Category Archives: Salad

Everything Seasoning…Copy that

 

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Everything seasoning is my new obsession. I have been adding it to everything (No punt intended)! It is all the rage right now. Every store sells their own version. From ALDI to Wegmans to Trader Joes to Costco. Recently my boyfriend and I married our kitchens and spices. Which means it is getting pretty serious (smiles and hearts). With the blending of the two pantries we discovered over 300 spices, grains, and more for our culinary adventures.

Which made me realize, we have a elite pantry but also that I can make my own Everything Seasoning Blend.

I spiced it up a bit with using black Hawaiian Sea Salt and Fleur de Sel; however, use what you have on hand. Mix it up!

Everything Seasoning Ingredients

4 TB poppyseeds

2 TB white sesame seeds

2 TB black sesame seeds

2 TB minced dry garlic

2TB minced dry onion 

2 teaspoon of Black Sea 

2 teaspoons fleur de sel 

Directions: 

Place all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix it up with a spoon, until well blended. Place all the ingredients using a large funnel into a 8 ounce ball jar (fits perfectly in this size here). Secure the lid & shake it up. Sprinkle generously on “Everything”. My favorites are hummus on a whole grain tortilla, winter spaghetti squash, hard boiled eggs, salads, and more.  So much more….

Herbed Heirloom Tomato Salad

IMG_1197There is nothing quite like fresh tomatoes out of the garden in the summer time.  I love this fresh salad. It is so quick and easy the fresh herbs and fresh lemon do all the hard work. This salad was prepared to go with homemade pizzas for friends after a long workweek.

Ingredients:

8 cups of heirloom grape and cherry tomatoes (variety of color makes the salad vibrant)

1/2 Large Shallot; thinly sliced with mandolin

petite handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped (about a1/8 of a cup)

Petite handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped (about a1/8 of a cup)

1 1/2 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Lime Juice, 1/2 of a lime juiced (about 1-2 tablespoons)

Kosher Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions: 

Quarter the large tomatoes and half the medium tomatoes and place in a large bowl. Add the prepared shallots, toss in the chopped herbs, pour the vinegar & lime juice over the top of the vegetables, salt and pepper to taste. Let the salad sit for a half hour to marry flavors. Enjoy !

Honey Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

Spring time is the perfect time to make homemade dressings for salads. This recipe pairs really well with a strawberry, pineapple, yellow sweet pepper, craisins, sunflower seeds, & spinach salad which we made last night for dinner. I’m looking forward to making it again with fresh local strawberries and adding feta cheese next time.

This recipe yields: 1 cup (16 servings of two tablespoons)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup canola oil

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (able one medium lemon)

2 teaspoons of poppyseeds

1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt

2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a sealable container and shake well before each use.

Store in the refrigerator after each use.

Quinoa and Cucumber Salad

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Today we are celebrating father’s day a little early since my dad has to work next weekend. I was asked to bring a salad or the vegetarian dish. As my mom would put it “something you will eat” lol. This recipe is vegan so you can be safe to make the dish for your vegan guests as well.

There are a lot of benefits to a using quinoa in dishes. I like the fact that it is a whole grain and packed with protein. I prefer using the tricolor quinoa more or less for ascetics. I know the tricolor tends to be more expensive. If you like the tricolor as well,  I will share a trick to making the pantry staple last longer. Try purchasing a large bag of the white quinoa (like the Costco size) and mixing it with a small bag of tricolor. You will be surprised how the two can extend the tricolor effect.

This recipe yields: 6 (1 cup) servings

Ingredients

1 1⁄4 cup(s )canned low sodium black beans, drained (this is one 15 oz can)
1 cup canned artichoke hearts, drained and diced
2 cup cooked tricolor quinoa, cooled
1cup English cucumber, diced (this about 1/2 a medium)
1⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice (this took about 1 and a half fresh medium lemons)
1 cup raw red bell pepper, diced (this is about one medium)
1 cup raw yellow bell pepper, diced (this is about one medium)
3 medium raw scallion(s)
4 clove(s), smallgarlic clove(s)
2Tbs Pasta Sprinkle aka Italian seasoning
1tsp kosher salt
1⁄2 tsp ground  pepper
1⁄8 cup Lime jalapeno balsamic vinegar
Instructions
1. Place all the ingredients in a resealable container and give it a good toss.  Place the lid on the container. Store in the refrigerator to marry overnight or for a solid 1-2 hours.
2. Enjoy at your next potluck!

Fiesta Black Bean Salad


We had a Fiesta theme Birthday Bash for my Mother-in-law’s 60 th Surprise Birthday Party. I know this type of salad is one of her favorites. 

The salad is also vegan which I find enjoyable to always take a vegetarian entree wherever I go for meals. This way I can always count on at least one meal to eat at a potluck.  I prepare variations of this bean salad all the time; however, this go around I did make a few twists by incorporating an avocado, and green chilis to add some flare. 

Ingredients: 

1 large can black beans ( 822 g); rinsed and drained well

4 oz can of green chilis; drained 

1 large green pepper, diced 

1 large orange pepper, diced 

1 cup frozen corn kernels 

1 pint of grape tomatoes, cut in half

I small lime, juiced

2 Tablespoons jalapeño lime vinegar 

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder 

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 

2 tablespoon of fresh cilantro, minced

1/4 cup red onion, diced

1 small ripe avocado, diced

Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients in a large sealable bowl with the exception of the avocado. Use a rubber spatula to fold ingredients together. Let the salad rest overnight. 

2. Prior to serving fold in diced avocado. 

Thanksgiving Cranberry Turkey Salad

My work graciously gave us vouchers for either turkeys or hams this year at Christmas. Since we are in the process of moving, I waited until the very last minute to pick up my turkey breast at the Piggly Wiggly. We only had until the last day of February to purchase them which really worked out in our favor since we did not have our own refrigerator until mid January. 

My husband and I waited until Saturday to roast the turkey breast in the slow cooker while we house shopped. The turkey pretty much took that long to thaw out in the refrigerator. It sure was nice to have dinner done when we returned home from an exhausting day of decision making. What location to buy the house? Which neighborhood ? What house? 

What I love most about roasting poultry is there are unless outcomes with the end result. First of course sliced and served with a heeping amount of garlic mashed potatoes than served in pot pies, soups, salads, pastas,  Ect. 

Yields: 5 Servings 

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons of roasted sunflower seeds

4 Tablespoons of dried cranberries 

2 teaspoons malt vinegar 

2 teaspoons whole grain Dijon mustard

4 Tablespoons of light miracle whip

4 Tablespoons plain fat free Greek yogurt

2 cups of cooled roasted turkey breast, chopped 

Salt and pepper to taste 

Directions: 

1. Mix the first 6 ingredients together in a sealable container (should hold at least 3 cups). 

2. Fold in the turkey to the salad dressing blend. Lastly salt and pepper to taste. 

3. Enjoy with some whole grain crackers or whole wheat bread with spinach! 

Zippy Black Bean Salad with Tajin & Radishes

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Yesterday my husband and I had our families over for a Father’s Day picnic! We had a wide spread lunch with all kinds of summer time favorites. My husband smoked a pork shoulder over night for pulled pork carnitas. My mom made her famous mac salad, my mother-in-law made her famous sheet cake, & potato salad, my grandma lee made her calico beans.  We also had some other favorites like rhubarb pie, coleslaw, jalapeño cornbread.

It was a beautiful day for a picnic. Even though all of boys love meat, there were a few of us at the picnic who are herbivorous aka vegeterians. The other day, I made a few pounds of dry black beans in the pressure cooker and had some leftover for this colorful zippy salad.

 

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One of the vegetables both my husband’s dad and my dad love are radishes so I thought I would incorporate these into the salad as well.  Let’s face it my dad and my husband’s father are from the ever so popular “meat and potato” lovers generation. Any way I can get the men to eat vegetables in our family is a plus!

This salad is quick and easy and only takes a few hours to marry the ingredients together in the refrigerator.

 

Ingredients:

2 cups of black beans

1 cup of chopped celery about two stalks

1 TB apple cider vinegar

2 TB lime Juice (1 small lime)

1/2 cup Orange Bell Pepper, Chopped (about a half of a medium)

1/2 cup chopped red onion (about a 1/3 of a large onion)

1 green onion chopped

1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of Tajin

2 cloves of fresh garlic, chopped

1 cup of mini Kumato Tomatoes, cut in half

1/2 cup of radishes (sliced thin with mandolin) about 4 radishes

1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup of chopped fresh chives

salt and pepper to taste (I like a lot of pepper 1 tsp); I did not add salt to this dish since my grandfather is on a low sodium diet and well we could all use a little less salt in our diets).

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl mix the apple cider vinegar, lime juice, tajin, garlic, salt & pepper. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl mix together the remainder of the ingredients. Pour the prepared liquid dressing over the vegetable blend. Using a spatula fold gently the ingredients together. Place a sealable lid on the bowl and allow the ingredients to marry for several hours in the refrigerator prior to serving.
  3. Before serving fold the ingredients together one more time.
  4. Enjoy!

**** Caution there will not be many leftovers*******

 

 

Lemon, Almond & Herb Chicken Salad 


I made Ina Garten’s Lemon Baked Chicken the other day for supper. For the leftovers I decided to use some in the lasagna I made last night and the rest for this chicken salad for lunch today.

This recipe is quick and easy! Not to mention prefect for a lunch at home on the weekend or to pack for work.
Ingredients:

1 cup of leftover baked lemon chicken (chopped or diced)

4 tb olive oil mayo or greek plain nonfat yogurt

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard with whole grain seeds

2 tb slivered almonds

2 tb dried cranberries

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Direction:

1. Place everything in a 2 cup airtight resealable container. Mix the salad together with small spatula. Enjoy on some whole-grain bread with spinach or on top of a mixed greens.

Jenna’s favorite blackeyed pea salad

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My husband and I love to take cooking classes in different cities. We learned how to make this classic salad in Savannah. Oh of course I cannot leave well enough alone so I did cut the fat and added a few more veggies! This beautiful flavorful salad is simple and perfect for a picnic! And just happens to be my sister’s favorite salad.

Recipe yields 8 cups & 4 weight watchers plus points per 1 cup

Dressing Ingredients:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard ( with the seeds)
1 tsp fresh oregano
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup olive oil Extra virgin

Salad ingredients:
3 cups of black eyed beans ( if using caned this is 2 15 oz cans rinsed & drained.
2 celery stalks chopped (1/4 cup)
1/4 cup diced green pepper
1/2 cup red diced pepper
1/2 cup yellow diced pepper
2 TB fresh Basil
2 cups of grape tomatoes cut in half
1 medium red onion diced (1 cup)

Whisk the first 5 ingredients together and gently pour in oil.

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Set a set.

Start chopping the veggies.

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Place all the chopped veggies and
peppers in a 3 qt. bowl. Gently fold with spatula until mixed together.

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Pour dressing over and fold to spread evenly.

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Cover and let marinate over night in refrigerator.

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Enjoy!