Basil Vinaigrette

This is delicious and easy!  I used it both on salad and instead of mayo on sandwiches!  Fantastic!

Basil Vinaigrette

1 ½ cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup fresh, finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano
3 Tsp red or white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp garlic, minced
½ tsp finely grated lemon zest
¾ tsp kosher salt
Freshly grated black pepper

 

Put the basil, olive oil, Parmigiano Reggiano, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic and lemon zest into a blender or food processor.  Blend until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

Goat Cheese Beet Stackers

Goat Cheese Beet Stackers

2 cups cooked beets, sliced

2 oz semi-soft herbed goat cheese

2 cups arugula

2 tablespoons fat free balsamic vinaigrette

Clean and boil beets.  When you can easily insert a knife into the beet, they are done.  Run under cold water and remove skin with fingers.  

Slice the beets and let cool.  Pace arugula on a plate and prepare stackers according to the picture.  Divide goat cheese evenly among the stacks.  Pour dressing over the stacks and arugula.  Serve!

Makes 5 stacks.  (Weight Watchers PointsPlus = 2 per stack)

Fifth Army Tuna Salad

This recipe is a family favorite and makes enough to feed an army!  I love this on summer days for an easy lunch.

Fifth Army Tuna Salad

1 small onion, chopped

1 bunch celery, chopped

12 oz ring pasta

12 oz Miracle Whip

10 oz canned tuna in water 

Boil pasta, drain, and rinse with cold water.  In a large bowl, mix onion, celery, pasta, Miracle Whip, and tuna.  Refrigerate until cold.

Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

3-4 medium beets

Mixed greens

4 oz goat cheese (Chevere)

Candied walnuts

Balsamic vinegar, to taste

Olive oil (optional), to taste

Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Scrub beets and place in a pot of boiling water.  Boil until beets are tender and skins come off, roughly 30-40 minutes.

When cooled enough to handle, remove skins of beets and roughly chop into bite-size pieces.

Place desired portion of mixed greens onto plate, add beets, sprinkle goat cheese and candied nuts on top.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle with vinegar olive oil.

Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

I love Hawaiian BBQ, especially the delicious macaroni salad they serve along side the chicken and rice.  YUM!  Here's a slightly more sophisticated recipe that still retains the deliciousness and simplicity of the original.  

Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

2 cups whole milk
2 cups mayonnaise (Best Food's is a must)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
 Salt and pepper
1 pound elbow macaroni
1/2 cup cider vinegar
4 scallions, sliced thin
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1 celery rib , chopped fine 

Whisk 1½ cups milk, 1 cup mayonnaise, sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper in bowl.

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta and cook until very soft, about 15 minutes. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add vinegar and toss until absorbed. Transfer to bowl. Cool pasta 10 minutes, then stir in dressing until pasta is well coated. Cool completely.

Add scallions, carrot, celery, remaining milk, and remaining mayonnaise to pot with pasta mixture and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl and refrigerate, covered, for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. Serve.

Southwest Rice and Corn Salad with Lemon Dressing

Avocado and cilantro are on my top 10 list of most amazing things on this planet. This salad, which I found in Bon Appetit was great and I will absolutely make it again. I forgot to purchase a yellow pepper, so I used a bit extra green pepper and zucchini.  Yes, I used green pepper instead of poblano chiles - can't take the heat!

Southwest Rice and Corn Salad with Lemon Dressing

1 cup long-grain white rice 

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided 

1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from 2 ears) or frozen corn kernels, thawed 

1 cup chopped fresh poblano chiles or green bell pepper 

1 cup diced seeded yellow bell pepper\

1 cup 1/2-inch cubes yellow zucchini 

1 avocado, halved, peeled, diced 

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions 

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 

Cook rice until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Drain again.

Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice and 3 tablespoons oil in small bowl. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add corn, poblanos, yellow bell pepper, and zucchini. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until vegetables are just tender, 6 to 7 minutes; scrape into large bowl. Add rice, avocado, green onions, cilantro, and dressing; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. 

Roasted Beet and Avocado Salad

At first, I was a little uncertain about this recipe from Food & Wine.  I've only had fresh beets a few times, but really liked them.  I had never prepared them myself, though.  I was excited about this challenge!  I'll be honest, MY salad looking NOTHING like the picture in the magazine, but that's okay because it was incredibly delicious.  Even my roommate and her friend were thoroughly impressed - two people who were not necessarily fans of beets.  EVERYTHING about this salad works - the texture of the vegetables to the sweet onion tang.  Do not be fooled by the pictures - this is shockingly delicious!

Roasted Beet and Avocado Salad

4 medium beets (about 1/2 pound each), scrubbed

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing

1/2 cup water

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

1 cipollini onion, finely chopped, or 1/3 cup finely chopped sweet Spanish or white onion

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 cup grapeseed oil or other mild vegetable oil

2 Hass avocados, cut into 3/4-inch pieces 

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a small baking dish, rub the beets with olive oil. Add the water and season with salt and white pepper. Cover tightly with foil and roast for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until tender when pierced with a knife. Let cool, then peel the beets and cut them into 3/4-inch pieces. Transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the chopped onion with the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, mustard and honey. Season with salt and white pepper and blend until smooth. With the machine on, add the grapeseed oil and the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a steady stream.

Add the avocado to the roasted beets. Pour the onion dressing on top and toss gently to combine. Season the salad with salt and pepper and serve.

Argentine Rice-Veggie Salad

This is a simple, healthy recipe that can be prepared in about 20 minutes.  I found this recipe in, of course, one of my cooking magazines - this time - Everyday with Rachel Ray.  The best part of this recipe is that you can really dress up the salad with any types of spices you may have on hand.  Try some flavored oils, leftover herbs, and clean out your vegetable drawer.  The salad tastes even better the next day and can be served warm or cold.  I prefer it cold and have been munching on it all day.  I keep heading back to the fridge to refill my bowl.  

Note:  You may be tempted to cook all of the veggies together in boiling water, but be careful as they all have different cooking times.  Also, when I prepared this salad I doubled the recipe so the pictures here reflect that change.  Additionally, I did not have a red onion on hand, so I used a sweet yellow onion.

Argentine Rice-Veggie Salad

1/2 cup white rice

Salt and pepper

1 carrot, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 ear corn, kernels scraped off

1 cup frozen peas

2 stalks celery, cut into 1/4-inch cubes, plus 2 tablespoons chopped celery leaves

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

In a small saucepan, bring the rice, 1 cup water and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer until the water is absorbed, about 17 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool.

Meanwhile, fill another saucepan with salted water. Add the carrot, bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl; toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, the vinegar and oregano. Season with salt and pepper.

In the same saucepan, blanch the corn in the boiling water for 3 minutes; transfer to the bowl with the carrot. Add the peas to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Transfer to the bowl.

Add the rice, cubed celery, chopped celery leaves and onion to the bowl, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss.

Red Potato Salad

I went to a Father's Day dinner at my boyfriend's parent's house.  I offered to bring two side dishes.  I wanted something fresh but hearty.  I found a pretty healthy Paula Deen recipe that had recieved some rave reviews.  I absolutely loved this salad and it was a hit with everyone. 

Red Potato Salad

12 cups cubed red potatoes

1 cup chopped green bell pepper (about 1 medium)

1/2 cup minced red onion

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Fresh Dill

Cook potatoes, covered in boiling water, 10 minutes, or until tender; drain well and cool.

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, bell pepper and onion.   

In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients.  Pour over potato mixture, tossing gently to coat.   

 

 Sprinkle with dill and green onions, cover and refrigerate. 

Kalyn's Kitchen Recipe for Quinoa Salad

I absolutely love reading Kalyn's blog!  She has so many great healthy recipes for practically everything.  The pictures are amazing and the food tastes even better.  If you haven't already checked out her blog, I strongly suggest that you follow it!  This recipe is taken directly from her blog.

Quinoa Salad with Avocado, Radishes, Cucumbers, and Cumin-Lime Vinaigrette

1 cup quinoa (rinsed well with cold water)
2 cups water
2 avocados, peeled and diced in 3/4 inch pieces
1 T fresh-squeezed lime juice (for tossing avocado)
1 cup chopped radishes (diced in 1/2 inch pieces)
1 large cucumber (peeled with thin green stripes remaining, seeds scraped out, and diced in 1/2 inch pieces)
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

Dressing:
3 T fresh-squeezed lime juice
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. Spike Seasoning (or use other all purpose seasoning blend of your choice)
1/2 tsp. Vege-Sal (or use 1/4 tsp. sea salt)
2 T extra virgin olive oil

Put 1 cup quinoa into a fine-mesh strainer (or put a paper towel inside your strainer if it's not fine enough to catch the quinoa seeds.) Rinse quinoa well with cold water. Bring 2 cups water to boil in a small saucepan, stir in quinoa, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until all the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. (Keep an eye on it, because it may take more or less than 15 minutes, depending on exactly how high you have the heat. You can also cook the quinoa in a rice cooker if you prefer.)

Let the cooked quinoa cool for a few minutes, then place in salad bowl, fluff with a fork and cool until quinoa is room temperature, about 15-30 minutes.

While quinoa cooks and cools, peel avocado, dice into 3/4 inch pieces, place in small bowl, and toss with 1 T fresh-squeezed lime juice. Peel cucumbers, leaving thin green stripes, scrape out seeds, and dice cucumbers into 1/2 inch pieces. Cut off root and stem end of radishes, wash if needed, and dice into 1/2 inch pieces. Thinly slice enough green onions to make 1/4 cup.

In a small bowl, stir together the 3 T lime juice, ground cumin, Spike Seasoning, and Vege-Sal, then whisk in the olive oil.

When quinoa has cooled to room temperature in the salad bowl, stir in the diced radishes, diced cucumbers, and thinly-sliced green onions. (Don't add avocado until the end.) Stir in enough dressing to moisten salad to your liking (you may not need all the dressing.) Gently stir in diced avocado, season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper, and serve immediately.

 

This was okay when I kept it in the fridge overnight, but I don't think it would keep for longer than a day, and it was better freshly made.

Caprese Salad

Caprese Salad is my all time favorite type of salad.  You can't beat fresh tomtatoes, basil, and mozzarella.  I've seen quite a few recipes for this salad and ordered it at a variety of restaurants.  The recipe below is my favorite way to eat this salad.

Caprese Salad

3 Vine-Ripened Tomatoes sliced in 1/4 inch thick slices

1 lb of fresh mozzarella sliced in 1/4 inch thick slices

15-20 fresh basil leaves

1/2 bag of Spring Mix salad

Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Oregano

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Cracked Pepper

Dash Salt

Scatter Spring Mix salad onto the serving plate.  Top with sliced tomatoes followed by basil leaves.  Pour small amounts of Balsamic Vinaigrette over the salad depending on your tastes.  Add slices of mozzarella and top with a dash of salt, some cracked pepper, and a sprinkling of oregano.  Finish with a drizzling of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.