Arugula with Strawberries, Basil and Goat Cheese

This salad is so perfectly balanced with sweet, salt and spice that it can stand alone as a main dish (at least for lunch).  Before all the strawberries and fresh basil are gone this summer, please promise yourself to make this at least once.  It can even be easily assembled at work if you want to bring it for a tasty and fresh lunch.

 
Ingredients (makes one salad)

2 handfuls arugula
5-6 strawberries, stems trimmed off
8 basil leaves
1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles
1 tablespoon olive oil
pepper/salt

1. Arrange arugula and basil leaves on a plate.
2. Top with trimmed strawberries
3. Combine goat cheese, olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small tupperware or dish and stir to combine before dressing the salad.
4. Dress the salad and serve immediately!

Pesto Potato Salad

This salad is basically an Americanized version of Salad Nicoise but I can't think of a way to say Salad Nicoise and still make you interested in this post because of this recipe 2 years ago .  However, I really can't express how delicious American potato salad can be when you remove the mayonnaise.  Swapping in pesto is really a great option this time of year when you want to be more figure friendly.  You can make this without the ham if you want this to be vegetarian friendly too.  What are you waiting for?  Go make this now.

Ingredients for 4 as a light dinner

6 medium yukon gold potatoes cut into sixths (or whatever you prefer)
1/2 lb green beans, ends trimmed, then cut into 2 inch pieces
1 small squash, diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small onion, diced
1 cup of pesto
2-3 pieces of black forest ham, torn into pieces
1 hardboiled egg
olive oil
salt/pepper

1. Start by making your hardboiled egg (the Rachel Ray way).  Put an egg or two in a pot of cold water, put on the stove and heat until boiling.  When boiling, turn off the heat and wait 10 minutes.  Drain in and ice bath.  You have a boiled egg.
2. Meanwhile fill another pot of water with cold water.  Add cubed potatoes and cook until water is boiling and potatoes can be pierced with a knife (about 25 minutes).  You don't want these too mushy, so keep an eye on them.
3. At the last 2 minutes of the boiling, add the chopped green beans.
4. Drain beans and potatoes and set aside
5. In the same pot, heat some olive oil.  When hot add tomatoes, onion and squash and saute about 4-5 minutes until soft.
6. Add potatoes, beans, and sauteed mixture together in a bowl and dollop pesto evenly over the veggies.  Mix carefully, using a bit of olive oil if you need to make the pesto more pliable.
7. Add crumbled hardboiled egg and evenly distribute torn pieces of the ham.
8. Salt and pepper to taste and serve while warm.

Celery, Raisin and Garbanzo Bean Salad

I needed a protein heavy snack one afternoon and put this together based off something I saw on the menu for "Tavolata".  I've never had their version of the salad, but if it is anywhere near as good as the one I made (and chances are it is better) than I can't wait to get there for a dinner.  If you have pickled celery lying around (we did) then I definitely encourage you to swap it in for the regular raw celery.

Ingredients

1 stalk celery (finely diced)
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans
1/2 cup raisins
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
pinch of salt to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir to coat evenly.  Serve immediately or let the flavors marinate for an hour or so.

Beet, Pear and Avocado Salad

This recipe comes straight from Mollie Katzen's "The Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without".  The combination might sound really strange, but everyone I made this for loved it!  Feel free to substitute apple for the pear.

Ingredients 

4 roasted beets (see note below)
1 large pear (just barely ripe)
1 avocado
juice of one lemon
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup goat cheese crumbles
olive oil
salt
pepper

1. Roasted beets are pretty easy.  I tend to always have some ready this time of year due to a plethora of beets in the area.  Remove the tops of the beets, wash well to remove the dirt, dry with a paper towel, place on foil, drizzle with olive oil and create a "packet" with the foil.  The steam will cook them in an 375 degree oven in about 45 minutes.
2. Slice cooled beets and place on serving dish
3. Repeat with pear and avocado
4. Juice lemon over the salad mixture to prevent it from turning brown
5. Sprinkle chopped walnuts and goat cheese over the salad
6. Finally sprinkle a few tablespoons of olive oil over the salad and sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper.
7. Serve as a delicious side dish or autumn lunch with some fresh homemade bread.

Sauerkraut

I resisted this for so long and I'm so happy I finally gave in.  I thought for sure this would smell up the house or cause some crazy bacteria growth, but actually, homemade sauerkraut is officially a winner in my book.  Insanely easy and delicious on hot dogs (think upcoming BBQ holiday), sandwiches, salads, etc. you definitely have to give this a try.  The biggest thing here is to get a container that can hold all the ingredients. We used a large plastic container and draped a clean dish cloth over it to keep dust, etc. out.

Ingredients for 1 lb sauerkraut

1/2 head of cabbage, thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 jalopeno, seeded and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons salt

1. Thinly slice all the veggies and add to the plastic or ceramnic container you will store the kraut.  A 2 gallon container is plenty big enough.
2. Add oregano, red pepper flakes and salt to the veggies and stir very well to coat
3. Place a smaller tupperware filled with water on an extra cabbage leaf to create a barrier.  Once the salt starts to extra the liquid from the veggies, it will eventually cover this and protect the kraut from bacteria.  If you don't have it covered by about 1 day, you can add water to cover the veggies.
4. Let sit at least four days to marinate
5. As you want to eat it, remove it from the container and serve.

Single Girl Dinner #3 - Strawberry and Bleu Cheese Salad

I haven't posted in this category for a while.  For those of you new to this blog, the "single girl" dinners are meals that I eat when David is out with his friends and it is just me for dinner so I can experiment and do different things.  This salad is so fresh and delicious and perfect for the upcoming summer nights.  Of course anyone can make it, but this recipe is just for one salad so make sure to multiply the ingredients as necessary.

Ingredients

1 small head butter or red lettuce

1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced

1 small salad onion, thinly sliced

1 cup fresh strawberries, tops removed

1/3 cup bleu cheese crumbles

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

fresh black pepper

1. Clean and rinse lettuce and rip or cut into desired size.  Place on plate.

2. Top salad with cucumber, salad onion, strawberry and bleu cheese.

3. Drizzle olive oil and then vinegar over the veggies

4. Top with fresh black pepper

5. Enjoy with a delicious glass of white wine!

Brussels Sprout and Spinach Salad with Sesame Dressing

This time of year brussels sprout is all over the farmer's market and who does not love this classically comforting vegetable?  Here I have taken it to a different region and thrown on an asian sesame dressing.  My friends loved the result and I'm sure you will too!

Ingredients


1 lb brussels sprout
1 lb spinach (stems removed and rinsed/dried well)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Trim the ends off the sprout and cut in half.  Add these to a roasting pan as you go.
3. Evenly coat the sprouts with olive oil, soy sauce, and vinegar.  Evenly sprinkle salt on top
4. Pop into the oven to roast (about 40 minutes)
5. Meanwhile place the spinach in a nice salad bowl and set in the fridge while you wait
6. When sprouts are ready, remove from the oven and immediately add to the spinach, stirring to coat and wilt the spinach at the same time
7. Add sesame oil and stir to coat
8. Top with sesame seeds and serve

Pear and Squash Salad with Lentils

I know what you are thinking....pears, squash and lentils?  My husband gave me the whole "You want me to eat rabbit food?" when he saw this, but he was soon converted.  This is a super filling winter meal but it is also easy on the waistline.  Any type of winter squash will work here but aim for butternut squash or kabocha squash.  There are three components to this salad.  A bed of greens (e.g. arugula), roasted squash and finally lentils and rice.

4 handfuls arugula lettuce washed and set aside
1 medium sized squash
olive oil
salt
1/2 cup lentils
1/2 cup rice
2 cups water
1 small pear cut into small bit size pieces
1/2 cup almonds
1 small salad onion thinly sliced
1 lemon juiced
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 425.  Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil.
2. Prepare and clean the lettuce and put in the fridge for now
3. Prepare and cut the squash into half and remove the seeds.   Cut into half again and two more times into half.  You should have 16 pieces of squash (sorry if my math does not add up).  I ended up using my meat mallet and a sturdy all purpose butcher knife to cut this squash into pieces.  Please be careful because this is not an easy thing to do.
4. Put the squash on the pan and brush with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt.
5. Roast in the oven 20 minutes or until tender.
6. Meanwhile combine lentils, rice and water in a pot on the stove.  Cover with a lid and cook on high until water is absorbed (about 17 minutes).  This is essentially a mini-rice cooker!
7. While that is all cooking combine the lemon juice, mustard and olive oil.  This will be your salad dressing.
8. When squash is done remove from the oven and let cool.  Once it is cool, carefully slice away from the peel and cut into bit size chunks
9. Now it is time to prepare the salad.  Get a large plate (one for each person) and put a handful of lettuce on the plate.  Add a few onions, almonds and pear pieces.  Top with squash and finally a spoonful of the rice/lentil mixture.  Drizzle with the salad dressing and serve!
10. Enjoy your beautiful salad!

Mini Greek Salad

The other day I got these amazing lemon cucumbers in my farm share and a plethora of basil.  With a bit of feta and olive oil I made this incredibly refreshing salad.  You could easily substitute regular cucumbers in place of the lemon cucumbers.

Ingredients


2 medium lemon cucumbers (about 2 cups chopped)
12-14 leaves of basil thinly sliced
1/4 cup crumbled feta
olive oil to taste
salt to taste

1. Combine chopped cucumbers, basil, feta in a bowl and then drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt to top!

Salad Nicoise

This salad can be made almost any season of the year and is most delicious when fresh in season vegetables are used.  I tried a new salad dressing here and it elevated this dish to a whole new level!

Ingredients


1 lb small new potatoes
1 lb romano beans
1 small red onion thinly sliced
1 small head of fennel
1 can of tuna in water (drained)
10 pitted nicoise olives chopped
2 tablespoons capers
8 oz sour cream
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
juice from one lemon

1. Start by boiling water for potatoes.  When water is boiling add potatoes and cook for about 20 minutes
2. In another pan, fill with water and when boiling add beans and cook for two minutes.  Immediately drain and blanch by running cold water over the beans.
3. Put the beans in the serving dish you will use and put in the fridge
4. Thinly slice the onion and fennel, add to the dish with the beans
5. Chop nicoise olives and set aside
6. Mix sour cream, mustard and lemon and set aside
7. Drain the potatoes and let cool for a few minutes
8. Add the potatoes to the serving dish with the other veggies then add the drained tuna.
9. Top with nicoise olives and capers
10. Serve on top of lettuce leaves and have dressing on the side so people can add as much as they like!

Fava Bean and Potato Salad

You could basically call this the "everything but the kitchen sink" potato salad.  I really tried to use inventive and different ingredients here for a fresh take on potato salad.  You will never buy pre-made potato salad at the store ever again!  I used purple potatoes in this recipe for added color!

Ingredients


1 zucchini (cut into inch thick rounds and then cut into half moons)
1 lb fava beans
1 lb new or yukon potatoes
10 oz creme fraiche
4 or 5 healthy springs of dill (chopped)
One salad onion or sweet onion (such as Walla Walla variety) thinly sliced

1. This recipe has three main steps.  Boiling the fava beans and zucchini is the first.  Heat a large pot of salted water on medium high heat, when boiling add fava beans and set timer for 2 minutes.  After two minutes is done, add zucchini and cook another 1 1/2 minutes
2.  Immediately remove from heat and using a slotted spoon, put veggies into a colander in the sink and run cold water over them for 2 minutes
3. Return pot of water to stove and reheat to boiling, then add potatoes and cook for 20 minutes (depending on how thick they are you might need to go 25)
4. Congrats you are done with two of the steps!
5. Next you need to shell the fava beans.  They should be in a long pod and to open you can carefully cut a slit in the bean with a small knife
6. Remove the beans from the pod and set aside and discard the pods
7. When you have accumulated the beans, now you have to squeeze out the actual bean from within this outer layer.  Once you try this you will know exactly what I'm referring too.  Be careful as these are slippery and can easily fall down the drain!
8. Set the beans in a dish and discard the husks
9. At this point the potatoes should be done
10. Drain them and turn them into a mixing bowl
11. Add the thinly sliced onion, the zucchini, beans and dill and stir to coat
12. Finally add the creme fraiche and stir to coat all of the veggies
13. Salt and pepper and enjoy!!

Orzo Pasta Salad

My parents make the most amazing orzo salad (I always request it whenever I'm visiting them for the weekend).  I made a slightly altered version based on a few special items I picked up at the farmer's market today...SCAPES!  These funny looking veggies are the tips of garlic and have a really nice mild garlic flavor.  If you can't find scapes, feel free to omit them and use dill instead.

Ingredients

1/2 box of orzo pasta

1 small salad onion thinly sliced or 5 scallions thinly sliced

5 or 6 scapes chopped into bite size pieces

1 can of garbanzo beans

zest of one lemon

3/4 cup feta cheese

1. Cook orzo pasta according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile chop onion and scapes

3. Drain pasta when cooked and run cold water over the pasta to cool it down

4. Combine pasta, beans, scapes, lemon zest and feta in a big bowl.

5. Stir and serve!

Tri Colour Corn Salad

Here is the perfect side dish to surprise your friends at your next barbeque (Happy Memorial Day by the way!).  It's also great with grilled fish and could even be spooned on top of some chicken breast.  Use the freshest corn available and toast your success with this new side that will become a summer staple!

Ingredients

3 ears of corn (husked and corn cut off of the cob while raw)
Two roasted red peppers (from a jar)
One medium Anaheim chili
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
Green onions
juice of a lime
salt/pepper

1.  Heat a saute pan with two tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat.  When oil is hot, add corn and stir to coat with oil.
2.  Chop roasted red peppers and anaheim chili pepper (remove the seeds from the anaheim pepper)
3.  Add to the corn mixture
4.  Add sugar and stir into the veggies (you could easily omit this step if you want)
5.  Let veggies cook until they start to carmlize and brown (about 7-8 minutes)
6.  Add green onions, lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.
7.  Let cook for another two minutes and remove from heat and serve!