With the help of good quality canned white beans, this meal can be whipped up in minutes. If you want to make the salad in advance, leave out the oil, vinegar and lemon juice until just prior to serving. The chicken can also be made in advance, by this method or on a grill, and served cold. With sliced cucumbers and a bottle of white wine, it makes a perfect summer picnic.
Continue readingPosts Tagged → salads and salad dressing
Mixed Greens with Chicken, Oranges and Blue Cheese
Although this recipe calls for cooking chicken, you can use leftover grilled chicken or steak. You can also vary the fruit and use mango, grapefruit or peach instead of orange and vary the cheese and use feta or goat instead of the blue. Serve this with a hunk of bread
Continue readingRomaine and Watercress Salad with Fennel, Oranges and Tuna
Although this 5 minute salad is perfect just as it is, it is also wonderful with slivers of leftover grilled chicken or steak mixed in.
Continue readingMixed Green Salad with Avocado, Papaya and Feta Cheese
Although this 5 minute salad is perfect just as it is, it is also wonderful with slivers of leftover grilled chicken or steak mixed in.
Continue readingTuscan Bread Salad
2 cups day old french or sourdough bread, cubed
½ pound ricotta salata cheese or feta cheese, cut in chunks
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded, if desired; halved and thinly sliced
1 red onion, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, cubed
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or pressed
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
Combine bread, cheese, vegetables and herbs in a large mixing bowl.
Place garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper and oil in a bowl and mix well. Drizzle over vegetables.
White Bean and Vegetable Salad
As long as you have canned white beans on hand, this great summer salad literally takes 5 minutes to prepare. You can “beef’ it up with leftover grilled chicken, steak or tuna or chunks of baked ham.
Continue readingRomaine Salad with Turkey, Feta Cheese and Peaches
When it’s too hot to turn on the stove, this is a perfect dinner: a little bit of everything.
Continue readingGreek Salad Revived
Depending on what you serve with this and how hungry you are, this salad will serve 2- 4 people. For two hungry people who don’t want to heat up a kitchen and don’t want to make anything else, add pita bread and this salad will satisfy. For a slightly more demanding crowd, the addition of soup will round this out nicely. If you don’t have leftover chicken, you can simply omit it.
Continue readingWhite Bean and Ham Salad with Mustard Lemon Dressing
This easy and nutritious salad can be made in minutes and depending upon your inclination, it can be the centerpiece of the meal or a substantial accompaniment. On a hot night, serve it simply on a bed of greens with a loaf of bread but the more industrious, or hungry ones might eliminate the ham and serve it alongside grilled chicken or tuna.
Continue readingSpicy Peanut Noodle with Broccoli
1 pound rotini, cooked al dente and cooled under cold water
1 bunch scallions, cut diagonally into one inch pieces
1 small head broccoli, woody end discarded, florets separated, stem peeled and julienned
1 red bell pepper, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
For the spicy peanut dressing:
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 egg, room temperature
3/4 cup natural peanut butter (no salt, no sugar, no preservatives)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup Oriental sesame oil
Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Add pasta and cook until completely tender. Drain immediately and rinse several times with cold water. Transfer pasta to a large mixing bowl.
While the pasta is cooking, make the spicy peanut dressing.
Place garlic and ginger in a blender or in a food processor fitted with a steel blade; process until the garlic is chopped. Add red pepper, chili powder, mustard, egg, peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar and water and process until combined. Gradually add oils. Pour dressing over cooled pasta.
Place broccoli in colander and rinse with hottest water possible. Rinse and refresh with cold water.
Add broccoli, scallions, pepper and sesame seeds just prior to serving.
Serves 8
Cobb Salad
Packed full of protein and fat, Cobb Salad seems to be me the perfect fare for anyone on a low-carbohydrate diet. In 1936, so the story goes, Bob Cobb, the owner of the Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles, went into the restaurant’s kitchen and put whatever intrigued him into a salad. He served it to some friends, who later came back looking to have it replicated.
Continue readingLemon Tarragon Chicken Salad
Before I started writing cookbooks I owned From the Night Kitchen, a take-out shop in Brookline Village, Massachusetts. One couple used to come in every time they were going to take a trip (and they traveled a lot). They would have me pack a lunch for the plane that always included this salad. I always think of them when I fly and when I make this salad. They would certainly have agreed with Wolfgang Puck, chef and restaurateur, who said, “To me, an airplane is a great place to diet.” Unless, of course, you bring your own lunch.
Continue readingCilantro Chicken Salad
Inspired by Asian flavors, this fresh-tasting chicken salad is made without mayonnaise.
Continue readingCurried Chicken Salad
Yield: about 4½ cups; serves 4 to 6.
Continue readingSalad Niçoise
A perfect lunchtime salad. Niçoise means “as prepared nice” – in other words, a salad that includes ingredients found on the French Riviera.
Continue readingClassic Tuna Salad
Great stuffed into an avocado or tomato halves, or mounded on a bed of lettuce.
Continue readingCurried Potato Salad
A vaguely Indian and very tasty variation, this potato salad goes particularly well with grilled chicken or lamb.
Continue readingMustard Potato Salad
This tangy version of an American classic will be a welcome addition to any picnic or barbecue.
Continue readingTuscan Bread Salad
This is ingenious – and delicious – use for day-old bread.
Continue readingAnnette’s Corn Salad
When my sister-in-law, Annette, told me about this summer salad, I turned my nose up at it. But she didn’t warn me how truly amazing it was and that I would be spending a good deal of my summer shucking and shaving corn. If you must, you can use frozen or canned corn, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
Continue readingGreek Salad with Romaine
This variation on the classic Greek salad includes avocados and bell peppers.
Continue readingThousand Island/Russian Dressing
For me, Thousand Island and Russian dressings are interchangeable, as they have as their chief components both mayonnaise and chili sauce. The name “Russian dressing” is really a misnomer because it’s come to be as American as apple pie. One rumor has it that the name derives from the fact that it originally had Russian caviar in it. Today, horseradish or hot dog relish often gives the dressing its texture.
Continue readingBlue Cheese Dressing
Thick and creamy, this can be used as a dip for crudités or Boston Trio chicken as well as a dressing on any green salad. A slightly updated but classic combo for this dressing is a wedge of iceberg lettuce sprinkled with bacon, avocado, and cherry or grape tomatoes. Another impressive salad combination is romaine lettuce with pears and lightly toasted walnuts. Burgers and roast beef sandwiches also benefit from this tangy combination, as do steamed broccoli and cauliflower.
Continue readingGreen Goddess Dressing
Legend has it that Green Goddess dressing was created in the 1920s by the chef at the San Francisco’s Palace Hotel in honor of actor George Arliss, who was appearing in a play called Green Goddess. It is said that he requested that a dressing be named after him, but why this particular combination became Green Goddess is a mystery to me.
Continue readingCaesar Salad Dressing
While this is the traditional dressing for a classic Caesar Salad – whole or chopped romaine lettuce, lots of Parmesan cheese (optional in the dressing but not in the salad itself), and croutons – you can use it as an all-purpose salad dressing. Additionally, you can substitute feta cheese for the Parmesan, and for a main course, add cooked chicken, shrimp, or steak.
Continue readingPesto Dressing
When my friend Nancy served this dressing on a simple green salad for family and friends, everyone loved it but no one could guess what was in it. Pal Urit Chaimovitz guess artichoke hearts and husband Steve said honey. But it was 7-year-old Joey who put his nose toward the salad and correctly guessed pesto. While it’s great on any combination of mixed greens, it’s also perfect drizzled on tomatoes and goat cheese; chilled new potatoes; cold noodles with julienned vegetables; and pasta with halved grape or cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella or Parmesan cheese.
Continue readingCurried Dressing
Although this dressing is high flavored, it complements many different flavors. It’s especially good on a salad of bunch spinach, apples or pears, sesame seeds, and raisins or craisins, or on romaine with cheddar cheese, apples, and walnuts. It can also be used as a marinade for chicken or a drizzle for grilled salmon.
Continue readingLemon Pepper Dressing
This tart and lively dressing can be used on salads and steamed vegetables (especially artichokes and broccoli), and drizzled on grilled chicken, salmon, or swordfish. Pepper lovers might want to increase the amount of one or both of the peppers (keeping in mind that the heat of the peppers strengthens as they sit). And of course, the pepper can be decreased or simply eliminated.
Continue readingAvocado and Shrimp Salad
This salad is just the thing to serve as a summer lunch or as a starter to a meal. The recipe calls for plain shrimp but you can also use Chili-Rubbed Shrimp if you have some left over. I like to scoop it up with tortilla chips.
Continue readingWatercress Salad with Orange Segments
You could substitute pink grapefruit, tangerines, or clementines.
Continue readingRomaine Salad with Arugula, Roquefort Cheese, and Pears
This salad is a perfect combination of texture and flavor. I could eat it every night and with almost anything. Feel free to replace the pear with an apple or, my favorite, pink grapefruit sections.
Continue readingSalad of Arugula, Avocado, and Mango
This salad is a combination of bitter, buttery, and sweet.
Continue readingGreen Salad with Creamy Orange Dressing
Serves 6.
Continue readingGrilled Pineapple and Avocado Salad with Walnut Oil Vinaigrette
Although this combination may be difficult to imagine, it is quite wonderful.
Continue readingAsian Slaw
This crunchy, colorful slaw is a delicious change from the mayonnaise-laden American version.
Continue readingRomaine Salad with Anchovy Dressing
Very similar to Caesar salad dressing but packed with even more anchovy flavor. Definitely not for the meek.
Continue readingMixed Greens with Pistachio-Lemon Dressing
Although this dressing is perfectly suited to this meal, it can be used on any green salad.
Continue readingWild Mushroom Risotto with Radicchio Salad
Egyptian pharaohs forbade their subjects to eat mushrooms because they considered them to be the food of the gods and saved them for themselves, but I see no reason not to share this luxurious risotto with your guests.
Continue readingFresh Asparagus Salad
This salad can be eaten hot or cold. For a more dramatic presentation, you can use half green asparagus and half white, which, while more tender, is a bit less flavorful – and more expensive.
Continue readingMixed Green Salad with Red Onions and Toasted Pine Nuts
Serves 6.
Continue readingBibb Lettuce with Red Onion and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Although I am a die-hard fan of romaine lettuce, I sometimes love a salad of soft, buttery Bibb lettuce.
Continue readingSalad of Arugula, Endive, and Radicchio
Pungent smelling and bitter tasting, this is my favorite mixed salad, which I would pair with just about any entrée.
Continue readingRomaine with Cucumbers and Tomatoes
A cheeseless, oliveless version of the classic Greek salad.
Continue readingCucumber Salad with Yogurt and Mint
It’s easy to forget the lowly cucumber, which is so often hidden in salads of tasteless iceberg lettuce Paired with yogurt and mint, it makes a refreshing dish.
Continue reading