Blueberry Spinach Salad

I'm on a blueberry kick this summer and we're enjoying this salad often.   It's  a bit sweet  with a tangy kick from the combination of berries,  pears and blue cheese.  Walnuts add  a delicious  crunch.

Make a vinaigrette dressing of 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 c. raspberry  or balsamic vinegar,  1 TB dijon mustard, 1 tsp honey,  s & p to taste.. Just whisk til well blended.

Salad:   1 ripe Anjou pear, peeled &  cubed, 16 oz baby spinach, no stems,   2 oz ( 1/2 c ) blue, feta,  or gorgonzola cheese crumbled,   4 oz chopped walnuts, 1 pint fresh blueberries.

For the salad, assemble the ingredients except for the berries and cheese 
Toss and add half the dressing,  toss to coat.
 Add blueberries and cheese, and drizzle the rest of the dressing over, toss again. 

Enjoy with anytihing!  It's  especially good  with  grilled  lamb or fish,   or add cold grilled chicken strips or salmon  for a cool  entree salad.

Chopped Greek Salad

Greece still being  on my bucket list, I have no idea how authentic any Greek salad really is, actually.  Is it  like  pizza.....mostly an American version of some vaguely similar dish?    Whatever  the answer,  as for salads ,  there's nothing like a tangy Greek salad.     If you're in the market for a superb  traditional recipe, check  my   January '08  blog entry.   But lettuce  doesn't always hold over or travel well,  so I  often rely on this crisp, crunchy  alternative.  With nothing  delicate  to wilt,  and no  sour cream, yogurt  or mayonnaise to be concerned about,  there are  no  worries about  refrigeration  issues when taking this  version  anywhere. It was great tonight  served with  rack of lamb roasted with a little dijon and breadcrumb coating, and I love munching on it for a tasty low-fat, low-cal, low-carb lunch or snack.    

  Keep the veggies chopped in a uniform size, about nickel size, in order to get a taste of several veggies  in each bite. This will easily serve 8 hungry people, it  makes a substantial  bowlful.   I double it when taking to a party and it disappears  in a flash. 

Chop everything  &  toss together in a large bowl:

1 1/2 c. fresh broccoli ( no stems) , 1 1/2 c. fresh cauliflower ( no stems) , 1 medium cucumber with the  peel on,  1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved,  1/2 pepper  of each color: green, red, yellow;    1 large can  whole ripe pitted  olives, drained and cut in half; ( you can use Greek or Kalamata if you choose) ,  3 sliced green onions, green and white  parts,   8 oz Greek vinaigrette salad dressing, Kraft or any brand;   and 1 c. feta cheese.  Don't skimp on the feta !     It's ready to eat  or will keep  for several days,  keep  refrigerated.    After a day or two the dressing may congeal a  bit; just set it on the  counter  briefly, stir, and it will become clear again.

Watermelon-Raspberry Spinach Salad

I'm not sure why I  seldom make this pretty,  refreshing salad  in the colder months, except that the 'winter' watermelon that's available  (from where,  Patagonia ? ) just isn't very sweet.   Mid- March isn't  exactly summer here, but I bought  a container of cut-up melon today  anyway  so we could enjoy this  salad with the first outdoor-grilled pork chops of the year.

At home  we enjoy this as a side, but   I  made this into  a  popular entree salad at the  club's restaurant  by adding strips of cooked chicken breast. The pink shades were perfect  for several pin-themed  charity lunches supporting breast cancer research.   The salad is very low fat/low calorie and low carb too, if you use a fat free and/or low sugar dressing.   The  original recipe used   a homemade poppyseed dressing but I like it much better  with a  raspberry dressing. It adds to the visual appeal as well.   I'm partial to Ken's Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette  low-sugar version   or Panera's,  but there are several others too.

As for the recipe,  just  use baby spinach or  tear larger leaves in half.  Add cut up ripe watermelon, fresh red raspberries, halved green grapes, slivered  almonds, and whatever you decide to use for the dressing.

Crispy Maple Green Salad

Funny that this is my favorite salad,  since I'm not a big  fan of maple. Yet, this just-right not- too-sweet  maple-y dressing is  undoubtedly   the perfect  topping for the salty curls of fresh Romano cheese, sweet caramelized onion, and smoky bacon.      

 Mix dressing ingredients together in a jar or briefly in a blender just long enough to emulsify well:   1/4 c. rice wine vinegar; 1/2 c canola oil, 1/2 c. maple syrup ( preferably 'real' maple, although I successfully use sugar  free maple flavored pancake syrup often ), 1/2 tsp dry mustard,  1 shallot, minced, s & p to taste.

Fry  8 oz.  bacon til crisp,  drain and break into thirds. Caramelize 2 medium vidalia  or other sweet onions, thinly sliced, in the bacon fat ...... cook over medium heat, stirring now and then, til slightly browned, probably about 10 minutes.   Drain on a paper towel.  You can do this ahead of time.

In a serving bowl or  on  individual plates,  mix  1 small head butter ( Boston)  lettuce & 1/2 bag baby spinach.  Top with bacon strips,  3/4 c pecan halves, 4 oz freshly shaved Romano or Parmesan cheese strips ( shaved off with  a vegetable peeler) and the caramelized onions. Pour dressing over all and top with a few pecans.
 I can  happily make a meal of this salad by itself.

Don't be tempted to use precooked packaged bacon for this -  the onions need to caramelize  in bacon fat.   And I will not even  entertain the horrendous thought that you might try to use powdered Parmesan cheese from a green can on this wonderful  salad.....right?

Sublime Green Salad For Blue Cheese Lovers

Every now and then a combination of common ingredients just magically meld into a fabulous flavor treat.  This simple green salad is an example, and  using a mellow blue cheese dressing is key to the sublime taste.   The tang of the blue cheese offsets the sweetness  and crunch of the  pear, and the walnuts make the nuttniess of  the shredded  cheese 'pop'.

Use a 'soft' lettuce  or combination of lettuces, such as butter (Boston), spring mix, leaf lettuces, etc.  No crunchy romaine this time, or ( shudder) iceberg, please.  Add thin-sliced   fresh  Bartlett pear, toasted walnuts, shredded Swiss cheese, and serve with  your favorite blue cheese dressing.

Salad Wedges with Dried Beef Dressing

I admit, I am a lettuce snob, and you may be as well. Nevertheless, iceberg lettuce does have a place on our plates. I still like it on sandwiches, and in a few obscure salads. This is one. If you like dried beef -cream cheese dip or shit on a shingle, you'll probably love this too.

Cut a head of iceberg lettuce in half, then wedges- 4 or 6 or 8, depending on how many are eating or appetite sizes.

In a small bowl, soften 8 oz cream cheese. If you're extremely careful you can use the microwave but let me warn you, there is only a quarter of a nanosecond between 'soft' and 'melted'!
If you do use a microwave, you can mix this dressing by hand instead of a mixer.

With the cream cheese, beat 1/3 c. milk, 4 tsp drained horseradish, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 c diced green pepper, 1/2 c. finely chopped dried beef, 1 tsp finely grated onion.

Spoon over the cold lettuce wedges and top with sliced ripe olives.

Prizewinning Recipe: Ham and Turkey Green Salad

Credit goes to a Mady Wolkenstein for this superb dish, which won $2500 in a magazine recipe contest a decade or so ago.....I've never served it without  getting rave reviews and multiple requests for the recipe.

1/4 cup vegetable oil


2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, divided

1/4 teaspoon salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon pepper, divided

4 cups strips of  salad greens - romaine, spinach suggested... no iceberg, please!

1/3 cup mayonnaise

4 teaspoons spicy brown mustard

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

2-1/2 cups cubed cooked turkey

2 cups julienned fully cooked ham

1 cup halved seedless green grapes

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Directions:

Combine oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; toss with greens. Arrange on a platter or individual plates In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard, thyme and remaining vinegar, salt and pepper. Add turkey, ham, grapes and onions; toss to coat. Spoon over greens. Garnish with almonds. I've added golden raisins on occasion, too  Yield: 4-6 servings.

Crab & Cracker Salad

This was my favorite  quick salad recipe for years... Combine 6 c. bite- size crisp hunks of lettuce ( roamine preferred, but even iceberg is OK in a  pinch) with 2 tomatoes, chunked. Toss lightly. Break 6 oz frozen thawed crab ( in an emergency use a 6 oz can, drained ) into chunks,   add to greens and tomatoes along with 6 radishes, sliced, 1 c. broken Ritz-type crackers, salt, pepper, and 1/3 c. creamy Italian salad dressing - Seven Seas brand is especially wonderful.   Toss and serve immediately to 4.

I think this recipe came from a Kroger brand box of 'Zips' crackers - every bit as good as Ritz and of course, cheaper!