AwesomeBites

Category: Salads

There are the classic recipes for salads that you can make, but the best way to make a salad is to use what you have. The versatility of a salad is what makes it so good! Most people get bored with making the same lettuce, tomatoe salad and I think they stop making the salad entirely because of boredom. Stop! Stop! Stop!
You need to add at least 7 ingredients to a salad, or your salads will start to be the same night after night. The 7 ingredient rule pushes you to look further into your refrigerator or pantry for additional items and this extra push keeps the salad fun to eat every night.
Ingredient possibilities are endless: Think beyond lettuces and herbs, pasta, beans, canned vegetables, pickled and marinated goodies, nuts, seeds, cheese, crackers and croutons… You get the idea.

  • Blue Cheese Ceasar

    Blue Cheese Caesar Salad
    Cold greens and dressing on a warm, crunchy crust. Who could resist?

    You can make the dish more substantial with the addition of grilled chicken or shrimp.
    Ingredients
    Serves: Serves 6
    1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
    2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
    1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
    1 egg yolk
    1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
    Dash Worcestershire sauce
    6 anchovy fillets (if watching salt intake, rinse and pat dry with papertowels)
    Pinch freshly ground pepper
    1 cup pure olive oil
    About 1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola or other blue cheese
    2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
    12 cups loosely packed torn romaine lettuce (about 2 heads)
    3/4 pound cooked, shredded chicken or cooked, peeled shrimp (optional)
    6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
    Crumbled Gorgonzola cheese or other blue cheese for garnish
    Directions
    Put the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, egg yolk, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, and pepper in a blender and blend until well mixed. With the machine running, add the olive oil, at first by drops and then, as the mixture emulsifies, in a thin, steady stream until all the oil is incorporated. Pulse in the Gorgonzola to taste (the riper the cheese, the less you will need) and the Parmesan. Scrape into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until needed. You should have about 1 1/3 cups. (The dressing keeps, refrigerated, for 2 to 3 days.)
    Put the lettuce in a bowl with the chicken or shrimp, if using. Pour the dressing over and toss well.

    Serve over warm garlic crusty bread.

  • Ceasar Salad

    Baby romaine lettuce

    Shredded Parmesan Cheese

    Butter and Garlic Croutons

    Toss lettuce with Ken’s Creamy Ceasar add parmesan and croutons. Serve immediately.

    Salt and Pepper to taste.

    To kick it up, add a little anchovie paste or hot mustard to the dressing.

  • Ham, Parmesan and Pear Salad

    Simple and Delicious. 

    Thinly sliced ham

    Thinly sliced parmesan

    Thinly sliced pears

    Garnish  with Arugula leaves

    Top with toasted pine nuts

    Drizzle with extra Virgin Olive Oil

    Garnish with cracked pepper

  • Curly Pasta Salad

    Cook pasta and chill. 

    Add veggies, meat scraps and lettuce you have on hand.

    Salt and Pepper to taste.

    Toss with Girard’s Light Champagne Vinegarette or go greek or go asian.

    Diced onions

    celery

    apple

    Arugula

    Bell Peppers

    Greek:  Tomatoes, Onions, Cucumber, Greek Olives and Feta Cheese, Pine nuts

  • Asian Coleslaw

    Recipe can be halved or doubled.

    Salad:
    1 16-oz bag cole slaw
    4-5 scallions, sliced
    1/2 c slivered almonds (or more if you want)
    1/2 c sunflower kernels (or more if you want)
    2 pkg “Oriental” flavor ramen
    chopped parsley and/or cilantro

    Dressing:
    2 little flavoring packets from ramen
    4 T sugar
    2 T cider vinegar
    1 c oil
    salt and pepper

    It’s good to mix the dressing and let it stand for 10-15 minutes before adding it to the salad. Add the dressing and the crumbled ramen about 15-30 minutes before serving.
  • Pasta Greek Salad

    Pasta Greek Salad

    This salad is such a fresh vegetable salad. If you are looking for more substance, add some pasta; I love it without just as well.

    Bell peppers (red, yellow and green)

    White sweet onions

    seeded cucumber slices

    Kalmata Olives

    Feta Cheese

    Cooked and Chilled Pasta – Curly or Penne  (Optional)

    1/4 cup Fresh chopped mint or basil or parleys

    Salt and Pepper to taste

    Toss with vinegar and oil or Girard’s Greek salad dressing.

  • The Wedge Salad – Bacon, Blue Cheese, Red Onion

    Ice cold Iceberg Lettuce cut into 6 wedges

    Top with blue cheese dressing, crumbled bacon, diced red onion, cherry tomatoes halved.

    Top with crumbled blue cheese.

    Season with Salt and Cracked Pepper.

    Croutons (Optional)

  • Spinach Salad

    Baby Spinach

    Finely diced onioins

    Bacon crumbled

    Mandarin orange slices or Strawberry slices

    Lightly toss with Vadalia onion dressing.

    Optional – Top with Broiled duck breast glazed with orange marmalade

  • Broccoli, Bacon and Onion Salad

    Broccoli, Bacon and Onion Salad

    5 cups broccoli florets (from about 1 large bunch)

    • 8 slices bacon
    • 2/3 cup olive oil
    • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
    • 1 cup chopped red onion
    • 1/2 cup toasted salted sunflower seeds
    • 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
    • 1/2 cup diced turkey or ham (optional)

    Preparation

    Cook broccoli in medium pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain well. Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels and drain. Crumble bacon. Whisk oil and vinegar in medium bowl to blend. Mix in onion. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Broccoli, bacon and dressing can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Let stand separately at room temperature.)  If you are feeling in a hurry you can also use vadalia onion dressing or Champagne Vingarette.

    Combine broccoli and bacon in large bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Garnish with sunflower seeds. Pass remaining dressing separately.

  • Green Pasta – al verde pasta

    Green Pasta – al verde pasta

    Fresh Spinach works great in this recipe.

    My mom didn’t have a food processor when I was kid, so all this would have been hand chopped.  I loved green spaghetti night.  I didn’t have the original recipe, so I kept trying to find a recipe that came close.  This is the grown up version, my mom would not have used hot pepper flakes, feeding so many kids, but it does make it good.  Speaking to many different cooks, they assumed that green spaghetti would be pesto.  Maybe, but my mom had limited ingredients.  She would use basil and parsley fresh from the garden, and she  may have walnuts and almonds, but certainly no pine nuts. 

    Ingredients:

    • 5 cloves garlic
    • 1 bunch green onions
    • 3 cups packed fresh basil, stems removed
    • 3 cups packed fresh italian parsley or spinach or swiss chard, stems removed
    • 1 lemon; remove zest and squeeze juice
    • 1 (10oz) jar stuffed olives, drained
    • 1 (3 oz) jar capers, drained
    • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
    • 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
    • good quality olive oil

    Preparation:

    In food processor, with the motor running, drop in garlic, green onions, and lemon zest. Process until finely minced. Add olives, capers, & hot pepper flakes and process until finely minced. Add as much parsley and basil as will fit and process with pulse turns. Repeat until all ingredients are processed. With motor running, add lemon juice and Parmesan cheese. Slowly add enough olive oil to make a “pesto” consistency. Separate into 1 cup containers. Each cup coats about a pound pasta.  I like it on fettuccini or spaghetti. Mix sauce with hot pasta and toss well. Garnish with cherry tomato quarters and fresh basil leaf slivers. Sauce freezes well.
    Fettuccini noodles

    I made this green pasta into a pasta salad, served cold and added chopped olives and tomatoes. Add a bite Lite Champagne Vinegarette or Dill Ranch so it is moist. Everyone loves it!