millet beet salad

 Idea taken from here.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dry millet - cooking instructions from here
• 1 cup water or broth 
• 1 large beet or 1 jar of canned beets
• 1/2 lemon, juiced or 2 T lemon juice
• 2 T olive oil
• salt, pepper
• large garlic clove, pressed
• 2 T coarsely chopped almonds
• arugula or other salad green
  

Lightly toast millet for 4-5 minutes in pot, then add 1 cup water or broth and cook for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat, let sit for 10 minutes, then fluff.

Make dressing: mix together lemon juice, oil, salt & pepper, garlic.  Stir into millet.  Add drained beet, almonds, serve with arugula.

millet greens salad

 I took the idea from here, and it would be good with asparagus and basil but I didn't feel like shopping so plan to use what I have on hand and I'll eat it with sardines.  

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup millet
• 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth 
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup sherry or red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• pepper, salt
• 4 cups baby arugula 
  
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup herbs (using mint today; basil would be good as in recipe) 
• other vegetables such as roasted asparagus 
• pepitas or other nuts/seeds

 Directions

Cook the millet - rinse well, then toast for a few minutes in a dry skillet, then add to heated broth and cook for 20 minutes.  Fluff, let rest off heat for 10 minutes, let cool. 

Make dressing: whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard, salt & pepper in a large bowl.  Add in onion.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  

 

farro white beans roasted and green vegetables salad

I just made a huge salad based on this, with a lot of modification, and it's very good.  And it's really huge so I'll be sharing a lot.  I'll eat it for breakfast throughout the week.  

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup farro, cooked
• 2 large carrots cut into matchsticks
• 2 large leeks in1/4" slices 
• crushed red peppers
• olive oil
• small head radicchio, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper chopped (I used roasted red pepper)
• 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes (I used sundried tomatoes, maybe 1/4 cup)
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• fresh parsley
• fresh thyme (or dried)
• juice of 1 lemon  
• salt and pepper
  
• 3 cup salad greens (I used erba stella)
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese or feta 
• nuts for serving 
  

Cook farro.  Toss carrots and leeks with 1 T oil and some red peppers, roast at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes. 

Into large bowl: radicchio, pepper, tomatoes, beans.  Add roasted vegetable and farro.

Into small bowl: lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, thyme.  Stir into vegetables.  Add greens and cheese. 

I sprinkled with some pistachios, will also be good with chopped almonds or pecans.

blueberry feta salad

 Obviously I can just toss things together, but this recipe gives good ideas.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups spinach and arugula salad mix
• 1 cup fresh blueberries (about 1/2 pint)
• 1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

How to Make It

Toast pecans in 400 oven about 5-7 minutes, until slightly browned and fragrant.  In a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, balsamic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add spinach and arugula mix, blueberries, pecans, and feta cheese, tossing gently to combine.

 

salad dressing

Not sure how I keep forgetting that homemade salad dressings are way better than what I can buy in the store, and super easy.

But I do.

So here's a good one from here.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup aged balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

• Pour the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, 2 tablespoons honey, Dijon mustard, dried thyme, and garlic clove in a jar. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper.

protein salad

From the Whole30 cookbook.

Protein salad base

-1# protein (cooked chicken, salmon or tuna, 8 hard-boiled eggs)
-1/4 c creamy base (mayo)
-2 T acid (lemon juice, lime juice, vinegar such as rice wine or ACV)
-salt & pepper

What I typically add: apples and almonds and celery and onions (green), with lettuce

Other good mixes:
-sliced grapes, onions, celery, slivered almonds
-Kalamata olives, roasted tomatoes, pine nut, basil (with red wine vinegar)
-mandarin orange slices, celery, chopped kale, cilntro (with lime juce or rice wine vinegar)
-sliced strawberries, blueberries, green onion, pecans, fresh parsley
-diced apples, roasted sweet potato or butternut squash, sweet onions, raisins, walnuts (with ACV)

Chicken Salad in Phyllo Cup

Chckn Salad in Fillo Cup Dish
Originally uploaded by gummychild

Quick chicken salad made from what I had on hand:

- 1 Chicken breast, diced into small pieces and poached.
- 1 apple, diced.
- 2-3 stalks of celery, cleaned, stripped and diced.
- 4 thin slices of deli honey ham, torn into pieces by hand (or you can dice)
- A handful of raisins
- 1 Tablespoon of light mayo (or more based on your preference)
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Salt and pepper

Mix everything together, and season to taste. =) Place in the refrigerator and serve when ready.

I tried to make a phyllo cup to place our salad in, only, as you can see, it kinda collapsed in the oven.

Collapsed Phyllo Cup...
Originally uploaded by gummychild

However, it was still fun to put the chicken salad on top, and breaking it up with our forks over dinner and mixing it well with our chicken salad. It gave it all a nice, crunchy texture, hee hee...

The salad itself was really refreshing and light! Not heavy at all, and the apples and raisins made it more fruity than a usual chicken salad. If I had a lemon, I'd squeeze some lemon juice in it for some zing. ^_^ The apples didn't oxidize, and I'm guessing it's because of the mayo because it would block its exposure to oxygen.

fennel, feta, kalamata salad

Super duper yummy! Inspiration here.

Dressing:

• 1/4 c lemon juice (fresh-squeezed Meyers lemons, please)
• sugar to taste (about 1 tsp)
• salt & pepper (go light on salt because of olives and feta - how salty are they?)
• 1 tsp - 1 T olive oil

Mix together & set aside.

Salad:

• fennel (I used one bulb sliced as thinly as I could, but I need a mandoline!) - set in ice water while preparing everything else
• romaine or other lettuce you have on hand (or none)
• olives (kalamatas, about 1/3 cup because they're yummy!); I prefer them chopped in 1/4 or so
  
• 4 oz of feta (fresh goat feta, please!)

Mix the dressing in with the ingredients and enjoy!

Russian-style beet potato salad

From Laurel's kitchen

2 (or so) medium beets, boiled and then skinned and diced
2 (or so) potatoes, chopped and boiled
1/2 c peas

Cook and chill all.

Then add sauce:
1-2 T mayonnaise
4-6 T yogurt
1-2 T vinegar
salt & pepper & sugar to taste
fresh dill if you have it
****
This craves my root vegetable cravings! I flash back to memories in Russia, where this was common summer fare. I like to let it sit for a bit before consuming to let the flavors meld.

It makes a very pretty pink salad that is oh so tasty!

citrus spinach salad

This is always a hit - I love the different tastes and how healthy, yet satisfying and tasty it is!

Citrus Spinach Salad

2 cups fresh spinach leaves
OR
2 cups torn Romaine Lettuce
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced (go light)
1 fresh navel orange, peeled and separated into sections
OR
2 blood oranges, peeled and separated into sections
OR
1/2 small can mandarin oranges
2 T toasted pine nuts

Dressing
2 T orange juice
2 T white wine vinegar
3 T olive oil (usually I use less)
2 tsp. honey (or save the juice from the can of mandarins for sweetener)
1 T chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp. dijon mustard
salt & pepper to taste

Serves 2

Toss spinach, onion, oranges and pine nuts together. Whisk together all dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and serve.

(Note: I would double or treble the salad fixins for that amount of dressing)

tomato cucumber salad & relish

A taste of summer! This is best with luscious farmer's market produce, with full flavor. Do NOT make this in the winter with those horribly pallid tomatoes that are shipped thousands of miles after being picked green and bred to be long-lived rather than have any flavor. Really.

*tomato, diced
*cucumber, peeled (unless the peel is soft & not waxed) and seeded if the seeds are bitter, halved sliced (or chunked); (Persian cucumbers are splendid here, English hothouse are fine; if you use the typical supermarket cucumber then you probably need to peel and seed it)

Prep these and mix them together. If serving as salad, make larger chunks. If using as a relish on a sandwich, then chop more finely.

I usually use a ratio of about one tomato to one cucumber, but it depends on what I have on hand, how large they are, etc. Totally a judgment call.

Then add in:

*lemon juice or rice wine vinegar** (could also use lime juice) - maybe 1 T per 1 large tomato/cucumber, but it's really to taste (start with 1 T and add if necessary)
*salt (sea salt is always better than that iodized crap)
*pepper (freshly ground)

Other add-ins if you desire:
*olive oil (if there's no fat in whatever else you're eating at the same time, please put in a glug of olive oil. Without fat, bodies can't properly access lycopene and other wonderful nutrients)
*onion (red or sweet like Walla Walla or Vidalia are probably best), minced or sliced very thinly in half-rounds
*fresh mint chopped finely (I wouldn't put in much because it will overtake the flavors)
*fresh basil chopped finely (ditto); actually just about any fresh herb: oregano, tarragon, parsley
*garlic minced or pressed (then it's just juice and you don't get a big bite of garlic)
*cheese: a fresh mozzarella or feta goes nicely as well
*bell pepper
*Greek olives

Put everything together and let it sit for the flavors to meld. Tomatoes taste best when not refrigerated so I leave it out for a couple hours before eating. Does keep well in the refrigerator for a few days.

It's great on hummus sandwiches.

** Rice wine vinegar has a really nice mellow flavor - not vinegary at all. It's what I usually use unless I have lemons/juice to use up.

chicken cabbage salad

From the newspaper. Always a hit - super yummy!

chicken
Cook the chicken (recipe called for 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts; I've used just one boiled with Old Bay or Tony Chachere's until done; I don't find leftover chicken to work very well)

vegetables
1/2 large head cabbage, diced
2-3 large carrots, diced (I shred them)
1/2 bunch green onions, sliced
Combine in large bowl, then add chicken & dressing.

dressing
1/4 c fresh lime juice (about one large lime or two small; doesn't have to be exact) (really, fresh is sooo much better than from a bottle, especially in this, because it's a major player)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 T fish sauce (1 was sufficient)
red pepper flakes
combine & stir well, taste and adjust. (It doesn't taste good to me at this stage, but added with herbs later it's good. )

herbs
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 T chopped fresh mint (I usually omit the mint & basil because I think it makes the salad too busy)
1 T chopped fresh basil
1/4 c peanuts plus more for garnish (the peanuts are fabulous in this, so don't omit!)

Just before serving, toss salad with herbs & peanuts - add more peanuts as desired. (Probably better to add the herbs in just before eating rather than leaving in there overnight.)

Ms. Iris's Potato Salad

From Ayanna, who made it yesterday and YUM!!

Cook:

7 - 8 red potatoes

2 - 3 eggs
(If have time, cook the day before and refrigerate overnight.)

Add in:

~1/8 cup chopped onions

~1/8 cup chopped bell pepper

1/2 stalk celery finely chopped

1/2 - 1 tsp white vinegar (she specifically said NOT to put this in, but I think this gives it a really fresh taste)

~ 1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 - 3 tbsp sweet relish

~ 1 tsp yellow or spicy mustard

~ 1 tsp extra fine granulated sugar (optional, of course:))

mc cormicks season salt to taste

a little old bay seasoning - a few shakes

1 - 2 tbsp parsley (I think it would have been even better if i had fresh parsley)

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper - optional

1 - 2 tbsp pickle juice

Mix ingredients and sprinkle with paprika.

pasta salad with sun-dried tomatoes and smoked cheese

Based on a recipe from 365 Ways to Cook Pasta by Marie Simmons.

This amount is for a large group or plenty of leftovers - can easily halve it.

1 pound pasta, cooked until al dente (tubetti, rotini, shells - whatever small shape you like; I used elbows yesterday). After you cook it, drain it well in a colander and cool running water. Put back in the pan, toss in a few good gollops of olive oil, and let it cool and forget about it while you're doing other things.

Combine together:
fresh ripe tomatoes (I used two largish Creole tomatoes - could have used another)
sundried tomatoes (I probably used 1/2 c of packed in oil sort, chopped finely)
1 T red wine vinegar (or whatever vinegar you have around, though I'd avoid balsamic because it would color the salad unattractively)
garlic, crushed (I used about 7 small cloves because it seems I never get enough out of the crusher)
salt and pepper
pinch (or two) dried oregano

Then add to tomatoes:
8 oz smoked gouda (my fave, though any kind of smoked cheese with substance is good)
chopped fresh basil (I used what I had - about 15 leaves)

Mix well, then add in the cooled pasta and toss to blend. Chill until time to eat (though I like to take it out a bit before, so it's not fully chilled - being a bit warmer makes the flavors richer).

****
So this allows some variation as well. I had some beet greens to eat but not many, and I was craving this salad & had smoked mozzarella in the freezer.

So, I sauted five cloves minced garlic with the chopped beet greens and about 2/3 can diced tomatoes until the greens were softened. I tossed that into the mix (omitted the crushed garlic & chopped fresh tomato) and yum!

I like beet greens for their light beety taste, but that didn't come through at all because of the melding of all the other strong flavors - it was more like spinach, a green to go with others.

broccoli salad

When I first graduated college, I worked a summer at a farm. At the end of the day, the sketchy produce that couldn't be sold the next day was left to the gleaners, and we could take it home as well. I would come home with big boxes packed with fresh produce, and Amy and I would experiment in the kitchen making free meals.

This broccoli salad, inspired by her mother when on a religious potluck bent, is one of my favorites. It can be adjusted to what you have on hand, and it's a great way to get some raw broccoli!

****
BROCCOLI SALAD

broccoli, raw, chopped
onion, minced - sweet (Vidalia or Walla Walla) or red (I think red is prettier but it can be strong)
raisins and/or dried cranberries and/or grapes
sunflower seeds or almonds (chopped/slivered/etc.) or pine nuts
[sun dried tomatoes]
bacon (fried until well done and crumbled/chopped)

dressing:
mayonnaise
red wine vinegar
sugar
salt & pepper

This is an eyeball recipe, so I'll guess. I used a bunch of broccoli (two medium heads bundled together) and chopped up the florets to a medium size and some of the stalk (finely).

With that, about half a medium red onion - chopped finely.

Two slices of bacon, 1/4 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 c grapes sliced in half (easier to eat), 1/4 c sunflower seeds. (No sundried tomatoes because I used those in another recipe at the same meal, and I'm not crazy about them in the salad.)

For the dressing, I didn't read the label and accidentally dumped in a bunch of red cooking wine. So then I realized I didn't have any red wine vinegar (which I really think is best for this recipe), so I added in some rice wine vinegar. Maybe 1/2 c mayo and 1/4 c vinegar and 1/4 c (or less) sugar. Taste it and adjust accordingly - it should be mildly sweet and a little vinegary to enhance flavor and creamy. You'll know it's right when it tastes great!

Then mix dressing & salad ingredients and you'll be the hit of the party!
***
Little trick: I hate the smell of bacon frying in my house because it lingers and BLECH! Maybe I'm hypersensitive, maybe the stovetop fan doesn't work - whatever. THIS is the way to do it:
Side burner on the grill, baby. And if I didn't have that, I'd do cast iron straight on the grill. Let the neighborhood salivate and save my house the stench. Awesomeness.