Tortillas and Oranges » Salad

Salad: Christmas Salad

admin — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 11:30:27 +0000

Last Sunday My sister made an amazing salad. Long story short, it included pears, blue cheese, candied pecans, and a slew of other treats. The salad reminded me of my own Christmas salad creation. Enjoy this Snow family classic.

Originally posted December 2008

Some friends of mine have this one special Christmas dinner every year. This year, I volunteered to bring the salad. As I stood in my favorite produce market last week, I had a sudden fit of pride. I was going to bring a darn good salad, and I was not, I repeat not, going to look at any recipe. I decided to let the season inspire me. What kind of salad is really a Christmas salad? Is there such a thing? Well, if there isn’t I just made one. And I like it. And everyone else at the dinner liked it as well. Make it and tell me what you think. If it needs improvements (and I think the dressing really does), please improve.

Christmas 2008 Green Salad (for lack of a better name)

boston lettuce
candied pecans
homemade croutons
stilton cheese with apricot
dried cherries
white wine vinegar and cider dressing

1. Make the candied pecans. Toss 1/2 pound of halved pecans in wash (1 egg white, 1 tablespoon of water), then coat with spiced sugar (1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, dash of nutmeg, dash of ground cloves, dash of ginger). Spread coated nuts on greased cookie sheet and cook in 250 degree oven for 1 hour, turning every fifteen minutes. You won’t use all of the pecans for the salad. But, I used what I wanted and put the rest in a pretty bowl on my table…that is until P crawled onto the table and poured the bowl of pecans on the floor. I swore when he did that.

2. Make the croutons. Tear a day old baguette into bite sized pieces (I usually make about four croutons per person. You don’t need to tear the entire baguette apart). Toss the pieces in olive oil until each piece is good and soaked. Roast pieces of bread in 400 degree oven until they are browned and crouton-like, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3. Make the dressing. In the interest of full disclosure, I was unimpressed with this dressing. It needs something, but I don’t know what. Let me know if you figure it out.

1/4 cup apple cider
1/8 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
scraped sugar bits from pan I used to make candied pecans
1/2 Tablespoon minced shallots
bit of salt
more sugar if you want a sweeter taste

4. Tear butter lettuce into bite sized pieces. Wash and dry.

5. Assemble salad with everything but dressing. Crumble the stilton/apricot cheese onto and within the lettuce. Toss dried cherries, cooled pecans and croutons in.

6. Two minutes before serving, add dressing and toss.

Corn, Black Bean, Quinoa Salad

admin — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 11:45:12 +0000

I combined two favorite recipes. Absolute Magic.

Summer Black Bean Salad ~ Jennette Fennimore

In serving bowl combine: 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained) 1 can corn (drained)
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
2 medium tomatoes, diced 2-3 scallions, minced (green tops too)
Dressing: 1/3 cup olive oil 1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar juice of one large (approx 1⁄4 cup) lemon 1⁄4 tsp salt 2 cloves garlic, minced 1⁄4 tsp chili powder
Mix dressing to emulsion and immediately add to salad and mix thoroughly. Can be served right away or stored in fridge for a few hours before serving. Add chopped cilantro and avocado just before serving if desired.

Quinoa Taco Salad ~ Linda Pope

1 cup quinoa
1 red onion
chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced
half a red bell pepper, chopped
half a green bell pepper, chopped
half a yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1-2 teaspoons chili powder, depending heat preferences
dash cayenne pepper
1 -15 ounce can black beans, drained
1 – 15 ounce can corn, drained
3/4 cup diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
2 limes
salt and pepper, to taste
6-8 ounces baby spinach
1 bunch cilantro
1/3 cup cheddar or feta cheese
1 avocado, diced

Cook the quinoa according to package instructions. Meanwhile, swirl a bit of olive oil in a saute pan. Heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and saute for 3-5 minutes, until translucent and tender. Add garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne and peppers and saute an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the black beans, tomatoes, and the juice of 1 lime. Stir in quinoa. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill. Roughly cut baby spinach into strips like you would shred iceberg lettuce for tacos. Remove about 1 cup of cilantro leaves from the bunch, rinse and pat dry, and toss with the spinach. Divide spinach and cilantro mixture evenly among 4 salad plates. Top each plate with a scoop of the quinoa salad. Top each salad with your choice of cheese and diced avocado. Cut the remaining lime into slices to garnish the plates.

Salad: Warm Tomato Salad

admin — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 11:03:42 +0000

One of the great things about loving to cook is the loss of fear in a restaurant. That sentence was wordy, I know, but let me explain myself. I read a lot about food. I crawl into bed with cookbooks (current read is “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone” by Deborah Madison). I ask everyone who will listen about food. I ask parents what they love to cook and kids what they love to eat. I check food blogs online. So much of my mental capacity is absorbed by food. I carry this need to absorb all things food into restaurants. A great friend (Florian Z.) taught me that the more you know about food, the more you can ask. Florian himself is a great foodie. He has a taste for finer things in life and taught me how to chop onions and make my first galette. Florian also taught me that there is no shame in asking a waiter about the menu. If I don’t know an ingredient, I ask. If I want to understand how something is prepared, I ask. All that asking leads me to today’s recipe. Once upon a time Danny and I were enjoying an anniversary dinner several over an amazing tomato salad (and just in case you were wondering, we’ve been married for 17 blissful years. He’s my bestie.). My first taste of the salad was beautiful, the second taste was remarkable, by the third bite I was beyond help. I had to have the recipe or I was going to implode. When the waiter came by to check on us, I stood up, grabbed his lapels and said “Give me the recipe to that salad! End my misery!” Stellina’s Warm Tomato Salad rocked me to my core. And in honor of tomato season, I pass this gem to you, dear reader.

Warm Tomato Salad (Stellina Restaurant)
4-6 ripe plum tomatoes cut into 8-10 pieces
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-2 cloves minced garlic
5-6 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 oz. fresh goat cheese
4-8 slices of crusty Italian bread

Brush the bread slices with olive oil, place under broiler or over grill until lightly browned. Arrange on a large platter. Heat remaining olive oil in a sautee pan with the garlic. Just as the garlic starts to turn color, add the tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Toss with a large spoon until just heated through (Hint: don’t overcook to the point where the tomatoes bring to disintegrate). Spoon the warm salad over the bread slices with goat cheese on the side.

Lunch: Curry Chicken Salad

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:56:44 +0000

Who doesn’t have a Curry Chicken Salad recipe? Wait, did I just offend you by asking who doesn’t have one and you don’t have one? Lame. To make up for my lack of tact, I’ll give you one right now. This is from the June 2000 issue of Sunset Magazine. If you don’t subscribe to Sunset, do so now. You’ll be part of an elite group of people who just know more.

Curry Chicken Salad
1 cup grapes (cut in half if large, color doesn’t matter)
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup sliced green onion
Curry Chutney Dressing (listed below)
1/3 cup roasted, salted, chopped pistachios
1/4 cup chopped mint (optional, I rarely use it)

Dressing:
3/4 cup plain yogurt (greek is always best)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 Tablesp. Major Grey Chutney
1 tsp. curry powder
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
salt to taste

Toss all salad ingredients together, coat with dressing. Serve over bed of lettuce, spinach greens, or stuffed in some good sourdough. One friend adds cooked pasta to her’s and calls it dinner. Your choice.

Salad: Snow-Capped Cranberry Jello

admin — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 11:37:25 +0000

Everyone has their dish. You know what I mean. When your fancy pants gourmet friend Sally confounds you by bringing melted velveeta cheese mixed with ham to your appetizer party, you look at her with pity. What you don’t know is that her Grammy used to make it on Christmas Eve. As a small child she’d run to her Grammy’s table (again, we’re talking Christmas eve), dip a celery stick in the ham/cheese mixture and munch to her heart’s content. Like I said, everyone has their dish; their “I don’t care how gross it sounds I grew up with it and it makes me happy” dish. I have a warehouse full of these kinds of dishes. But this one is probably my favorite inexplicable-must-have-Thanksgiving dish. I suppose I could explain it after all. My mom made this when I was a child. Today, I have to have it. I love the orange cinnamon cranberry combination. And if I’m being really honest, I use this salad as my cranberry sauce. Oh heaven. Make fun of me all you want, but I bet there’s a dish you can’t live without, a dish that others would judge. You know you do.

Snow Capped Cranberry Mold

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 cup water
2 (1 lb.) cans whole cranberry sauce
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup diced walnuts
Orange-Cinnamon Topping (see below)
twist of orange peel

Orange Cinnamon Topping:
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup water
2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
dash salt

Soften gelatin for salad in 1/2 cup water. In a small saucepan, blend remaining 1/2 cup water with cranberry sauce and bring to a boil. Add softened gelatin, orange peel and salt, stirring until gelatin is dissolved. Chill to consistency of unbeaten egg white. Fold in walnuts and pour into a 9-inch square baking dish (I pour it into a pretty square serving dish because this is what ultimately go on your table…so choose pretty). Refrigerate until almost set. Prepare topping below. Pour topping over almost-set cranberry gelatin. Refrigerate until set. Serve garnished with twist of orange peel.

Orange-Cinnamon Topping: Soften gelatin in water in a heat proof cup. Place cup on a pan of simmering water until gelatin is dissolved. Combine sour cream, marmalade, cinnamon and salt. Gradually blend in dissolved gelatin. Pour topping over almost set cranberry gelatin.

Side: Sugar Coated Pecans, Candied Pecans

admin — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:17:30 +0000

Ooooohhh, it’s a comin’. Can you feel it? Twinkle lights are out, Christmas music in Aeropostale, bulk nuts and melting chocolate on sale at Costco. The Holidays are rumbling down the street and there’s nothing we can do to stop them. This week I’m going to post three holiday must have recipes.

In November and December, I go through candied pecans like water. I put them in salads (like this one), I fill my pretty dishes with them. I serve them during cocktail hour. I fill little cellophane bags with them when I need a quick gift. I snack on them while I cook. I make them in bulk and use them in bulk. Below is my standard recipe. And though I’ve mentioned this before, making these causes and insanely yummy aroma to fill your house. So, if your husband decides to degrease a gasoline soaked car part in your pristine kitchen sink five minutes before guests arrive because he really wants to show his friends “something cool”, just make these babies and your house will smell yummy instead of yucky. And no, that’s never happened to me. And yes, if you know Danny, you know that I just lied.

Candied Pecans

1 egg white
1 Tablespoon water
1 pound pecans (Many people use halves, I insist on whole. I think the large pecan looks gorgeous. Your choice)
1 cup white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt (I make this a generous 3/4 teaspoon. Love the salty sweet combo.)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
(You can use any combination of holiday-like spices. Choose what you love and go with it.)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Grease one baking sheet. In a mixing bowl, whip together egg white and water until frothy. In another large bowl, mix sugar, salt, and all spices. Pour all pecans into egg white mixture. Toss evenly then pour wet pecans into sugar/spice bowl and toss until well coated. Spread nuts on prepared baking sheet. Bake at 250 for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes.

Salad: Apple Salad with Blue Cheese Croutons & Cider Dressing

admin — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 11:34:49 +0000

Oh babycakes. Hold on to your chairs, or your mouse. I am about to share one of my most treasured, most revered recipes. I am not kidding. This is a recipe that I keep in my arsenal; that I never divulge. But in the spirit of the Occupy Wall Street kiddos, I’m going to share my wealth.

To be fair, I did not create this recipe. Nor did I discover the beauty. My friend JR brought it to a function. I practically fell off my chair as I ate it. No really, I did. Quite embarrassing. I immediately asked JR where she got it. She said something I’ll never forget. And I quote, “My talent lies not in cooking the best but in finding the best recipes. I know how to find the good ones, baby.” She was wrong. While she really does find the tastiest gems, she is an enormously talented cook.

So, I will now set my baby free. Please enjoy this salad. It is the salad I bring when I’m new in town and I really want people to like me. It is the salad I make for my friend’s 40th birthday because she deserves something beautiful. It is the salad I know and trust and love. Please love it too.

Apple Salad with Blue Cheese Croutons and Cider Dressing
(taken from www.foodtv.com, courtesy of Emeril Lagasse)

2 slices French bread, cubed (about 1 1/2 cups of 1/2-inch cubes)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces blue cheese (recommended: Maytag)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows
2 medium sweet apples, such as McIntosh or Fuji, cored and thinly sliced, with the peel on
5 tablespoons soft apple cider
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch ground black pepper
6 cups mesclun
1/4 pound prosciutto or Serrano ham, thinly sliced then shredded

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, toss the bread with the olive oil. Add 3 tablespoons of the cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper and toss to coat the bread evenly. Place on a baking sheet and bake until browned, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven.

In a skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the walnuts and cook, stirring, until fragrant and lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sugar and Essence, and cook, stirring, until the sugar is caramelized and the nuts are evenly coated, about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and spread on a waxedpaper lined plate. Separate with a fork and let cool.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and add the sliced apples. Cook, stirring, until lightly caramelized on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together the apple cider, vinegar, and mustard. Slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly until it emulsifies. Add the shallots, salt, and pepper, and adjust the seasoning, to taste.

In a large bowl, combine the lettuces, prosciutto, and croutons and toss with enough dressing to lightly coat. Adjust the seasoning, to taste. Place the apples in a small bowl and add enough dressing to coat.

Divide the lettuces among 6 salad plates and arrange the apple slices on top. Sprinkle the walnuts and remaining cheese over the apples. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and serve.
Essence (Emeril’s Creole Seasoning):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Salad: Romaine Salad with Goodness, aka Jen’s salad

admin — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:32:22 +0000

I won’t say names but my friend Jen has a funny story. She served this really amazing dish one time (I can’t even link to the dish or tell you what kind of dish because it would give the story away) and brought it to a girls’ day out gathering. Her friends loved the dish. So, doing what Jen does, she shared her goodness. She gave everyone the recipe. All was well. A few months later, she showed up at a birthday party and saw her now famous dish sitting on the table. “Wow,” she thought, “I’m glad people liked it so much they’re still making it.” She went on with her day, enjoyed the function and went home. Days later she was talking to a friend who said “Could you believe the salad that Sally brought to Harry’s birthday party? It was amazing! I asked Sally for the recipe.” Not being petty, Jen thought nothing of it. Well she thought nothing of it until Sally started handing out the recipe with the title reading “Sally’s Famous Dish”. Today the recipe circulates through many a circle and is know as Sally’s. It’s not Sally’s. It’s Jen’s. Knowing this grave injustice, I’m giving you one of Jen’s recipes. Not mine. Not Sally’s. Just Jen’s. Love you, sister.

A word to the wise. This recipe has very few measurements. It’s a salad so combine a lot or a little of whatever suits your fancy. I’m constantly asking Jen for recipes over the phone, so I rarely write down measurements (unless we’re baking of course; don’t want to mess that up).

Jen’s Comfort Salad Extraordinaire

Romain Lettuce
Spinach
bacon, cooked and broken to bits
swiss cheese, shredded
red onion, thinly sliced
mushrooms, washed well and sliced, and fresh
cottage cheese, drained

Prep ingredients and toss. Dressing for this scrumptious salad is below.

Jen’s Dressing:
1 cup sugar
bit of salt
2 tsp mustard
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups vegetable oil
1 Tblsp poppy seeds

Salad: Corn and Black Bean Salad

admin — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:28:03 +0000

When we lived in Berkeley, we had a Sunday night tradition. When the weather was just right (90% of the year), we (all of our fellow graduate school neighbors) gathered outside of our apartments and had a beautiful supper during sunset. The salad below was brought by my dearest friend. She just threw it together. And in honor of corn’s lovely season, here is one of my favorite corn salad recipes.

Corn and Black Bean Salad

1 12 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained -or- corn off of two corn-on-the-cobs, fresh
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup green onions, slice with tops
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro
1 avocado, chopped

dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vinegar (type is up to you)
1/4 cup lemon juice (I’m begging you, please use fresh)
1 tsp. sea salt
1 clove minced garlic
chili powder or hot sauce, to taste

Mix dressing ingredients to emulsion. Add everything but avocado to salad bowl and mix with dressing. Add avocado just before serving.

Salad: Roasted Butternut Squash, Onions, and Fresh Greens

TandO — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:49:06 +0000

Is a green salad included on your Thanksgiving table? I rarely hear of green salads as part of the holiday must haves. But, I’ve been wrong before. A few years ago, I created a Holiday Salad that I now include in most of my holiday meals. But that beloved salad has some competition. My girlfriend brought over a salad the other evening that knocked my socks off. I’d like to share it with you. But here’s the deal–this salad requires a little more than just throwing a few things together. It involves a lot of olive oil and roasting. So don’t make this unless you are planning on spending a bit of time in the kitchen. If you do, you will be the talk of the town. I copied my uber cool girlfriend and made this salad last week. For a few minutes, I felt very popular.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Onions with Fresh Greens and Apples

Fresh Greens With Roasted Butternut Squash and Onions

Ingredients:
4 cups Butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 apples,diced, peels kept on (You decide the type of apple. I use honeycrisp or gala.)

Romain lettuce (or spring mix or baby spinach), hand torn into bite sized pieces

Additional add ins: (I won’t give you measurements so you can decide how much flavor you want)

homemade croutons
crumbled blue cheese or gorgonzola
sliced almonds
crumbled bacon

Toss diced butternut squash and sliced onion with ¼ cup good olive oil. Spread squash and onion on greased jelly roll pan and roast in 450 degree oven until vegetables are tender and slightly browned. While veggies are in oven, make croutons (those directions can be found here). Once bread and veggies are completely cooled, toss with greens, and other add-ins listed above. Dress salad a few minutes before serving.

On my girlfriend’s advice, I use Ina Garten’s dressing for this salad, found here. If you don’t know about this dressing, you should. It is a basic dressing that turns any blah-blah-salad into a can’t-stop-eating-it-salad.