Brussel Sprouts Salad

Took about 15-20 blanched Brussel sprouts and thinly sliced them

Had one roasted chicken breast to use up so chunked that (another time I might substitute cashews or some other nut)

Found about 1/3 dried craisins and mixed those in with the first two ingredients. 

Added about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of chopped purple onion

Made a dressing of a heaping half cup of DUKE'S mayonnaise and about 1 or 2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. 

Finely chopped about a Tablespoon or two of sweetened, dried ginger slices and tossed those in with salt and pepper to taste.

YUMMY salad!

2017 Sardine Supper Salad

On heavy antibiotics for an infected finger, I'm trying to keep our diet high in probiotics. So this is the salad we just enjoyed for dinner and hope to repeat it. 

Shaved or shredded fresh cabbage--1 to 2 cups, each plate
Thinly sliced purple onion--just a dozen various sized rings, each plate
Sauerkraut--2 to 3 Tablespoons per salad
Vigo Imported Sardines in soybean & olive oil--1/2 to 1 4-3/8 oz. tin per plate
French Fried Onions--1/3 to 1/2 cup as garnish
Assorted olives

Dressing for two salads: 1/4 c sauerkraut juice, 1/3  c mayo, 1/3 c greek yogurt, one clove fresh garlic crushed, black pepper to taste

I layered the fresh cabbage, onion rings, and dressing twice before topping the salad plates with the sauerkraut, sardines, a garnish row of french fried onions, and the rest of the dressing. Garnish with olives.

Sweet and spicy cole slaw

Invented a delicious coleslaw to go with our fried cheese eggs and sausage-cheese muffins for last night's supper.

Finely shred a quarter of a cabbage. Add 1/2 finely shredded onion. Mix together about two tablespoons of pepper relish and two tablespoons of white vinegar into 3/4--1 cup of mayonnaise and toss with the vegetables. Drizzle sriracha sauce on each serving.

To be repeated!

Quinoa Garbanzo Bean Broccoli salad

It's what's for dinner: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/216190/garlicky-quinoa-and-garbanzo-bean-salad/ along with broiled chicken breast that is marinating in lemon juice, pepper, and garlic.

Three cucumbers and an avocado

So this makes a very tasty salad. We had it tonight with grilled bratwurst sausages. We didn't have scallions, but check out the recommendations before the actual printed recipe: like all good cooking it's flexible and you can use what you have, what you like. I do have to record here that the dressing: mayo, lime juice, cilantro, and sriracha sauce is a keeper for many concoctions!

Laurie's Chicken Salad

In July I had the delight of spending part of a week with all four of my sisters in Laurie's San Jose home. What amazing food we shared with one another! Here's the first of those recipes from our hostess herself.

2 c chopped chicken thigh and breast

4 boiled eggs

2 celery stalks chopped

1 apple chopped

1/3 cup currants

3 green onions chopped

1/2 c mayo

2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp curry

1/4 tsp pepper or to taste

1/4 tsp salt or to taste

Enjoy in bread, on lettuce, on tomato, or on avocado.

Jill's Salad

Not sure which church dinner I got this. And the child with me didn't think I ought to be raving about it. But I post the recipe here as I find it on the yellow ruled sheet that is waiting to exit my IN box.

Salad
1 head romaine or green leaf lettuce
1 bunch of green onions
sauteed potatoes, as many as you like

Dressing
2 T apple cider vinegar
2 T olive oil
2 T plain yogurt

Traffic Light Fruit Salad

This fruit salad is basically the most refreshing fruit salad you'll ever find. (iiiif I may say so myself.. ;)) Mom is leaving for 2 months give or take a few days, so I've had to turn the button to the culinary side of my brain on for now. And of course.. you can't cook without creativity. Well you can.. you'll just be a really boring cook. Anyway. I had to put a shopping list and meal plan together for the week, and decided on a fruit salad for part of Sunday lunch today. I hate the typical fruit salads. I've rarely tasted a fruit salad I liked. So this time I thought of the 3 fruits that I think would blend together the best, and that I actually really like. (and fruits that would actually really work well in fruit salad, unlike citrus..) and here's what I came up with.

2 fresh peaches
2 fresh kiwi
Roughly 2 cups of fresh cherries
1/2 a lime squeezed over the top
About 2 tablespoons of fresh mint

I know everybody hates halving and pitting cherries, because it takes forever, but stop being lazy, find a good sermon to listen to, and just do it. Using a grapefruit spoon for the cherry pits, it only took me about 15 minutes to halve and pit about 2 cups of cherries. NOTICE! for best turnout, do the cherries the night before, and then refrigerate them! They are nice and cold that way, and it makes it much easier.
Cut up 2 fresh peaches (unpeeled of course) into bite sizes similar the size of the halved cherries.
PEEL the 2 fresh kiwi, and then cut them into bite sizes also similar to the size of the halved cherries.
Chop about 2 tablespoons of mint finely and then stir it all in a bowl.
Squeeze half a lime (or more, if you like it really tangy) over the top, add a couple whole mint leaves for garnish, and there ya go.

Now if you want it EXTRA refreshing. Prepare the whole thing a few hours before eating, and refrigerate. I had the leftover fruit salad from lunch just now, and it was cold and amazing, and the mint was even stronger. 

(oh yeah.. you're welcome for how awesome your lives just got.. ;) ;) )

Mrs. Downing's Avocado Sunburst Salad

Two weeks ago during the Waldo Canyon fire that burned homes in Colorado Springs, we read an article that mentioned an old friend of ours. It reminded me of the salad his wife served us for dinner when we were newlyweds (Cal working for The Navigators) in probably the same home threatened in the fire. I ran to my old recipe box and found the recipe. I think her name was Maureen. We served it again tonight, having the makings leftover from Sunday dinner, and Kipper made such an exclamation of delight with it (he wasn't here for Sunday dinner) that I figured I'd better post the recipe.


Blend ingredients and chill:
1/2 to 1 cup oil
1 T grated orange peel
3/4 c orange juice
1/3 c honey
1 T toasted sesame seed
1 T lemon juice
1 t paprika
1/2 t salt

3 oranges, peeled, cut into cartwheels (we made smaller chunks tonight, much nicer)
1 large avocado or 3 small avocados, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 large head lettuce (I prefer romaine, sliced thinly)

Pour dressing over salad, arranged however you like!

Kale Kole Slaw

Okay, Grace the kale-hater, has decided we need to name this recipe by the not-the-largest-ingredient so that people like she will know what to do with kale. That is, she loved this salad. We served it for lunch with hot chicken wings.

Process to small:
2 large leaves kale
1/4 head cabbage
1/2 c cilantro
2 scallions
1 peeled carrot

Spoon into bowl and toss with 1/3 c olive oil
Sprinkle with rock salt to taste

Process to almost liquid:
1 large tomato
1 peeled lime
1 small onion
Mix into slaw mixture.

Enjoy even before chilling!

(She had seconds!)

Crunchy Creamy Salmon Salad

Call this a meal on its own or a side dish to take to a potluck, I call it a great way to get a plethora of vegetables into my husband.

This experiment of a salad has so much going for it, it would be hard to ruin it by tweaking. So while I used leftover salad dressed with Brianna's poppy seed dressing, you could stick to a simple mayo and lemon combination or make your own poppyseed dressing, or go a different route with your favourite salmon-complementary herb.

But the main thing is to get as many crispy, crunchy veggies in there as possible! I used shredded fresh romaine, a red apple, a chunk of cucumber, a whole red bell pepper, a handful of baby carrots, some chopped up almonds, a few minced rings of red onion, and I would have added jicama if it hadn't gone bad before I got to it. Crunch, crunch, crunch! Feel free to add toasted seeds or celery (if you dare) or raw broccoli or cabbage or pretty much anything to add colour and texture. As always with salads, the amounts are completely up to you, depending on how many you plan to serve.

Then, open up a can (or two, if you're making a huge bowl) of salmon and drain it well. Remove the vertebrae, because that stuff falls in between crunchy and grainy in a pretty off-putting way. Then chunk the salmon up into your salad, and dress with the following:

• 1/2 c mayonnaise
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2-4 T poppyseed dressing (Brianna's is great. And while you're at it, make a mental note that Brianna's Asiago Caesar dressing makes an incredible steak marinade!)

Toss the salad together very well, and it should wind up looking like a pasta-less pasta salad bursting with colour.

Adjust as you wish, serve on its own or with flatbread or in a sandwich. And don't tell anybody how many vegetables they're getting in all that yummy mayo and salmon!

Caesar Salad

Learned in 1988 from Suellen Wenz whose excellent Caesar salad impressed my toddlers, this has been a family staple since. This is also very useful for pastas and anything else! (Okay, not chocolate cake.)
Fresh, crisp romaine lettuce torn into pieces.

Dressing:
juice of lemon or lime
twice as much olive oil
2--4 cloves of fresh garlic, crushed
lots of freshly ground black pepper.

Toss lettuce with dressing, then sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan cheese.

Variations: sometimes I substitute mayo for half of the olive oil for a creamy dressing. In these instances, I can add the parmesan right to the dressing. Sometimes I add a 1/4--1/2 teaspoon of mustard or brown mustard for a more caesary flavor. In my twenties, I worked as a country club waitress where I watched the hostess make the real thing in a cured wooden bowl with all these ingredients plus anchovy which was rubbed in the bowl before proceeding with the rest, as well as a raw egg yolk (we waitresses, in putting together the order, would place a fresh egg in its shell in a coffee cup of boiling water. By the time the hostess made the salad, the whites would be solid, and only the yolk would come out. Ostensibly.

I like this WITHOUT croutons, so I ain't sayin' anything about them.

Chicken Salad Northwoods

Though I have yet to make this recipe, it came in an email to Cal from his hostess, Nancy Rogers, who made it for a lunch meeting of the Cornwall Alliance last month. All enjoyed it so much that she was encouraged to send us the recipe.

1c. uncooked wild rice
5 1/2 c chicken broth or water
juice of lemon
2 chicken breasts cooked and cut into bite sized pieces
3 green onions
1/2 red pepper diced
2 oz sugar peas cut into 1 inch [pieces ( I use edame)
2 ripe avacadoes cut into chunks
1c toasted pecans

Dressing:
2 large cloves of garlic minced
1 TBSP dijon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4/tsp ground pepper
1/4c rice vinegar ( I have used red wine vinegar as well)
1/3 c vegetable oil

Cook wild rice according to package directions in chicken broth or water and place a paper towel in colander and drain. Transfer to a large bowl sprinkle with lemon juice and let cool. Add chicken,onions,red pepper and sugar peas. Toss with dressing; cover refrigerate 2-4 hours. Just before serving add the pecans and avacadoes. Toss well to blend

Serves 5-6 people

Sarah's Summer Salad

Threw together some veggies and served with hamburgers today - easy, yummy and healthy!-- Sarah Bamford

1 c Cherry tomatoes
1/2 red onion
1 c Red pepper
Can cannelli beans, drained, rinsed
1 c celery chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 T fresh pepper
1-2 t salt
Drizzle 1/2 c+ extra virgin olive oil
1 T Newmans balsamic salad dressing (optional)
1 t celery seed

Toss let sit room temp before serving/Great chilled
Adjust seasonings as desired

Orange-Mint Fruit Salad

I don’t know/remember how to post to Mom’s recipe blog so I thought I’d put this here and she can copy and paste it. This is probably my favorite recipe discovery from 2010, and that’s saying something, since it was my first year of marriage!

1/2 small honeydew melon, seeded
2 plums, pitted
1 nectarine or peach, pitted
1 kiwifruit, peeled
2 c strawberries, stems removed
1 c blueberries
1/3 c finely shredded fresh mint leaves

For the dressing:

1/4 c fresh lime juice
1/4 c honey
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
1 tsp finely grated lime zest
1/2 tsp peeled and finely grated fresh ginger
pinch of salt
pinch of cayenne pepper (optional) Trust me, you want this!

To make the dressing, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the lime juice, honey, orange and lime zests, ginger, salt, and cayenne, if using. Whisk until warm and well blended. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Using a melon baller, scoop out the melon flesh and place it in a large bowl. Slice the plums and nectarine lengthwise into wedges 1/2 inch wide. Add them to the bowl with the melon balls. Cut the kiwifruit flesh lengthwise into quarters, and then cut the quarters crosswise into chunks 1 inch wide. Add to the bowl. Finally, cut the strawberries lengthwise into quarters and add them to the bowl, along with the whole blueberries.

Drizzle the dressing over the fruit. Toss gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour or up to 6 hours. Just before serving, add the mint and toss to combine.

There’s a trick to making the thin strips of fresh herbs, called a chiffonade, sometimes asked for in dessert recipes. Pick off large fresh mint leaves from 1 or more fresh sprigs. Try to use same-sized leaves and preferably larger ones, which are easier to manage. Stack the leaves on the work surface and roll them up lengthwise like a cigar. Hold the roll of leaves with your fingertips to keep it tight, then cut the roll crosswise into very thin shreds with a sharp knife.

Makes 8 servings.

My addition: You really should serve this beauty in a clear glass bowl. I swear it makes it taste better.

Of course, I didn’t exactly follow the recipe the last couple times, and have used orange juice instead of lime juice, and probably use a lot more ginger than they say. My fruit amounts also looked more like 1 honeydew, 5 plums, 3 nectarines, 4 kiwifruit, 1 pint strawberries, 1 c blueberries. You gotta have enough for seconds of this.

Orange Orzo Salad

My sister, Sarah Bamford, writes: Another recipe I made up for lunch today. On this orange binge!!!





Orzo
2 Garlic cloves minced
Chicken stock
Olive oil
3 plum Tomatoes chopped
Fresh basil
Fresh (or frozen) sweet peas slightly cooked and drained
1/2 c Red onion chopped
Salt pepper
Newmans Balsamic Salad Dressing
Orange

Heat oil in pan, add dry orzo and toast adding oil, turning pasta to coat. Add garlic, toss, immediately add chicken stock and bring to boil. Stir orzo so it doesn't stick to pan ocassionally. Salt and pepper. Add more stock, boiling, stirring until pasta tender. Drain excess liquid and put in bowl to mix.

Chop tomatoes, red onion, basil and toss with orzo. Add peas and dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Grate peel and juice half an orange into salad. Toss.

I served with hot corn bread made with chopped jalapenos and green onion and cheddar cheese.

My mom's Cranberry Jello Mold

Susan has asked for our Swedish Christmas Eve recipes, and I've come across this recipe in the cookbook my sisters made for me of Mom's recipes after her death. We have our own favorite recipes, but maybe I'll make this one this year as it sounds more savory and salad-y with the lemon and the celery than the sweetness of fruit only. I'm sure the celery will send Susan to our regular cranberry jello recipe.

1 pkg lemon jello
1.5 c boiling water
1/2 c lemon juice
1/2 c celery
1/2 c crushed pineapple
1 c thick, sweetened, cranberry sauce

Dissolve jello in boiling water. Add lemon juice and let cool. Add celery, pineapple, cranberry sauce, and mix until uniform. Pour into jello mold and chill until set. Turn out onto plate. Garnish with lettuce, whipped cream, and cranberries.

My alternative directions: Boil 1/2 normal size bag of cranberries with 1.75 c water and 1/2 c sugar. When cranberries "pop" remove from heat and add lemon jello. After cooled add lemon juice, etc.

Aunt Marcia’s Carrot Pickles

And this post is for Mark.

Combine:

2 bunches carrots
4 jalapeno peppers split
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
½ tsp red pepper flakes

Mix, boil, and cool:

1 pt. cider vinegar
1/4 c water
3 T salt optional
3 T sugar
2 t mustard seed

Pour over carrots and let marinate. Keeps in refrigerator for several weeks.

Khosla Coleslaw

We had tilapia for lunch today, broiled quickly with just salt and pepper. Along with that were snap peas blanched, a souffle casserole made out of 3 eggs, a cup of milk, and about a 1/2 c of feta cheese with leftover mashed potatoes and green beans; surprisingly a hit. But the piece most commented on was the coleslaw made with the pickles given me by Kimberly Khosla (sounds like "coleslaw") last month. We were making room for Thanksgiving dinner groceries so I needed to put the remaining pickles in a smaller container than what we'd been using. There was one whole dill pickle left over and a couple cups of brine. So here goes, to be repeated:

1/2 head cabbage, processed quickly in food processor
1 dill pickle, also processed
1/2 tsp dill weed
salt and pepper to taste
1/3--1/2 c mayo
1 T dill pickle juice

Toss, chill, and if you're into health nutty things, sprinkle with whole flaxseed.

Cheers!

Orange Pepper salad dressing

Last night to go with the Stroganoff Surprise that we invented, we also invented a salad. Nice combination, so we try to reconstruct it here:

On salad plates, place a generous handful of washed, chilled, chopped romaine lettuce.
On this bed, add sprinkling of sweet red pepper sliced thinly and fresh orange segments, scooped out like grapefruit to avoid chewier membranes.

Drizzle 2 T to each salad of the following mixture:

1/4 c ketchup
1/3 c orange marmalade
2 to 4 T balsamic vinegar
2 t red wine vinegar
1 T bold and spicy A-1 sauce
1 T sugar
dash of cayenne pepper
salt & pepper to taste
2 to 4 T olive oil