Sure Fire Salad Dressing -Lemon Honey Vinaigrette

Want a dressing that your guests and family will love every time? Try this one on for size:

INGREDIENTS:
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp honey

DIRECTIONS:
Add ingredients and whisk well to mix. Be careful and don't overdo the oil. Taste when finished and add small bits of ingredients as needed to alter the taste to your liking.

SERVING SUGGESTION:
Toss with mixed greens, blue cheese, sliced pears, and candied pecans

Pear/Bleu Cheese Salad

This is a very tasty salad that is easy to prepare. Thanks, Jen!

INGREDIENTS:

1-2 pears
1/3 cup walnuts
couple oz blue cheese
mix of romaine and red lettuce leaves (chopped)

DIRECTIONS:
Core a pear or two and slice (skins on it okay). Sautee over med-low heat in a raspberry vinagrette (any store bought kind is okay) for approx 5min. Let cool
Sautee walnuts with 1/2 tbs butter and 1 tbs sugar of med-low heat for approx 10min. let cool

Dressing: 1/2 cup canola oil, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tbs raspberry vinagrette, couple tbs chopped basil, salt and pepper to taste
add all dressing ingredients in mason jar with lid and shake.

Once ready to serve, combine pear, lettuce leaves, walnuts and blue cheese with dressing. (save a few of the pears/walnuts/cheese to add to top of salad).

Everything can be made a day ahead of time and combined the next day. Dressing stays good for a week in fridge. Walnuts for longer.


NOTE: For a quick side--sautee pears in the rasberry vinagrette and serve with blue cheese or goat cheese on top, warm or cold

Crispy Egg Roll Salad

INGREDIENTS (per serving):

Fresh mint - a few sprigs
Lime slices - one quarter
Peanuts - chopped - handful
Bean sprouts - handful
Avocado - 1 or 2 slices
Udon noodles - 1 serving
Crispy Egg Roll - 5 small sliced in half (can get these at grocery store and cook in oven)
Ginger Sesame Dressing - recommend Newman's

PREPARATION:
Cook egg rolls to package directions - let cool
Cook Udon noodles to package directions - let cool
In an individual serving bowl, place noodles on the bottom then, in little piles on top, place egg roll, peanuts, bean sprouts, lime slice, mint, and avocado. Dress with Ginger Sesame Dressing then enjoy!

Mediterranean Rice Salad

From Sunset Magazine, September 2006 with a few modifications:

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 tsp salt
1.5 cups long-grain rice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic (or more!)
1 tsp fresh oregano, minced
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
red pepper flakes (few dashed)
2 cups chopped spinach leaves
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
1 cup crumbled feta (or gorgonzola) cheese
cooked chicken (diced)

PREP:
1. Cook the rice according to directions and cook the chicken however you like (or if you bought a cooked roasted chicken, super!)
2. For dressing - in a large bowl whisk lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, pepper, pepper flakes, salt.
3. Add rice to dressing and toss to combine. Add spinach, toss, and let sit until no longer steaming (about 20 minutes). Add remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Chopped Salad from Cowboy Ciao

This recipe comes from the Cowboy Ciao restaurant in Scottsdale, AZ (by way of epicurious.com)...

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
1 cup mayonnaise
1 shallot, halved
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup grated Asiago cheese
1/3 cup dried currants
1/3 cup shelled pumpkin seeds (or try toasted pine nuts)

1 10-ounce package plain couscous, cooked according to package instructions (about 5 cups)
3 cups coarsely chopped arugula
1 pound plum tomatoes, seeded, diced (about 2 cups)
2 grilled chicken breast halves, diced (or can use cooked salmon instead)
2 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 2 ears) (or can use dried corn)

PREPARATION
Blend basil leaves, mayonnaise, and shallot in processor until smooth. Gradually blend in buttermilk and lemon juice. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Mix Asiago cheese, currants, and pumpkin seeds in medium bowl.

Using 1/6 of couscous, 1/6 of arugula, 1/6 of tomatoes, 1/6 of chicken, 1/6 of corn, and 1/6 of Asiago cheese mixture, form rows on each of 6 plates. Serve, passing dressing separately.

Chicken Salad with Curry

Adopted from a recipe found at http://www.epicurious.com

INGREDIENTS:
2 teaspoons curry powder (preferably Madras-style which is a little spicier)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 teaspoons mango chutney
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
3 cups 1/2-inch pieces cooked skinless boneless chicken breast (works well to get the roasted kind from the store and pull the meat off the bone)
1 cup halved seedless red grapes
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/3 cup cashews, chopped
1/2 cup celery
Mixed greens

PREPARATION:
Stir curry powder in small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to medium bowl. Add mayo, yogurt, mango chutney, minced ginger, and grated orange peel. Whisk to blend. Stir in chicken, grapes, green onions, celery and nuts. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Serve over mixed greens.

Baby Spinach with Ginger-Glazed Scallops

Got this recipe from the Williams-Sonoma book called Salad. I have used several of the recipes in this book and recommend it.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

Minced shallot (1 TBSP)
Grapefruit juice (1/2 cup fresh squeezed if possible)
Lime juice (1.5 TBSP fresh squeezed if possible)
Lemon juice (1.5 TSP fresh squeeze if possible)
4 TSP olive oil
salt
2.5 TSP soy sauce
1.5 TSP peeled and grated fresh ginger
1.5 TSP honey
1/2 TSP dijon mustard
3/4 cup baby spinach leaves
8 large sea scallops

DIRECTIONS:

In a small, nonaluminum saucepan, combine shallot and grapefruit juice. Let sit for 10 min. Add other citrus and place the pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce (1 - 2 min). Remove from heat, stir in 1 and 1/2 tsp or oil and 1/4 tsp salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, ginger, honey, and mustard to make glaze for scallops. Set aside.

Just before beginning to cook the scallops, put the spinach in a bowl and pour dressing over it. Toss well. Divide between two individual salad plates.

In a frying pan large enough to hold all the scallops easily, warm remaining oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add scallops and cook 30 - 45 seconds per side until golden. Add the glaze and turn scallops in sauce for 45 seconds. Divide the scallops among the salad plates and drizzle remaining sauce on top.

Goes well with Parmesan Garlic Bread or other bread.

Salmon, Red Potato, and Asparagus Salad

Made this Saturday a few weeks ago for two, so I cut the salmon and potatoes portion in half. The dressing was just right for two, so if you are making for 4 you might want to increase it a bit.

1 lb grilled salmon fillet, skin removed (I got this at Whole Foods fresh and they grilled it on site. Yummy!)
Kosher salt and ground pepper
1 lb small round red potatoes
.75 lb aparagus (smaller stalks - remove tough ends)

For the Vinaigrette:
10 dry sun-dried tomatoes
.25 cup ev olive oil
3 tb fresh lemon juice
1 tb finely chopped dill
1 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp minced garlic (not enough! I added more)
Kosher salt and ground pepper
10 oz mixed baby greens or other salad mix
sliced spring onions to suit

Grill salmon if you bought it fresh, boil potatoes (15 min) then set aside to cool, cut asparagus on the diagonal and steam (3 min) then run with cold water. Slice the potatoes into thin slices when cool and layer on the plate along with the asparagus. Toss some of the dressing on the greens and place these on the plate. Top with salmon and drizzle the rest of the dressing on the salad.

To make the dressing...rehydrate the tomatoes with boiling water, let sit for 5 minutes, then drain and dice. Whisk together rest of ingredients, including 2 tb water, until blended.

Blue Cheese, Pecan, Pear Salad

INGREDIENTS:
Greens of your choice (mixed greens the best)
Candied pecans
Blue Cheese
Slices of ripe pear

Mix ingredients and toss with Lemon-Vinegar Salad Dressing

Asian Chicken and Cabbage Salad

What do you do with an entire head of cabbage? Invite over some friends and make this treat then make coleslaw out of the cabbage leftovers.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup chicken broth
Chicken breasts (one per person)
Snow peas (as many as you like in your salad)
Head of green cabbage
Head of red cabbage
Sliced mushrooms
Grated carrots
Chopped green onions
Peanuts
Sesame seeds
Crunchy Chow Mein noodles
Ingredients for Asian Dressing (see separate post)

DIRECTIONS:
Cook chicken either by baking or lightly frying or grilling. Choose your favorite method for cooking flavorful chicken. Make sure the pieces you use are thin.

Simmer the snow peas in chicken broth until tender (3 - 4 min) then remove and place in cold water. Set aside.

Chop cabbage into thin shreds and place in a bowl (green and purple).

Place all salad ingredients into individual bowls. Provide tongs and another bowl for individual salad tossing.

Reduce broth to 1/3 (10 min or so). Transfer to bowl and cool. Make Asian dressing then whisk in reserved broth.

Hand out plates and forks and enjoy!!!!