Greek Chopped Salad

Ingredients:
1 English cucumber diced
4-5 ripe Roma tomatoes diced
6 radishes diced
1 small red onion diced
15 oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup sliced Kalamata olives
1/3 cup feta cheese crumbles
For the dressing
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. dried  Greek Oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
Directions:  
Make the dressing in a small bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk to combine. Set aside.
Dice the cucumber, onion,  tomatoes  and radishes
Put vegetables and  drained garbanzo beans and the sliced olives in a large bowl.
Add the Feta and the  dressing and toss to combine.
Can eat immediately or refrigerate for at least an hour to let flavors combine. Some dressing will settle on the bottom, so stir before serving.

Roasted Corn Salad

A really sweet salad using grilled corn

 6 servings

Ingredients:
6 ears of fresh corn on the cob  cleaned
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 Roma tomatoes diced
1  red bell pepper diced
½ cup chopped green onions
2 cups fresh lightly chopped spinach

Dressing :
1/3 cup lemon juice
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons  paprika
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon onion  powder

 

Directions:
Preheat grill or broiler, rub the corn with olive oil and salt and pepper. Grill for about 7 min. or till the corn starts to brown. Remove  the corn  from the heat and set aside to cool. When cool cut off the kernels from the cob and place in a large bowl.  Then add to the bowl the tomatoes, peppers, onion and spinach.
In a small bowl add the ingredients for the dressing and whisk together, add to the corn salad and toss and serve.

Spinach Citrus Salad with Spiced Pecans

Ingredients:
3 cups fresh  baby spinach,
2 green onions, chopped
1 can mandarin oranges, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup pecan halves
1 teaspoon powdered rosemary
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Citrus Dressing, recipe follows
Directions:
Put the spinach and green onions in large salad bowl and sprinkle with the oranges. In a small sauté pan over medium heat, add the butter and sugar and stir until the butter is melted. Add the pecans and toss until the pecans begin to brown. Stir in the rosemary and cayenne and stir just a few seconds to release the aroma. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle the pecans on the salad while still warm. Drizzle the dressing over salad and serve.
Citrus Dressing:
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons orange juice, ( not juice from can of mandarin oranges)
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a small bowl, add all the ingredients and whisk until emulsified

Radish & Mandarin Orange Salad with Tunisian Inspired Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
1  1/2 - cup finely chopped radishes ( 1 bunch)
1 - 11 oz. can of drained mandarin oranges
1/2 - cup dry parsley
1 - tsp. lemon juice
2 - tsp.  olive oil
1 - pinch pepper
2 -  pinches  salt
1/4 - tsp. cumin                                                                                                                                                      1/4 - tsp. paprika


Directions:
Place the finely  chopped radishes, parsley and the drained mandarin  oranges in  a med. sized bowl.
In a glass measuring cup add the  lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, cumin and paprika and whisk together and pour over the salad and toss, add more olive  oil and salt if needed. Serve at  room temperature.

makes  4 servings

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Middle East Inspired Sumac Dressing

Heirloom Tomatoes  come in such a  variety of  colors and shapes.  They  make any salad beautiful!

Ingredients:
6 -  Heirloom Tomatoes, your choice of colors cut in half then into  wedges
4 -  cups spring  Salad mix chopped
4 - Radishes thinly sliced
1/2 - cup Feta cheese crumbles

Directions: 
Put the  tomato wedges, radish slices and chopped  salad in a bowl and toss  and sprinkle the Feta over top of the veggies, just  before serving, drizzle the  Sumac dressing over top and serve.

Sumac Dressing:
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sweet paprika
2 tsp sumac
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
Whisk together very well  before  putting on the salad.

Notes ....                                                                                                                                                        Cherry red sumac is used extensively throughout the Middle East.   In the Mediterranean region today, sumac is used as a tabletop condiment or added during cooking to lend a pleasant, fruity sourness and soft cherry color to sauces, poultry, fish, and Turkish salads. The flavor is on the order of lemon juice or vinegar but milder and less acidic.
Sumac can be purchased at spice stores or found  in international food stores or online  on Penzeys.com

Italian Cobb Salad

I love the  idea of Cobb salad, but  I don`t eat pork or salty meats. So I used Smoked Turkey. It so  refreshing on  a hot summer day  and it serves 4.
Ingredients:
8 oz. Bocconcini ( Mozzarella Balls)
12- 14   whole Golden  Pepperoncini`s
1/2 cup  Smoked Turkey sliced and  cut into inch size pieces
1/3 cup  Non Pareil Capers  drained
3/4 cup whole pitted black olives drained
3 hard boiled eggs, sliced
7.5 oz.  jar marinated Artichoke hearts drained
1 pint cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
1 teaspoon dry  Basil
5 oz. or abt. 4 large handfuls of  mixed  greens
Instructions :
Arrange  the greens in a large  platter or a pasta bowl.
Place the  turkey, pepperoncini,   black olives,  sliced eggs, artichoke hearts, and cherry tomatoes halves, capers, Bocconcini  decoratively  in rows over the greens   and sprinkle the dry basil over the salad.
Cover and refrigerate until serving.
Drizzle the  salad  with your  favorite store  bought Italian dressing or make your own and serve.
Basic Italian Salad Dressing  recipe:
Ingredients : 
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
Pinch of dried oregano
Preparation: 
Combine all ingredients in small bowl and whisk to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Chickpea Caprese Salad

A wonderful salad for a summertime lunch

Ingredients:

1 pint cherry tomatoes  cut in half

1 cup  Mozzarella balls called Bocconcini 

Fresh basil leaves  Chiffonade * see notes  

1  15 oz. can of cannelinni  beans rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup  olive oil

Directions: 

Using a  med. size  bowl,  place the tomatoes cut in half in the bowl and add the Bocconcini, drained beans, garlic,  salt and  olive oil and toss. 

Chiffonade the Basil  and  stir in the salad and serve at room temperture.

Notes *  Chiffonade

 - is a technique in which  Spinach and or Basil are cut into long, thin strips. This is generally accomplished by stacking leaves, rolling them tightly, then cutting across the rolled leaves with a sharp knife, producing fine ribbons

Israeli Salad

Israeli Tomato Cucumber salad
3  Roma tomatoes

1 English cucumber

1  bell pepper-  your choice red, orange or yellow

3 tablespoons Olive oil

2 tablespoons Lemon juice

1 heaped tablespoon of Fresh or dried mint

Salt and pepper to flavor


Finely chop all the vegetables ( you can peel cucumber if you  like). Combine them in a large bowl, right before serving toss with olive oil, lemon juice, mint and salt & pepper. Serve at room temperature. 

Mesclun and Herb Salad

Ingredients:
1 - 5 oz. bag of baby Mesclun and Herbs greens
1- cup Cherry tomatoes  cut in half
½ - cup Goat cheese crumbles
1/3 cup chopped walnuts




Ingredients:
Balsamic Vinaigrette:
1 shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 tablespoon dried basil leaves
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup olive oil


Directions:
Put the shallot and basil into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until the shallot is finely chopped. Add the balsamic, sugar, salt and pepper and pulse again. With the machine running, add the olive oil in a steady stream through the feed tube. Pour the vinaigrette into a small bowl and serve.

Toss the greens together with just enough vinaigrette to coat, about 1/2 cup. Place them in a decorative bowl and top with the cherry tomatoes and Walnuts and goat cheese. Serve the remaining vinaigrette on the side.

Fattoush Salad

    Ingredients:                            

1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 romaine lettuce heart, chopped - 10 leaves
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup mint, chopped
1/2 cup radishes, chopped                                                                          
1 cucumber, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 cup pita chips * see notes

Dressing
2 teaspoons sumac
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup  extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
1. Chop all of the vegetables and place in the bowl.
2.  In a small  bowl mix the dressing ingredients together: sumac, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil.
3.  Mix the vegetables, add the dressing and mix.
4. Top with pita chip`s

* Pita Chips - Take 2 flatbreads and cut into inch pieces place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Za`Atar, bale for 15 min. at 350 degrees  remove from oven and let cool.

Black and White Grape Salad

This is a P. Allen Smith recipe from his “Season recipes from the Garden Book“.  I just had to post this recipe.  It is  elegant, light  and  flavorful, each flavor comes shining through, it makes a beautiful presentation and would be perfect for a dinner party or for the holidays. I made one change with  the Oranges, see my notes at the bottom.  

Ingredients:
1 pound of  black or red seedless  grapes  sliced in half  lengthwise
1 pound green seedless grapes sliced in half around the middle
1  orange grated  Zest
1/3  cup of fine sugar
6 oranges   3- segmented  3- juiced
1 cup  crumbled goat cheese
½ cup roasted walnuts 


Directions:

Put the grapes in a large bowl and add the orange zest  and the sugar, next add the  orange segments and mix gently.
* see my notes below about oranges
Add the orange juice. There should be enough liquid to cover the fruit, if not, add a bit more juice.. Mix thoroughly and cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.
   When you are ready to serve the salad, use a slotted spoon to transfer the grapes and oranges to individual salad plates . Top each with  about 2 tablespoons of the goat cheese and 1 tablespoon of walnuts.






* notes
I substituted 3 segmented oranges  for 1 -16 oz. can of mandarin oranges drained and it worked well.

Classic Italian Caprese Salad

•   4 medium tomatoes, cut into thick slices

• 1 cup mozzarella cheese sliced or use sm. Mozzarella balls called Boconccini.                                                                                                                         
•   Extra virgin olive oil.                              

•   Kosher salt  to taste         

•   Fresh basil leaves  ( Chiffonade) see notes       

                   

Arrange tomato slices in a circle around the plate, then overlapping towards the center. As you are laying out the tomatoes, place a thin slice of mozzarella cheese in between each slice of tomato. Place chiffonade  basil leaf  ribbons on top of the mozzarella cheese. Add salt to  taste. Lightly drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the salad.
Serves 4

*notes *
Chiffonade
 - is a technique in which  Spinach and or Basil are cut into long, thin strips. This is generally accomplished by stacking leaves, rolling them tightly, then cutting across the rolled leaves with a sharp knife, producing fine ribbons

Strawberry Spinach salad

Strawberry Spinach salad

Ingredients:
1 - pint quartered Strawberries
1-lb. baby Spinach chopped
1 - cup salted chopped pecans roasted 


Dressing
Ingredients:
¾ cup sugar
1 cup sliced Strawberries
3 tbls. Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. Ground pepper.
1 tsp. Nigella  or Black poppy seeds
1/3 cup Olive Oil
3 tbl. Water           


To make the dressing..

Mix sugar, vinegar , water and pepper in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil over med . heat.  Reduce to simmer, stir  often until Strawberries  are mushy.. Remove from heat and cool, when ready to serve  whisk in the  Olive Oil  and the Nigella or Poppy seeds.

Put  spinach  in a bowl add the Strawberries, then the roasted Pecans and drizzle with dressing and serve.

Watermelon - Tomato Salad

Serves 4

3  - cups ¾ inch  seeded watermelon cubes.
4  - Roma tomatoes  cut in ¾ inch cubes.
3  - teaspoons sugar
½  - teaspoon  salt
½  - small red onion sliced thinly
1/3 - cup red wine vinegar
¼  - cup extra virgin olive oil
Fresh ground pepper to taste



Combine watermelon and tomatoes in a large bowl,
Add sugar and salt, toss to coat. Let stand  15 minutes.

Stir in onion, vinegar and oil. Cover and chill 2 hours.
Sprinkle with black pepper to taste and serve.

French Potato Salad

Great for Picnics, because it contains no Mayonnaise

2 pounds  small white  potatoes
1 ½ tsp. white wine vinegar
½ tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp.  kosher salt
¾ tsp. black pepper
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup finely diced red onion
2 tbsp. minced dill
2 tbsp. minced parsley
2 tbsp. dried basil

Drop the potatoes with the skin on into a large pot of boiling water and cook 20 -30 min. or until tender. Drain and cool. When cool cut the potatoes in half or smaller depending on the size of the potato and place in a med . bowl.
Combine the vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper and whisk in the olive oil. Add the vinaigrette to the potatoes. Add the onion, dill, parsley, basil  and toss together, serve at warm  or at room temperature.

3 Bean Salad- Mediterranean Style

2½ -  tablespoons  Olive Oil
2½ -  tablespoons Red wine vinegar
1 -  teaspoon sugar
¼ -  teaspoon salt
¼  - teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ -  teaspoon Greek Oregano
1 -  tablespoon  Parsley
½  - clove garlic—minced
1  - cup of rinsed and drained  canned Fava beans
1 - cup  of rinsed and drained canned Chick Peas (garbanzo beans)
1  - cup of rinsed and drained  canned Cannellini beans
½ -  red  bell pepper  finely chopped
1/2 -  small red onion  finely chopped
8  - pitted Kalamata olives—finely chopped


Put the olive oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, oregano, parsley and garlic in a bowl and whisk together  until well combined. place the beans, olives, red pepper, and onion in a large bowl, then toss with the dressing until well combined. Serve at room temperature.

Layered Tuna Salad

Ingredients:

1 ½  cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
1 ½ cups mayonnaise ( mayo. with  Olive oil is even better)
1 small bag frozen peas
2 - 6.5 ounce cans albacore tuna drained
4 Roma tomatoes  diced
1 English cucumber sliced
2 cups cooked elbow macaroni
4 green onions sliced
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 cups chopped fresh baby spinach
1 tsp. dill

Directions:
In  a small bowl, add the drained tuna and the dill and mix.

Cook the  pasta, drain and cool.

In a very large bowl( a large  mixing bowl works well, this is a big salad.) create layers, put in the chopped spinach, then add the pasta, then the diced cucumber, then the diced tomato.  Next add the tuna dill mixture, then the frozen peas.

In a small bowl add  the mayo. chopped green onion and Dijon and mix, spread over top of the peas and make sure it goes to the edges, this seals in the flavor. Then top it with shredded cheese.

Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate over night.

Tuscan Tuna Bread Salad

Ingredients:

¾ cup cherry tomatoes halved

1 -15 oz can of cannellini beans  rinsed  drained and rinsed

1 can of tuna drained

½ long baguette cut into cubes

 1 shallot diced

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon  balsamic vinegar

4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons of dried basil
Directions:
Put the tuna, tomatoes, shallots, beans and bread in  a medium or large bowl and mix, in a separate bowl wisk together mustard, vinegar, olive oil, basil, and salt and pepper. Pour over other ingredients and mix well. Serve at room temperature . Serve over chopped Romain lettuce and fruit.

Curry Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

3 cups - cooked diced chicken

½ cup -  chopped celery

½ cup - chopped walnuts

1 - apple with peeling, chopped

1 ½ cups of mayonnaise

1 ½  tsp. of curry powder

Directions:

 Mix well and serve over greens or in a pita or pocket bread.

Cannellini Bean Salad

Ingredients:

3 -  cans of Canellini beans rinsed and drained
½ -  yellow onion minced
1½ -tablespoon of chopped parsley
1 -   tablespoon of ground rosemary
2/3- cup of olive oil
2 -   tablespoons of lemon juice
2 -   crushed garlic
1 -  tablespoon of white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to  taste

Directions:
Mix all ingredients  in a bowl and toss and allow to marinate at least for 2 hours at room temperature before serving.:

Mix all ingredients  in a bowl and toss and allow to marinate at least for 2 hours at room temperature before serving.