Name Your Salad

• Just because a recipe calls for it doesn't mean you have to use it (I hate cilantro but love parsley)
• Do not ever believe the number of servings because it makes a big difference on who you are feeding
• Good cooking does not have to be or should it be difficult
• Not everything has to be made from scratch
• Great ideas come from food magazines but be daring and change them up
• Cooking for family and friends is good for the soul

 
  

  

This is salad time.  You can get all the ingredients fresh and in most cases locally.  Nothing beats fresh and local.  Just think about some of the salads you have had in January.  

Salads can be as simple or as complicated as you're in the mood for.   Lettuce or three kinds of lettuce.  Beefsteak tomatoes or heirloom, grape and sun dried tomatoes.  Cucumbers, carrots, scallions, radishes, green pepper, red pepper, orange and yellow peppers, hearts of palm, artichokes, dried cranberries, pickled beets, etc.,etc.

Then there are the salads with fruit.   Pears, peaches, apples, strawberries, kiwis, pineapple, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, dried cherries, and bananas.  A lot of these salads will have nuts with them.  Pick a nut, any nut.  Cashews, pine nuts, walnuts, pecan,s toasted hazelnuts or peanuts.

Want it a little more on the hardy side?  Add hard  boiled eggs, tuna, steak, chicken or pork.  Throw in some cheese, cubed, sliced, shaved or grated.  The combinations are probably mathematically impossible to calculate.

Want something crisp?  Well you can top it off with crumbled bacon, pita chips, tortilla strips, toasted garlic bread or just plain ole croutons.

You get the idea by now, salads are a lot like meatloaf, you can throw in whatever you like for whatever particular taste you're looking for.  

Now, for Pete's sake (and mine) since you have all these fresh ingredients don't ruin it all with bottled dressing.  Dressing is easy to make, easy to adapt and will make you wonder why you haven't been doing this for years.  

French Blue Cheese

2/3 cup ketchup

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup white vinegar

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1 small onion finely minced

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

In a small bowl whisk together the ketchup, sugar, vinegar, oil, lemon juice, salt, paprika and garlic until well combined.  Add in the onions and the blue cheese.  Transfer to a glass jar with a tight fitting lid.  Chill for a minimum of six hours.  Shake well before serving.

Balsamic Dressing

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons dark brown sugar, may not be needed, see note

1Tablespoon chopped garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup olive oil

Whisk until well blended.  Transfer to a glass jar with a tight fitting lid.  Refreigerate for at least one hour .before using  Shake well before serving.

Note:  If using a good quality balsamic vinegar you should not need the sugar.  Taste before adding the sugar. 

Buttermilk Ranch

3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves chopped

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup Greek style yogurt

1/2 cup buttermilk, shaken

Place the scallions, basil, lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor.  Puree for 15 to 20 seconds until mixture is smooth.  Add the mayonnaise, yogurt, and buttermilk and blend until smooth.  Transfer dressing to a container and refrigerate for one hour.

Poppy Seed

1\/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon Poppy Seeds
2 Tablespoons sesame seed
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon  Worcestershire sauce

Place ingredients in jar with a tight fitting lid and shake until blended.

And this last one I saved until last for some of my friends that like Caesar salad.  So you say you don't like anchovies, well guess what????

Caesar Salad Dressing

 3 cloves garlic minced

3/4 cup mayonnaise

5 anchovy filets, minced

2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan (and not that stuff in the green can)

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

salt to taste

pepper to taste

 Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.

Now get tossing.