Blue cheese Carrot Slaw

This carrot slaw just came together with pantry items, and it's pretty darn tasty! 

Blue Cheese Carrot Slaw

Ingredients: 

7 medium sized carrots, stem end cut off, grated 

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup blue cheese dressing

1 green onion, chopped

Salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, and add salt to taste. Allow to sit at least half an hot for flavors to really meld. Enjoy! 

Tuna salad salad

I was looking for a salad that would appeal to both my tastes and those of my 7 year old. I assumed she wouldn't love tuna with blue cheese.....but I thought she would enjoy the classic combo of canned tuna and sweet relish. I was right! 

If I am only eating salad for lunch, I can eat an entire head of romaine on my own. If your appetite for salad is less robust, or if you are presenting this as a side dish, this can serve a few more people. 

Tuna Salad Salad 

Serves 1-4

Ingredients: 

1 head romaine, chopped, washed, and dried 

1 can tuna, drained

2-3 tbsp sweet pickle relish (or to taste)

2-3 tbsp blue cheese dressing (or to taste) (optional- substitute mayonnaise or any other dressing of your choice)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to mix well. Top with cashews and crumbled cheese if desires. Serve immediately. 

Quick Pickled Daikon Salad

The other day, my mother in law picked out some beautiful daikon for me at the Asian market, and put them in my cart. They were young, and tender, so full of promise. I love daikon, but have no idea how to cook it so it doesn't come out bitter and nasty. I planned on having her cook them for me, but then...Life. My kids got sick, which got her sick, which meant we didn't see her for a few days, and before I knew it I was in danger of losing my daikon and PANIC! Google to the rescue - since daikon are simply really big white radishes, as far as I can tell, they can easily translate to other cuisines. I found a recipe that made a salad from daikon and carrots. Well, it sounded tasty enough, so I tweaked it for what I had on hand...and it was delicious. I mean, it was tasty the day I made it, but when we finally finished it off today (three days later), it was divine. Kids? Go find some daikon. You will thank me.

Daikon come in varying sizes, depending on how old they are. The daikon I used were on the skinny side, meaning they were younger. They were so sweet you could eat them raw and plain. Older, fatter, daikon isn't tasty raw, or plain. It is spicy and a tad bitter. Those daikon are delicious stewed, which is another recipe for another day. 

Enjoy! 

Quick-Pickled Daikon Salad

Ingredients:

3 young daikon (about 2" across and 18" long)

Salt

1 Tbsp. finely grated fresh ginger (grate on a microplane, if possible)

3 Tbsp. rice vinegar

2 tsp. lime juice

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

1 tsp. sugar (optional)

1 green onion, chopped

Peel the skin off the daikon with a vegetable peeler, and then slice them into 1/4" thick rounds. (Taste the daikon first - if it is sweet, go 1/4" thick. If it is extra spicy or bitter, go thinner. You can also choose to shave the daikon with a food processor or your vegetable peeler.) 

Put the sliced daikon into a colander, toss it with 2 pinches of salt, and set it aside to drain. It won't lose a lot of water, but set it in the sink to be safe.

In a large mixing bowl, combine your grated ginger, rice vinegar, and line juice. While whisking, slowly drizzle in your olive oil, then your toasted sesame oil. Add your daikon rounds, and stir to coat. Add sugar, to taste. Add the green onions and stir to combine. 

Can be served immediately, or left in the refrigerator to further blend the flavors. Eat within 3-4 days. Stir well before serving. 

Spinach Salad with Crimini and Red Onion, Citrus Vinaigrette

I made this salad for a Sunday dinner with friends- it was very well received!  The vinaigrette is balanced, with sweet, salty, spicy, and acid.  Feel free to adjust seasonings to your tastes.  The salad portion is classic spinach salad, but I left out the proteins you'd find in a deli salad (sliced egg, cheese, and bacon.)

Serves 6-8 people

Salad
4 good handfuls baby spinach, washed and dried (enough to fill your salad spinner)
6 crimini mushrooms, sliced thin
1/4 of a red onion, sliced into very thin rounds, and then chopped
2 cans mandarin orange segments, drained

This is a basic vinaigrette, with a 1:1 ratio of oil to acid, not including seasonings.
Citrus Vinaigrette
2 oz mild oil (I used vegetable oil)
2 oz strawberry vinegar
1 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp stone ground mustard
a few shakes of hot sauce (I used Tapatio)
1 good pinch kosher salt
Honey to taste

Chinese Tomato Salad

The day’s haul from Mom’s greenhouse, getting a cool bath in the sink

 

I made this salad the other day, after picking some truly gorgeous tomatoes (red roma and yellow cherry) from my mother’s greenhouse. This salad is so light and refreshing – it’s perfect for a summer meal. The dressing is so striking, this dish will work with winter-time grocery store tomatoes, but summer time is the BEST time to enjoy this dish!

 

Chinese Tomato Salad

Adapted from The Asian Cookbook, from Parragon Publishing

(I don’t usually link to books on Amazon, but this book is one of my favorites, and very inexpensive. I highly recommend it!!)

 

Ingredients:

Tomatoes (2 large, or enough to fill a small serving dish), sliced

Chopped green onions (I used the top 5-6” of three green onions)

Chopped garlic (2 cloves)

Sesame Oil (1/2 tsp)

Rice Vinegar (1 Tbsp)

Salt (1/2 tsp)

Pepper (white or black, one pinch)

Sugar (one generous pinch)

 

Combine your green onions, garlic, sesame oil, rice vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk, and taste. Adjust seasonings to taste. Add your sliced tomatoes, gently fold to coat and transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with additional sliced green onions if desired.

 

Optional: If using only large tomatoes, the tomato slices can be arranged in a ring on a serving platter, and the completed dressing can be spooned over the top.

 

Can be made ahead of time. Serve at room temperature.

Brown Rice Jumble Bowls

This is an easy, super yummy, weeknight dinner idea.  Everyone in the family enjoyed customizing their own bowl- I set out the rice and bowls of toppings, and let the kids just go to town.  Ernie didn't mix anything at all, just had little piles of everything she loved (rice, parmesan, chicken, and cucumbers) and Mimi just chose rice and shredded cheddar cheese- I didn't list the cheddar below because it doesn't quite fit with the flavor profile, but I knew Mimi would eat it!


  This has unlimited variations, but this is what I used.  You could substitute other grains- quinoa or wheat berries would be amazing, or even pasta!  If the toppings you use are chewy or unwieldy, chop them small- I chose to cut my mushrooms and chicken rather finely, but left the cucumbers and tomatoes big enough to grab with a fork.  An asian-inspired bowl would be delicious, with steamed edamame and a ginger-sesame dressing.


Remember when you cook brown rice that it takes much longer than white rice.  I cooked two cups of brown rice with three cups of water in my rice cooker on the "brown rice" setting, and it took about an hour.  I love the flavor and chewiness of brown rice, but often forget to leave myself time to cook it!

Cooked brown rice
Chopped tomatoes
Chopped cucumber
Finely chopped cooked chicken
Finely chopped white mushrooms
Minced chives
Grated Parmesan cheese
Balsamic vinaigrette

Skillet Croutons

Makes enough for 2 exceptionally large bowls of salad.

Skillet Croutons
2 thick slices of bread (I used 3-day-old french bread), sliced into cubes
3 or 4 Tablespoons olive oil
seasoning (I used Cavendar's greek seasoning)
2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese

Stir everything together and tip into a preheated skillet on medium high heat, in a single layer.  Let brown and flip.    If the heat is on the high side, the outside will brown while the inside will be chewy and spongy with the oil (delicious!)  If the heat is lower, you will get a crunchier crouton before it starts to burn.  Shake and stir skillet occasionally.

Aunt LoLo's Pasta Salad

I love to make pasta salad in the summer time. It's perfect - boil up the noodles in the morning when the house is still (relatively) cool, mix everything up and stick it in the fridge until dinner time. Perfect!

My salads are always different, every time I make them, depending on what I find in the pantry and refrigerator...and what I'm in the mood for.

Here's today's version.
Aunt LoLo's Pasta Salad

Serves 4-6 as a main dish, 8-12 as a side dish
(This is great in the summer - you can boil the noodles in the morning while the house is still cool, and have dinner ready whenever you are.)

Ingredients:
1 lb pasta
1/4 cup Italian dressing
1 can crab
1/4 cup chopped olives
1/2 lb frozen peas and carrots
3 T. chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil the pasta according to directions, then drain and rinse under cold water. Drain well and remove to a large bowl.
Add in the Italian dressing, crab meat, chopped olives, frozen peas and carrots, chopped sun-dried tomatoes and eggs and stir to combine.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

Grandma Mary's Jell-O Salad

Grandma had so many different Jell-O salads...but this is the first one I found in my recipe files.

Grandma Mary’s Jell-O Salad

3 small boxes jello, 4 cups boiling water. Mix until jell-o is dissolved. Add 1 can matching pie filling. Mix well. When jell-o starts to gel, add 1 tub of cool whip and mix together.

(Methinks I took this recipe verbatim from a phone call.)

Pecan Miso Green Beans

That's really just not a very elegant title, is it? Sorry - it's the best I can do! I found my inspiration for this recipe in the New York Times column Bitten, by Mark Bittman (author of How to Cook Everything) His version uses walnuts, but I used what I had on hand. I also messed with the proportion of the other ingredients as well.

I served these as a cold salad with dinner last night - they were quite tasty! Lo Gung added a small pile of the beans to his bento lunch last night and reported back toda - these are even better warm. (The flavors are much more pronounced if you serve this dish warm or even room temperature. Oops!)

For the original recipe, please go here.

Pecan Miso Green Beans

Green Beans (I used frozen - about 5 handfuls) - cooked until crisp tender and then shocked in cold water to stop the cooking

In a blender, combine until smooth:
1/2 cup pecans
1" ginger, grated on a microplane (about 2 T.)
2 T. miso (light or dark - I used dark)
1-2 teaspoons soy sauce (to taste)
1/2 cup water

Toss the cooled green beans with the dressing. Can be kept in the fridge - allow to come to room temperature before serving.

Because this recipe is vegetarian, it would make an excellent candidate for picnic lunches, buffets, packed lunches or other situations where refrigeration is an issue.

Enjoy!

Two Tomato Salads

This is the tale of two salads that use tomatoes. Yeah, yeah..I know. Tomatoes kill. So grow your own already!

Tomato Feta Salad
Combine: Cherry tomatoes ( cut in half), Feta Cheese, salt & pepper, Italian dressing and chopped fresh basil.

Let sit for 2-4 hours, covered, in the refrigerator. (Finely chopped sweet onions or garlic might be good in this as well.)

(Made that one up myself. Real elegant, right? I had feta left over from some shindig with the Launders...and it was delicious!)

Tomato Onion Salad (adapted from Taste of Home)
2 large tomatoes, sliced
1 medium sweet onion, sliced thin and separated into rings
¼ olive oil
Rice vinegar, to taste
1 t. dried parsley
1 t. salt
2 T. finely chopped onion
1 t. (or to taste) sugar
1 clove fresh garlic, mashed to a paste
Pepper, to taste

Layer tomatoes and onions in shallow serving dish. Combine the rest of the ingredients, whisk until mixed. Season to taste. Drizzle over tomatoes and onions. Allow 2 hours to marinate in the refrigerator.

Millionaire Rotisserie Salad

So, this little series of posts is to help Big Mama out, and because the West Coast needs to perk up and get their Summer on already! (I know, I know...you would if you could. But it's hot, here, and the tomato scare is on the way out...and we need some summer food around here, y'all!)

Big Mama, this one's for you. Oh, and get the rotisserie chicken from Costco - it's the same price as anywhere else (about $6), but it's nearly twice the size!

Millionaire Rotisserie Chicken Salad (4 servings) (From Rachel Ray)
3 T. vegetable oil
4 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
One 2 inch piece ginger, grated
2 large cloves garlic, grated
½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
Grated peel and juice of one lime
¼ cup tamari (dark soy sauce)
3 Tablespoons honey
1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded and meat thinly sliced
1 small or ½ large head napa cabbage, shredded (about 4 cups)

1. In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the scallions, ginger, garlic and black pepper and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the lime peel and lime juice, then whisk in the tamari and honey to combine. Turn off the heat.
2. In a large bowl, toss the chicken and cabbage with the sauce to combine well.

Cold-Fashioned Potato Salad

Let Battle Potato Salad begin! (Yes, I know - this recipe and Wonder Woman's recipe aren't really the same thing at all, but isn't it funny that we both made potato salad on Memorial Day? No? Everyone made potato salad on Memorial Day? Fine. Be that way.)

Here's my last-minute/lazy take on Alton Brown's recipe. Delicious!


Cold-Fashioned Potato Salad
Adapted from Alton Brown's recipe on Good Eats



2 1/2 pounds small baker potatoes (reds would have been better)
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 Tablespoon pre-minced garlic
2 T. sweet relish. (Cornichons would have been better!) (That's gherkin, to us mere mortals)
One green onion, diced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Place potatoes into a large heavy-bottomed pot. Cover with cold water and place over medium heat. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat and remove lid. Gently simmer until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and place into an ice bath to cool. Remove skin by rubbing with a tea towel. Slice potatoes into rounds and place into a zip top bag. Add the vinegar and toss to coat all of the potatoes. Place the bag into the refrigerator overnight. (I was unable to refrigerate overnight, so I omitted this step, instead mixing in the vinegar and letting it soak while I prepared the dressing.)

In a large mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, garlic, pickles, and onions. Once evenly combined, add the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Let the salad chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

Loaded Baked Potato Salad Recipe

We made this for a family BBQ last night- original recipe can be found here. I made a few changes- I used ready bacon bits, only 8 ounces of sour cream, and russet potatoes. I've found that they fall apart so much I don't need nearly as much dressing as a potato salad recipe normally calls for- they make their own creaminess. Enjoy! This can be warmed in the oven, or chilled if you have the time (which we didn't.)

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

Ingredients:
12 russet potatoes, cubed and boiled

Sauce
(mix together and fold into potatoes):
8 ounces sour cream
3/4 cup mayonnaise
a squirt of ranch dressing if you want
1/4 tsp pepper
salt to taste

Fold in:
(reserve a little of each to sprinkle on top)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
6 green onions, chopped
bacon (either 6 slices, cooked and crumbled, or bacon bits)

Spread in a 9x13 pan and top with reserved goodies. Either warm in a 350 degree oven 15 minutes, or chill in fridge.

Salmon and Pecan Salad

I made this for dinner tonight, served with Nick Lahey's No-Knead Bread, and topped it with Mondays' baked salmon.

Salmon-Pecan Salad

1. In a saute pan, slowly cook 3/8 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, about 5 good shakes of chili powder, and a heaping cup of pecans. Cook until sugar caramelizes and pour onto a plate to cool.
2. In salad bowl, layer 2 heads romaine lettuce, dried goji berries, dried cranberries, flaked salmon, and pecans. Toss with a balsamic vinaigrette (I used a cranberry-walnut-Gorgonzola mix from Trader Joe's.)
   

Blue cheese crumbles would probably be good too, and you could substitute any mild protein for the fish- chicken or tofu would be nice.

German Potato Salad

There are a lot of recipes out there on the web, but this is the most basic one I could find (meaning fewer items on my grocery list!) We served it at our German Feast a few weeks ago- the entire family LOVED it. Enjoy!