Tag: Salad

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Summer with a Vengeance

Morning starts out cool-ish, but that sun brings the heat up quickly

Jack’s knee is getting better,  but the weather   .  .  .   not so much.

We spent last week sweltering in 100 degree heat. The longer the heat hangs around, the harder it is to bring house temperatures down with cool morning breezes. On an up note, wildfire smoke has not filled our air yet this year.

We did not make it far from home this week. Instead, we did some inside projects that were long overdue. There were also a lot of cold salad preps. No need to overburden the AC with a hot oven.

Summer is salad season at our house

In addition to the regular potato, tuna, chicken, and macaroni salads, we always include a side of sliced tomato w/ basil. JQ discovered an addition to the cold salad rotation  .  .  .  a Mediterranean Veggie salad (recipe below).

We’re up before the sun to open windows and prepare for the day

During these heat waves, we start our day early. By the time the thermometer hits 90, we’re back in the cool comfort of home.

The weatherman is suggesting a drop in daytime highs next week, so perhaps we’ll be able to venture further from home.

Print Recipe

Mediterranean Veggie Salad

great summer salad

Ingredients

Dressing

  • 3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 cup olive oil

Salad

  • 5 - 6 leaves Romaine lettuce chopped
  • 2-3 leaves Radicchio chopped
  • 2-3 radishes diced
  • 1 small cucumber seeded and cut into ¼ inch pieces
  • 1/4 cup fresh cooked corn
  • 1/4 cup red onion thinly sliced
  • 6 Pepperoncini seeded and cut into ¼ inch pieces
  • 4-5 cherry tomatoes quartered
  • ¼ cup cooked beans (your choice)
  • 3 ounces cheddar cheese (or your choice) cut into small cubes
  • 3 ounces Genoa salami cut into small cubes
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Mix dressing ingredients together and allow to sit for at least an hour. Can be held in fridge for up to 2 weeks
  • Chop salad ingredients into equal sized pieces and add to a large bowl
  • Toss dressing with salad in stages until you have coated all the pieces, but it's not too wet ... no dressing in the bottom of the bowl ...
  • NOTE ... adjust salad ingredients and portions to fit your 'fridge.' Any leftover dressing can be used in the next mixing.

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Making a Better Salad

For some time we’ve been making our salads with simple oil and vinegar dressings. The basic recipe is 1 part vinegar, 2 parts oil, add some herb (fresh or dried), and mix in the bottom of a large bowl. You then add a mix of greens and toss. It makes for a tasty and simple salad with any meal.

About a year ago we stopped at our favorite Bend kitchen store (Ginger’s Kitchenware) and discovered a wall of flavored oil and vinegar.

Olivelle, a company based in Bozeman, MT, markets under the motto ‘The Art of Flavor.’ Ginger’s had installed in one corner of the store a shelf with jugs of olive oils and balsamic vinegars.

Of course they set up an area featuring freshly baked bread and all the necessary bits to encourage people to taste the variety.

The variety wasn’t just in age or district, but oils and vinegars had been infused with flavors. From fruit to nuts (cocoa bean), the selection was amazing.

The beauty of these infused vinegars is how easy it is to make a delicious salad … we’ve actually cut the oil back or out of the basic recipe and just use the vinegar to impart flavor.

Check out their website,  you might find a local dealer nearby. We’ve been back several times and are currently enjoying the spiced raspberry balsamic.

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Summer Salad part IV

This final installment of our Summer Salad Series is Salsa (try saying that five times fast).  

Considered a sauce, we’ve chosen to elevate our salsa to it’s proper status … Tomato Salad Extraordinaire. The moment summer tomatoes begin to make their appearance, our fridge always has a deli cup full of fresh salsa. It’s importance can not be underestimated .. so we’re including it.

The ingredients need to be chopped fine and we think a mince of fresh cilantro is important, however not critical, Nan. What you don’t want to omit is the jalapeño and needless to say, the quality of your tomatoes plays a huge role in the final product.

Also not a salad … the one egg omelet has become a staple breakfast at our house and salsa must always be included on the plate. This video is an experiment in food photography style, rather than thinking you need a tutorial on cooking an omelet … but we hope you enjoy.

Print Recipe

Super Simple Salsa

Ingredients

  • 4-5 Compari vine ripened tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 cup red onion, diced
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
  • 1/2 lime, freshly squeezed

Instructions

  • Chop tomatoes and fresh herbs of your choice.
  • Dice red onion.
  • Seed jalapeno and dice.
  • Squeeze 1/2 fresh lime.
  • Combine ingredients and stir. Place in container and refrigerate. Use within 2-3 days.
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Summer Salad part III

You didn’t think we’d do a series on summer salads and not cover the classic … Potato Salad … did you?

The trouble with potato salad is there are so many different kinds. From yummy, warm german style to mid-west mayo encased potato salad. It’s very much a personal choice. 

My father, Earl Schommer was a bit fanatical about recipes for pancakes (a future post) and potato salad. So we’ll include what I think was his favorite … at least it’s from the family recipe file titled “Earl’s.”

But our “go to” potato salad is a recipe JQ has fine tuned over the years. She insists this potato salad have yellow mustard (no substitutions please). Yes, French’s Yellow Mustard is in the dressing.

That said, there are plenty of options, depending on the taste profile you prefer.

We use our home canned bread and butter pickles in the recipe, but I think you could sub in a good pickle relish or sweet pickle. If you prefer more of a dill flavor, add a good dill pickle and sprinkle in some fresh dill.

Actually, this is a hard salad to ruin. So give it a try and perhaps you have some twists on the old classic you’d like to share.

Print Recipe

JQ's Potato Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 - 3 potatoes
  • 1/4 cup carrots, diced
  • 1/4 cup celery, diced
  • 1/2 cup pickles reserve a few tablespoons of pickle juice
  • 1/8 cup onion, diced
  • 1 - 2 tsp salt and pepper

Dressing

  • 1/4 cup mayonaise or miracle whip
  • 1 - 2 tbsp yellow mustard
  • 1 - 2 tsp pickle juice optional

Instructions

  • Boil whole potatoes until cooked.
  • Place cooked potatoes into cool water bath.
  • When potatoes are cool, peel off outer skin. Skin should peel easily.
  • Dice potatoes and place in large mixing bowl.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.

Dressing

  • Mix together mayonnaise and mustard.
  • Stir dressing into salad ingredients.
  • Potatoes may absorb dressing leaving salad a little dry. To moisten add pickle juice as needed. We like adding juice to the dressing to help add flavor.

Notes

There are many ways to vary the taste of this potato salad. We use our bread and butter pickles (which includes marinated onions) which adds a sweet taste to the salad.
Sometimes we prefer the flavor of dill, so we substitute dill pickles and add a pinch or two of fresh dill.
Experiment and make this salad your own!
Print Recipe

Earl’s Potato Salad

Ingredients

  • 6 - 8 large red potatoes
  • 6 large eggs 4 are hard cooked
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup water
  • ¼ cup vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • ½ cup onion chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh parsely minced
  • ¼ cup celery chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

  • Boil potatoes until tender - 20 minutes - @ 15minutes you can add 4 eggs to hard cook. Cool, peel and cut into ½ inch cubes.
  • In small bowl beat 2 raw eggs with sugar, mustard, and salt. Whisk until sugar is disolved.
  • In a 2 quart sauce pan over medium temperature, heat water and vinegar until warm. Add egg mixture and whisk in cornstarch. Increase temperature and bring mixture to a boil and stir until thickened. Cool sauce in bowl covered with plastic wrap.
  • In large bowl mix together potatoes, onion, parsley and celery. Add equal portions of mayo and sauce in ¼ cup increments, mixing after each addition until the salad is desired consistancy. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Finish by slicing hard cooked eggs over the top.

Notes

NOTE: Two things we've always done; 1) half the recipe, 3 or 4 red potatoes make the right amount for two people to share over a couple of lunches. 2) use less mayo than egg mixture, for us ¼ cup egg mixture to ⅛ cup mayo until you get a desired consistancy but these portions are changeable to suit your tastes. 
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Summer Salad part II

When you are looking at summer sides, cucumber salad is a great addition. This one is actually like a fridge pickle but with less sugar. It keeps and travels (think camp & picnic) and makes a great fresh addition to any offering.

We like to use English Cukes, as they have fewer seeds and seem to hold up better, but any cuke should work. 

Print Recipe

Asian Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 english cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced and cut iinto ribbons
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Dressing

  • 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 1/2 tbsp Mirin
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/8-1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
  • 3/4 - 1 tsp granulated sugar

Instructions

  • Place sliced cucumbers into a fine-mesh strainer suspended inside a medium sized bowl. Season with salt. Toss thoroughly to combine.
  • Place in the refrigerator for a least 30 minutes or up to overnight to drain the cucumbers of excess moisture.
  • Remove cucumbers from fridge and transfer to a clean kitchen towel. Pat dry.
  • Add the cucumbers and red onions to a bowl. Add half of the dressing and toss to coat.
  • Place salad in refrigerator and allow flavors to develop for 30-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Taste and add more of the dressing as desired. Garnish with sesame seeds, peanuts and avocado.

Dressing

  • In a small bowl, combine rice vinegar, sesame oil, Mirin, garlic, red pepper flakes and sugar.