English Farmhouse Salad

This is another recipe from the Simply Salad book by Jennifer Chandler. I added some grilled chicken to it and it made for a nice, light, Summery dish. Normally I am not a fan of blue cheese, but I decided to go for it anyway. Glad I did! The bite of the cheese is really mellowed out by the grilled apples and balsamic dressing.

Ingredients

• 1 granny smith apple, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 bag Spring Mix lettuce
• 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and cooled
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 2 chicken breasts
  

Vinaigrette

• 6 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 Tbsp balsamic vinaigrette (I used black currant balsamic)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat a clean grill or grill pan to medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and grill until no longer pink inside. Allow to cool, then slice into bite-sized chunks.
2. In a medium bowl, toss apple slices with oil until well coated. Place apples on grill pan and grill until just softened, about 2 min per side. Set aside to cool.
3. In a large salad bowl, toss the Spring Mix, walnuts, and blue cheese.
   
4. For vinaigrette, mix olive oil, balsamic salt and pepper until well blended. To keep the dressing from separating, add just a dash of garlic powder and mix gently. Add vinaigrette to taste and gently toss. Top with grilled apples.

Thai Pork Salad

It's been pretty hot and humid these past few weeks, so while I was at the library, I picked up a fantastic cookbook that's all about salads, called Simply Salads, by Jennifer Chandler. The beauty of the book is that each salad can be made with a package of mixed salad greens and just a few ingredients. Also, there are a ton of recipes for freshly made salad dressings. The first salad we made was a Thai Beef Salad, but I used pork loin instead of beef. The marinade was good, but I didn't like the dressing, so I made something different. The final product was very light, and full of flavor, perfect for a hot Summer night.

Ingredients

• 1/2lb pork loin, trimmed, and cut into thin strips
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1/4 small onion, sliced thinly
• 1 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh mint (I really didn't taste much mint with all the other ingredients, and would probably omit it next time)
• 1 bag Hearts of Romaine
• 1/2 cup corasely chopped unsalted, roasted peanuts

Marinade

• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 T grated ginger (I used 1 tsp ginger paste)
  
• 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
  

Directions

1. Place the pork in a shallow dish. Pour 1/3 of the marinade over the pork and marinate 2-3 hours. Reserve the rest of the marinade for use later.
   
2. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan and cook pork 3 minutes. Add onions to pan and continue cooking until pork is no longer pink. Be careful not to overcook it!
   
3. In a large bowl, combined sliced pork, cucumber, onions, cilantro, mint and lettuce. Add dressing to taste, and toss well. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and serve immediately.

Thai Chicken Salad

Chicken Ceaser Salad is a staple for us, at least once a week. Buy a bag of salad, grill some chicken, toss in some veggies, coat with Ceaser dressing. Simple! But this week, I decided to switch it up a bit. The local farm up the road had peas, fresh for picking. So we went over the weekend and picked a bucket full and they are delicious! I was inspired to make a Thai style chicken salad, using the peas, and some other fresh veggies, and some homemade ginger dressing. The dressing makes a fairly large batch, so make sure you have a big enough container nearby to store it.

Ingredients
Dressing

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
• 3/4 cup olive oil (we used sesame oil instead)
  
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup water

Directions

1. In a 1 pint glass jar or larger, combine the garlic, ginger, olive oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and water. Cover the jar with a tight fitting lid, and shake well. Remove lid, and heat jar in the microwave for 1 minute just to dissolve the honey. Let cool, and shake well before serving. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
  
• 1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• garlic powder, to taste
  
• 1 cup chopped broccoli
• 1/4 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut in half
  
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup sliced carrots
• 3 Tbsp chopped peanuts
• Lettuce
  

Directions

1. Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with garlic powder. Add chicken and white onions, cooking until almost done, approximately 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Add broccoli, peas and sliced carrots to pan, and cook an additional 2 minutes. Pour soy sauce over everything and toss to combine.
3. Remove from heat when veggies are tender and chicken is cooked. Stir in chopped green onions. Allow mixture to cool about 8-10 minutes.
4. Combine lettuce and chicken mixture in a large bowl and pour dressing over top, tossing to coat evenly. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

Cajun Catfish Salad

This is probably one of the easier dishes we've made. While shopping at our new grocery store, I came across a ton of bagged ceaser salad marked down to only $1.24. The only reason is because it expired on 4/6, Sunday. So I bought a bag, and we had it tonight. Usually I grill some chicken to add to those bagged salad mixes, but this time I used catfish. A nice change! And pretty cheap.

Bagged Salad kit - $1.24
2 catfish fillets - $1.00
Total Cost - Approximately $2.24

Ingredients

• 1 bag of Ceaser salad mix
• 2 catfish fillets
• 4 Tablespoons Cajun breading (we like the fish fry that comes in a yellow package)

Directions

1. Coat the catfish in Cajun breading. Fry in a non-stick skillet for about 3 minutes on a side, until fish is flakey. 2. Add salad fixin's to a large bowl. Toss with dressing. Place salad in bowl and top each bowl with a sliced catfish fillet. That's it...pretty easy, huh?!

Chicken Fajita Salad

This is a WW recipe from "Take-Out Tonight." What caught my eye was all the fresh veggies, plus chicken, and a sassy new vinaigrette that I hadn't tried before. This dish really could not be easier to make. It's packed full of flavor -- tangy, sweet, and spicy all in the same bite. One of the best salads I've made in a while, for sure.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup jarred salsa
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• 1 Tablespoon Cajun seasoning
• 4 cups mixed salad greens (I used 1 bag of salad)
• 1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/2 avocado, peeled and chopped
• a few slices of red onion

Directions

1. To make the vinaigrette, puree the salsa, onion, cilantro, lime juice, vinegar, mustard, and salt in a food processor or blender. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.

2. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with Cajun seasoning. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil, then the chicken and cook until brown, about 4-6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 5 minutes. Then slice into 1/2 inch thick strips.

3. Place the salad greens and bell peppers in a large bowl. Top with chicken strips, tomato and avocado. Pour vinaigrette over everything and toss to combine.

Fiery Beef Salad

On New Years, I had planned a nice prime rib dinner with mashed potatoes, a salad, the works. Since Justin was sick, I decided to take some leftover top round and make a steak salad for myself, while he dined on a not so luxurious bowl of chicken noodle soup. The beef in this salad dish is quite spicy but really good. It would also work well as skewers or on the BBQ with a whole steak.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1 teaspoon chopped dried lemongrass
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 T soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 4-5 drops hot pepper sauce
• 1 pound flank steak or top round
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• 3 cups chopped lettuce
  

Directions

1. To make the marinade, combine the honey, onion, ginger, lemongrass, garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil and hot sauce in bowl. Pour over steak and let marinade about 1 hour (I only marinated it for 15 min and it was just fine). Leave about 2 T marinade in bowl, uncontaminated by the raw beef.

2. Line broiler pan with foil, and heat oven to broil.

3. Broil steak 5 inches from the heat for about 4 min per side, or until it's cooked to your liking. Let rest about 5 minutes, then slice thinly. Arrange steak slices over lettuce and top with scallions. Drizzle remaining marinade over salad and enjoy!

Bermuda Salad

Today, the temperature is over 90, high humidity and we have no air conditioning. So dinner had to be something light, and uncooked, because it is way too hot to be eating something heavy. This was really flavorful and filling (we had 2 hard-boiled eggs each). We served it with some crusty French bread smothered in Romano cheese.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1/4 pound bacon (I used Bacon Bits instead of real bacon)
  
• 1 pound spinach, rinsed and chopped
• 1-1/2 ounces croutons
• 2 tablespoons sliced fresh mushrooms (I used peppers and scallions instead)

Dressing

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup white sugar (I used about 1/4 cup sugar and it was fine)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons cider vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
• 1-1/2 teaspoons prepared Dijon-style mustard

Directions

1. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover completely with cold water. Bring water to a boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, and cool. Once cool, peel and chop.

2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.

3. Prepare the dressing in a blender by combining the onion, sugar, salt, oil, vinegar, pepper, celery seed and Dijon mustard. Blend until smooth.

4. In a large salad bowl, combine the eggs, bacon, spinach, croutons and mushrooms. Toss to mix. Pour enough dressing over salad to lightly coat. Toss and serve.

Catfish Cakes

Being from Maryland, I grew up around crabs and everybody raving about the unique flavors Marylanders use to season them. I can't eat crab, so we decided to try a crabcake but with catfish instead. Here's the original recipe.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound catfish
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 tsp yellow mustard, or 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 1/2 tsp mayonnaise
  
• 2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1 1/4 cup crushed Ritz crackers
• 1 egg
• vegetable oil for frying

Ingredient Modifications

• 1 Tbsp Mayo -- with 1 1/2 tsp the cakes didn't hold together and were really dry.
• 2 Tbsp Old Bay -- we like things spicy! The 2 tsp was hardly noticeable.
• 1 tsp cayenne -- again, we felt like the cakes needed more spice
• 1 cup crushed Ritz -- any more, and these would've been even more dry.
  

Directions

1. Place catfish in a pan with enough water to cover it about halfway. Bring to a boil and cook until the fish is flakey. Drain the excess water.

2. Cut fish into chunks, basically making it into a mash. Mix in rest of ingredients until well blended, and the consistency of a chunky meatloaf.

3. Heat oil in large heavy skillet (we used a cast iron) over medium-high. Form fish mixture into patties and fry in hot oil. Drain on paper towels, and serve warm.

We served ours with a big salad and fresh corn on the cob. With the modifications, these were really tasty. The 2nd batch we did had the additional mayo and spices, and they were really moist and spicy. I've never had a traditional crab cake, but Justin has, and he said these tasted just as good as the ones he had in Maryland.

Margarita Fish Salad

We were in the mood for something Summery, light and flavorful, so I thought a fish salad would taste good. I found this recipe for Margarita Fish on another foodie blog and adapted it to my own dish. I used Tilapia instead of the original Salmon, and served it over a bed of mesclun for a lighter dish. I also added a dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, lime juice, crushed red pepper and oregano. It was really flavorful and perfect for a Summer evening.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. tequila
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 2 tsp. lime juice
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 Tilapia fillets
• 1/2 package mesclun salad or any lettuce mixture of your choice
  

Directions

1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl.

2. Place tilapia fillets in a shallow baking dish. Generously brush with marinade. Cover dish; refrigerate 1-3 hours.

3. Heat gas grill to medium and place salmon on grill. Cook 8-10 minutes until fish begins to flake, turning once. (I don't have access to a grill so I baked the fish in the dish with the marinade, for 15 minutes at 350.)

4. Place 1 tilapia fillet atop a bed of lettuce and drizzle with oil, lime juice, salt and pepper.

Original recipe courtesy of Gillian's Goodies.

Garlic Scallop Broil with Feta

Hubby and I love seafood, especially scallops. I used to only make garlic scallops and linguine, but now I'm branching out and trying new recipes. These were really easy to make and the scallops were nice and tender on the inside. The light salad on the side makes this meal great for Summer time because it's light and flavorful, without leaving you feeling disgustingly full.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 8 sea scallops
• 1 bunch scallions
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 2 ounces crumbled feta cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet, then add garlic. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Add tomato paste, chicken broth and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until flavors are blended, about 10 minutes.

3. Add scallops and simmer until just opaque in the center, about 3 min per side. Stir in scallions and parsley.

4. Top each scallop with feta. Broil until cheese is lightly browned and melted, about 2-3 minutes.

Serve with vegetable salad of chopped cucumber, tomato, diced onion, mozzarella cheese and scallions. Toss with balsamic vinaigrette and fresh pepper.

Serves 4.

Red Snapper with Mango, Black Beans and Corn

This is a very light fish salad -- perfect for a Summer BBQ or those nights when it's too hot to heat up the oven for hours at a time. The fish is nice and crispy and the veggies just enhance the flavor. Be sure to take your lettuce out about 30 min before serving so it can come to room temperature. Otherwise when you place the fish on top, the cold salad will cool off the fish.

From, Weight Watchers Simply Delicious. The cookbook describes this recipe as follows:
"Mango, cilantro and lime make a magical combination in this healthy salad. Add delicately flavored red snapper to the mix and you have a truly delightful experience..."

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons lime zest
• 1/4 fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup fresh of frozen corn (about 1 ear cut off the cob)
• 1 ripe mango peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 2/3 pound red snapper
• 3 cups mesclun, or any lettuce mixture

Directions

1. Preheat broiler. Line baking dish with foil. Combine lime zest, lime juice, oil, garlic, oregano, chili powder, and salt in a small bowl.

2. Combine beans, corn, mango, cilantro and 3 tablespoons of the lime juice mixture in a medium bowl.

3. Place the snapper fillets in the baking dish; spoon the remaining lime juice mixture over the fillets. Broil 5 inches from the heat until the fish is just opaque in the center, 7-8 minutes.

4. Arrange the mesclun on a large plate; spoon the bean mixture on top. Arrange the snapper on top and drizzle any pan juices over all.

This was a very light and flavorful salad, perfect for Summer months. It would make a great dish to bring to a BBQ or other gathering.

I haven't quite mastered the art of plating and photographing my food...all in good time, no worries!