Category Archives: salad dressing

Italian Chopped Salad

Posted on December 11, 2012 | 2 comments

Chanukah 005Chanukah 038I love a chopped salad as much as the next one, and I especially love an Italian chopped salad with delicious Italian ingredients. This was my take on Giada de Laurentis’s  Antipasto Salad.  Delicious ingredients , and I made my dressing the day before , cut salami and cheese the day before. Just had to assemble salad the day we were eating it. When you do all the prep before it’s pretty easy . Also if you just like to use one kind of lettuce use whatever you like. I like a combo of iceberg and romaine lettuces in here and sometimes I just use romaine . It’s key to chop/shred lettuce into bite size pieces.

Ingredients:

1 head romaine lettuce cut into bite size pieces or whatever lettuces you like

1/2 head iceberg lettuce , shredded or chopped upChanukah 017

1 cup rinsed canned red kidney beans, patted dry

1 cup rinsed canned garbanzo beans, patted dry

8 ounces of hard salami, cubed–use a really good salami. If you have an Italian deli near you that’s the best .

6 ounces of provolone cheese, cubed–also use as good a provolone as you can find.

baby plum tomatoes or cherry tomatoes cut into small pieces

*of course some chopped up green or black olives would be really nice

Red Wine Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 cup olive oil

Freshly Ground Pepper to taste

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey and salt in a blender. With the machine running , stream the olive oil in gradually. Taste for salt and pepper to taste.

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Balsamic Syrup – Tomato Time

Posted on July 31, 2012 | 1 comment

The tomatoes are here,  I was at the farmer’s market in Basalt today and the heirlooms and beefsteaks are just starting to show up. I love love these tomatoes.  I bought these beauties today and am going to make a balsamic syrup (reduction) from just ordinary balsamic and drizzle it on my tomatoes .  This is the recipe ( super easy ) for balsamic syrup, I am well aware that you can buy this syrup, however there is no need to if you have a spare 1/2 hour and a bottle of balsamic vinegar. No excuse not to do it, I’m sure you all have some balsamic vinegar in the house, in the time it takes to slice a few tomatoes and cut up some basil you can have homemade balsamic syrup.  Hit the farmer’s market and grab some of these tomatoes . I am going to garnish with some of my home grown basil, and if you like feta or fresh mozzarella it would be amazing on this as well. I actually did sprinkle just a touch of crumbled feta cheese tonite. The balsamic was sweet and delicious, and gave a very sweet flavor to tomatoes and feta cheese and basil. Here’s the bonus, this delicious balsamic syrup will last indefinitely in an airtight container ( I use a mason jar), keep it in fridge and take out when you want to use it.

Balsamic Syrup:

1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar

Bring the vinegar to a boil in a medium heavy saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until vinegar reduces by nearly 3/4 of its original volume and starts to thicken like a syrup, this should take anywhere between 20 – 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool completely before using.  This delicious syrup is great on crusty bread as well. Makes for an amazing dipping sauce.

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Orzo Salad – and a delicious red wine vinaigrette

Posted on July 13, 2012 | 1 comment

Fresh Basil from the garden

This is a wonderful recipe I am passing on, the original was from Giada de Laurentis and I’ve since doctored it up to suit my tastes.  Upon going to prepare recipe I realized that I didn’t have any garbanzo beans so I substituted red kidney beans.  Feel free to add and subtract ingredients and  do whatever you like with this delightful recipe.  Sometimes you feel like pasta but not really and this is it.   It is perfect at room temperature. What I mostly like about this recipe is that you can use what you have in the pantry and in the house. I have to say the mint and the basil gave it a wonderful fresh flavor and I wouldn’t omit them.  Super Fresh! The vinaigrette is delicious and fresh tasting as well, so give it a try. It also cooks up very quickly which is always a plus for me.

Ingredients: 

4 cups chicken broth ( to keep it vegetarian just use vegetable broth) I like the broth rather than plain water . It adds extra flavor to the orzo.

1 1/2 cups orzo

1 15 oz. can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed , I used 1 can of Red Kidney Beans because I wanted to make recipe and didn’t have Garbanzo Beans, it was just fine. Any type of bean is fine.

1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, if you can get those great little yellow ones do so. Halve the tomatoes. Use red and yellow. So pretty!

*app. 3/4 cup chopped red onion — If you don’t like onion you can omit it or add a little less

1/2 – 3/4 lb. feta cheese ( sometimes I use crumbled and sometimes I cube it) makes no difference ( I love the cheese but you can omit)

*1/2 bag frozen green peas ( also optional) didn’t use this time–optional

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

3/4  to 1 cup of the Red Wine Vinaigrette dressing ( listed below) but you’ll use as much or as little as you like

Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

Directions for the Orzo:

Bring broth to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Stir in the orzo. Cover partially and cook until orzo is tender but still firm, stirring frequently, about 7 – 10 minutes. Drain the orzo as you would pasta in a colander. Transfer the orzo to a large wide bowl and toss and let the orzo cool down. Set aside to cool completely.

When orzo is cooled down, toss the orzo with the bean, tomatoes, onion, basil , mint and enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste with additional salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature.

Red Wine Vinaigrette Ingredients:

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons honey

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper in the blender. While machine is running , slowly add in the olive oil. Season to taste, with more salt and pepper if desired.

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Kale and Quinoa Salad – Summer Salad Perfection

Posted on June 27, 2012 | 3 comments

I love Quinoa and I love Kale. I saw this recipe on Dana Slatkin’s Beverly Hills Farm Girl site,  it is a delicious healthy recipe which I highly recommend . I made a few changes in some of the ingredients I added. You can add or substitute to your heart’s content. I used her recipe for salad dressing, as I am always looking for new ways to re-invent the “wheel”. This dressing is very tasty and I highly recommend but any of the vinaigrettes that I have posted on here will do just fine. It is the summer , time to kick back and enjoy life. Part of enjoying life is eating, and eating well. I made this for dinner last night and even Joel took a taste, which is shocking. I don’t think it’s his favorite but it certainly is one of mine. It’s worth the effort and I plan on eating the leftovers today for lunch. So healthy! try it. Thanks Dana .

Ingredients:

Salad Ingredients:

1 bunch kale, chopped in food processor ( see picture) remove stems and I remove the ribs and just use the leaves. I used 2 bunches because I had 2 in the house. It was a lot of kale and increased the size of the salad by a lot.

chopped kale for salad

1 cucumber , I scoop out the seeds and dice it. You can use Kirby cukes  or Persians which have very few seeds.

1/2 container of Grape Tomatoes , cut up

1/2 – 1 cup Shaved Parmesan, if you don’t have shaved , grated will do just fine

1/2 cup toasted Pine Nuts , place in oven at 350 degrees for about 3 – 4 minutes.

1/2 – 1 cup dried cranberries, or dried cherries ( which I had and used) or just plain old raisins, I just like the color of the cranberries and cherries

2 cups Quinoa. While preparing Quinoa use equal amounts quinoa and water. I disregard box directions. I used 2 cups liquid ( water or broth) to 2 cups quinoa. It comes out dryer and not mushy at all.

Champgne Vinaigrette ( from the Beverly Hills Farmgirl)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon whole grain mustard

1/3 cup Champagne Vinegar

1 tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar

1 teaspoon Honey

3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Kosher Salt ( app. 1/4 teaspoon) taste for salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper, a few grinds to taste

I used a blender and threw all ingredients in and streamed the olive oil in until dressing was emulsified. Taste for Salt and Pepper.

In a large salad bowl toss the kale, quinoa, cheese, tomatoes , cukes, pine nuts and dried fruit of your choice. I made a few hours before serving, and used 1/2 of the vinaigrette and dressed at the table for those who preferred more or less dressing. Can definitley be made a few hours before serving, and I left it out at room temperature for about 2 hours.

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Another Asparagus Salad with Yogurt Dressing

Posted on June 24, 2012 | Leave a comment

Oh, so many things to do with asparagus. This recipe is a combination of asparagus, almonds, and eggs.  A different kind of salad served as a meal for lunch or a side salad with dinner. I like to cook the eggs ahead of time. I usually do them in the morning or the day before and leave them in the fridge until I need them. Yogurt dressing adds a bit of a new flavor. I tried the Za’atar in place of smoked paprika. If you still don’t have the Za’atar, you can use smoked paprika or if you like a little kick, use hot paprika. I used Marcona almonds because I love them. The thing that’s really special about this recipe is the way the asparagus is prepared. It’s pan – roasted and you get that same effect you would from a grill but no need to grill or run your oven till the smoke detectors go off.  The original inspiration for this recipe comes from one of my favorite sites, Smitten Kitchen.

Ingredients:

2 large eggs (hard boiled and chopped)

1/3 cup Marcona almonds chopped ( use food processor)

1 pound asparagus spears , I snap off the ends and I use thinner rather than thicker stalks

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lemon (2 tablespoons plus more for a squeeze on asparagus)

olive oil

1 cup Greek style yogurt (I used non-fat)

1 teaspoon Za’atar spice (or smoked or hot paprika)

1 small clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon table salt

Asparagus

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound Asparagus, snap off the ends

Kosher Salt and freshly Ground Black Pepper

Retain a little lemon juice for serving

Directions:

Hard boil your eggs using your favorite method. I like to put eggs into a cold pot of water with some salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Once it comes to a boil, I simmer the eggs for at least  fifteen minutes. Then I remove and usually cool down and keep in fridge with shell on ’til I need them. You can plunge into ice water to quick cool. If you leave them overnight in fridge they will be easier to peel, the older the hard boil the easier to peel cleanly.

Chop almonds in your mini chopper or food processor. Set aside.

Make yogurt dressing, whisking all ingredients in a small bowl. Taste for Salt and Pepper.

Now for the best asparagus roasting technique on the stovetop. Take a 12 inch skillet, and heat over medium high heat. Add the 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and once the oil is fully heated, add your trimmed asparagus spears – placing as many as you can flatly in pan, they may not all fit, and I did it in 2 batches. Cover the skillet with a lid and I let them cook for about 3 – 5 minutes. Remove the lid, increase the heat to high, throw a little salt and pepper on the asparagus, and using tongs cook the spears till they’re crisp-tender and well browned along a side or two, I did this for another 5 minutes or so. Make sure your vents are on, my smoke detectors always go off.

Put a little of the dressing on the serving dish you’re going to use and spread thinly, place asparagus on top of dressing, squeeze a little lemon juice over the spears, the chopped almonds, eggs and a little salt and pepper. Put a dollop of the dressing on top, and the rest of the dressing I put in a small ramekin for the table in the event anyone wanted a little extra.

Enjoy!

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Asparagus with Arugula and Parmesan – Done Simply Raw

Posted on June 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

As you know, I am slightly in love with asparagus. Before the asparagus season ends, I highly recommend this salad. Once the early season goes, you can grill it, you can roast it,  you can douse it in dressings. But in this salad it’s used raw which is really ideal when the asparagus is sweet and fresh. Check out your local green market, and ask where the asparagus is from. I was able to obtain this asparagus at a local market which carried Long Island asparagus, and it was delicious.  Through most of the winter, asparagus comes from Peru; and there’s a lot of early spring asparagus from Mexico and Southern California. The green markets will have regional produce and it’s worth the trip. Just saying… If you don’t buy it at the market, that’s alright too–all asparagus is pretty decent now.  Enjoy this recipe. It couldn’t be simpler.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. medium or large asparagus

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

nice sized bunch of arugula ( 6 – 8 oz) use as much or as little as you like

Chunk of parmesan cheese for shaving (with a vegetable peeler)

Directions:

Snap off and discard the tough ends of the asparagus. If you have a mandolin, a sharp vegetable peeler or thin bladed knife, use one of those tools to slice the asparagus as thinly as possible, like paper-thin ribbons. If you prefer, you can slice diagonally; just try to get the pieces as thin as possible, because you are not cooking them. So it’s all about thin slices. I used a vegetable peeler.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil to make a dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place the asparagus ribbons in a shallow salad bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper and coat with some of the dressing. Add the arugula, tossing gently to distribute the asparagus. Drizzle with the remaining dressing.

With a vegetable peeler, shave thin curls of Parmesan over the salad.

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Couscous Salad, Real Mediterranean Style

Posted on May 2, 2012 | 3 comments

It’s springtime so I am thinking of lighter food, and of course salads come to my mind. I make this recipe with couscous or quinoa. I have another recipe for quinoa on my website so I figured that I would make one with couscous this time, but feel free to use either one. The dressing has a definite Greek flavor. This dish is perfectly tasty and served with grilled fish or chicken you have a perfect meal. As far as salads go, this one is perfection. This is not an exact science; if you like a lot of tomatoes, add more. If there is another item here that you don’t like, feel free to substitute, and I’d love to hear what you did. I love to hear variations on my recipes. This is so quick and easy to assemble. Can definitely be made ahead of time.

Ingredients: 

Vinaigrette:

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 /2 teaspoon dried oregano (if you like to use fresh, use 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh oregano)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste – I started with a 1/4 teaspoon of Kosher Salt and a few grinds of the peppermill.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (use a good one)

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk in the olive oil slowly. Adjust the salt and pepper and set aside.

Ingredients for Couscous:

Prepare 1  box (usually 10 – 12 ounces) couscous (or quinoa) according to the directions but use 1/4 less water than it calls for. For example, the Near East Couscous calls for 2 cups of water or broth so I would reduce by 1/2 cup. After cooking, allow to cool for a bit then stick in the fridge for about an hour. I usually cook my couscous in either chicken broth or vegetable broth for extra added flavor.

1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half (I like a lot of tomatoes, so use more if you do too) I tend to like my tomatoes cut into smaller pieces but cut however you like just don’t leave whole

1 cup pitted black or Kalamata olives (I prefer Kalamata because they are saltier)

1 roasted red or orange pepper (you can use from jar) I just eyeballed from the jar, use as much as you’d like

1 cup garbanzo beans (drained from the can are fine)

6 ounces cubed feta cheese

1/4 cup sliced green onions or chopped red onion would work quite well here as well

* chopped cucumbers would be a nice addition as well, I didn’t use this time

In a large bowl, gently toss the couscous, tomato, pepper, olives, beans and feta. Add the dressing, transfer to a lovely serving bowl and there you go. This is so delicious and light, it’s a perfect side dish and a beautiful salad .

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Posted in Healthy Cooking with Candi, Raw, Salad, salad dressing, vegetables, vegetarian

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Greek Salad

Posted on April 12, 2012 | 1 comment

I originally posted this way back and figured what a perfect day to re-post. This has become my go to Greek Salad and Salad Dressing when I want to make it at home. I of course love anchovies and feel free to put in there. I didn’t have any whole garlic cloves so I used garlic powder and you know what? it worked out just right. If you’d prefer to use chopped fresh garlic go right ahead. I am going to give you ingredients from tonite’s dressing because it tasted just right. This is salad , so please feel free to substitute and leave out whatever you don’t like and add in whatever you like. Joel only eats the lettuce and cheese, I ate all of the other ingredients.  I like to chop up a grilled piece of chicken and add in or a piece of salmon if you’re looking to make this more of a meal. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 head of iceberg and 1 whole head of romaine (you can use less lettuce and you’ll just have a little more dressing left over depending on how you like it) you can also use all iceberg or all romaine, I like the combo.

grape tomatoes cut in 1/2 ( about 1/2 the package that it comes in )

1 small cucumber diced up, I take the seeds out first and then slice it up with skin on, do it however you like

red onion diced, use as much or as little as you like

1/4 cup Kalamata Olives cut up without pits

3/4 cup of cubed Feta Cheese – I like it cubed for some wierd reason in this salad, again use whatever you prefer

Dressing:

In a small mixing bowl using a small whisk

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon of oregano, I love oregano so I used a heaping amount, if you don’t use less

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Mix spices and red wine vinegar and then slowly whisk in the olive oil, when you’re ready to serve pour over salad and mix. Add as much as you’d like. This dressing should dress the whole salad depending on how light or heavy you like your salad dressed.

Enjoy! this is a perfect meal with fish or chicken or any protein you like. I put it on top of chicken and it was really good. Sort of a spin on Chicken Milanese Greek Style.

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Chicken Balsamic – Easy Weeknight Dinner

Posted on March 7, 2012 | 1 comment

These are ingredients we all almost always have in the house (just make sure you also have a shallot).  I like to marinate for a few hours but if you can’t just do it for the hour. I did it the other night for 2 hours. Also lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper before putting in skillet. I found that this added to the flavor, because chicken can be very bland, and needs a little salt (even with the soy sauce); just go lightly, it doesn’t need a lot. I made this for dinner last night and served it on top of Caesar Salad, which is here on my blog, under Caesar Salad Dressing. The dressing has a lot of bite and it’s very delicious. This chicken is easy, and I recommend that when you take it out of oven, let it sit for a few minutes, then slice it and put back in pan and let it absorb some of the marinade before serving. This chicken is light, moist, low in calories and very tasty. This would also be great on the grill in the summer.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup minced shallots

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions:

Place chicken breasts in a zip top plastic bag, add vinegar mixture, seal. Marinate in fridge for at least an hour. (I did it for 2.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, remove chicken from bag and place on a plate; reserve marinade. Place marinade in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Boil for a few minutes, or until syrupy, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. If you have a pastry brush, get it out so you can brush chicken with marinade.

Heat a large, oven proof skillet over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, swirl around pan. Before adding chicken, sprinkle it lightly with salt and pepper, very lightly on both sides. Add chicken to pan and saute about 5 minutes. Turn chicken over and brush with marinade generously. Place pan in oven for at least 10 minutes or until done. (Check it for doneness.) When done, remove from oven; brush with remaining marinade and let it sit for a few minutes. I then removed to a cutting board, sliced each breast, placed back in pan, swirled around marinade, and let it sit for a few before placing it on Caesar Salad.

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Family Visit and what we’re Cooking with Candi

Posted on February 15, 2012 | 3 comments

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Our kids and grandkids are out for a visit,  and we are enjoying it so very much. I don’t want to go on and on about having grandkids, but it really is an unparalled joy . We cooked up some Shrimp Scampi and Pasta. Thanks to Joel we’ve been able to obtain the most awesome Mexican White Shrimp ( recipe is on blog, posted on 12/26/11) and it was such a lovely evening. Even Brody enjoyed the Shrimp. Joel and Brian cleaned the shrimp, and Jenn made the boys dinner and I cooked our dinner.  We had a delicious sald with the Honey Lime Vinaigrette ( recipe is on blog , posted on 11/16/11 . This recipe is really scrumptious and loved by the whole Kolen/Turoff clan. ( OK not so much Riley) . Uploaded a few pics for all to see. Of course we had that delicious Applesauce/Raisin Bundt Cake. I had to freeze the rest of it after I ate it for Breakfast today, so yummy!

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