Italian House Salad

DRESSING:

⅓ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

⅔ cup salad oil

⅓ cup red wine vinegar

1 tsp dried Italian seasoning 

1 tsp dried parsley

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp pepper

⅛ tsp salt

SALAD:

1 large head red leaf lettuce, torn

1 can (14 oz) quartered artichoke hearts, drained

1 can (6 oz) pitted ripe olives, drained

4 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 small red onion, thinly sliced*

8 oz provolone cheese, shredded

Whisk together the dressing ingredients.

Place the lettuce in a large open bowl, adding the remaining ingredients. Toss gently to coat.

Serves 6

*To reduce the bite in red onions, put the sliced onions in a container large enough for the onions to move around. Cover with cold water and set aside for 15 minutes or so. Drain the water and repeat the procedure 3 more times. If time allows, chill the onions before using.

Greek Salad with Really Good Dressing

This dressing is crazy good. It was a secret recipe from a pizzeria, but it's no secret anymore! The original recipe made almost a gallon of dressing, so I had to do a lot of math to scale it down for home use. It keeps well at room temperature if tightly covered, so you may want to make the larger amount. I use it in place of Italian dressing on some salads. Larger recipe makes almost a quart of dressing. Smaller size is in parenthesis ( ).

1 ½ cups olive oil  (¾ cup)

1 ¼ Tbs garlic powder  (2 scant tsp)

1 ¼ Tbs dried oregano  (2 scant tsp)

1 ¼ Tbs dried basil  (2 scant tsp)

1 Tbs ground black pepper  (1 ½ tsp)

1 Tbs salt  (1 ½ tsp)

1 Tbs onion powder  (1 ½ tsp)

1 Tbs Dijon mustard  (1 ½ tsp)

2 cups red wine vinegar  (1 cup)

Mix olive oil, garlic powder. oregano, basil, pepper, salt, onion powder, and Dijon mustard together in a bowl. Pour in the vinegar slowly, mixing vigorously until well blended.

Make this earlier in the day so it has time to meld the flavors.

Greek Salad 

1 English cucumber, cut lengthwise, seeded and sliced ¼" thick

1 green bell pepper, chopped into 1" pieces

2 cups halved cherry tomatoes

5 oz feta cheese, cut into ½" cubes

⅓ cup thinly sliced red onion*

⅓ cup pitted kalmata olives

⅓ cup fresh mint leaves, optional

On a large platter arrange the cucumber, green pepper, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, red onions, and olives. Drizzle with the dressing and toss very gently. Sprinkle with a few generous pinches of oregano, and top with mint leaves, if using.

*To reduce the bite in red onions, soak the slices in a generous amount of cold water for 15 minutes. Drain and repeat this process two or three more times. So obviously you need to do this well before you make the salad.

Crunchy Apple and Grape Waldorf Salad

This is one great Waldorf salad.

    

FOR THE DRESSING:

    1 cup Low Fat Vanilla Yogurt

    ⅓cups Granulated Sugar

    ⅓cups Brown Sugar

    ½ cups Mayonnaise

    Juice From 1/2 A Lemon

    ½ teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

   

 FRUITS:

    4 Apples (your Choice), Cored And Diced

    1 Pear, Cored And Diced

    1 Stalk Of Celery, Diced

    ½ cups Silvered Almonds

    ½ cups Walnuts, Chopped

    2 cups Seedless Grapes, Halved

Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. Stick this in the fridge while you make the salad.

Once you have all the fruit and nuts chopped up, pour the dressing over and stir gently to coat.

Refrigerate any leftovers.

Bibb Lettuce Salad with Pecans, Blue Cheese, and Pears

This was the salad at our Healthy Hearts Gourmet Club this month. Serves 6 to 8.

1 cup pecan halves
1 Tbs light corn syrup
1 Tbs honey
4 small heads Bibb lettuce*, washed, dried, torn into bite-size pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 oz blue cheese, crumbled (I use more)
2 ripe Anjou pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced


Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350º.

Spread pecans on a sheet pan and bake until heated, about 5 minutes. Stir together the corn syrup and honey in a small bowl. Pour the syrup over the nuts and toss to coat evenly. Bake until the nuts have absorbed mist of the syrup and are glazed, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Separate the pecans that are sticking together and cool completely.

Toss the lettuce with about 6 to 8 Tbs vinaigrette dressing (recipe follows). Season with salt and pepper. Divide among serving plates. Sprinkle equal amounts of the cheese, pears, and pecans over the top.

*Can use 2 large heads of Boston lettuce.

Walnut and Late Harvest Riesling Vinaigrette

1 Tbs mayonnaise
2 Tbs Laurent de Clos Walnut Mustard, or Dijon mustard, which is what I used
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup Cuisine Perel Late Harvest Riesling Vinegar, or Trader Joe's Orange Muscat        Champagne Vinegar (I used Trader Joe's Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar)
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Put the mayonnaise, mustard, and garlic in a blender and process until smooth. (I used a stick blender). Add vinegar and process to combine. Wit the blender running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream until the dressing thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

The dressing can be made three days ahead, covered and refrigerated.



 

Whole Foods Chicken Salad

We finally got a Whole Foods grocery store out here in the desert. In their deli counter was a real good looking chicken salad, so I decided to try it out. Oh my gosh, it was so good! I told BreeAnn, who was with me when we bought it, that I could make this easily. And easy it is! I have no actual ingredient amounts for this, just add as you feel you would like. I will, however, give you approximate amounts on some ingredients.

Rotisserie chicken from Costco, or wherever
Sliced celery
Sliced red seedless grapes
Whole or halved pecans
Mayonnaise (1/2 cup)
Fage non-fat plain Greek yogurt (1/2 cup)
Sugar (1-1/2 to 2 tsp)
Curry powder, to taste

Remove the skin before you dice up the chicken. I save it, along with the carcass and simmer it to make stock for soup. There is a lot of flavor in that baked chicken skin (and I always buy the darkest roasted chicken in the case, just for this reason). Obviously you can use as much chicken as you wish, and as much celery, grapes, and pecans also.

Toss all this in a bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl, blend the mayo, yogurt (must be Greek yogurt because it's thicker). Add sugar and curry powder to taste. Then just toss it with the chicken mixture.

At our Sam's Club they sell an outstanding multi-grain bread called Eureka. Oh my gosh, it is so darn good! So soft and tender. Just loaded with grains and nuts. And this chicken salad on some of this bread is EUREKA!  Everyone in this house is crazy for this combination in a sandwich, but the salad is just as good eaten plain.

Cobb Salad

This is a meal in itself.

Iceberg, watercress, chicory, and romaine lettuces
2 tomatoes, seeded, cut into wedges
2 chicken breasts, grilled, cut julienne style
6 strips bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
1 avocado, sliced
3 hard boiled, eggs, chopped
2 Tbs chopped chives
1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled

DRESSING:
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp sugar
1 dash lemon juice
2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp black pepper
1 scant tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 scant tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup salad oil

On individual salad plates, or one large platter, arrange lettuces. Decoratively add tomatoes, warm chicken breasts, bacon, and avocado. Sprinkle with chopped eggs, blue cheese, and chives. Add chilled dressing over the top. Do not toss.

For Dressing:
Blend all except oils. Slowly add the oils. Chill at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Watermelon and Avocado Salad

This was served at our Healthy Hearts Gourmet Dinner Club.

4 cups cubed watermelon (cut into large, 1-1/2" cubes)

2 avocados cut in 1” cubes

1/2 small red onion, cut into fine slices*

1 cup crumbled queso fresco cheese

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped chives

To make ahead:

Cut up watermelon and put in a bowl with damp paper towels to cover. Chop up all of the remaining ingredients, except for the avocados.

The dressing;

3 tablespoon of fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons of vergus**

1 tablespoon canned mild chili peppers, or 1-1/2 tsp jalapeno pepper

1 tablespoon of honey

2 teaspoons of chopped mint

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander or cumin

When ready to serve, start adding to the watermelon in the following order:

The onion and the avocados, mixing gently after each addition. Add some dressing (not all, it's too much) and then the queso fresco, and the herb. Serve in stemmed glass goblets or bowls, but not on a plate. The eye appeal is not great, so spreading it out just doesn't look good.

*Pre-slice and chill the onion in water in the refrigerator to lessen the bite. If the onion is too strong it will over-power the salad.

**I bought something at Trader Joe's that I used to replace the vergus. It is TJ's orange muscat champagne vinegar.

Taco Salad

From a family member, Donna Smith. This is a favorite at our family reunions.

1  head  Iceberg lettuce
1  onion, diced
2 - 3  tomatoes, diced
2  cans  kidney beans
1  lg  green pepper, diced
1  sm  pkg  shredded cheese
1  lb  ground beef, fried and drained
Tortilla chips, crushed
1  bottle  Western or Catalina dressing
Few dashes of Tabasco sauce

Toss together just before serving, adding tortilla chips after tossing.

Santa Fe Chicken Salad

From my neighbor, Michele Lissberger.

BBQ chicken breasts, grilled, cubed
Butter lettuce and Red leaf lettuce
Red apples, cubed
Can of corn, drained
Blue cheese crumbles
Red onion, sliced
Fresh cilantro (do not use dried cilantro)
Peanuts, spicy or plain
Blue and red corn chips

Dressing:
1/3  cup BBQ sauce
2/3  cup Ranch dressing

Toss all this together. This goes well with chicken enchiladas, omitting the chicken breasts from the salad.

Panzanella

This one came from the Barefoot Contessa. Add the vinaigrette while the croutons are warm, so it soaks in.

3  Tbs  good olive oil
1  small  French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
1  tsp  kosher salt
2  large  ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1  English cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1  red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1  yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2  red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced
 20  large  basil leaves, coarsely chopped
 3  Tbs  capers, drained


Vinaigrette:
1  tsp  finely minced garlic
1/2  tsp  Dijon mustard
 3  Tbs   Champagne vinegar
1/2  cup  good olive oil
1/2  tsp  kosher salt
1/4  tsp  freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed.

For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together. In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the warm bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.

Tuscan Bread Salad

1  loaf  crusty Italian bread, cut into 1" pieces (I used a ciabatta loaf)
1  seedless cucumber, peeled and chunked
1 - 2  dozen  small tomatoes, diced 
(I used the size just larger than cherry tomatoes, that come in a mesh bag)
1/4  cup  red onion, diced
1/4  cup  sliced ripe olives
1/4  cup  sliced green olives
1  Tbs  fresh basil, coarsely chopped
1  (22.5 oz)  container  small fresh mozzarella balls, drained


DRESSING:
1/2  cup  olive oil
1/2  cup  red wine vinegar
1  large  clove  garlic, minced (use garlic crusher)

Allow bread cubes to sit for 8 or more hours on a large baking sheet. Combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, and minced garlic. Let sit at room temperature while bread is drying out.

In a large salad bowl, combine bread cubes, cukes, tomatoes, olives onion, and basil. Add the dressing and toss gently. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to absorb dressing. Right before serving add mozzarella balls and gently mix together.

Date ▪ Pecan ▪ Goat Cheese Salad

Always yummy food at the Lissberger house, and this was no exception.


1-1/2  heads each, red leaf and butter lettuce, torn or cut
10 - 12  MEDJOOL dates, cut up (please use only Medjool dates)
2  cups  candied pecans
6 - 8  oz  goat cheese, crumbled
1/2  cup  olive oil
5  Tbs  balsamic vinegar
1  Tbs  plus just a squirt, soy sauce
2  cups  pecan halves
1  cup  brown sugar
2  Tbs  water

Using an electric hand mixer, gently mix the olive oil. Add vinegar and soy sauce; gently blend together. If you over-beat it, it will turn to gel. Taste it to see if it has enough zing (not just an oil taste.) If needed, add a bit more vinegar and soy. Be careful how much soy you add, however, or you can ruin it.

In a glass bowl, combine brown sugar, water, and pecans. Stir to coat pecans.  Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, or until it is bubbly. Stir; pour onto waxed paper and cool. When cooled, put into a large zip-lock bag, squeezing out the air in the bag. Hit the pecans with a mallet to break up into smaller pieces.

Pick out the pecans and some of the brown sugar mixture. Toss all salad ingredients with the dressing and serve.  If you add the entire brown sugar mixture, it will be too sweet.