Arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp. lemon zest

2 TBS fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp. sugar

5-6 oz. baby arugula

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half

1/4 cup shredded or shaved parmesan cheese

Mix dressing ingredients. Put arugula and parmesan in a bowl and pour dressing over. Mix well. 

Carrot Salad w/roasted Sunflower Seeds

3-4 whole carrots, grated
2 green onions, chopped
3 TBS currants
2 TBS toasted sunflower seeds

Dressing:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 TBS sugar
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of pepper

Grate carrots and chop green onions. Blot excess moisture from carrots with paper towel. Mix dressing ingredients. Combine carrots and green onions. Add dressing mixing well. Stir in currants and sunflower seeds. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Caesar Wedge Salad

3 Romaine Hearts
2 TBS chopped chives (optional)

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Sour Cream
1 lemon, zest 1/2 tsp., juice 1 TBS 
2 TBS + more for serving Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1-2 TBS water
a small garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper

Slice romaine hearts in half lengthwise. Zest lemon. Finely chop 2 TBS parmesan cheese.Stir in Mayonnaise, sour cream, 1/2 tsp. lemon zest, 1 TBS lemon juice squeeze, mustard and 1 TBS water.  Mix well. If consistency is thick and hard to drizzle add another 1 TBS water. Season with salt and pepper. Serve romaine halves with dressing, parmesan cheese, and chives.

Cucumber Tomato Salad w/Avocado

This is a twist on Tomato Cucumber Salad

1 french cucumber, sliced or chopped

1-2 chopped tomatoes

1/2-3/4 cup sliced peppers, green, red, orange, yellow whatever you decide

1-2 stalks celery, sliced 

1 avocado, chopped

Dressing:

3 TBS white wine vinegar 

1 TBS olive oil

1/2 TBS sugar 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Cut up vegetables, except avocado. Mix dressing ingredients and blend into vegetables.  Cut up avocado and gently blend.  Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Caprese Salad

1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
1 lb sliced mozzarella cheese (or slice it yourself
3-4 tomatoes, sliced
Fresh basil leaves
salt & pepper
olive oil

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In a small pan, bring balsamic vinegar to a boil over medium-low heat. Cook for 10 to 20 minutes, or until balsamic vinegar is reduced to a thick glaze. Remove from heat and cool. 

Arrange alternating slices of tomato, cheese, and basil leaves. Drizzle with balsamic reduction, olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper. Fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden make this a wonderful summer salad.

Carrot Salad

2-3 cups carrots, peeled and grated
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1/3 cup mayonnaise, or to taste
1 tablespoon granulated sugar, to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper, to taste
1/2 apple, diced or grated (optional)

Put grated carrots in a large bowl; toss with remaining ingredients. Chill thoroughly before serving.

Carrot Salad serves 4 to 6.

Pasta Salad

I made PW's Spicy Pasta salad w/smoked Gouda several times with great success. Recently, my pregnant daughter is very sensitive to spicy foods and last time she ate this salad declared it too spicy.  Since we had her and her hubby over for dinner tonight,  I attempted to make a similar salad that wasn't spicy.

12 oz. Gluten Free Pasta
1 cup Smoked Gouda Cheese, cubed
1 cup Grape Tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup black olives, cut in half
1/2 cup Basil Leaves, (approximately) sliced thinly
2 slices Turkey Pastrami, chopped (optional)

Dressing:
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup Wine Vinegar, garlic flavored
1 seeded and chopped Pepperocini
1/2 tsp. Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Rinse in cold water and drain well. Mix dressing ingredients. Place pasta in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and dressing. Mix gently. Add additional salt, pepper, or basil according to taste.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

GF Panzanella Salad

I had never heard of panzanella salad, but with all of these lovely tomatoes from my garden, I went in search of a tomato salad recipe.  I was a bit disheartened to find recipes with french bread when we are gluten free.  That is until I realized I had a loaf of GF bread that was going to get moldy if I didn't eat it up quick.  Now that two more daughters and my mother-in-law has moved out, it wasn't very likely that the two of us left would finish the loaf. so I used PW's recipe for Panzanella (with a few obvious and not so obvious changes) to make a bread salad that was also gluten free.

So here is my version:

• 1 loaf Gluten Free Bread
• A variety of  Tomatoes, Cut or sliced (I used about 3-4 cups)
• 1 cup Basil Leaves, sliced or gently torn
• 1/2 cup smoked Gouda Cheese, cubed
• 1/2 sweet onion, slivered
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
• Salt And Pepper
• Olive Oil, For Drizzling

Because I didn't have french bread, I cubed the bread and spread it on a cookie sheet. I warmed it in the oven at 275 degrees for about 20 minutes so it was more like croutons, then cooled.

Place the bread in a bowl.  Add onion and tomatoes.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Add cheese and basil and mix gently. Cover and allow to sit until ready to serve. (If it's going to be more than a couple of hours, you may refrigerate but tomatoes lose flavor and texture very quickly when chilled. My advice is never to chill/refrigerate tomatoes.)

Enjoy!

Tomato Salad

Am excited to harvest a variety of tomatoes this year.  We have Roma, grape, yellow pear, and regular but I don't remember the exact varieties of these that we have. Having just returned from a week long trip to Phoenix and trying to cook something from what I had on hand, I picked these tomatoes and made a salad.

About 2 cups Tomatoes, sliced or cut up
1/4 cup sliced Kalamata Olives
About 1/4 Fresh Basil Leaves
Fresh Ground Pepper

Dressing:
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 TBS Rice Wine Vinegar, garlic flavored

Place sliced/chopped tomatoes into a bowl. Add olives and basil.  Mix dressing and drizzle over salad. Grind some fresh pepper on top.

P.S. Don't refrigerate tomatoes.  They lose flavor and texture.

Three Bean Salad

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 

1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained 

1 1/2 cups cooked green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces

3/4 cup smoked Gouda Cheese, cut in cubes

1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced

Dressing:

2 TBS honey

1 TBS rice wine vinegar (I like the garlic flavored)

1 TBS dijon mustard
1 TBS olive oil

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp pepper 

Mix dressing ingredients.  I find that if I warm the honey slightly, it is easier to mix. Place remaining ingredients in a bowl.  Add dressing, coating all. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes or more. Mix gently before serving. 

Creamy Potato Salad

In May, I was in New Orleans to celebrate my son's graduation from Tulane Law School. The graduation was spectacular, but ran nearly 3 hours.

 My daughter-in-law and son had planned to prepare Jambalaya for lunch, but since that afternoon was the smaller law school ceremony they picked up BBQ. Lauren mentioned the potato salad at this restaurant was her absolute favorite.  Instead of the usual mustard potato salad I'm familiar with this was made with a sour cream base. 

On Monday, I attempted this type of potato salad.  Did I mention it has bacon in it? I had planned to start with this recipe, and make changes based on my own taste.   Unfortunately, I bought what I thought were red potatoes, but they turned to mush while boiling.  At that point, I was so frustrated I didn't bother trying to mix and taste.  The more I mixed or stirred, the more mashed the potatoes became.

I had two helpings.  I think it was the bacon.  Who doesn't love bacon???

Potato Salad

3 lbs. Red Potatoes
3/4 cup Sour Cream
1/4 cup Mayonnaise (Original recipe uses light sour cream and light mayo, which I did NOT do.)
6 Green Onions, Sliced
4 Slices Bacon, cooked and chopped
Coarse salt and pepper

Cut up potatoes and boil in salted water until just tender. Mix sour cream and mayo. Drain potatoes and fold in mayo mixture.  Add green onions and bacon. Can be served warm or chilled.  If chilling, add bacon right before serving.

It's funny, as I'm looking at the original recipe, the potatoes look kind of mashed.  I guess if I'd garnished my salad for the picture, the two wouldn't look that different.

Menu for Tuesday & Wednesday:

Tuesday: Spaghetti & Meatballs, Toasted garlic bagels, Salad
Actual: Spaghetti & Meatballs, Garlic Toast, Green Salad, Watermelon & Blueberries
Wednesday: Grilled Salmon, 3 bean salad w/smoked Gouda, Baked Potatoes
Actual: I stuck to the menu!

Kale Salad

I have only eaten kale a few times.  I found a bag of Kale with carrots cut in matchsticks and some red cabbage shreds.  The color was a lovely dark green, so I decided I needed to try it.  I even found a recipe on the back for dressing.  I wish I could remember who packaged it.  I tried googling it, but didn't find it.  I tweaked the dressing recipe as per usual.  My sister was here for dinner and had seconds (or thirds.)  I ate it the next day for lunch, and it was better than the first day.

8 oz. bag dino kale
2 TBS toasted sesame seeds

Dressing:

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (I like the garlic flavored)
 1/4 cup olive oil
1  TBS sesame oil
1/2 TBS sugar
1 tsp. fresh grated ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper


Mix dressing in container with lid.  Shake to combine.  Pour over salad and toss.  Mix in sesame seeds.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes or more before serving.  Can be made a day ahead and kept in refrigerator.

GF Teriyaki Chicken Salad

 I finally came up with a decent gluten free substitute for my family's favorite main dish salad:  Teryiaki Chicken Salad

Chicken Marinade:
3/4 cup Tamari or GF soy sauce 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 TBS red wine vinegar
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 minced garlic clove
1 Tbs grated fresh ginger (or 3/4 tsp ground ginger)
1-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast

Mix all ingredients together and marinate chicken for several hours, overnight, or freeze all in a Ziploc bag until ready to use. Drain marinade and grill chicken about 4 minutes each side. Slice thin or cut into bite-size pieces.


For Salad Topping:
1 pkg. Maifun Rice Noodles
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1TBS butter
oil

Salad:
1 head napa cabbage, shredded
1 bunch green onions, sliced

Dressing:
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce*

In a medium skillet melt butter over medium heat, add almonds, and sesame seeds and stir-fry until light brown.  Remove from heat and cool.  Heat oil (or use a deep fryer) and drop half a package of noodles into it.  Cook about one minute until noodles begin to brown and float.  Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.  Sprinkle with a bit of seasoned salt.

In a small saucepan bring vegetable oil, sugar, and vinegar to boil for 1 minute, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved.   Add soy sauce. Cool.   I store it in a glass jar with a tight lid so I can shake to completely mix before pouring over salad.

In a large bowl, combine shredded napa cabbage and sliced green onions. Add Teriyaki Chicken, the noodles and soy sauce dressing. Toss to coat. Serve.

Quinoa Salad

 1 cup quinoa
1/2 cup spinach, sliced thin
1/4 cup green onions
1/4 cup thinly sliced celery
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 carrot, peeled, then use potato peeler for very thin slices
2 TBS pumpkin seeds (can use pine nuts, if desired)

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. dijon mustard, can use honey mustard
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Cook quinoa according to pkg. directions.  Let cool.  Mix dressing.  Chop/slice vegetables and mix into quinoa.  Stir in dressing.  Fold in cranberries, topping with pumpkin seeds.  Chill before serving, unless you are in a hurry.

Simple Asian Salad

1/2 head of Napa or Chinese Cabbage
2 green onions, thin  sliced
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Dressing:
1 TBS sesame oil
1TBS seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 TBS sugar
1TBS Tamari or GF soy sauce
2  minced garlic cloves
1/2 tsp. minced or grated fresh ginger
1-3 tsp. red chili garlic sauce (use more or less depending on how spicy you like it)

Mix dressing ingredients.  Chop or slice cabbage & green onions finely.  Add dressing.  Top with toasted sesame seeds.  This will hold well in the fridge for a day or two.

(This recipe was inspired from Mary's Fresh Kimchi Salad recipe.  Her book isn't gluten free, but it is about feeding her family on a tight budget.)

Neon Green Coleslaw

I couldn't sleep the other night. I happened upon a cooking show. I don't normally watch cooking shows. I know, one would think because I enjoy cooking that I'd like to watch the experts at work. I don't.

Guests were asked what their last meal would be if they could eat anything, anywhere they'd like. One of them said, "a BBQ Sandwich from ___." (I promptly forgot the name.) It was a small diner, somewhere in Memphis, Tennessee that served BBQ sandwiches with coleslaw plopped atop and oozing out the sides of an enormous bun. Neon green coleslaw.

I had never heard of such a thing. I searched online for and sure enough, it was called mustard coleslaw. Not being a big coleslaw fan, but loving pulled pork BBQ, I thought I'd give it a try.

I made a big batch of Carnitas. They were delicious, but my goal was to have enough leftover to make BBQ Pork the following day. I wanted to concentrate my efforts on making the neon green coleslaw. And here it is:

I chose my ingredients based on what would work best to achieve the neon color. Having never tasted this before, this seemed the best way to come close to the original version of this dish. Maybe one day, I'll serve this to someone who has actually eaten in the South and see how it compares. In the meantime, it was delicious served next to a stack of BBQ.

Turkey Bacon Salad

1-2 cups chopped turkey (smoked or leftover works fine)

1/2 lb. thick bacon

1/4 cup onion, sliced

1 avocado, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
Bowl of iceberg lettuce, or combination of greens

Dressing Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonniase
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 TBS red wine vinegar
1 TBS fresh chopped parsley
1 minced garlic clove
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
a bit of milk, to thin if necessary

Mix Dressing ingredients and refrigerate. (For creamier dressing, blend in food processor.) Tastes best after a few hours or overnight.

Slice bacon and fry until crisp. Toss salad with dressing & turkey. Gently fold in remaining ingredients, topping with additional feta if desired.

Salad With Honey Mustard Dressing

Combination of romaine lettuce & spinach
1/4 cup sliced sweet onion
handful of pecans or walnuts
handful of feta cheese
handful of pomegranate seeds

Dressing:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1-2 TBS olive oil
1 1/2 TBS honey
1 TBS mustard (yellow, brown, or whatever your preference)
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
dash of garlic powder

Warm honey slightly to make it easier to mix. Whisk mustard, lemon juice, & garlic powder with honey. When creamy, add olive oil a little at a time until desired consistency. Serve over salad.

Mexican Side Salad

Any combination of lettuces (but you gotta have an abundance of iceberg)
and throw in avocado slices,
onions (if desired)
tomatoes
and anything else that makes a good salad
corn tortillas cut in half, then in 1/2 inch pieces so you can fry up
these corn tortilla strips:


Mix equal parts of ranch dressing (gluten free, of course) with your favorite salsa and pour over salad. Top with:
grated cheese
and your freshly cooked tortilla strips. Mmmm...Enjoy!

Tuscan Rice Salad

1 cup Arborrio Rice
1 TBS Olive Oil
2-3 cups water

1 cup Fresh Spinach, sliced thin
1/2 cup Fresh Basil, sliced in ribbons
1 Red or Yellow Pepper (I used half of each)
1/2 cup sliced or chopped Kalamata Olives
1/2 cup crumbled Feta Cheese
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

Stir fry 1 cup of rice in 1 TBS olive oil over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of water, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until tender, adding additional water if necessary. Chop & slice vegetables and place in bowl. Cool rice. Add vegetables, olives, & feta cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk vinegar and olive oil together. Pour over salad coating all. Serve chilled.