Bloody Mary Salad

I am not a big fan of bloody marys. I like the idea of them. Olives? check, tomatoes? yes, please, horseradish? done, hot sauce? love, but all together with tomato juice and vodka? mmm just doesn't do it for me. I'll take a mimosa for my breakfast drink of choice. Still, this salad intrigued me because it has all the elements I do love from bloody marys. The original recipe serves this along side a skirt steak. I'm not posting the steak recipe because, for me, it wasn't my favorite. However, I liked this salad. It was truly flavorful and definitely interesting! Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Ingredients:

1 cup finely chopped red onion

3 tablespoons Sherry vinegar, divided

2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, halved.
1 cup chopped celery hearts (inner stalks and leaves; from 1 bunch)

1/2 cup chopped brined green olives plus 2 tablespoons olive brine

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1/2 teaspoon celery seeds

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Place the chopped onions in a large bowl and pour 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar over them, to temper their flavor. Allow them to sit for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes, celery, and olives to the bowl, tossing to mix.

In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, celery seeds and olive oil. Slowly drizzle dressing over tomato salad, tossing gently to combine until evenly coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 4 hours.

 

Linked to Home Sweet Farm Delectable Tuesday and FTLOB Tasty Tuesday.

Southwestern Chopped Salad

I had this at a Cinco de Mayo party at a friend's house and loved it. I have been making variations of it ever since. Try adding in different beans (black, pinto), chopped red peppers, onions, black olives, chicken, the opportunities are endless. This recipe makes a big salad so it is great for parties/barbeques. I have been making the salad and dressing separately and bringing it to work for lunch. Combine the salad with the dressing last minute or it will get soggy. Also try putting a slightly damp paper towel in with the lettuce/salad to keep it from wilting.

Ingredients:

Salad

1 head romaine lettuce, finely chopped (be sure to rinse and dry well)

1/2 cup cooked chick peas
1/2 cup cooked pink or red beans
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup fried blue corn tortillas, diced (I omitted these)
1/2 cup diced Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup diced cheddar cheese

Dressing
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk the dressing ingredients together until combined. When ready to serve, drizzle the dressing over the salad mixture, tossing as you go, until salad mixture is evenly covered with dressing. 

Adapted from Bobby Flay.

Linked to Little Brick Ranch Foodie Friday and Shine Your Light Mangia Mondays.

Mediterranean Tuna Salad

My mom shared this recipe with me and it is most excellent if you are looking for something healthy for lunch or dinner. I am trying to cut down on carbs and load up on protein, fruits and veggies so this is really the perfect meal for me.

It is best the second day so it makes a perfect lunch to bring to work, which I did several times. I love that it is mayo-free and it is so good, I don't think you'll miss it!  I think I will play around with the ingredients and try out different combos. Maybe some sundried tomatoes and olives next time?

Ingredients:

Tuna

1 15 to 19 ounce can beans, such as chickpeas, black-eyed peas or kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 5 to 6 ounce cans water-packed chunk light tuna, drained and flaked (I used Wild Planet sustainably caught skipjack light tuna which has less mercury than albacore white tuna, is dolphin and turtle safe, and is delicious)

1 large red bell pepper, finely diced

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup capers, rinsed

1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Salad

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 cups mixed salad greens

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine beans, tuna, bell pepper, onion, parsley, capers, rosemary, lemon juice and  olive oil. Season with pepper. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

When ready to serve, place salad greens in a large bowl. Combine lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Drizzle mixture over salad greens and toss to coat. Divide salad mixture among four plates. Top with tuna mixture.

Servings: 4

Calories: 326

Adapted from Eating Well

 

Linked to Fudge Ripple Tuesday Night Supper Club

Southwest Slaw

I made this rendition of coleslaw to go along with fish tacos (I will post the recipe for them soon) and both Casey and I loved it. We love spicy things, and this slaw had just the right amount of kick. Not your typical, goopy, mayo-y slaw. I pretty much can't stand mayo so this works really well for me. This would be great as a side or on burgers, tacos, anything really! Adapted from patiodaddio on Tasty Kitchen.

Ingredients:

Slaw

¼ heads green cabbage, sliced thin

⅛ heads red cabbage, sliced thin (alternatively, you can do what I did and buy a bag of premade coleslaw mix)

¼ medium red onion, sliced very thin

¼ cup cilantro, chopped (reserve some for garnish, if desired)

Dressing

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 whole limes, juiced
1 whole chipotle chile, in adobo sauce (from a can)
1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from the can)

1 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions:

Combine the red and green cabbage, onion, and cilantro in a large bowl.

Blend all of the dressing ingredients together using a stick blender or a food processor until fully combined.

Add the dressing to the cabbage mixture, a little at a time, tossing to coat. Continue adding more dressing until the cabbage mixture is evenly coated.

Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes prior to serving. Garnish with reserved cilantro.

Makes roughly 4 cups.

 

Arugula with Pomegranate, Blue Cheese, and Pistachios

This fabulous salad recipe comes from skinnytaste.com. The combination of flavors is excellent and you don't need much dressing because of the juice from the pomegranate seeds. This is a festive dish in flavor and color!

Ingredients:

4 cups arugula

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

2 tbsp pistachios, shelled

1 tsp pomegranate juice
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt and fresh pepper

Directions:

Whisk vinegar, pomegranate juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Place arugula on two plates, top with blue cheese, pomegranates, pistachios and vinaigrette

Servings: 2

Calories: 195.3

Points Plus: 5

Notes:

To seed the pomegranate, slice halfway down starting with the stem end, break the rest of the pomegranate in half. Repeat so that you have it broken down into quarters. Break open the pomegranate flesh and scoop out the seeds. Place the seeds in a bowl filled with water. The seeds should sink and the excess flesh will float. Discard excess flesh and membranes and drain the seeds.

 

Linked to Good Cheap Eats What's On Your Plate? and Ekat's Kitchen Friday Potluck.

Recipe Revisit: Caprese Towers

Mmmmm tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. A match made in heaven. I always make this in the summertime, and I updated my old post (from almost a year ago) with new pictures.

Go here for the original post and recipe.

Greek Salad

Lately I have been throwing together salads with my own make-shift dressings. I wanted a Greek salad to go with the Mediterranean Red Snapper and this turned out quite yummy.

Ingredients:

Mixed baby greens (I used baby spinach)

Reduced-fat feta cheese

Tomatoes, diced

Kalamata olives, pitted

Red onion, thinly sliced

Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Extra virgin olive oil

White vinegar

Dried parsley

Dried oregano

Garlic powder

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Place a handful of greens in a bowl and top with cheese, tomatoes, olives, and onion. Squeeze lemon over each dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley and oregano. Drizzle with EVOO and vinegar.

Calories: roughly 166

PW's Ginger Steak Salad

Okay, this is just good. The dressing is perfection, the salad is simple yet interesting and all in all this makes a great meal. As if PW could steer me wrong. She says this serves one but it definitely serves two in my opinion (I adapted the directions slightly to this effect). This makes plenty of marinade and dressing for two big salads, just buy a little extra meat if you need to.

Ingredients:

Marinade:
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon sherry
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 whole rib-eye, strip, or sirloin steak (or two equalling about 1/2 lb)
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Salad Dressing:
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons white sugar
1 Tablespoon lime juice
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
½ whole jalapeno, seeded and diced

Salad:
2 whole green onions, sliced
8 ounces mixed greens
Cherry tomatoes, optional

Directions:
Combine steak marinade ingredients in a Ziploc bag. Mix and place steak into bag. Marinate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Combine salad dressing ingredients and slice green onion.

When steak is finished marinating, add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a hot skillet. Cook steak about 1 1/2 minutes per side, or until medium rare. Remove from skillet and keep on a plate, allowing to cool slightly.

Toss salad greens in 3/4 of the salad dressing. Place steak on cutting board and slice thinly. Place tossed salad on two plates, then place sliced steak on top of salads. Pour remaining salad dressing over the top. Sprinkle green onions over the salad. You can add cherry tomatoes if you'd like; sliced carrots also go well with this.

Chicken Salad

This is a great chicken salad, perfect for lunch time. Make it a sandwich with two pieces of Weight Watchers bread for an extra point.

Ingredients:
3/4 pound cooked chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 cup celery, finely diced
1/3 cup dill pickle(s), or sweet gherkins, finely diced
1/4 cup reduced-calorie mayonnaise
2 tbsp reduced-fat sour cream
2 tbsp parsley, fresh, chopped
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a large bowl; mix until blended. Yields about 2/3 cup per serving.

Points: 3

Avocado Arugula Salad

I saw this on tastespotting the other day (awesome website to find recipes). It came from this blog. I knew I had to try it because I love avocados and this was perfect to go with the chicken enchiladas I had planned for dinner.


Ingredients:
Arugula leaves
Avocado, chopped
Thyme (I used dried)
Olive oil
Freshly squeezed lime juice
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together to taste.

Caprese Towers

I can't wait until I have tomatoes on my tomato plant to use for this dish. Homegrown tomatoes are the best. When I can I pick up beefsteak tomatoes at the local farmers market. Those babies are good! This doesn't really need instructions but here they are.

Update 6/21/10: Retook the pictures for these. Still a favorite dish for the summer. Yum!

Ingredients:

Fresh mozzarella, thickly sliced

Tomato, thickly sliced

Basil leaves

Olive oil

Fresh ground pepper

Kosher salt

Directions:

Slice tomatoes and mozzarella. Stack tomato, mozzarella, then basil leaf twice over. Sprinkle generously with fresh ground pepper and a pinch of salt. Drizzle with olive oil right before serving. Another good alternative is to add a little bit of balsamic vinegar, too.

Winter Salad with Candied Pecans

Casey loves candied pecans. He requests them every time he orders a salad from Carlyle that doesn't have candied pecans in it. Carlyle has the best candied pecans, and salads for that matter. Anyway, I digress... back to the salad. I made this to go with butternut squash soup, which I'll post later, and it was the perfect accompaniment.

Candied Pecans

Ingredients:
Ummm... pecans... ;)
1 cup pecan halves
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
Prepare a large sheet of parchment paper or tin foil for cooling pecans. Since I have neither (I know, shame on me) I used a greased cookie sheet and it did the job.
Stir sugar, oil, and vinegar in a large skillet over medium heat until sugar melts and syrup bubbles, about 3 minutes.
Mix in pecans and stir until nuts are toasted and syrup coats them evenly, 5-6 minutes.
Turn nuts out onto prepared parchment paper and separate using 2 forks. Cool completely. Nuts can be prepared way in advance (up to 1 month) and stored in an airtight container.

These babies cook up fast so don't do what I did and let yourself be lured in to a FB Scrabble game while they are cooking because you will probably burn them. Anyway, easy peasy and delish.


Winter Salad
2 servings

Ingredients:
1/4 cup candied pecans (as many or as few as your little heart desires)
2 cups mixed greens
1/4 cup-ish dried cranberries
1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
1 1/2 tsp raspberry vinaigrette
1 1/2 tsp white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp olive oil

Directions:
Place ingredients in a bowl and toss your salad. FYI you may want to add less of the raspberry vinaigrette, vinegar and olive oil if you don't like your salad to soppy. Always better to start with less and add more.