Category Archives: salad dressing

Summertime Salad made with Corn and Avocado — and a few other tasty items

This recipe would be amazing with grilled corn but unfortunately my grill is out of commission due to construction on the deck of my house. I know it’s a terrible time to be doing construction on your outside deck in June but suffice to say there was no real choice in the matter.

In any event I would make this with grilled corn and use about 5 ears . I used 2 small cans of corn which worked out or you can use frozen.

I had a ripe avocado and all the other ingredients in the house and I used the red wine vinaigrette from the orzo salad that I made the other night.

It’s perfect for a barbecue and an easy weeknight dinner and you can add any protein you’d like.

Enjoy this delicious salad I served alongside steak and parmesan potatoes and it was perfection.

Ingredients:

3-5 ears fresh corn or the equivalent in canned corn or use frozen and I would use 1 lb.frozen –here’s what the experts say for measuring–fresh to frozen– they say 1 ear is equal to 1 cup–I don’t believe I ever got a full cup out of one ear but one 15 oz. can equals 1 1/2 cups and I used 1 can or 1 lb. frozen is equal to 3 cups. Hope this is helpful and I cut the recipe for the two of us so used a little less. If you’d like you can increase to 5 ears of fresh corn — it gets confusing and don’t be use as much or as little corn as you’d like depending on how many people you’re feeding

1 pint cherry tomatoes–halved app. 2 cups

2 cups packed arugula

1 medium avocado– peeled, pitted and diced

1 small red pepper –cored and finely chopped — use whatever color pepper you have in the house or like ( red, orange or yellow )

4 green onions–finely chopped

*1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro– totally optional

Dressing: Red Wine Vinaigrette

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

You will have left over dressing and it will keep for a few days in the fridge.

Directions:

If using fresh corn — rub the corn with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper on them. Grill the corn for app. 7 minutes, turning every few minutes until ears are lightly browned. Remove from the grill and allow to cool. This can be done ahead of time.

Cut the kernels from the cob and transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Add the cherry tomatoes, arugula, avocado, bell pepper, green onions and if you’re using it cilantro.

In a small bowl, stir together the dressing ingredients and whisk well . Pour about 1/2 cup over the salad and toss to combine. Take a look at salad and if it looks like you covered most of it with dressing it’s probably good. You don’t want to add all the dressing it will be wilt too much. You may like more or less dressing so add at your own taste.

It’s delicious and fresh tasting which is so perfect for this time of year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cauliflower, Orzo and Feta Salad

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Completed Salad

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Before I added the spinach

This is one of my most favorite salads of all time. The flavors meld together beautifully to make a most delicious salad. I highly recommend this salad if you’re just looking for something new to make for brunch, lunch or even dinner! Perfect for dinner, brunch or lunch anytime of the year.

I made cauliflower and orzo in the morning and put together ingredients as they cooled down. The cooling off of orzo and cauliflower was the only time-consuming event in making this recipe. You can refrigerate salad once cooled down, but I would bring it to room temperature prior to serving.

If you want to add a protein like chicken this would make a most perfect dinner salad. Or just eat it veggie style! Nothing bad here!

Ingredients:

Cauliflower and Orzo Prep

1 head cauliflower broken into small florets, any color cauliflower will do and purple would be beautiful if you can find it

4 Tablespoons olive oil

3 minced cloves of fresh garlic

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup orzo pasta

Dressing and the rest of the salad

3 Tablespoons olive oil

3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

2/3 cup dried cherries

4 cups baby spinach

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl toss the cauliflower with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the fresh garlic, the salt and pepper. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until softened and the edges of cauliflower start to brown up. ( not burned) I did it for 25 minutes. Set cauliflower aside and let it completely cool down.

Cook orzo according to box directions, I cooked for a minute less so it would be more al dente ( just a bit undercooked ) Drain in a colander, rinse under cold water, drain well and while draining toss in the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil right in the colander.

In a big bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice, honey, mustard, salt and pepper.

I allowed about an hour for complete cool down of cauliflower and orzo and added to bowl with dressing along with onion , feta, and cherries . Toss well until completely coated with dressing. Throw in the spinach and toss again till spinach is incorporated. Taste for Salt and Pepper and adjust seasonings to your liking. I added a sprinkle of black  pepper but no more salt.

Enjoy — this was totally delicious.

Cinco de Mayo Salad and Green Goddess Dressing

photo (2)photo (5)photo (2) photo Happy Cinco de Mayo!!! This salad is fresh and delicious and perfect for celebrating the day. If you’d like add a protein to it — chicken , shrimp, salmon  or even tofu. May is here and it brings warm weather and beautiful flowers and springtime has finally arrived here .  This is a perfect way to bring a little Cinco de Mayo into your home in a pretty healthy way.

Any excuse to celebrate a holiday with a new recipe! Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone and here is a new salad and salad dressing to help celebrate with. While I am not a vegan and don’t always cook that way,  I tried this salad dressing which I found in Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbook, “It’s All Good”, and I have to say it is all good! All good ingredients. I am not talking diet food–just good, healthy food, that when eaten in moderation, yields very good results. I used * Vegenaise in making this and highly recommend it in the place of mayonnaise. You can also use yogurt in its place. This is low salt and low sugar. Delicious, fresh ingredients. I made it with the delicious salad listed below. I love love cilantro and I know a lot of people don’t really like it and I suppose you can leave it out if you must!  I used half of a jalapeno and it was not hot at all, next time I will use a little more.  I scraped the seeds out. Be very careful handling jalapenos and their seeds–make sure to wash your hands well afterwards and maybe wear gloves to prevent any problems.

*This dressing will keep well in a jar for up to a week.

*a little story about Vegenaise, which is lighter than mayonnaise and contains no eggs, milk or animal products. No GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms). Mix it with Dijon for great flavor . Extra added bonus is a great jar to store future salad dressings in.

Enjoy the Day!

Be in control of your ingredients as much as possible.

Ingredients:

*this will be vegan if you use Vegenaise

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup of Vegenaise, yogurt, or mayonnaise — I happen to love mayonnaise as well and when I use mayo I use regular Hellmans Mayonnaise –never fat free if you must use a lighter one use “light” but not fat free

2 scallions, white and light green parts only, chopped

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 4 limes)

1/2 green jalapeno, roughly chopped (you can use more or less, whatever level of heat you like)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon honey

DRESSING DIRECTIONS:

Blend all ingredients in a blender except for olive oil (I open the top and pour oil in after all other ingredients are combined.) It is a beautiful light green color with specks of dark green. Joel was definitely suspicious of the color but he really loved it! Gave it a big thumbs up!

This should serve 4 nicely as a salad but adjust quantities based on how many people you are feeding.

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

About two hearts of romaine Lettuce, shredded

1/2 can of yellow corn (or 2 fresh ears of corn, shucked)

1/2 can black beans (I use organic canned beans and rinse and drain them)

4 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

1 ripe avocado, cut into chunks

approx. 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (I used delicious cherry tomatoes, halved)

1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro

Green Goddess Dressing (see above)

If you’re using fresh corn, you’ll have to cook it first. I used the canned version this time. Place the lettuce in a large bowl and dress it with about 1/4 cup of the dressing, just so it’s nicely coated. I then added beans, tomatoes, scallions, avocado, cilantro and corn. Add a little more salad dressing, and serve immediately. Joel likes a lot more dressing on his salad so I served with dressing on the side. And no he didn’t eat all that stuff in the salad; he just ate lettuce and tomatoes…he really doesn’t know what he’s missing!

Roast Chicken Salad with Buttermilk Dressing – Weeknight Salad

DSCN0069photoI was in the mood for something light for dinner and wanted to make a dressing with buttermilk since I had it in the house and wanted to use it.  I picked up a roast chicken from the market because I was very pressed for time.  I grabbed some beautiful romaine, but I know this would be perfectly awesome with kale or any greens you would like to use.  In any event I used romaine this time. I removed the skin from the chicken and shredded it with my hands. Just used romaine, tomatoes, chicken and dressing. Next time out I add avocado for sure and would love some bacon and corn in this salad.  This is an awesome lunchtime salad and so easy to pull together for a light dinner meal and mix in whatever other veggies and ingredients you’d like.  Dressing is killer and only 3 Tablespoons of Buttermilk! This is also awesome if you have leftover chicken and don’t know what to do with it.

This dressing should be good for at least 4 servings. Feel free to double it.

Ingredients:

Buttermilk Dressing:

1 clove garlic

1 egg yolk ( let egg sit out at room temperature) just not really cold

3 tablespoons of buttermilk ( low-fat is fine)

1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

1/4  teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of the pepper mill (you can always add more salt if you would like)

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

*feel free to double

Combine all ingredients except for olive oil in the blender including salt and pepper . Keeping blender on , add olive oil from the top in a slow stream until well incorporated.

Put salad greens, avocado , chicken and any other vegetables you’d like in a large bowl. Add dressing (start small)  and mix salad adding dressing as needed.

Farro Salad

This is a delicious farro salad made with arugula — this salad is similar to my take on Jennifer Aniston’s Salad but with arugula and shaved warm instead of feta. This is light and yummy and you can add a protein and make it a dinner salad if you’d like. Original recipe credit goes to the chef Charlie Bird on this one.

You can obviously add what you like and remove what you don’t like . Feel free to swap cheeses, or onions for radishes, etc and chopped up dates would be just fab.

Enjoy!

Follow me on Instagram @cookingwithcandi

Ingredients:

1 cup Farro– I use pearled farro

1 cup apple cider not apple cider vinegar

2 cups of water

2 teaspoons kosher salt, and more to your own liking

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup extra -virgin olive oil* you can double if you’d like for a bit more dressing

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice-  * you can double if you’d like for a bit more dressing

app. 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan Cheese , I used a vegetable peeler but I do know you can buy Parmesan Cheese shaved this way ( time and mess saver)

app. 1/2 cup shelled Pistachios–I used salted pistachios and chopped them myself. You can use raw pistachios but they’re a tad tasteless or you can leave them whole up to you or substitute with any other nut you prefer or omit totally if you prefer gutless

app. 2 cups Arugula

app. 1 cup torn Basil Leaves or 1 cup chopped basil

app. 1 cup Mint leaves-cut up into smaller pieces– I prefer to chop it

2 large radishes sliced thinly or rough chopped–optional and you can use red onion here as well — sliced thinly or chopped into small pieces — totally optional but I love the crunch and the flavor of a fresh radish

app. 1/2 cup sliced grape or cherry tomatoes — totally optional

Directions:

Farro:

In a medium saucepan, bring farro,  apple cider , dash of kosher salt , 2 bay leaves and 2 cups of water to a simmer. Simmer until farro is tender and liquid evaporates, about 30 minutes. If farro is cooked but there is still water I put in a colander/strainer and leave it till it cools down. If on the other hand the water evaporates before the farro is done, you’ll have to add a little more water. You can always strain it so no worries–but don’t overcook. Let farro cool down and discard the 2 bay leaves.

Salad:

In a salad bowl (large enough to fold in arugula and mix) whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice, I use a small wire whisk, it’s an amazing kitchen tool.

Salad is always best at room temperature so if you do refrigerate, just bring to room temperature before serving. If you’d like you can put farro and parmesan in the bowl with some dressing and allow it to sit,  this would be the salad base and it can sit for a few hours out without refrigeration. I usually just mix all ingredients starting with the farro then add in everything else gently toss with some dressing and if people want more dressing it’s available. Add nuts at the end so they retain their crunch !

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Caesar Salad Dressing

Caesar Salad Dressing

FullSizeRender (2)I have already posted this and I am  re-posting it because it sort of got lost under my other salad dressing. ( mustard Vinaigrette) so here it is all on its own with a picture all its own. it is a delicious dressing, easy to make with the mini processor. I put all ingredients into the food processor and chop and blend! so easy and so delicious! and only 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Perfection! I really do make this salad dressing all the time. Always stock anchovies, Worcestershire sauce , eggs, olive oil, lemons and Dijon mustard! Grab some fresh romaine and a protein and you have a perfect meal for lunch or dinner. This is also Joel’s favorite!

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (I go heaping here but I like strong Dijon flavor)

your particular liking)

freshly ground black pepper

4 – 5 anchovies ( i like it salty and use 5 )

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

grated parmesan cheese ( fresh is always best) or shaved parmesan

Directions:

First I put 2 cloves of garlic in mini food processor or regular food processor. and chop them,  then I add anchovies to the processor, and mix together. Then add lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and egg yolk. I mix all together, and then slowly add the olive oil in, mix together, and taste for salt, because the anchovies and mustard give it  lot of salt and kick, you can always add more salt, but you can’t take it away. Add freshly ground pepper after everything else is incorporated. I don’t add any additional salt, I think it’s salty enough. It’s delicious.

Pour dressing on Romaine right before serving, incorporate well, mixing from the bottom a few times till lettuce is covered. You can add croutons if you like, they sell awesome ones these days in the market. Or make your own from stale bread!

Usually use 2 heads of Romaine for this. I’ve stretched it to 3 , but it’s really best on 2. You can double the dressing, and use 4 heads, I know they usually sell 3 heads of romaine to a bag.

Avocado Salad with Corn and Tomatoes –Fresh and Delicious

DSCN0190 DSCN0195 DSCN0194 DSCN0199It’ s June so let’s break out all the delicious summer food. This is a most perfect summer salad and it is a vegetarian delight . It is totally vegan. I am not a vegan but totally love this salad with all it’s fresh flavors . I had 2 beautiful ripe avocados on hand and all the ingredients for this yummy salad.  I had some fresh corn so I just brought the water to a boil threw it in and when it turned yellow took it out and threw it in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.   Of course I love  jalapenos , use your own discretion and this would be amazing without as well but it was kick ass with them.  You can make the salad ahead and let juices meld but don’t add the avocados till you’re ready to serve.  You can give them a little squeeze of fresh lime juice so they won’t turn brown so fast.  I like to serve salad at room temperature, you just don’t get the flavors when it’s too cold. It will keep in fridge for a few days, but you’ll have to take out the leftover avocado since it will turn brown. I cut this salad in 1/2 for the 2 of us. This easily will serve 6 as a side.

Ingredients:

2 cobs of fresh corn ( cook and then shuck corn off the cob) if no fresh corn available use frozen . I use frozen when I have to and 1 small bag is usually sufficient. The frozen corn will defrost very quickly so just take it out and when you mix in with other ingredients it will start to completely thaw by the time you’re ready to serve. You want to serve at room temperature anyway.

1 pint grape tomatoes , halved

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced into small pieces ( app. 1/2 “)

1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup small diced red onion

2 tablespoons minced fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded ( app. 2 small jalapenos) use at your own discretion . Remove Seeds

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice ( 2 limes)

1/4 cup good olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

2 ripe Hass avocados, seeded, peeled and cut into small cubes.

Directions:

Place the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, jalapeno peppers, and lime zest in a large bowl. Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, garlic and cayenne pepper. Pour over the vegetables. Toss well. In the meanwhile cook the corn , bring water to a boil throw in for a few minutes to turn bright yellow, then I throw in a bowl of ice water for a few minutes to stop the cooking and lock in flavor and color. Then remove corn from cob. I let the salad sit for about an hour before adding avocados into the salad. Just fold avocados into the salad when you’re ready to serve. Check for seasoning and serve at room temperature.

Farro Salad

This is a delicious farro salad made with arugula — this salad is similar to my take on Jennifer Aniston’s Salad but with arugula and shaved warm instead of feta. This is light and yummy and you can add a protein and make it a dinner salad if you’d like. Original recipe credit goes to the chef Charlie Bird on this one.

You can obviously add what you like and remove what you don’t like . Feel free to swap cheeses, or onions for radishes, etc and chopped up dates would be just fab.

Enjoy!

Follow me on Instagram @cookingwithcandi

Ingredients:

1 cup Farro– I use pearled farro

1 cup apple cider not apple cider vinegar

2 cups of water

2 teaspoons kosher salt, and more to your own liking

2 bay leaves

8 Tablespoons extra -virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice- I used 1 large lemon

app. 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan Cheese , I used a vegetable peeler but I do know you can buy Parmesan Cheese shaved this way ( time and mess saver)

app. 1/2 cup shelled Pistachios–I used salted pistachios and chopped them myself. You can use raw pistachios but they’re a tad tasteless.

app. 2 cups Arugula

app. 1 cup torn Basil Leaves

app. 1 cup Mint leaves-cut up into smaller pieces

2 large radishes sliced thinly or rough chopped–optional and you can use red onion here as well — sliced thinly or chopped into small pieces

Directions:

Farro:

In a medium saucepan, bring farro,  apple cider , dash of kosher salt , 2 bay leaves and 2 cups of water to a simmer. Simmer until farro is tender and liquid evaporates, about 30 minutes. If farro is cooked but there is still water I put in a colander/strainer and leave it till it cools down. If on the other hand the water evaporates before the farro is done, you’ll have to add a little more water. You can always strain it so no worries–but don’t overcook. Let farro cool down and discard the 2 bay leaves.

Salad:

In a salad bowl (large enough to fold in arugula and mix) whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice, I use a wire whisk, it’s an amazing kitchen tool. Add the cooled down farro, parmesan cheese and chopped pistachio nuts, mix well.

This salad base will sit for a few hours at room temperature. I made it that afternoon for that evening and never put it in fridge. Salad is always best at room temperature so if you do refrigerate, just bring to room temperature before serving.

Just before serving, fold in the arugula, herbs, radishes and taste for salt. If not salty enough sprinkle a little flaky sea salt or kosher salt. You’ll thank me for this recipe.IMG_1779IMG_1780

Cinco de Mayo Salad and Green Goddess Dressing

photo (2)photo (5)photo (2) photo Happy Cinco de Mayo!!! This salad is fresh and delicious and perfect for celebrating the day. If you’d like add a protein to it — chicken , shrimp or even tofu. May is here and it brings warm weather and beautiful flowers and springtime has finally arrived here .  This is a perfect way to bring a little Cinco de Mayo into your home in a pretty healthy way.

Any excuse to celebrate a holiday with a new recipe! Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone and here is a new salad and salad dressing to help celebrate with. While I am not a vegan and don’t always cook that way,  I tried this salad dressing which I found in Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbook, “It’s All Good”, and I have to say it is all good! All good ingredients. I am not talking diet food–just good, healthy food, that when eaten in moderation, yields very good results. I used * Vegenaise in making this and highly recommend it in the place of mayonnaise. You can also use yogurt in its place. This is low salt and low sugar. Delicious, fresh ingredients. I made it with the delicious salad listed below. I love love cilantro, and I have to say that if you don’t love cilantro, this one’s not for you. I used half of a jalapeno and it was not hot at all, next time I will use a little more.  I scraped the seeds out. Be very careful handling jalapenos and their seeds–make sure to wash your hands well afterwards and maybe wear gloves to prevent any problems.

*This dressing will keep well in a jar for up to a week.

*a little story about Vegenaise, which is lighter than mayonnaise and contains no eggs, milk or animal products. No GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms). Mix it with Dijon for great flavor in the place of real mayo. Extra added bonus is a great jar to store future salad dressings in.

Stay Safe Guys and Enjoy the Day!

Be in control of your ingredients as much as possible.

Ingredients:

*this will be vegan if you use Vegenaise

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup of Vegenaise, yogurt, or mayonnaise

2 scallions, white and light green parts only, chopped

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 4 limes)

1/2 green jalapeno, roughly chopped (you can use more or less, whatever level of heat you like)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon honey

DRESSING DIRECTIONS:

Blend all ingredients in a blender except for olive oil (I open the top and pour oil in after all other ingredients are combined.) It is a beautiful light green color with specks of dark green. Joel was definitely suspicious of the color but he really loved it! Gave it a big thumbs up!

This should serve 4 nicely as a salad but adjust quantities based on how many people you are feeding.

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

About two hearts of romaine Lettuce, shredded

1/2 can of yellow corn (or 2 fresh ears of corn, shucked)

1/2 can black beans (I use organic canned beans and rinse and drain them)

4 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

1 ripe avocado, cut into chunks

approx. 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (I used delicious cherry tomatoes, halved)

1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro

Green Goddess Dressing (see above)

If you’re using fresh corn, you’ll have to cook it first. I used the canned version this time. Place the lettuce in a large bowl and dress it with about 1/4 cup of the dressing, just so it’s nicely coated. I then added beans, tomatoes, scallions, avocado, cilantro and corn. Add a little more salad dressing, and serve immediately. Joel likes a lot more dressing on his salad so I served with dressing on the side.

Vinaigrette with Maple Syrup – the new Salad Dressing you’ve been looking for

photo (5) photo (11) photo (8)photo (11)photo (5)  Everyone is always looking for new dressing for their salad. The reason I was attracted to this one was because I had never used maple syrup in a salad dressing before. How bad can it be if it has maple syrup in it??? It’s delicious. This recipe was originally posted in 2011 when I discovered the recipe and has gone on to be an absolute staple in our house. Make it your new “go to ” salad dressing and you won’t be sorry. Using all staples that we all should have in our pantry. I also might add that for some reason this is one of the most popular recipes on my blog — so I figured I would re-post it for those of you who haven’t tried it yet.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (I use Grey Poupon and probably heap those teaspoons)

2 teaspoons real Vermont Maple Syrup

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons Canola or Vegetable oil

1/2 cup olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Whisk together the mustard, maple syrup, and vinegar in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the oils, and season to taste with salt and pepper. I probably add about 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt and if it needs more I add a bit, and then a few turns of the pepper mill.