A good salad make me happy… very happy! This is a good one. Butternut squash has not shown itself on our menus here at our house very often. I do house “somewhat” of a picky eater. I do love this butternut squash soup. It’s good enough to drink with a straw. And this Roasted butternut squash may not make it to your table. You can’t help but nibble on it right out of the oven! So when I was perusing my cookbooks looking for a salad for my upcoming book club I found this perfect salad to serve with this soup.
Category Archives: salad dressing
Caesar Salad
Now after last week’s Thanksgiving feast we all need a good salad. You need it because this salad is fabulous, easy and just what your scales ordered. Anna introduced this particular Caesar salad to me years ago. It’s great as a side dish or add your favorite chicken, fish, or grilled steak on top and it is a crowd pleaser. It was one of my Thanksgiving side dishes this year. I made homemade croutons that I will share later. They were great, but forgot to take a picture of them alone. Now without further ado let’s get it going – my favorite Caesar Salad from Anna and myself to you!
Filed under Salad, salad dressing
Strawberry Salad with Cinnamon Vinaigrette
Here is a great summer salad that you will want to make with all the fabulous strawberries that we have now. These flavors from strawberries, mandarin oranges, and avocados just go together to make a fantastic combination that I would not ordinarily put together. And the avocado in this salad oh my! If you are looking hard to see the avocado you won’t. I served this salad to my book club last month and in the hustle and bustle to make a photo without holding up serving the food I forgot to add the avocado. But, don’t you leave it out thinking that it will be just as good without it. It won’t be! You’ll miss that buttery flavor. Trust me. I love this Cinnamon vinaigrette. It is a lovely salad dressing and a snap to make. I really cannot believe that today is July 1. In 30 days school starts and I must get busy on my To Do list which is absolutely nothing! Enjoy your summer.
Filed under Salad, salad dressing
Blue Cheese Dressing
After doing as little shopping one of my favorite places to have lunch is Prime at Lenox Square. I just love their Cobb Salad with blue cheese dressing. I am happy to say that I have found the recipe so now all of us can enjoy it at home. It packs a lot of flavor and you’ll find you only need a small amount so guess what – a reduction in the amount of calories. I can go for that! I just put together a chopped salad including chopped romaine, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and hearts of palm. I placed all the vegetables in a container with a top and added about a heaping teaspoon of dressing. I put the top on it and gave it a good shake. Oh my Gosh! So help yourself to the greatest salad dressing and it is just a shame that it is so easy to make.
Filed under Salad, salad dressing
Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken
A couple of weeks ago our family went to a long time friend’s wedding in Greenville, SC. It was a beautiful wedding and a really fun time. We arrived on Thursday and had dinner downtown. I was awestruck at the downtown area. It is just absolutely beautiful. Big oak trees line the street making a cool walk even on a hot summer day. The sidewalks are large enough for restaurants to have outside dining. And who doesn’t love outside dining? I just loved the atmosphere in the area. On Friday we were doing a little window shopping and walked by a group of young men having what looked like a business lunch and the food looked absolutely wonderful. So we got a table for two under one of the huge oak trees and enjoyed the cool breeze. And this is when I had the best Greek Salad with grilled chicken I have ever had. In fact I enjoyed it so much I ordered it again on Saturday for lunch. I knew than that I had to make this at home. How could I live without such a mixture of goodness?
Filed under Main dish, Salad, salad dressing
Bacon Mandarin Orange Salad
I am perfectly happy having a salad for lunch or dinner. GI Joe and The Athlete just sit back and roll their eyes if we’re at a restaurant and I order just a salad. I love all kinds of salads, hot, cold, fruit, pasta, vegetables. Then add to that nuts, goat cheese, blue cheese, feta cheese, mozzarella. I will take any of the above. Oh my gosh, what about dressings? The options are endless, but the one I’m sharing today is one of my favorites. Continue reading
Filed under Salad, salad dressing
Arugula Salad with Beets and Goat Cheese
I am a big lover of all kinds salads. When I go out to eat I am extremely adventurous, but at home not so. I’m ready to change all that. The main reason is boredom, but right now with fall greens that are filling my CSA box I need to venture out more. Last week a large bag of arugula appeared. After doing a little research on the web I found two great salads.
Filed under Salad, salad dressing
San Francisco Salad
For about six years GI Joe traveled to Savannah once a month for National Guard duty for the Air Force. Many of those weekends I traveled with him and spent the time on Tybee Island. One of our favorite restaurants to visit was the Sundae Cafe. It is a little funny how we found out about this restaurant. I was buying gas at the local BP station and when I paid I asked the clerk if she knew of some good places to eat. She said, ” Well the place next door must be good because there is always a crowd there.” I would never chosen the restaurant unless someone had recommended it. It is located within a a strip of four stores. The local liquor store is on one side and the BP on the other. We became frequent customers because the food is excellent and it is very nice and elegant on the inside. So you can’t judge a restaurant by the cover! One of my favorite dishes to order is the spring salad. I have tried many times to duplicate it, but failed. Thanks to Anna, I have found the recipe !!
Last weekend we had dinner with our long time friends. It was a fantastic meal! Anna served this San Francisco Salad that was extraordinary! I love the flavors of the feta and the tart cranraisins with the texture of the toasted walnuts. Together with the salad dressing adding the right amount of sweet and tangy and red onion gives it the little kick. So thanks to Anna we can all enjoy this scrumptious salad!
San Franciso Salad
- 1 cup walnuts
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 3/4 cup cranraisins
- 8 ounces crumbled feta cheese
- 1 bag of mixed greens (or enough for 8 servings)
Melt butter. Saute walnuts 5 minutes or until golden. Drain. Mix sugar and pepper together and roll walnuts in the mixture. Cool.
Place cheese and nuts over mixed greens and pour dressing over salad.
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup red onion chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1/2 cup oil
Place all the ingredients for the dressing in a jar and shake until mixed well. If preferred, dressing can be served separately and spooned over each salad.
Recipe can easily be halved for four servings.
Enjoy!
The Teacher Cooks