Crunchy Spring Salad

Most Saturday mornings I make breakfast (this past week I made these five ingredient pancakes again) & then I get sucked into the Food Network vortex. It starts with just one show & then before I know it it’s noon & The Kitchen is on - a show I’m still deciding if I like but since I watch it every weekend I guess I do. Geoffrey Zakarian is one of the hosts of the show. He intimidates me. He has iron chef status & I’m pretty sure if we met in real life he’d have a difficult time taking me seriously. But this is why he lives in my TV & I can live vicariously via his cooking tips he dishes out on Saturday mornings & then blog about them here. This weekend he made this salad that just screamed spring to me. It had cucumber, green apples, mint & lemon.  So I had to make it given Saturday was the first day we’ve had where there was a break in this polar vortex & the sun shined through & the temps peaked in the high 50s!

This time of year always makes me want to eat a little cleaner & feel a little lighter in the process so salads are always on the menu. What’s your go-to spring food?

Bang Bang Grilled Shrimp Salad

Hi! I'm back! Hope you've all had a wonderful Labor Day. Mine was chock full of a relaxing trip to the beach with family, vegging out, a little house keeping and eating of course!

I made this shrimp salad one night when Chris was out so I was just making dinner for one person, me!  I didn't want a big meal since I had pretty much been gorging myself all week (oops!). I also didn't want to spend too much time making dinner because I was just tired. 

There's this shrimp that Chris & I love to eat at Bonefish Grill called bang bang shrimp. I like to this of this grilled version as a little bit lighter but still packed with flavor. Plus I ate it with mixed greens - so that's automatically better, right?

Strawberry-Rhubarb Salad with Mint, Walnuts & Arugula

Last week we were in Charleston, SC (ahhhh I love that place & I will share some pictures soon). Truth be told the majority of the food we ate was either fried or seafood - leaving little room left for anything green (unless you count fried green tomatoes).  Now that we’re back into the swing of a full week I’m doing my best to eat fresh - plus it’s spring (finally) so I always find myself wanting to eat more green things & just lighter in general.

I was flipping through the pages of Bon Appetite magazine & came across a recipe for strawberry-rhubarb salad. Being a forever fan of the pie version (my mom still makes the best strawberry rhubarb pie!). Coincidentally, my sister-in-law, Dulcie, asked me how else she could prepare rhubarb.  Clearly the universe was telling me that I needed to try out the salad.  It did not disappoint. It was every bit tangy & sweet that the pie is but in a healthy salady-bite. I did change it up a bit from the original recipe swapping out hazelnuts for walnuts & adding some arugla because it’s what I had on hand - & I just love arugula. (Check out this unexpected way to use arugula in your Cinco de Mayo cocktail that I stumbled upon at work & had to try out.)

PS: This recipe calls for mint. I could only find a small potted plant of the mint - wish me luck keeping her alive & green because my thumb is not.

PPS: Bon Appetit suggests not making this salad the night before in fear that the rhubarb will breakdown too much & become too soft. Make it as close to serving time as possible.

UPDATE: I ate all of the arugula out of the salad for dinner & had a lot of the strawberry-rhubarb mixture left so I refrigerated it overnight. I packed some arugula on top & some avocado & am currently enjoying it for lunch - maybe I didn't cut my rhubarb super thin but I have to say it's just as delicious on day 2.

Spinach Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing

Hoboken is only a mile square but it has a ton of great restaurants.  Among them are some tasty Cuban spots like La Isla.  It's a casual little place with rarely an empty seat with tons of tasty dishes on it's menu. One of my favorites is the spinach salad. It's just fresh with a combination of sweet and savory flavors as well as creamy and crunchy textures.  It's not a terribly complicated salad it's just the care they take to pile it on the plate.  It's really a feast for the eyes and the tastebuds too.  It's great on it's own or you can add shrimp or chicken to if if you want to "beef" it up. If you're ever in Hoboken, NJ I definitely recommend stopping by La Isla for a meal, if you aren't you can make a salad inspired by this great spot right in your own kitchen!

Crunch Celery, Spinach & Parmesan Salad

I watch food network all the time. I even watch it at the gym. Yes I do.
This past weekend I watched the Barefoot Contessa whip up her Italian inspired celery and parmesan salad. I took a nod from this great lady & made this for dinner. I added some spinach for a little extra green-age.

Grilled Steak with Arugula, Parsley-Parmesan Salad

From time-to-time I cook steak for Chris. It’s true. I do. I found this recipe in Bon Appetit magazine & thought that it was a good marriage between the steak Chris likes to eat & the greens I’d like him to eat. I also think it’s a lighter option for steak eaters than a heavy creamed spinach side dish for steak - while yes it has greens it also has a ton of cream amongst other heavy ingredients. I amped up the original salad in this recipe with some arugula.  This salad is also great on top of chicken (how I ate it).

PS: We also had these potatoes, because if you have steak & you really should have potatoes!
PPS: Happy birthday to my beautiful friend Ashley!!! I love you :)

Grilled Blackened Chicken Avocado Salad

It’s grilling season. To marry that fact with my love for salads lately allowed me to dream up this grilled blackened chicken & avocado salad.  The chicken is spicy & the avocado is creamy & cooling. It’s a great combination. Give it a try. It’s also super easy to make!
PS: happy birthday to my dancing partner in crime, Christine!

Heirloom Tomato Panzanella Salad

Mary, my mother-in-law, makes this fabulous panzanella salad that I just can not eat enough of. I love salad - but add chunks of crusty bread to it & I love it more!

I found some amazing green zebra heirloom tomatoes at the grocery store & couldn't wait to make them the star of a simple dinner.  I didn't have all the ingredients for the salad that Mary makes so I made the simple tomato salad my mom always makes but I added yummy chunks of bread! 

Click through for the recipe & make this salad tonight!

Fall Salad with a Sweet & Spicy Oil-Free Dressing

It's finally feeling like fall out there.  We've been eating a lot of squash at our house as of late. It's a real fall like veggie (or is it a fruit? it has seeds so I think it's a fruit).  As you know I usually just roast up some squash to keep on hand like I did in this post last week.  This time I incorporated butternut squash into a hearty salad with a sweet & spicy oil-free dressing that I will definitely be making again.

Better Home Cooking Basics: #7 Dress Your Salad from the Outside

Whether you've made salad dressing from scratch or you just unscrewed the cap & are ready to dress you salad - dress your salad from the outside.  Don't dump the dressing all in the middle & wonder why you have salad dressing soup. Instead, start light. Drizzle a ring of dressing around the outside perimeter of your salad where it touches the bowl & then toss inward using your hands, tongs, a fork & spoon - whatever you've got.  Your salad will be more evenly dressed & you might even use less dressing, but only because you wanted to.

Check out more better home cooking basic tips here.

Wholefoods California Quinoa Salad

This weekend Chris & I stopped at Wholefoods for lunch. I got a small container of what Wholefoods called California Quinoa Salad.  It was just what I wanted, light but satisfying & most importantly not greasy making it the perfect salad during a heat wave. Upon finishing my tasty choice, I peeled the sticker from the container -like any rational gal that blogs about food- & stowed it safely in my purse so I could recreate it when I got home.

I made a huge batch (my recipe is very generous) that I plan on eating for lunch for several days.  The best part is there's no mayo in the salad so even if you don't have a fridge nearby it's great for summer lunch or a picnic outside.

Fresh & Simple Tomato Salad with Poached Egg Pasta

I hope you’ve liked the tomato posts this week & have given my Fresh & Simple Tomato Salad a try at your house. Today, I have one last rendition for you to amp up this basic recipe. Today I’m making a meal out of it by  adding some pasta &  poached eggs.

If you’ve tried any of these tomato salad recipes this week I’d love to hear which you loved best. Drop me a line in the comments below. Happy Friday!

Immaculate Chicken Salad

I used to make this salad all the time at my collegiate coffee house job at Immaculate Consumption (man, I miss that place).  My gal Maggie recently reminded me of it. So naturally, I had to make it.  It's a great take on chicken salad full of crunch & flavors & is mayo-free!  You can eat it served between some lettuce, tomato, a slice of provolone (like Immaculate) & bread as a sandwich or over some lightly dressed greens as a salad.  Click through to get this yummy recipe plus a bonus salad dressing recipe that really makes it sing in your salad!

Simple Vinaigrette

It’s unofficially summer - it’s just getting hotter & I love it! Every time the temps rise I want to eat cooling simple meals - mainly salads.  I rarely buy salad dressing at the super market with the exception of blue cheese dressing to compliment Chris’s love for anything buffalo sauced & that little packet of raspberry vinaigrette that comes in that delicious spinach salad mix from Trader Joe’s.  Other than those two exceptions I usually throw lemon juice or vinegar & some olive oil on my salads & call it a day.  Sometimes I like to make my own (like here & here).  This simple vinaigrette is great because it’s made from stuff you most likely shop for on a weekly basis & even if you don’t you can find them at the most basic grocery stores - no specialty stores necessary.  It’s a great dressing that turns plain mixed greens into a salad with no other toppings. We ate mixed greens tossed with this dressing with some pizza for dinner. The salad was so good I made two giant serving bowls of it & not a leaf was left!

If you’ve never made your own dressing, give it a try. It really is easy & usually tastes better than anything on the shelf. Oh & with this recipe you’ll be able to identify all the ingredients.

Fresh & Unique Summer Salads

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I’m salad obsessed these days.  Here are a bunch of my faves that are as fresh as they are unique.   I’ll be working back them into the rotation for summer dinners. Grab the links below:

1. Spinach Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing 
2. Crunchy Spring Salad  
3. Bang Bang Grilled Shrimp Salad 
4. Carrot Curl Salad

Tomato, Beet, Avocado, Arugula & Walnut Salad

Sometimes it's a sandwich & salad kind of night at our house. Last night we dined on tuna sandwiches (courtesy of the hubs tuna salad) & this salad which was equally parts creamy, crunchy & tasty.

Since this salad is so easy to make, take the time to make it pretty when you plate it.  You eat with your eyes first, so make sure to feed them with a pretty feast.

Ingredients:

• 1 large heirloom tomato
• 2 avocados
• 1 large (cooked) beet
• 5 leaves fresh basil
• handful of walnuts
• 2 handfuls of arugula (or other lettuce of your choice)
• 1 tablespoon walnut oil
• sea salt & pepper

Make it!

1. Slice tomato, beet & avocados into equal sized slices (this may vary on the size of your fruits/veggies but closest to uniform size is ideal).
2. Coarsely chop walnuts & heat them in a pan over low heat for a few minutes until toasted (but not burned). As soon as you smell them take them off the heat.
3. In a separate bowl tear basil & mix with arugula.
4. Arrange the slices of tomato, beet & avocado in a pretty order on your plate, I like to alternate the colors like tomato, avocado, beet.
5. Top with arugula/basil mixture & toasted walnuts.
6. Drizzle walnut oil over all ingredients & season with sea salt & pepper.

PS: Happy Birthday Aunt Rosemary :) xx

Carrot Curl Salad

My mom makes this salad with blanched carrots cut into long rectangular pieces. I haven't mastered these long rectangle shapes & I'd rather skip cooking (a salad) all together in the summer. So my spin on this flavorful salad is to skip the cooking and just stick with making carrot curls with your veggie peeler (you have to peel the carrots anyway so just keep going!). The curls are thin enough to make them easy to eat and they give the feel of pasta so it's a satisfying salad texturally too!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb carrots (wash, peel & peel again!)
• 1/2 large onion (cut into strips)
• 1 cup fresh basil (chiffonade)

Dressing:

• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 4 large garlic cloves (grate these if not using a food processor or blender)

Make it!

1. Blend the dressing ingredients together in a food processor or blender. 
2. Toss dressing, carrots, onions & basil together. 
3. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve. 

Sweet & Crunchy Wasabi Tuna Salad Sandwich

After a conversation with my girlfriends Allison & Natalie about jicama I had a craving to whip up some tuna salad that my sister & I used to live off of during our early post-college days when she managed a restaurant & filled our bellies with fresh food. Jicama if you have never had it is crunchy like and apple but not as sweet. I'd compare it to a love child between  an apple and a potato. You really must try it if you never have.

This recipe is inspired by Tossed's tuna salad but I jazzed it up with one of my favorite Trader Joe's products: wasabi mayo.

Read more for the full recipe.

Crab Salad & Mango Sandwich

Summer maybe coming to a close & Labor Day looming,  I'm still craving summer seafood like this crab salad & mango sandwich.  I made these for dinner the other night when I came home late from work.  Luckily, they're super easy to mix together (ahem, no cooking ok a little if you count toasting bread) & even easier to eat so they're perfect for dinner in a pinch.

Happy Labor Day to you all & especially to those who made it possible. Ciao ciao summer.

What are you making for your Labor Day barbecue or picnic, maybe a crab salad & mango sandwich?  Just in case I jotted down the recipe for you below.

Crab Salad & Mango Sandwich Ingredients

• 2 cups crab meat (I used the stuff from a can!)
• 1 tablespoon mayo
• 1 shallot (finely chopped)
• 1 lemon (zest & juice)
• 2-4 whole wheat rolls (depending no the size & portion control you're after)
• salt & pepper
• 2 cups baby field greens
• 1/2 mango sliced (do yourself a favor & get the pre-sliced container at your deli it can cost more than a whole one but if you haven't mastered cutting a mango yet (like me) you'll save more money this way!)

Make it!

1. Combine crab, mayo, shallot, lemon zest & juice of half a lemon.  Season with salt & pepper.
2. Cut rolls in half & toast under the broiler (or skip this step all together).
3. In a separate bowl toss the baby field greens with the rest of the lemon juice & season with salt & pepper.
4. To create each sandwich cover the bottom half of the roll with slices of mango, top with a heap of crab salad.  Then pile the greens high & cover with the top of the roll, squish it down & cut it in half. Serve & enjoy.

Fresh & Simple Tomato Salad Crostini

It’s tomato week here & I hope you’re enjoying it as much as I am. I heart tomatoes! As promised I’m back with a different take on Monday’s Fresh & Simple Tomato Salad recipe. Today, I bring you Fresh & Simple Tomato Salad Crostini. It’s a perfect summer appetizer that you can make on the grill & serve while you’re still grilling your meats & veggies. I like to serve mine on the cutting board I cut the bread on - again less dishes makes a happy Heather!