Summer Salad Revisited

Here is a recipe derived from reading multiple recipes for cucumber and tomato salad.

Growing up we called a similar concoction "summer salad" which I loved and ate often during the summer when the garden flourished. Based on the recipes I reviewed, I called this cucumber and tomato salad "summer salad revisited" because it embellishes the vegetable dish I loved to eat as a child and youth.

Dale loved this one better than the original!

Summer Salad Revisited

5 pickling cucumbers, peeled and sliced

2-3 tomatoes, diced

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp. salt (I would reduce even more. It was a little on the salty side.)

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Combine the cucumbers, tomatoes and garlic in a bowl. In a separate dish, combine the salt, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Stir the salt, vinegar and oil dressing into the vegetables and garlic. Chill (if desired) and serve.

Homemade Salsa

Getting to the store these days is hard especially when I have 2 boys who really dislike shopping. A few days ago while making nachos, David said, "Mom, you know what we forgot to buy? Salsa." Oh man. I did. Then it hit me...so make some!

I made the following salsa and David has begged me to make it again several times this weekend. Dale ate the rest in one sitting later that night.

I used ingredients I had on hand and adapted it from this recipe.

20 Min

Ready In:
20 Min

Servings (Help)

USMetricCalculate

Original Recipe Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained (I used canned diced tomatoes.)
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a food processor, combine all ingredients; cover and process until chunky. Transfer to a small bowl.

Footnotes

• When cutting or seeding hot peppers, use rubber or plastic gloves to protect your hands. Avoid touching your face.
• Nutritional Analysis: 1/3 cup equals 34 calories, trace fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 336 mg sodium, 7 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 1 g protein. Diabetic Exchange: 1 vegetable.

Dale loved this one! It's spicy so that is no surprise. Actually a little too spicy for me. I'll reduce the red pepper next time as another reviewer did. I did not salt the cucumbers because I don't like my cucumbers wilted.

Here is the original link.

Korean Cucumber Salad

Use a mandoline or food processor to slice the cucumber uniformly thin. Salting the cucumber causes it to wilt and draws out excess moisture. It also gives the dish a pickled quality similar to kimchi, Korea's spicy and pungent fermented cabbage condiment.

• 
  YIELD: 8 servings (serving size: about 1/4 cup)

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups (1/16-inch-thick) slices English cucumber (about 1 large)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons minced green onions
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil

Preparation

• Combine cucumber and salt, tossing well. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes. Drain and squeeze dry.
• Combine cucumber, onions, rice vinegar, sugar, crushed red pepper, and sesame oil. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Cooking Light
JUNE 2007

Cranberry-Orange Relish

I'm finally getting around to posting a recipe I used at Christmas.

Okay, I am not a cranberry fan. I taste the cranberry dishes that others make but on my Thanksgiving or Christmas table you usually do not find a cranberry dish. That hasn't stopped me from looking for a cranberry recipe I might by some small miracle actually like. Afterall, it is a traditional holiday meal element.

Well, I finally found my miracle recipe this fall. I was inspired by the mature orange tree that came with our new home (I'm so excited about that!) and I came across this recipe on Cooking Light. This is the cranberry dish we'll use from now on. It was delish! Even I liked it!

As a bonus, it is incredibly easy, simple and can be made ahead.

Here is the original link.

Cranberry-Orange Relish

YIELD: 2 cups (serving size: 1 tablespoon)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
• 1 small thin-skinned Valencia orange, quartered and seeded
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons chopped walnuts (I omitted.)
• 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur (optional) (I looked up the substitution and used some orange extract.)
• 
  
• Preparation

• Combine cranberries and orange in a food processor, and pulse 5 times or until chopped. Combine cranberry mixture, sugar, walnuts, and Grand Marnier in a bowl, and let stand at least 30 minutes before serving. Cover and store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Cooking Light
DECEMBER 1998

Roasted Potatoes With Garlic

I have been making this recipe for years. It is a very easy side dish.




















Roasted Potatoes with Garlic
Adapted from: Controlling Your Fat Tooth

Makes 8 Servings

1 pound tiny red potatoes, halved (I used russet potatoes here.)
1 head garlic, cloves separated but not peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (I always use garlic pepper or some other type of blend.)

In a 9 x 13 x 2-inch ovenproof casserole dish, arrange potatoes in a single layer. Tuck garlic cloves among potatoes. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Bake at 350 degrees F. 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and garlic is soft.

Squeeze garlic from peels onto potatoes. Toss potatoes with pan drippings.


Approximate Nutritional Content per Serving:

Total Calories 92 (25% of calories from fat)
Fat 3 g
Carbohydrates 16 g
Protein 1 g
Cholesterol 0
Sodium 139 mg
Dietary Fiber 1 g


Note: When I want to keep things simple (and prevent really bad breath), I omit the head of garlic.

Wonderful Mashed Potatoes

Wonderful Mashed Potatoes
by: Rachel Dansie

5 lbs potatoes. boil in salted water until tender. drain and start to mash. add 8 oz cream cheese, 2 tsponion salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 C sour cream, 1 tspsalt, 2 tbl butter. whip until smooth. cool and thencover, put in fridge. store up to 2 weeks. Whenready to use place in greased 2 qt casserole. dotwith butter. bake at 350 degrees for 30 min or untilheated through.

I've never had it but others have tried and said it is to die for.

Teresa -- you rave about them. Post a comment!

Shannon's Chicken Salad

Janae -- this is the recipe you requested for the baby shower.

Chicken Salad
4 cups of chicken, cooked and chopped
1 cup celery, diced
2 tsp green onion
1 (20oz) can of pineapple tidbits, drained
½ cup red seedless grapes, cut in half
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Mix together and chill. Yummy in croissants or over a bed of lettuce.

Ruth's Mandarin Orange Spinach Salad

1/4 head iceburg lettuce torn into pieces
1/4 head romaine cut in pieces
1/3 bag spinach
1 can mandarin oranges drained

Candied Almonds:
1/2 c slivered almonds
2 T. Sugar
(heat on stove to candy almonds)

Dressing:
1/4 c oil
2T sugar
2T vinegar
1T basil
1/2 t salt
dash pepper

Put first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Candy almonds in a saucepan over medium heat stirring frequently. Cool candied almonds on wax paper. Add candied almonds to salad bowl. Mix ingredients for dressing in separate container. Add dressing to salad bowl. Serve immediately.

Kate's Spinach & Pasta Salad

This recipe was given to me by memory so the ingredients are estimated. Feel free to alter the measurements as you deem appropriate.

Kate’s Spinach, Pasta Salad

12 to 16 oz. Cooked Penne Pasta
1 can black whole olives – cut in half
1 container grape tomatoes (or cherry) – cut in half
Slivered red onion (my estimate – about ¼ to 1/3 of the onion)
1 6 oz. container Feta Cheese (we use basil & tomato for flavor)
1 bag (16 oz.?) spinach greens
1 bottle Parmesan – Caesar dressing (Italian would work also)

Optional:
1/3 – ½ lb baby bay shrimp

Combine pasta, olives, tomatoes, onion and feta cheese in large bowl. If you want to add shrimp, rinse shrimp in salt water and add to ingredients. Pour 1/3 to ½ bottle of salad dressing (estimate) over ingredients and stir to combine. Refrigerate ingredients until ready to eat. Add spinach before serving and combine with another ¼ bottle of salad dressing.

Note: If you add the spinach early, it gets soggy.

Mexican Salad

Ruth calls me the queen of salads. I'm beginning to understand why.

Here is another favorite salad that I think compliments enchiladas nicely. Because it is so colorful and makes such a nice presentation, I often take it to barbecue parties and serve it with tortilla chips because it looks more like a salsa to me than a salad.

(This picture was taken of the salad with the black bean omitted.)















Mexican Salad
Prep: 15 minutes

Serve with sour cream and taco chips, or roll up in warmed flour tortillas.

3 cups raw or cooked fresh corn kernels (I use fresh.)
1 can (about 15 oz.) black beans, rinsed
3 ripe tomatoes, cut in chunks
1 each green and red bell pepper, chopped
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup olive oil
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp each minced garlic, salt and pepper
(I also add finely chopped onion -- purple, yellow or green)

Stir all ingredients in a 2 ½ quart serving bowl.

Make-ahead note: As much as 36 hours in advance, I have put the first 5 ingredients into a bowl (corn, beans, tomatoes and green & red pepper, and cilantro) and stored them in the refrigerator. Then I have separately combined the olive oil, lime juice and seasonings in a separate container and chilled. Several hours before serving I combine these ingredients all together in a serving bowl and chill again.

Oriental Inspired Chicken Salad

Very delicious oriental-style chicken salad that is much different from the traditional and well-known version.

Chicken Salad

Marinate 2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts in "Chalka's MMM sauce" for several hours in the refrigerator. Bake, cool and cut into thin strips.

l/2 large Napa cabbage sliced very thin starting at the top.
4 ounces raw snow peas, thinly slivered lengthwise
4 green onions thinly sliced including all green tops
2 small red peppers, thinly slivered
l/2 cup chopped parsley

Combine all the above in a large serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Dressing:

l/2 cup vinegar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 T smooth peanut butter
3 T sugar
2 Tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsps soy sauce
l/4 cup Redi egg ( or 2 egg yolks)
Salt and pepper to taste

Place all the dressing ingredients in a blender; process on high until smooth. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. (Makes l pint) Extra dressing may be stored in the refrigerator for two days.

Kumquat Spinach Salad

This is a delicious salad recipe using kumquats. I don’t have exact measurements because I made it while helping a caterer with a wedding reception.

Spinach – fair amount
Toasted pecans – my guess…about ¼ to 1/3 cup
Feta cheese – my guess…about 1/3 to ½ cup
Kumquats – (remove seeds), thinly sliced.

Poppyseed dressing:

1 cup Sugar
3 tsp. ground mustard
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup rice vinegar
¼ cup chopped onions

Blend all of the above ingredients (5) in a blender.

Add to the above mixture slowly:

2 cups olive oil (I used 1 cup water and 1 cup oil but it doesn’t stick quite as well).

Add 2 Tablespoons poppyseeds.

Blend again. Add enough to the salad ingredients based on your own personal liking (I didn’t use all of the dressing.)

Kelly's Rice Pilaf

This is an easy recipe for Rice Pilaf.


Brown 1 coil of vermicelli (or thin spaghetti broken into small pieces) in cooking spray

Add 3 ½ cups water and bring to a boil.

Add 4 tsp. chicken OR beef bouillon (equivalent of 4 cubes)

Add 1 cup rice and bring back to a boil.

Salt & Pepper to taste. (…And I sprinkle in quite a bit of Garlic & Herb Blend Seasoning.)

Simmer until done with lid.

I let it sit for at least 5 minutes after the liquid is done to set (I don’t lift the lid during the last 5 minutes of cooking.).