Elements » Salads and Sides

8-Layer Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing

Sheila — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 19:37:31 +0000

We’ve been eating so much tabbouleh this summer for breakfast, and while we both really enjoy it, we wanted something a little different this week. So I quickly threw together this 8-layer salad for us this morning, and not only was it incredibly refreshing and delicious, but it was also very fast and easy to make. Here’s what it looked like before we devoured it.

It sure did hit the spot!

Kemal said he felt the like prosciutto could have been left out. I agree. I think meatless would have been the way to go, but I felt throwing some in at the time I was making it. Bacon would have been ideal, but I didn’t have any.

What kind of salads have you been enjoying lately?

8-Layer Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing

Recipe Adapted from: Sneakers and Snacks who adapted the recipe from Tasty Kitchen (recipe submitted by Cathy B. at brightbakes)

Ingredients:

4 cups romaine lettuce hearts, chopped
1 tomato, diced
1 Vidalia onion, diced
8 baby carrots, chopped
4 oz. goat mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 slice Prosciutto, chopped
6 radishes, thinly sliced
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 tbsp. homemade dry Ranch seasoning mix

Instructions:

Place two eggs in a small pot.
Add enough water to cover the eggs.
Turn the heat on high, and when the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium high and cook for 10 minutes.
Run cold water over the hot eggs and then peel and slice them; refrigerate until needed.
Find a large platter/plate for the salad.
Wash and chop the romaine lettuce hearts; shake out any excess water, and then scatter the lettuce on the large serving plate.
Wash the radishes, and then cut off the ends.
Slice the radishes thinly, and then place the radish slices in a circle around the lettuce. If you have more radish slices like I did, make one or two more radish circles on top of the lettuce.
Wash and dice the tomato, and then scatter the diced tomatoes on top of the salad.
Peel and dice the onion, and then scatter the diced onion on top of the salad.
Chop the baby carrots and then scatter them on top of the salad.
Chop the Prosciutto into small pieces, and then scatter the pieces on top of the salad.
Shred the cheese and scatter it on top of the salad.
Place the chilled hard boiled egg slices on top of the salad.
Mix together the seasonings needed for the ranch dressing. Click here for the seasonings you’ll need.
After you’ve mixed together the seasonings, stir 1 tbsp. of the seasoning mix into 1 cup of Greek yogurt.
Place the yogurt mixture on top of the salad.
Enjoy!

Peach Mango Black Bean Salsa and Pineapple Mango Salsa

Sheila — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:46:36 +0000

Summertime salsas is what it’s all about. They’re fresh, flavorful, fun, and fantastic! They’re festive too because make me think of South-of-border fiestas.

I made some peach mango black bean salsa

as a topping for tacos and taco salad. I made the pineapple mango salsa

as a topping for some blackened salmon.

These salsas are also perfect as a baked potato topping. Salsa and sour cream on baked potatoes is definitely the way to go!

They’re great on top of nachos, and they’re perfect for omelets.

I also enjoy eating salsas like this straight from the bowl. It makes a healthy snack or a wonderful light lunch.

You can also add heat to your salsas by dicing up some jalapeno or habanero peppers and throwing it into the mix.

I love my salsa hot and spicy, but sometimes hot peppers (as well as fresh cilantro) gives me really bad heartburn.

What about you? Do you prefer your salsa mild, medium, hot and spicy, or set-your-mouth-on-fire hot?

Peach Mango Black Bean Salsa

Adapted from: Savoring Every Bite

Ingredients:

2 larges peaches, finely diced
1 large mango, finely diced
1 yellow ear of corn (corn cut off the cob)
1/2 can black beans
1/2 large Vidalia onion, finely diced
16 cherry tomatoes, finely diced
1/4 cup fresh, finely chopped parsley
zest of 1 lime
juice and pulp of 1 lime
dried cilantro to taste
salt to taste

Instructions:

Wash the peaches and cherry tomatoes, and then finely dice it all up.
Peel and finely dice the mango and onion.
Wash the ear of corn, and then cut all the corn off the cob.
Wash and finely chop the parsley.
Wash the lime, and then use a fine grater to zest the lime.
Mix together all the vegetables, the parsley, the lime zest, and 1/2 can of black beans.
Squeeze the lime juice over the mixture, then chop up the lime pulp and add it to the mixture.
Stir in dried cilantro and salt to taste.
Serve chilled.

Pineapple Mango Salsa

Recipe Source: Whole Foods Market (I saw some pineapple mango salsa in the produce section, looked at the ingredients, and then tried to replicate it at home

Ingredients:

1/2 of a fresh pineapple, finely diced
1 fresh mango, finely diced
2 green onions, finely diced
16 cherry tomatoes, finely diced
lime juice to taste
salt to taste
dried cilantro to taste

Instructions:

Cut and core the pineapple, and then finely dice about half of it.
Wash the tomatoes and onions, and then finely dice them.
Peel and finely dice the mango.
Toss all the ingredients together, and then stir in lime juice to taste.
Mix in salt and dried cilantro to taste.
Serve chilled.

Wilted Lettuce and Onions

Sheila — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:09:38 +0000

When I was a young girl, my parents had a garden, and I used to love to pluck ripe tomatoes from the vine, use my t-shirt to rub off any dirt, and then eat that warm, juicy mater whole…just like you would an apple. I’d get tomato juice and seeds all over me, but who cared!

I also loved to grab an ear of corn out of the garden, shuck it, and it eat raw…right there in the middle of the corn patch.

And don’t even get me started on raw peas. Oh man…raw peas have always been like candy to me. Seriously. Picking peas and shelling was always my favorite, and goodness knows me and the rest of my family would eat so many of the raw peas while we were shelling them that we had very little leftover to freeze or cook. But that was fine because raw peas was the absolute best thing in the whole world…that and fresh strawberries from the strawberry patch.

While I’ve always loved raw vegetables and salads, one of my favorite meals that my folks would prepare during the summer with fresh greens from the garden was wilted lettuce. Here’s a picture. I served mine with hard boiled egg halves and tomatoes.

All ya do is wash and dry the lettuce (or whatever kind of greens you happened to have planted), put them in a bowl and then scatter some thinly sliced green onions over them. Then you just heat some oil (or bacon grease) in a pan until it starts smoking and then very carefully pour the hot oil over the lettuce and onions to wilt it.

You wouldn’t think that warm, wilted lettuce would be good, but it’s actually quite wonderful.

It’s something you really have to just try for yourself. Tasting is believing!

When I made myself wilted lettuce and onions yesterday for breakfast, I was singing the “Mmmmmmmmm” song while eating. Do you do that? When whatever it is you’re eating is exceptionally delicious you go “Mmmmmmmmmmm” in the middle of a mouthful? I do! Singing the “Mmmmmmmmm” song means the meal is heavenly…at least in our house anyway.

Wilted Lettuce and Onions

Recipe Source: This is a family recipe. My folks made it all the time when I was a kid, and my Dad’s side of the family makes it too. Other Southern families make it. My family doesn’t have a written-down recipe. It’s just something they’ve always made.

Yield: Enough for 2 servings

Ingredients:

4 oz. romaine hearts (you can use any other kind of lettuce and/or greens that you like)
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil (or you can use bacon grease)
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Wash the lettuce, and then pat the leaves dry with papers towels.
Wash the green onions, dry them with a paper towel, and then slice them thinly.
Arrange the lettuce in a serving pan. I put mine in a glass pie pan.
Sprinkle the sliced green onions on top of the lettuce.
Heat the olive oil in a small pan until it gets very hot. When the grease starts smoking, it should be at the right temperature.
Remove the oil from the heat, and then very, very carefully drizzle the hot oil over the lettuce and onions to wilt it.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
Optional: Garnish with tomatoes and hard boiled egg slices.

Note: It’s very important to make sure your lettuce and onions are dry because pouring the hot oil over wet greens will make the oil pop up and possibly splatter onto your skin. It’s also very important to use extreme caution when your oil is heating on the stove. Don’t leave it unattended, wear glasses (or goggles) when pouring the hot oil onto the lettuce, and be extremely careful when you’re pouring the hot oil onto the lettuce.

Strawberry Bulgar Salad

Sheila — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 21:55:08 +0000

Tabbouleh and other salads made with bulgar wheat are perfect during the summer for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It’s a meal that’s light, flavorful, and satisfying.

Last week while craving a bulgar salad, I found myself with no tomatoes, cucumbers, or peppers in my fridge. Luckily I had fresh mint and parsley. So I tried something different. Since I love the sweetness of tomatoes in my salad but didn’t have any, I thought maybe strawberries would be a good substitute. Turns out I was right. It was fabulous!

I also added some ajvar and pomegranate molasses.

This salad was the perfect way to begin my morning. It gave me a lot of energy, and the fresh parsley and mint revitalized me.

Is there a food or a meal (other than coffee) that seems to revitalize you in the morning?

Strawberry Bulgar Salad

Adapted from: “The Complete Book of Turkish Cooking by Ghillie Basan”, (page 77 Bulgar Salad); published by Hermes House, an imprint of Anness Publishing Ltd.

Easy Sesame Pasta Salad

Sheila — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:40:13 +0000

Here’s another quick and easy pasta salad that’s perfect for busy days when you just don’t have much time to be in the kitchen. It’s not only perfect for hectic days, but it’s also makes a wonderful, refreshing meal during the sweltering dog days of summer.

You can use any kind of pasta you want. I’d probably use fettuccine noodles if I didn’t have any ho fan.

Anyway, Kemal and I will be making this pasta salad a lot this summer. We loved it so much and were disappointed when we finished the leftovers on the second day. I could have easily eaten it four or five days in a row.

Oh by the way, this sesame pasta salad goes great with Sapporo beer. This Japanese beer is so smooth and has such a wonderful flavor that it’s our favorite beer. We also love Heineken Dark, and Goose Island India Pale Ale.

What about you? What’s your favorite beer?

Easy Sesame Pasta Salad

Recipe Adapted from: eat me, delicious who adapted her recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen via Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients:

12 oz. ho fan (vermicelli noodles)
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
1/2 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 green onions, diced
5 garlic cloves, diced
16 baby carrots, finely grated
5 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. minced ginger
1 tsp. sesame seeds
1 tsp. red chili flakes
1 tbsp. red wine vinaigrette
1 tbsp. mushroom soy sauce
black pepper to taste

Instructions:

Step One: Make the Pasta

On high heat, boil about 3 quarts of water in a large pot.
When the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium high, and then add the pasta, 1 tsp. of salt and 1 tsp. olive oil, stirring occasionally.
Cook the pasta until it’s tender but firm.
Drain the hot water off the pasta.
Run cold water over the pasta to cool it off; drain the water again.

Step Two: Wash and Cut the Vegetables

While the pasta is cooking, peel and dice the garlic.
Then wash the green onions, zucchini, and red bell pepper.
Dice the green onions, and then thinly slice the zucchini and pepper.
Finely grate the carrots.

Step Three: Make the Dressing

Mix together the sesame oil, sesame seeds, red wine vinaigrette, soy sauce, red chili flakes, and the minced ginger.
Set aside on the counter until needed.

Step Four: Assemble the Pasta Salad

Put the drained pasta in a large bowl.
Add the vegetables.
Pour the dressing over the pasta and veggies and stir until all the noodles and vegetables are coated.
Sprinkle with a little bit of black pepper.
Serve.

Raspberry Mango Salad Dressing

Sheila — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 04:28:11 +0000

Wanna try a totally awesome summer salad dressing that’s fresh, fruity, and fun while also tart and tangy? Check it out…raspberry mango salad dressing!

It’s wonderful!!! This evening I enjoyed mine over a cabbage salad with pistachios and raspberries. Yummm!!!!

Tomorrow I’m gonna make a tuna salad with this dressing. I’m hardly waiting! It would also be good over a cold pasta salad or in a chicken salad. Give it a try sometime and see what you think! I think it’s awesome!

Raspberry Mango Salad Dressing

Slightly Adapted from: Earthbound Farm

Mango Mint Pasta Salad

Sheila — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 04:00:17 +0000

There are times in the summer we just don’t feel like cooking but we still want something to eat that’s big on flavor and nutrition. Pasta salads usually fit the bill. They’re easy to throw together, they’re light, and they’re also quite tasty.

And somehow, mango and mint not only complement each other in terms of taste, but the combination is also quite refreshing.

Another perk is you don’t really need to follow a recipe. You just make some pasta, run cold water over it so it can chill down, wash and dice everything else, and then toss it all together with your favorite dressing.

The dressing I made took me about 2 minutes to makes, and it sure did taste great! It’s an Italian dressing called Aunt Trish’s Salad Dressing (from The Pioneer Woman). If you haven’t tried Aunt Trish’s dressing, I strongly urge you to do so. It’s wonderful!

Anyway, here’s the list of ingredients I put in my salad. There’s really no need to measure anything. Don’t you just love recipes where there’s no measuring required! I know I do.

Mango Mint Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

cooked pasta
fresh mangoes, cut
fresh mint, finely chopped
onions, diced
tomatoes, diced
red bell pepper, diced
fresh spinach, diced
zucchini, diced
garlic cloves, diced
Aunt Trish’s Salad Dressing (from The Pioneer Woman)

Dolmades (Stuffed Grape Leaves) and Greek Salad

Sheila — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 05:29:16 +0000

I adore Mediterranean food and cooking, and Kemal, who’s from the Mediterranean, naturally loves it as well. We don’t follow any particular diet in that we eat whatever we want; however, our eating patterns and lifestyle basically follows the Mediterranean diet pyramid.

Most of our meals are centered around vegetables, beans, bread, fruits, and whole grains. Legumes, nuts, spices, and olive oil, as dairy products centering around cheese, yogurt, and eggs, are also an integral part of our meals.

Fish and meat make up the smallest part of our diet, and that suits us fine because we both prefer more plant-based foods versus animal-based.

Neither one of us can get enough veggies. We both constantly crave them and enjoy preparing (and of course eating!) meals centered around vegetables.

One such meal is a Greek dish called dolmades which are grape leaves stuffed with rice, veggies, fruit, and nuts. The dolmades I made were were stuffed with arborio rice, fresh mint, fresh parsley, raisins, sunflower seeds, onions, and spices.

Dolmades are extremely easy to make, but they do take just a bit of time to stuff and roll all the grape leaves. Then after they’re rolled and stuffed, they’re simmered in a pan with either vegetable or chicken broth for about 45 minutes. Then they’re chilled and eaten cold.

They’re great both plain or dipped in tzatziki sauce. I also enjoy eating them served on top of a Greek salad. They’re excellent that way!

If you’ve never tried them before, I highly encourage you to make them sometime and see for yourself just how wonderful they are. They can be eaten as an appetizer or for the main course.

There are many recipes out there on the web, but I found mine in a cookbook I have here at home called “Tastes of the Mediterranean“; the recipe for Dolmades is on page 37.

Making a Greek salad is also very easy. Just toss together some spring mix, sliced cherry tomatoes, sliced green olives, crumbled feta cheese, crumbled goat cheese, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and some salted sunflowers. I also sometimes toss in some raisins, diced green onions, and fresh mint.

My mom found a recipe online for a Greek salad dressing that’s out-of-this-world delicious. It’s so easy to make, and to learn how to make it, just go to allrecipes.com (recipe submitted by Danielle M.

Instead of using Dijon mustard which is called for in the Greek salad dressing, I just used my mortar and pestle to grind up some mustard seeds to make mustard powder. Worked great!

Anyway, after you make the salad and drizzle on the dressing, just place some dolmades on top of the salad, and there ya go!

Couldn’t be easier!

Veggie Fried Rice

Sheila — Sat, 28 May 2011 05:38:43 +0000

I love fried rice…especially when everything is fried in sesame oil.Yummmmm!

If you’ve never tried stir frying your rice and/vegetables in sesame oil, I highly encourage you to try it because the sesame oil adds such a wonderful flavor.

I love my fried rice both hot and cold. Either way, it tastes amazing!

On an unrelated note, I’m curious if any of y’all have a black hole in your house. What am I talking about?

Well, do you ever have things mysteriously just disappear. You’ve look everywhere for it and it’s nowhere to be found? I ask because this has happened to us twice this week, and we can’t figure out where these items must be unless they’ve gotten sucked into the black hole which must be lurking somewhere in our apartment. Tell me it’s not just me. I’m not the only one with a black hole in their home…am I?

Veggie Fried Rice

Adapted from: a magazine I picked up at the grocery store. The magazine is called “Chinese Favorites,” and it’s Vol. 8, No. 22, February 8, 2011 issue of Favorite Brand Name Recipes. The publisher is 2010 Publications International, Ltd. The recipe was on page 41 (Stir-Fry Rice and Vegetables).

Fish Fry Featuring Fried Pickles, Hush Puppies, and of course, Fried Fish

Sheila — Wed, 18 May 2011 16:28:46 +0000

If you ask me, you can’t get much better than fresh fish caught in local streams, creeks, rivers, ponds, and lakes. The fresh caught fish has an amazing flavor, and when it’s fried to perfection and served with all the fixin’s…well…there seriously ain’t anything that can top it!

My Dad and Uncle Boyd have been doing a lot of trout fishin’ these days with me and Kemal in mind. They caught a big ole mess of fish so we could have a nice family fish fry! Ain’t we the lucky ones! Thanks so much you two!!!

Me and Dad also spent a few hours one night fishin’ for bass and bluegill while Kemal walked around the pond taking photos of us and the property. I caught a couple of small fish, and Dad caught several as well. Here are a few of the pictures Kemal took. Here’s Dad and me at the pond.

And here’s my niece, Jessica, with her daughter, Isabella.

And here’s a picture Kemal took of the fishin’ pole I was usin’. I just love this photo!

Anyway, I came close to nabbin’ a huge bass in this very spot, but before you think I’m exaggeratin’, I want to let you know this isn’t one of those fish tales. Seriously…it was a big ‘un!!! I got it on the hook, but as I was reelin’ it in it got loose. I sure do wish I hadn’t let it get away ’cause I’m sure it was mighty tasty! Here’s one I did catch, but it’s so small you can barely see it. But hey…a small fish is better than no fish!

Here’s one that Dad caught.

But almost all the fish was the trout that Dad and Uncle Boyd caught, and let me tell you it’s the best trout I ever had! Seriously! The trout you get in a restaurant doesn’t even compare. These were small trout, and the meat was white and flaky. I’ve had the trout with the pinkish/orange meat, but it’s not as good. Kemal also said it was the best trout he ever had. He said he mostly has been disappointed with the trout he’s tried, but not the trout that Dad and Boyd caught.

Anyway, we had a huge fish fry for the family (there was nine of us there) and let me tell you the food was plentiful! Dad and Kemal were in charge of the frying and grilling. Here they are hard at work.

And here’s a few more pics of Dad fryin’ the hush puppies and fish.

Besides a mess of fried fish and Dad’s incredibly delicious hush puppies, we also enjoyed some fried pickles that I made for the first time. Here’s a few pictures showing you all three. I think the fried pickles look deceptively like potato wedges.

We also had veggie and chicken kabobs made by Kemal, Greek salad and coleslaw made by Mom, and a beautiful vanilla cake made by brother’s fiance’s aunt. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to photograph all that, but here’s a photo veggie and chicken kabobs, as well as a Greek salad made by my friend, Vesna, that I took last summer when we grilled out at our friends’ house.

All the food was wonderful, and Kemal and I totally stuffed ourselves to the gills!

Kemal said his favorite thing was the hush puppies.

He had seven of them! I’m not sure what my favorite thing was ’cause it was all so good!

Dad’s recipe for the hush puppies, as well as his breading recipe for the fish are listed below. The fried fish doesn’t have added seasonings, and in my opinion, it doesn’t need anything. It’s perfect just the way it is. You’ll notice in the photo below the plate is on the empty side. These are the first three fish that came out of the fryer. I wanted to photograph the big platter of fish when it was done, but there just wasn’t time. I’m sure you can imagine though.

As for the fried pickles…if you haven’t tasted them before, you really have to give them a try!

They’re so good you wouldn’t believe it! They’re great just the way they are but even better when you dip them in ranch dressing. Yum!!!

Everyone loved them except my brother. You should have seen the look on his face when he bit into one! Well…they look like fried potato wedges, and I reckon I forgot to tell him I was making fried pickles. Ooops!

Anyway, we sure did enjoy everything, and the leftovers were just as good! I sure was spoiled with all that good food! Thanks so much to everyone in my family for their contributions! It was a mighty fine meal!!

Easy Fried Dill Pickles

Recipe Source: www.cooks.com (Recipe submitted by Dan Man)

Dad’s Hush Puppies

Ingredients:

2 cups Martha White Buttermilk Cornmeal Mix
diced yellow onions (however much you want)
2-3 tbsp. sugar
buttermilk (or you can use milk or water instead)
vegetable oil

Instructions:

Place the buttermilk cornmeal mix in a large bowl.
Add the sugar and diced onions.
Stir enough buttermilk until your batter is the consistency of cornbread.
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep fryer (how much you use depends on how large your deep fryer is).
When the oil gets hot, use a tablespoon to drop the batter into the fryer. You should be able to fry several hush puppies at one time.
Fry the hush puppies until they’re golden brown.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the hush puppies from the hot oil, and drain them on a plate with several paper towels on it.

Dad’s Fish Breading for Fried Fish

Ingredients:

Martha White Buttermilk Cornmeal Mix

Instructions:

Press the uncooked fish into the buttermilk cornmeal mix. Make sure it’s covered on both sides evenly with the mix.
When you get ready to fry the fish, heat some vegetable oil in a deep fryer (how much you use depends on how larger your fryer is).
After the oil is hot, drop the breaded fish into the deep fryer.
Cook until the fish is golden brown.