves, to garnish

Serves 6

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a foil-lined baking sheet and place the whole peppers on the foil. Bake for about 45 minutes, until beginning to char. Remove from the oven, cover with a dish towel and let cool for 5 minutes.

2. Slice the sun-dried tomatoes. Remove the core and seeds from the peppers and peel away the skins. Slice each pepper into thick strips.

3. Beat together the vinegar, oil, and hot pepper sauce, then season with a little salt and pepper.

4. Toss the peppers with the sliced artichokes, tomatoes, and garlic. Pour the dressing over and sprinkle the basil leaves on top.

Tomato Snack

This isn't really a recipe, I admit, but peeps told me I should put it on here anyway.

Buy a "log" of chevre goat cheese from Trader Joes. Cost is only about $4 for a large log shape of the cheese and it freezes well. Just cut off what you want at the time and freeze the rest. Yes, of course you can use a different chevre.

Cherry/Grape tomatoes

Paul Newman's Sesame Ginger dressing. (In PET-1 plastic bottles! - Check out the link for lots of yummy recipes.)

You can put the cheese directly on the tomatoes, and use the dressing as a dip, or just crumble some cheese in with the tomatoes and drizzle the dressing over (my prefrence). Also good with a salad underneath. This has become one of my very favorite snacks. And, I can claim it's healthy!

Tahra's Tabbouleh

Here's how I make tabouleah or however it's spelled. It's not really a Middle Eastern style because I don't chop the crap out of the parsley. It's a bit more chunky, with more couscous, so it's easier to eat with silver wear and I find more people like it this way. Also, I do this all by hand, I do not use my food processor because I don't want things to get too fine. I have to also put in a lot of notes here because this is just something I made up. It’s not a “real” recipe. Warning – it’s very yummy and filling, but does leave you with bad breath.

This lasts a week or a bit more in the fridge.

¼ c. olive oil
¼ c. lemon juice
1 clove garlic
A couple of twists of the pepper grinder and a dash or two of salt
1 medium bunch of parsley (just grab one of whatever they have at the store. If you are a huge parsley fan, add more).
1 medium cucumber
2-3 roma tomatoes
4 oz (half a regular block) of feta
1c cooked and cooled couscous (1 c water to a boil, add ¾ c couscous, cover, and let stand until done, then cool)
Optional: ½ (no more or it infuses way too much flavor!) shallot. You can easily skip this, or add a couple tsp of chives if you really want.

Parsley – cut off the big stems so you mostly just have leaves and their little stems. Chop.
Tomatoes – Remove the seeds and then dice. Roma (or Plum as they call them out here) are best for this – fewer seeds to flesh. Don’t leave the seeds in!!!
Feta – I dice this into small cubes. You can crumble it if you want, but make sure the pieces are small
Cucumber – peel and scoop out the seeds. Then dice.

Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper and (optional) ½ shallot in bowl. Add the rest as you chop it up. Stir, let sit for 15 min or more for the full flavor, and enjoy!