Tag: Salads

Breads · Salads

Italian Bread Salad

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Toasted Bread

1 loaf of 2 day old country Italian or sourdough bread

extra-virgin olive oil

Dressing

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup EVOO

Salt and pepper to taste

Salad

1 container red grape tomatoes, or 4 or 5 vine ripened tomatoes, chopped

1/2 container yellow cherry tomatoes, halved

1 large cucumber, seeded and diced

1 small red onion, diced

1 cup pitted and halved olives or 1/4 cup rinsed capers

chopped fresh basil to taste

chopped fresh parsley to taste

salt, finely ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Trip some of the crust from the bread, but not all and then cut into large crouton size pieces. Toss with a little bit of olive oil, spread on a cookie sheet and bake in the  oven until lightly toasted. (approx. 5 to 8 min).

Check every 5 min so the bread doesn’t get overly browned. Remove from oven and let cool.

Whisk together the garlic, red wine vinegar, 1/2 cup EVOO, salt and pepper to make a vinaigrette. Set aside.

In a bowl, gently toss together the bread cubes, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and olives. Season the salad with the fresh basil, fresh parsley, salt and pepper.

Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad. You may not use all of it/. Toss to coat and then let salad sit for about 20 minutes, so the bread soaks up the dressing.

Taste before serving and add more of the seasonings, if needed.

This recipe is taken from Plano Profile magazine and it will be on our table this week. Sounds perfect for these hot summer days.

Salads

Veggie Lovers Combo Salad

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Summer time, summer time, sum sum summertime! Salads are made for the summer!

This is taken from Taste of Home and is a great way to use the summer bounty of fresh veggies.

2 cups cut fresh green beans

2 cups fresh or frozen peas, thawed

2 medium sweet red or yellow peppers, chopped

2 plum tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil or (Italian parsley leaves)

2 tables red wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, quartered

Optional toppings; chopped cashews, chopped pecans, toasted sesame seeds and cooked and crumbled bacon

In a saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a boil. Add green beans; cook, uncovered 2-3 minutes or just until crisp-tender.

Remove beans and immediately drop into ice water. Drain beans and pat dry; place in a large bowl. Add peas, peppers, tomatoes and onion.

Place mayo, basil, vinegar and garlic in a food processor; process until blended. Add to veggies and toss to coat.

Refrigerate,covered for at least 1 hour before serving.

just before serving sprinkle with additional toppings as desired.

Serves about 8-10

Salads

Summer Salad

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Why am I obsessed with pasta salads? While at my daughter’s house in Phoenix, babysitting the precious little darlings, I had about 2 minutes to sit down one night before I fell asleep and found this in a Better Homes & Garden. I couldn’t wait to get home to make it.

1/2 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, sliced

1 (12 oz) package spaghetti, broken in half

3 cups reduced sodium chicken broth

1 medium zucchini, ends trimmed

1 medium yellow summer squash, ends trimmed

6 sticks string cheese

4 cups cherry tomatoes, chopped

1 large purple onion (about 1 cup)

1 cup chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup walnut halves, toasted

Heat 2 Tables of the oil in a 12″ skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; stir 1 min. Add pasta; toss to combine. Add broth. Cook, uncovered over medium heat 10 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Let cool 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile, using a spiral vegetable slicer, cut zucchini and yellow squash  into strands; snip into shorter lengths, if desired. Add to spaghetti. Let cool completely. Pull cheese into thin strands, chill until read to serve and then pour dressing over before serving. *Dressing is below*

In a small bowl, combine the rest of the olive oil, the red wine vinegar, parsley, tomatoes, onion and walnut halves. Stir to combine and pour over spaghetti right before serving.

Salads

Green Apple Cole Slaw

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It thrills my soul that I have fallen in love with salads. I can honestly say that some days I actually crave salad. What is going on? Why am I wanting salads? The old me would have settled for a great slice of cherry pie or chocolate cake and been on my merry way. All I know is that maybe my cholesterol will drop below 300 if I keep going like this! If not, I can always eat a few oatmeal cookies to help; oats are suppose to help with cholesterol, right?

Serves 8 to 10

Taken from Come To The Table

Dressing

1 cup good quality mayo

1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

Salt & pepper to taste

Cole Slaw

1 medium green cabbage, (about 1 1/2 lbs), shredded

1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, grated

2 tart green apples, chopped

For the dressing, combine the may, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Mix well.

For the slaw, combine the cabbage, onion, carrot and green apples in a medium bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and place in fridge for several hours, covered for the flavors to blend.

Salads

Pimiento Arugula Pasta Salad

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Notice that I am posting salads. I’m thinking that the lighter the meal, the more we can splurge on desserts..almost like drinking diet cola alongside that piece of chocolate cake. Save calories when you can, allowing us to end our evening on a much loved dessert. Am I the only one that thinks like that?

This salad looks amazing.

1 (16 oz) package penne pasta

1/3 cup oiive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 large shallot, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

2 teas honey

2 (4 oz) jars Dromedary pimientos, drained

1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped

4 oz feta cheese, crumbled

1/3 cup sliced fresh basil

1/2 (4 oz) package arugula

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Rinse with cold water. Drain and set aside.

Whisk together olive oil and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add pasta, pimientos and next 3 ingredients into oil mixture.

Cover and chill until ready to serve. Stir in arugula just before serving.

Serves: 6-8 2015-04-13 18.05.33

Breads · Daily Thoughts · Salads

Wedge Salad With Tarragon Buttermilk Dressing & Crunchy Garlic Bread

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One of my favorite days of the month is when my Paula Deen magazine arrives. I tend to save sitting down looking through it, for when I can sit with any type of chocolate or dessert , a glass of tea (sweet of course) and quietness lurking in the room, with no television or radio. It is just my way of “getting away” from daily thoughts and it seems that by the time I finish, I stand up with a smile on my face and a new determination to try new recipes. Don’t you just love that about cooking magazines? They just inspire us to get out of our comfort recipes of meatloaf, chicken casseroles and store bought salads.

If you enjoy cooking magazines, I would like to recommend Cooking with Paula Deen…it has the most fabulous recipes. Haven’t tried one I didn’t love! Pure Southern goodness!

When I turned the page and saw this delicious looking salad with crunchy garlic bread to go alongside, it drew me in. Randy and I love wedge salads, so this one will grace our table this summer.

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup mayo

2 tables chopped fresh tarragon

2 tables chopped fresh parsley

2 tables whole grain Dijon mustard

1 table minced green onion

1/4 teas black pepper

1/2 teas salt

2 heads iceberg lettuce, cut into 4 wedges each

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup sliced radishes

1 cup halved grape tomatoes

In small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and next 7 ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Top each lettuce wedge with carrots, radishes, and tomatoes; drizzle with dressing. Serve immediately.

Crunchy Garlic Bread

2 (16 oz) loaves Italian five-grain bread

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

2 tables minced green onion

2 tables chopped fresh parsley

1 tables garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400.

Cut bread into 1″ thick slices, cutting to but not through bottoms of loaves.

In a small bowl, stir together butter and all remaining ingredients. Spread butter mixture on cut side of each bread slice, being careful not to separate slices from bottom of loaves.

Place bread directly on oven rack.

Bake for 10 min or until bread is browned and crisp. Serve warm.

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Brussels Sprouts Coleslaw

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Today I had 8 ladies here for a luncheon and served this salad. All 8 ladies wanted the recipe. It is scrumptious and so different because of the dressing and shredded brussels sprouts.The flavor is just so creamy and went perfect with the hot vegetable soup and rolls that were served along with it. It is being made tomorrow night to serve alongside a chicken wild rice casserole. It’s just one of those salads that would go well beside any dish.

1 (32 oz) package Green Giant Fresh Trimmed and peeled Brussels Sprouts

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/2 teas salt

Dressing

1 cup mayo

1 tables white vinegar

1 tables prepared horseradish sauce

1 teas Dijon mustard

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

Pour half of the Brussels sprouts into a colander and lightly rinse. Store remainder in fridge (we doubled the recipe so used the whole bag).

Finely shred Brussels sprouts and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix all dressing ingredients until well blended. Add sprouts, onions, carrots and salt; toss to coat. Refrigerate 30 min to blend flavors…Makes about 12 servings (if you used the whole bag of sprouts).

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Spaghetti Salad (Trust me on this one, it is awesome)

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Well, I baked the gingerbread biscotti that I posted yesterday and some friends came over today and it is almost gone. It was so good I will make more tomorrow. It is addicting. But today, this recipe was on Face Book and since I love pasta in any shape or color, this jumped off the page to me. I have everything on hand and will make this tomorrow for Peter Pumpkin.

1 pound thin spaghetti, broke into 3/4″ pieces

3 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 medium zucchini, diced

1 medium yellow squash, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 small red onion, diced

1 cucumber, can you guess, diced!

2 (2.25 oz) cans sliced olives, drained (finally don’t have to dice anything else)

8 oz cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes (is that another word for “diced”)?

Dressing

1 (16 oz) bottle Italian dressing (Wishbone Robust Italian is great)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teas paprika

1/4 teas garlic powder

Cook spaghetti according to directions on package. Rinse in cold water and drain. set aside to cool.

Place tomatoes, zucchini, squash, peppers, onion, cucumber, olives and cheese in a large bowl. Add cooled spaghetti noodles and mix well.

In small bowl, combine dressing ingredients and pour over noodle/veggie mixture.

Let sit in fridge for at least 2 hours before serving. The longer you allow to sit in fridge (like 4 hours to over night, the flavors will meld.) If you allow to sit overnight, you will probably need to add more dressing before serving, as the noodles soak it up.  Sprinkle top with a little fresh chopped parsley for flair to serve.

* Taken from Six Sister’s Stuff blog

Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare · Salads

Cranberry Congealed Salad

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We cannot have Thanksgiving without a cranberry salad. This recipe, taken from Paula Deen Magazine steps it up a notch. You could even use if for dessert if you wanted. It is delicious.  Such a gorgeous red color that is such a complimentary side to the turkey.

1 cup flour

1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 ( 8 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

2 (3 oz) packages orange gelatin (this gives you that great orange-cranberry flavor combination)

2 cups boiling water

2 (14 oz) cans whole-berry cranberry sauce

1 cup cold water

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 13×9″ baking pan with nonstick cooking spray

In a medium bowl, combine flour, pecans and brown sugar. Add melted butter, stirring to combine. Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan; bake for 12-15 min or until light golden brown. Let cool completely.

In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed until smooth. Add Cool Whip and beat until blended well. Spread mixture over cooled crust; cover and chill for at least 4 hours. or refrigerate for up to 2 days (this would be great to make ahead so you have your salad already made and could concentrate on the turkey).

In a large bowl, stir together gelatin and 2 cups boiling water. Add cranberry sauce, stirring until combined. Stir in 2 cup cold water. Slowly pour gelatin mixture over chilled cream cheese layer. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days. Cut into squares and serve. Garnish with whipped topping and a fresh cranberry and mint leaf.