Remember when “tossed salad” was a new idea in the 50’s, and movies with Gene Kelly would describe how to do it “like they do in Paris.” Sets of bowls with tossing spoons and forks became a hot wedding shower item.
Just lettuce, toss with oil first, to coat and vinegar second to taste, and a little salt and fresh-ground pepper.
I still like that.
I have two favorite salads right now. The side dish one is lettuce, maybe a bit of hard boiled egg, dressing and sunflower seeds.
The main course salad one is a lot more in depth. Grilled beef, sliced thin, lettuce on top, raspberry vinegrette, blue cheese chunks, walnuts and a port wine reduction around the edge. Mmmmmmmm-mmmmmm! I find nuts don’t get soggy and are a huge improvement over croutons.
Let’s see:
Yum! And good for me, too!
A co-worker recently introduced me to the Back Porch Salad. I probably never would have tried it based upon the recipe, but when he brought it to an office potluck, I loved it.
Back Porch Salad
[list]
[li]lettuce (ready-mixed romaine/radicchio blend is great)[/li][li]apple, cut into bite size chunks[/li][li]cashews[/li][li]golden raisins[/li][li]raspberry vinaigrette (Ken’s Steak House fat free is good)[/li]
Toss and enjoy!
As part of my low carb diet (lost 50 pounds so far), I eat a simple salad for one meal every day consisting of romaine lettuce, a cucumber, a tomato, some deli turkey rolled and then cut into spirals and one of my favorite dressings. The current choices are Kraft Parmesan Caesar Vinagrette, Ken’s Raspberry, and Ken’s light balsamic vinegar and basil dressing. The recipes below were sent to me by my best friend. I have had the portobello mushroom one and it is wonderful.
Portobello Mushroom with Baby Greens
1 c. balsamic vinaigrette, divided
4 medium portobello mushroom caps
4 cups gourmet salad greens
1/2 c. chopped roasted walnuts
1/4 c. crumbled goat cheese
Combine 1/2 c. vinaigrette and mushrooms in heavy duty zip-top plastic bag.
Chill 2 to 3 hours.
Drain mushrooms well; place on a baking sheet. Broil 5 inches from heat for
3 minutes; turn mushrooms and broil 5 more minutes or until tender.
Cut mushrooms into thick slices, cutting to, but not through, the opposite
side.
Arrange greens on individual plates; top with walnuts, goat cheese and
mushrooms. Drizzle evenly with remaining vinaigrette.
Serves 4.
Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 T. chopped fresh basil
Mix.
Another really good salad is
Tomato-Gruyere-Basil Sald
2 tomatoes - wedged
8 ounces Gruyere or smoked Gouda cheese - cut in cubes
Above dressing
Salad Greens
Toss tomatoes and cheese with dressing and chill for 30 minutes. Serve over
salad greens.
lettuce
peppers - green and/or red
corn
carrots, sliced thin
goldfish crackers (highly unusual, but very good)
thousand-island dressing
Lettuce
Bacon bits
Croutons
Crumbled Blue Cheese
Blue Cheese dressing
Can’t beat it!
The Racinchikki Salad-O-Spiff
(this is for when I’m at a salad bar or at home making a nice salad as a meal)
Ingredients
–Lettuce
–or–
Bag of lettuce-type fixin’s
–Tomato, chopped up
–Bacon bits
–Croutons (optional)
–Hard-boiled egg (no yolk)
Throw everything into a bowl. Pour red wine vinegar dressing on top. Eat.
Then there’s…
The Racinchikki Salad-O-Spiff when I have no lunch money at school
(This is made out of the free salad fixin’s on the fixin’s table in the cafeteria)
Ingredients
–Croutons
–Bacon bits
–Onions, I guess, or something like that
Throw lots of croutons in a styrofoam bowl stolen from teh lunch line. Cover with many, many bacon bits. Add one piece of what I assume is onion. Smother in some kind of yellowish liquid salad dressing.
On the other hand, when I don’t want much lettuce, I end up with all “ingredients” mixed together. Sliced hardboiled egg, bits of melon and grapes, croutons, fresh carrots and green and red peppers, red onion, mushroom slices, ham bacon bits… and mix a couple of dressings.
One of those, and I want the next 5 of just lettuce again.
[ul]
[li]Iceberg Lettuce[/li][li]Carrots[/li][li]Onions[/li][li]Ken’s Steakhouse Italian dressing[/li][/ul]
[ul]
[li]NO LETTUCE![/li][li]Cucumbers, peeled and sliced[/li][li]tomato wedges (or those really yummy grape tomatoes, when the grocery store has some that aren’t icky)[/li][li]a little red onion[/li][li]crumbled or cubed feta cheese (I love it, so I use a lot)[/li][li]a little olive oil[/li][li]a little balsamic vinegar[/li][/ul]
Greek Salad
Preparation time: 15 Minutes
Serves: 4-6 People
Ingredients:
Salad:
1/2 Lb French Feta cheese
1/2 Head Lettuce
2 Tomatoes
1 Bell pepper
1 Red onion
1 Cucumber
12 Kalamata olives
Dill weed (optional)
Dressing:
1/2 Cup Extra virgin olive oil
1/4 Cup Red wine vinegar
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Ground oregano
1/8 Tsp Sugar
1/8 Tsp Ground black pepper
1/8 Tsp Mustard powder
1/8 Tsp Onion powder
2-3 Cloves Garlic
Dash of water
Preparation:
For a fancy presentation, marinate the sliced red onion rings in the red wine vinegar overnight. This will add color to the salad. Another way to add color is to pare the cucumber with alternating stripes of peel left on it. For a more relish like consistency, slit the cucumber in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and then cut it into small cubes. Shred the washed lettuce and place it in the bottom of the bowl. Cut the cucumber into slices or cubes and place in the bowl. Cut the tomatoes into wedges and add to the bowl. Cut open the green pepper and remove all seeds and ribs then slice into slivers or dice as preferred. Pit the Kalamata olives and cut in half then add to the salad. Top the salad with the thinly sliced red onion rings and the crumbled Feta cheese. Garnish with the dill weed.
To make the dressing, add all of the ingredients into a small jar and shake vigorously. Add the crushed or chopped garlic and shake once more. Sample for flavor and salt to taste. Pour over the salad ahead of time for a marinated flavor or serve the dressing at the table.
Note: Chill all the vegetables in advance to speed the time to table.