It’s easy being green at salad time
In celebration of the abundance of greens available in San
Benito County right now, here are 10 different salad ideas for you
to consider for your spring meals.
It’s easy being green at salad time
In celebration of the abundance of greens available in San Benito County right now, here are 10 different salad ideas for you to consider for your spring meals.
Caesar Salad
Romaine, parmesan cheese, homemade croutons, dressing
Caesar Dressing:
¼ c. plus 1 tbsp. olive oil
¼ c. plus 1 tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
1-2 tbsp. red wine vinegar, to taste
½ c. parmesan cheese
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Blend all ingredients in a processor and immediately pour over salad.
Warm Butter Lettuce Salad
1 head butter lettuce (about 1/2 lb.)
1 clove garlic
1/8 c. olive oil
4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Halve the garlic and in a small heavy skillet, heat with the olive oil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic is golden, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and discard garlic. Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste, swirling skillet to incorporate. Pour warm dressing over torn butter lettuce leaves and toss to coat.
Red Leaf Lettuce and Vegetable Salad with Yogurt-Mustard Dressing
3 c. torn Red Leaf Lettuce
1 carrot, grated
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
4 mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 cherry tomatoes, quartered
¾ c. broccoli florets, blanched in boiling water for 1 minute and drained well
½ red bell pepper cut into strips
Dressing:
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 ½ tsp. coarse-grained mustard
¼ tsp. sugar
1 pinch cayenne
½ c. plain yogurt
½ tsp fresh chopped parsley
In a large bowl toss together the lettuce, carrots, red onion, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, broccoli florets, and red bell pepper. In a separate bowl whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, sugar, cayenne, yogurt, parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Toss the salad and the dressing.
Spinach Salad with Beets and Oranges
2 oranges
6 c. torn spinach
3 c. shredded peeled beets
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. minced shallots
¼ c. raspberry vinegar
¼ tsp. fresh ground pepper
¼ c. minced chives
¼ c. coarsely chopped walnuts
Peel oranges, and cut each crosswise into 5 slices. Place spinach on a large platter. Spoon beets into spinach, and arrange orange slices on beets. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots, and saute 1 minute or until tender. Stir in vinegar and pepper; Drizzle over salad.
Sprinkle salad with chives and walnuts.
Butter Lettuce Salad with Buttermilk & Chive Salad Dressing
1 head Red or Green Butter Lettuce
1 carrot, shredded
¼ c. red onion, chopped
1 avocado, diced
Dressing:
½ c. Buttermilk
2/3 c. light mayonnaise or nonfat yogurt
1 ½ tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
¼ c. chopped fresh chives
In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, mayonnaise, sugar, salt, pepper, and chives.
Store in refrigerator until ready to use.
Marinated Broccoli Salad
2 heads broccoli, broken into florets
½ green bell pepper
½ red bell pepper
3 stalks celery
1 small onion, finely diced
¼ c. white wine vinegar
1 tbsp. poppy seeds
¼ c. sugar (or less!)
1 tsp, mustard powder
¼ tsp. salt
¾ c. olive oil
Blanch broccoli until just tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. In a large bowl combine cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, celery and onion. In a saucepan, place the vinegar, poppy seeds, sugar, mustard, salt and oil. Boil until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the marinade over the vegetables and mix well. Chill overnight before serving.
Radish and Cabbage Coleslaw
1/2 pound radishes, trimmed and grated coarse (about 2 c.)
3 c. finely shredded cabbage
1 c. coarsely grated carrots
1/2 c. thinly sliced red onion
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh coriander, mint, or parsley leaves
In a bowl toss together the radishes, the cabbage, the carrots, the onion, the lemon juice, the sugar, the oil, the coriander, and salt and pepper to taste.
Citrus Spinach Salad
2 c. fresh spinach leaves OR 2 c. torn Romaine Lettuce
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 fresh navel oranges, peeled and separated into sections
2 tbsp. toasted pine nuts
Dressing:
2 tbsp. orange juice
2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
3 tbsp. olive oil (preferably extra virgin)
2 tsp. honey
1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp. dijon mustard
Salt & pepper to taste
Toss spinach, onion, oranges and pine nuts together. Whisk together all dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and serve.
Greek Salad
1 head Romaine Lettuce
1/2 English (seedless) cucumber, unpeeled and thinly sliced1 pint grape tomatoes
1 c. crumbled feta cheese (4 ounces)
Dressing:
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp fresh black pepper
In a large bowl, whisk lemon juice, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Add romaine, cucumber, tomatoes, and feta to dressing; toss to coat.
Romaine and Butter Lettuce with Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette
1/8 c. sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 c. boiling water
1/2 c. peeled and diced tomatoes
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 T minced garlic
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3 c. romaine lettuce
3 c. butter lettuce
1 c. shredded carrots
1. Combine sun-dried tomatoes and water in bowl; cover and let sit for half an hour, then drain, separating water from tomatoes. Set water aside.
2. Dice the sun-dried tomatoes and combine with other diced tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, and garlic in food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
3. Add tomato-water, olive oil, and black pepper and blend until smooth.
4. Toss romaine, butter lettuce, and carrots in large salad bowl. Add vinaigrette, mix well, and serve.
