Archive for Salads
Fried Cauliflower Salad
Posted by: · Mar 13 2012 · Comments
I have to give credit to our dear friend and chef extraordinaire, Andrew Gruel, for this meal. Andrew is my husband’s best friend from high school and recently visited us in Chicago with his amazing lady friend, Kim. Andrew mentioned having fried cauliflower at a restaurant in Los Angeles and I had to give it a try. This simple salad is just delicious. I will never look at cauliflower the same way.
Outside of this meal, today we are celebrating the 12th birthday of our dear golden retriever, Madison. You have brought us endless joy and companionship, Maddie. We love you!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 2 heads of cauliflower
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup store bought bread crumbs
- 3 cups arugula
- Kosher salt for seasoning
Instructions:
Cut the cauliflower into 3/4” slices along the horizontal grain. You will have a nice cross section of the cauliflower. With a paring knife, carefully cut the cross sections into florets.
Heat the olive oil over high heat in a large frying pan.
Whisk 2 eggs in a shallow dish. Place the bread crumbs in a shallow dish as well. Dip the cauliflower florets in the egg, being certain to thoroughly coat each side. Then transfer the florets to the bread crumbs and coat thoroughly on both sides.
Place the coated florets on the frying pan and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from the heat and place on top of a heap of arugula on individual plates.
Fry the remaining eggs and place on top of the fried cauliflower and arugula. Season with the salt and serve.
Shrimp and Cabbage Salad
Posted by: · Aug 05 2011 · Comments
I am true believer that food speaks to the eyes as much as it does the palate. This salad is just stunning on a plate and simply delightful in taste. I served this salad at an outdoor picnic/concert with friends and it was a great hit.
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 1 LB shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- ¼ cup finely sliced radishes
- ¼ cup chopped scallions
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- ¾ cup light mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Dash of sugar
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
Instructions:
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan. Add the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until they turn a nice bright orange hue. Remove the shrimp from the heat and let cool for a few minutes before roughly chopping the shrimp.
In a large bowl, combine the shrimp with the remaining ingredients and stir until well incorporated. Serve alone or on a fresh French roll.
Grilled Swiss Chard and Cherry Salad
Posted by: · Jul 10 2011 · Comments
Northern Montana produces amazing cherries and we are lucky enough to have a small local stand right near our house. As a result, I have been adding cherries to just about every dish I can and this is one of the standouts. Simple, quick and fantastic!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 2 bushels Swiss chard
- 2 cups pitted cherries and sliced in half
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup ranch dressing, homemade or store bought
Instructions:
Pre-heat grill over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Rinse and dry the Swiss chard. Place the Swiss chard on the grill so that each leave is lying flat against the grill. Flip after 2 minutes and continue to cook for another two minutes on the other side. Remove from the grill and roughly chop. In a large bowl combine the greens, cherries, sunflower seeds and dressing. Toss until the greens are fully coated with the dressing and serve.
Edamame and Pistachio Salmon Salad
Posted by: · Apr 07 2011 · Comments
I created this dish for dinner last night and I must say that I was quite pleased with myself. The pistachios and edmamae go wonderfully with the salmon and make for a 20 minute meal with excellent texture and flavor. Serve on couscous or on a toasted roll.
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 2 LB’s salmon fillets, about 3 fillets
- ½ cup pistachios, shelled and roughly chopped
- 1 cup edamame beans, shelled
- 2 teaspoons store bought fish sauce, can be found in the Asian section of most grocery store
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- ½ cup light mayonnaise
- Salt
Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 400°.
Place the fish on a baking dish, skin side facing down. Sprinkle each fillet with a dash of salt. Transfer the dish to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the fish is flakey. Remove the fish from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
Remove the skin from the fish and discard. Place the fish in a large bowl and gently use a fork to pull the fish apart into medium size flakes. Fold in the pistachios, edamame, fish sauce, rice vinegar and mayonnaise. Season with salt to your desired taste. Serve immediately or stir in a tablespoon of lemon juice, cover and refrigerate for later use.
Pear-Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps
Posted by: · Mar 30 2011 · Comments
In typical fashion, I forgot to buy celery for my chicken salad and decided to substitute with the pears that were being ignored in the dark reaches of my refrigerator. The result is a twist on a classic dish with a hint of new flavors and a delicious spring meal.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4 chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
- 1 cup Ponzu Sauce
- ¼ cup chopped scallions
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 pears
- ½ cup light mayonnaise
- ½ cup cream
- 1 head butter lettuce, leaves removed and cleaned
Instructions:
Place the chicken breasts in a shallow bowl. Combine the Ponzu Sauce, scallions and ginger in a small bowl. Pour this mixture over the chicken. Cover with cellophane and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, pre-heat oven to 375°. Cut the pears in half and remove the core. Place the pears on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes, flip and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove the pears and let cool to room temperature. Chop the pears into ½” cubes and set aside.
Remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Use tongs to transfer the chicken from the marinade to a medium sized baking dish. Reserve the marinade. Bake the chicken at 375° for 12-15 minutes. Cut into the chicken to ensure it is thoroughly cooked. Remove the chicken from the oven and let cool to room temperature.
While the chicken is cooling measure ¾ cup of the remaining marinade and transfer to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer over low heat and stir in the cream. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat
Once the chicken has cooled to room temperature, use a fork to shred it into thin strips. Place the chicken in a large bowl and fold in the pears and mayonnaise. Place a few large spoonfuls of the chicken salad onto each piece of lettuce. Drizzle the sauce over each lettuce wrap and serve.
Squid, Bacon and Swiss Chard Salad
Posted by: · Feb 06 2011 · Comments
I love the color of squid, the slightly tough texture and the rich taste. Here I have combined it with bacon and Swiss chard for a little added flavor. I like to serve this dish as a first course and tend to use the whole squid including the body and tentacles. Feel free, however, to use just the body. The tentacles can be a tough match for a more visual eater.
Ingredients:
- 1 LB squid ( body and tentacles), cleaned and chopped into ¼-1/2 inch pieces, last ½ inch of the tentacles removed and discarded
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 slices deli cut thick bacon, cut along the width into ½ inch pieces
- 2 TBS chopped scallions
- 2 TBS chopped shallots
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- I bundle Swiss chard, roughly chopped
- Fried Rice Cakes, http://thirtyyearoldhousewife.com/2011/02/ahi-poke-over-fried-rice-pancakes/
Instructions:
Combine squid and lemon juice in a Ziploc bag or a covered bowl. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add bacon. Stir frequently and cook until the bacon is slightly browned. Add shallots and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Stir in squid, soy sauce and scallions and cook for 2 minutes per side. Remove from heat and fold in scallions and Swiss chard. Serve immediately with fried rice cakes.
Poached Egg and Bacon Salad
Posted by: · Dec 21 2010 · Comments
I refer to this as my, “I don’t feel like cooking” meal. The egg adds richness to a plain and simple salad. You can also serve this as a starter; just serve one egg per salad rather than two.
Ingredients:
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons course Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ a clove minced garlic
Salad
- 6 eggs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Mixed greens
- 5 slices bacon, cooked and diced
- 1 cup diced day old French bread
- Fontina cheese
Instructions:
Dressing
Combine ingredients in a small bowl, whisk and serve.
Salad
Pre-heat oven broiler. Combine bread crumbs, olive oil and a dash of salt in a bowl. Mix with hands until each piece of bread is coated with oil. Scatter bread on cookie sheet and broil until golden browned on all sides.
Poach eggs in boiling water and vinegar or in a poaching pan. Whatever method you prefer, just be sure to cook until the egg is still runny on the inside.
In a large bowl combine greens, croutons, bacon and fontina. Add 2 tablespoons of dressing to the greens, mix. Continue this process until greens are covered, but not saturated with dressing. Plate the salad and add 1 poached egg for a side salad and two for a main course.
