Tag: Dressing

White Peach Strawberry Salad

When I first started this blog, I was living in Old City and working in Center City Philadelphia, which meant I got to stop at Reading Terminal on my way home and get inspiration for my meals based on what looked the best that day. I stopped by the Historic Lewes Farmers Market recently looking for some inspiration while at the Delaware Beaches. While I was there, I was able to catch a demonstration by SoDel Concepts’ Pastry Chef Dru Tevis and Bennett Orchards’ Henry Bennett. I picked up some White Peaches from Bennett Orchards while I was there, which inspired me to make this perfectly summery White Peach Strawberry Salad!

This salad is very simple to make, and has less than 10 ingredients, but delivers a balanced mix of sweet, toasty, earthy, and acidic flavors, making for a truly memorable bite!

Ingredients:

Salad:

  • 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
  • 1 (5 oz) bag spring mix
  • 2 sliced white peaches or nectarines
  • 1 cup sliced strawberries
  • 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (if you don’t like blue cheese, you can substitute in feta)

Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
  • pinch of salt and pepper

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Autumn Delicata Squash Salad

Note: I received a cooler bag with BrightFarms local leafy greens and salad ingredients in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.
I am so excited to share this Autumn Delicata Squash Salad recipe with you, thanks to BrightFarms!
I recently received a lovely delivery from BrightFarms, the leading provider of locally grown packaged salads.
BrightFarms operates hydroponic greenhouse farms right outside the communities where they are sold, including one in Selinsgrove, PA, about 150 miles from Philadelphia. The indoor farming company has revolutionized what’s possible in the agricultural industry by growing produce indoors and in carefully controlled greenhouses without ever using pesticides.
Their products are:
  • Pesticide-Free: Proudly pesticide free and non-GMO to keep your family safe
  • Greenhouse/Sustainably Grown: Greenhouses provide the ideal environment to grow 365 days/year to peak flavor
  • Locally Grown: Greens are grown, harvested & delivered to stores in as little as 24 hours, so BrightFarms greens are at peak freshness and flavor when arriving in your fridge

My BrightFarms cooler bag was filled with a bunch of goodies, including the ingredients to make this delicious Autumn Delicata Squash Salad!

Ingredients:
Salad:
  • 1 (4 oz) container BrightFarms Keystone Crunch
  • 1 medium delicata squash
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup shaved parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing:

  • 2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

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Peach and Tomato Salad

We were recently heading to a friends house for dinner and were asked to bring a salad.

I didn’t necessarily want to bring a traditional lettuce-based salad, so I went in search of something that made the most of what’s in season at the moment, like this Peach and Tomato Salad.

I came across this yummy sounding Summer Peach and Tomato Salad, and made a few adjustments.

I used frozen sliced peaches, mainly because I’m a bit lazy, but also because I didn’t want overly ripe peaches in the salad.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
  • 1 pound frozen sliced peaches, thawed
  • 1/2 pound Campari tomatoes, quartered
  • 1/2 pound heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons agave
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves

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Lemon Salmon Caesar Salad

This recipe is a staple in my house, I make it almost every week! This salad is a great way to get dinner on the table quickly while still delivering a healthy meal.

I found this recipe in the Cooking Light Real Family Food cookbook, but adapted it slightly.

The real star of this dish is the lemony Caesar dressing, which is so simple to make!

Ingredients:

  • the juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 5/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 5 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 1/3 cups (3/4-inch) cubed French bread
  • 4 (6 oz) salmon fillets
  • 7 cups coarsely chopped hearts of romaine lettuce (about 2 hearts)
  • 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/3 cup shaved fresh Parmesan cheese

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Grilled Chicken with Tomato-Avocado Salad

I am in a grilling mood so there is going to be an influx of barbecue recipes on here, I think very few people will complain. We finally have a grill, but haven’t set it up yet (oops) so I am still making this recipe on my grill pan. This is a recipe from Cooking Light in the latest issue. I made a few changes just based on what I could find but the recipe is primarily in tact.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
  • 3 tablespoons 0% Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tablespoon minced shallots
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon  chili powder
  • 2 ears yellow corn, shucked
  • 1 small red onion, cut into 1/2-inch slices
  •  1 cup yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 sliced peeled ripe avocado

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Vegetable Couscous Salad

The weather in Philadelphia decided to take a break from the cold and give us two days of summer! We hit temperatures above 80 degrees so I wanted to prepare a light meal that didn’t involve much time over a stove. This Vegetable Couscous Salad from Cooking Light is perfect for summer dinners. It also travels well, so it would be a great addition to a barbecue, just make it ahead of time and bring it with you!

Ingredients:

Dressing:

  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 (.6 ounce envelope Italian dressing mix) or Italian spice blend

Salad:

  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 cup uncooked couscous
  • 2 cups chopped red bell pepper (I used two peppers)
  • 2 cups chopped tomato (I used two beefsteak tomatoes)
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
  • 1/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

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Kara Age Scallop Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

A while back, I received a box of Kikkoman Kara-Age Soy-Ginger Seasoned Coating Mix and make these wonderful Kara-Age Popcorn Shrimp. The box came with two bags of Kara-Age seasoning and I’ve been holding on to it waiting for the perfect recipe to use it. I found a recipe for a Seared Scallop Salad that sounded wonderful by itself, but I thought the Kara-Age would be an awesome addition, so here is my recipe for Kara Age Scallop Salad with Honey Lime Dressing!
Ingredients for the Honey-Lime Dressing:
The juice of 3 limes
5 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Salt, to taste
Ingredients for the Scallop Salad:
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 lbs dry sea scallops
1 packet of Kikkoman Kara-Age Soy-Ginger Seasoned Coating Mix
1 bag of mixed greens (I used a baby spring mix)
2 cups chopped vegetables of your choice

So,  I’m having a busy week, which means I wanted the quickest recipe possible. Pre-washed bag of mixed greens? Check.  Seafood so it cooks quickly? You bet. Pre-chopped assorted vegetables? Oh my.
Trader Joe’s has containers of a “healthy 8 chopped veggie mix” that includes broccoli, carrots, green cabbage, red cabbage, jicama, green bell pepper, radishes and celery. Sounds good for a salad to me! (If you want, chop up whatever makes you happy and put it in this salad. I was just being super lazy).
First make your dressing. Whisk together the lime juice, honey, vinegar and salt until the honey is incorporated (I find this to be easier if the honey has been microwaved for a few seconds).  Set aside.
Add the salad greens and vegetables to a large bowl. Toss to combine.
Add the kara-age mix to a large ziplock bag. Add the scallops, close the bag, and shake until the scallops are fully coated.
Heat the peanut oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add some of the scallops to the skillet (no more than 5-6, you don’t want them to crowd). Cook the scallops for 4 minutes until golden brown.
Flip and cook for another 4 minutes. The scallops should be opaque throughout. (Cut one open to check).
Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining scallops.
To serve, add the greens and vegetables to individual plates and place the scallops on top. Mix to dressing and drizzle on top.
This recipe should make 4 salads.
Easy, right?
For so little effort, a dish should not taste this good!
The honey lime dressing was perfect with the slightly bitter salad and the kara-age.
The kara-age added hints of ginger, soy, and garlic which really complemented the dish. It also added a nice sear to the scallops.
Depending on how few/many scallops you add to the plate, this could be an appetizer or the full meal. After taking the photos I added 1-2 more to make it my dinner for the night.

Crab Corn and Tomato Salad with Lemon-Basil Dressing

With a fridge full of beautiful ears of bi-sweet corn, I am on a bit of a corn kick. I am always in search of meals that I think can be made the night ahead and eaten for lunch the next day, and this one fit the bill. I modified the original recipe for this Crab Corn and Tomato Salad (from Cooking Light of course) to work as a lunch meal.

 

Ingredients:
Grated lemon rind from 2 lemons
Lemon juice from 2 lemons
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (about 1 ears)
2 tablespoons thinly sliced basil leaves
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1/2 pound lump crab meat, shell pieces removed
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

To make the dressing, combine the zest, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, and Dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well with a whisk until the olive oil is incorporated. To make the Crab Corn and Tomato Salad, add the corn, basil, bell pepper, red onion, crab meat, and tomatoes to the dressing. Toss gently to coat.

 

I love citrus with any kind of seafood. Lemon brightens the dish overall and works so well with the crab and tomatoes. Because I let it sit overnight, the citrus flavor really had time to soak in. This is really a great make-ahead meal!

Italian Pasta Salad

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It’s almost July 4th weekend, so I am preparing a bunch of dishes for me to trek down to the beach.
I tend to make food that can marinate for a day or two so that I have time to make it without rushing around right before we leave. This time around, I decided to make a pasta salad based off my mom’s version.

Ingredients:

  • 1 box of tri-colored pasta
  • 1 can of pitted black olives, sliced
  • 1 package of cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup corn kernels
  • 1/2 can of black beans, rinsed
  • 6 mozzarella balls, halved
  • small jar of artichoke hearts, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 jar roasted red peppers, roughly chopped
  • Italian dressing (recipe below)

Ingredients for Italian dressing:

  • 1 tablespoon garlic salt
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup white wine or rice vinegar
  • 1 1/3 cup olive oil or canola oil

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