dreamy's Cobb Salad

Three thousand years ago, while the dinosaurs still roamed the earth & I still updated this blog regularly, I belatedly discovered Cobb salads & fell in love with them immediately. Most mocked me for this. dreamy sent me a recipe from Eating Well. dreamy rocks.

• 3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons finely minced shallot
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 10 cups mixed salad greens
• 1/2 pound shredded cooked chicken breast
  
• 2 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and chopped
  
• 2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 large cucumber, seeded and sliced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Whisk vinegar, shallot, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl to combine. Whisk in oil until combined. Place salad greens in a large bowl. Add half of the dressing and toss to coat.

Divide salad greens among 4 plates. Arrange equal portions of chicken, egg, bacon, tomatoes, cucumber, avocado and blue cheese on top of the lettuce. Drizzle the salads with the remaining dressing.

Martian's Green Bean & Tomato Salad

Martian sent us a recipe! And it sounds lovely. She writes: The original recipe called for twice as much oil and vinegar, but it was too much for my taste. But others may prefer it that way.

• 1 pkg strawberry tomatoes (cherry would be good, too)
• some green beans
• a large handfull of chopped herbs: mint, parsley, basil
• garlic clove, chopped
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/2 T balsamic vinegar
• salt & pepper

Cut tomatoes in half and place in large bowl. Cook the green beans in boiling water to your preferred doneness, drail well and add to tomatoes. In a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients. Pour over beans and tomatoes...let sit a little bit so the beans absorb the dressing flavors. It is yummy warm or cold.

valeriel's Asparagus and Cherry Tomato Salad

val doesn't love me enough to email me recipes anymore, but it sounds delicious, so I worked through my pain and posted it.

Here are her notes about the recipe: If you use cherry tomatoes, cut them in half. The key with a salad like this is to make all the pieces bite-sized or smaller.

Using asparagus with more slender stalks is recommended. Thicker stalks are tougher and can give your salad a “woody” taste.

This salad is very fresh-tasting, so using fresh ingredients is best, but using regular salt, pepper and lemon juice won’t hurt the end results.

Doubling the recipe is recommended for potlucks or any large group. You won’t have any leftover, I promise!

Once you have your serving of salad, sprinkle the top with a pinch of kosher salt. It really brings out the flavors!

• 1 lb. asparagus
• 1 pint cherry (or grape) tomatoes
• ½ red onion, finely diced
• 3 T capers, drained
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 T olive oil
• 1 ½ T red wine vinegar
• 1 T fresh lemon juice
• Kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
• Freshly ground black pepper

Trim the tips from the asparagus, about 1 ½ inches in lengths. Cut the woody stem ends from each spear and discard. Cut the remaining stalks into 1 ½ inch pieces.

In a medium pot, bring three cups of water to boil. Add the asparagus and blanch until tender, 1-1 ½ minutes. Remove with a strainer, and refresh in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. Drain and put into a large bowl.

Add the tomatoes, onion, capers and garlic. Toss with olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

lostdwarf's Quinoa Salad

I was such a brat about this recipe, I can't believe lostdwarf still shared it. Thanks for being so wonderful, lostdwarf!

• 1 ½ cups quinoa, rinsed well
• 3 cups vegetable broth or water (chicken broth works too)
• ½ cup Basic Salad Dressing (I just use as much as I’d like)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup frozen baby peas, thawed
• ¼ cup red onion, diced
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced or 1 shallot, chopped (I just use green onion, include the white)
• ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped (dried works too)
• ¼ cup parsley, chopped

Add quinoa to broth or water in a medium sauce pan, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer; then cover and cook 15 minutes without stirring or until liquid is absorbed. Remove ingredients from saucepan and place in a bowl. Cool slightly and toss with salad dressing and remaining ingredients. Add more dressing if desired and adjust seasoning to taste. Add any leftover veggies for variety. (12 servings)

Basic Salad Dressing
(2 – 3 Servings)

• ¼ cup flaxseed oil (or 2 tbsp. each flaxseed and olive oils) – I only use olive oil
• 1 – 2 tbsp vinegar (apple cider, tarragon, rice, red wine, balsamic, ume plum) – I like apple cider best and I use 2 tbsp
• ½ - 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp Dijon-type mustard (optional but delicious), whisked in to liquid for easy mixing
• Whole or minced garlic, oregano, basil or other herbs of choice

Mix well in a shaker jar and store any leftovers in your refrigerator.

My additions: I will typically throw the salad dressing in a blender to liquefy the garlic. I find that it’s nicer to not chomp on a huge piece of garlic. I will also throw the red onion from the quinoa recipe in the blender with the salad dressing (doubled because I like red onion) for the same reason. It also gives it a lovely reddish-purple colour. Most of this is to taste. I prefer it cold so I’ll make it the day before and let the dressing just seep into the quinoa.

Eyeroller's Fusion Carrot Slaw

This is another "what's in the fridge?" dish from Eyeroller's Kitchen.

The original version used rainbow carrots, but if you can't get those, regular carrots will do just fine--but not those baby carrots, and don't use the pre-shredded carrots. I know that anybody reading this is smart enough to use a grater.

Wash four carrots, but do not peel. Grate. Set aside.

Chop four spring onions, white and green parts; add to carrots and mix.

Toast 1/4 c. chopped walnuts. (Stovetop toasting method: heat a dry frying pan until a drop of water sizzles; add nuts and stir constantly for 3-4 minutes, until you can just smell the nuts. Remove from heat.)

Dressing

• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp grapeseed oil
• 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp grade B maple syrup
• Juice of half a lemon
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

Combine ingredients in a bowl, mix with a fork until a smooth emulsion forms. Correct seasoning to taste.

Toss dressing with veggies. Add toasted nuts and serve.

adharas' Kachumbar (salad)

adharas says that this makes a good side dish with the dhal and pita/naan/rice. And I believe it, for I trust her cooking/food judgment implicitly.

• ½ red onion
• 1-2 tomatoes
• ½ - 1 cuke
• ¼ c fresh cilantro
• Lemon juice
• Salt to taste

Chop the veggies really fine. Add the lemon juice and salt.

Shelwood's Tomato & Mozzarella Salad

1 pint grape tomatoes
1 9 oz pkg fresh mozzarella (cherry size), drained
1/4 cup sweet basil, julienned

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp + 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp minced garlic (fresh or dried)
1 tsp mixed Italian seasonings
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp onion powder

Combine oil, vinegar and seasonings. Toss tomatoes, cheese and fresh basil with vinaigrette. Pack tightly in a sealable container. If possible, refrigerate overnight, turning over to fully marinate. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Britomart's "I Love Mustard" Salad Dressing

I also love shallots. Combine shallots and mustard, and I'm in heaven! Heaven! It occurs to me as I happily type here in the happy Hizzy recipe blog, that I have no real recipe here in terms of exact measurement. I will do my best. Taste as you go, though - you might want to play with the vinegar/oil ratio a titch. I do think this'll be pretty close, though.

• 1/4 C olive oil
• 2 TSP balsamic vinegar
• 2 TSP red wine vinegar
• 1 TBSP dijon mustard
• 2 shallots, chopped so finely they almost don't exist any longer
• salt & pepper to taste

Whisk olive oil, vinegars & mustard. Add in shallots, salt & pepper. Mix them in. Pour over salad. I like this dressing best with mixed baby greens. Or hearts of romaine. Not so good with spinach & I don't believe in iceberg lettuce.

Optional addition (but only optional if you don't like nuts; if you like nuts you must do this!): Coarsely chop a bunch of pecans. Let's say about a cup. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a small sautee pan, add pecans, generously salt. Sautee until cooked and slightly browner, but don't burn them or anything rash like that. Remove from heat, and let them cool a bit. Or, if you're feeling adventurous, I like to toss the salad, add the hot pecans, toss some more to slightly wilt the salad, then add the dressing. Divine.

Other things I tend to add to the salad that are awfully good with this dressing: goat cheese, asparagus (blanched, but cool), tomatos & red peppers.

Bibliowench's Chicken Salad with Feta and Mint

Chicken salad for mayonnaise-phobic people:
Adapted (well, mostly stolen) from a recent Cooking Light recipe

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Oil 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (split or not); salt and pepper them well.
• Line a roasting pan with foil, place breasts on them, cook for 35-40 minutes
• Let chicken cool. Remove skin, cut flesh from bone, shred chicken with your fingers into smaller pieces (I never got to follow instructions like this when I was a vegetarian).
• Place in large mixing bowl.

Add:

• 1/2 cup chopped yellow pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped red pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped seeded english cucumber (regular is ok, just not as high-falutin')
• 1 1/2 tablespoon fresh mint, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 ounces of crumbled feta
• salt and pepper to taste
• Mix and eat.