Keep It Simple Foods » Salads

Crab and Avocado Salad

Jennifer — Wed, 05 May 2010 12:21:59 +0000

This is one of my all-time favorite summer salads. It is light and simple, yet filling and substantial. All you need is some mixed greens, crab meat and a half avocado. It takes about 5 seconds to prepare.

Ingredients: (1 salad)
mixed greens
1/2 avocado chopped
jumbo lump crab meat (or 2 sticks of imitation crab meat)

Directions: Top your bed of greens with avocado and crab. Drizzle with 1 tsp evoo, a dash of salt and good bit of cracked pepper. That’s it…really. It’s that easy to make.

Homegrown Salt and Pepper Tomatoes

Jennifer — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:39:51 +0000

Tomatoes epitomize summer and I can’t think of a better hot-weather food than a ripe tomato fresh off the vine. This summer, my boyfriend and I grew our own tomato plants and lately we’ve been enjoying the literal fruits of our labor.

Because tomatoes are so delicious on their own, they don’t need much extra to enhance their flavor. Salt and pepper will do just fine. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive old with some coarse salt and fresh-cracked pepper over a few fresh chopped tomatoes you have a perfect salad (no lettuce needed) or side dish. I served up this beautiful, colorful bowl with lunch the other day and it was the perfect compliment to our summer meal. Simple and delicious.

Mixed Greens with Grilled Peaches

Jessica — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:42:40 +0000

Summer is the best time for incorporating fresh fruit into meals especially salads. I love the flavor of sweet white peaches with the earthy greens and a fruity tangy vinaigrette. I was shopping at TJ’s last week and I spotted this Orange Muscat Vinegar. Although I am on a food budget, it was only about $2.50 and I thought this would be a great addition to my typical vinegars (champagne, white, red wine, balsamic). Having a fruity vinegar handy is great for last minute recipes!

Grilling fruit is one of my new favorite things to do. It works great with pineapple and it also works awesome with peaches! Since I don’t have a grill outside, I just used a grill pan inside and set it to medium high. I drizzled a little oil (I used canola) on the peaches, salted them a little and then set on the grill to get some nice grill marks. Yum!

Salad with Grilled Peaches
2-3 cups of mixed greens
1 peach, sliced and grilled
2 tablespoons of cranberry pecans
shaved parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon of orange muscat champagne vinegar
1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar
1/2 tablespoon of EVOO
salt

Whisk the last four ingredients and drizzle over the mixed greens, grilled peach, pecans, and cheese. Delicious & simple for the perfect side salad.

White Peach Salad

Jessica — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 18:49:36 +0000

When I walked through my busy farmers market today, I spotted some beautiful white peaches and knew I had to buy some! I prefer white peaches because they have a much more mellow flavor than regular peaches and I like a firmer texture.

This salad is super simple but the flavors work so well together. The sweet peaches match perfectly with the tangy vinaigrette and the nutty parmesan-reggiano cheese. I’m in love- this is perfect for a side salad and is light and fresh tasting. I hope you enjoy it as well!

White Peach Salad (enough for one person)
1 tablespoon of EVOO
1/4 teaspoon of dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of champagne vinegar
salt
pepper
1 white peach, sliced
2 tablespoons of crumbled pecans
sliced parmesan-reggiano cheese (as much as you prefer)
tablespoon of dried cranberries
baby romaine or other preferred greens

Whisk together the first 5 ingredients and set aside. Assemble the salad with the baby romaine, cheese, peach, pecans and cranberries. Drizzle vinaigrette on top and enjoy!

Lentil and Rice Salad

Jennifer — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:51:21 +0000

Inspired by Bella’s lentil salad, I decided to make my own version. I love lentils because they cook up quickly, unlike other legumes, and they transition beautifully from season to season. For this recipe, I basically followed Bella’s method, but I mixed up some of the flavorings to make it more of an earthy, spicy dish. I also used japonica black rice instead of brown, but you could use any type of rice you like. The wonderful thing about this salad is that you can play with flavor combinations to give this dish variety. You can also eat it hot or cold so it’s a perfect summer/winter food.

Ingredients:
rice (1 cup or enough for 1-2 persons)
dry lentils-1/2 cup to 1 cup (rinsed and drained)
handful of baby carrots chopped
1 clove garlic chopped fine
1 small onion chopped VERY fine
2 veggie bouillon cubes (these are easier than measuring out broth/stock)
EVOO
Seasonings: salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, chipotle pepper, curry ( you could use anything you like)

Directions: Cook rice per directions on stove with 1 bouillon cube in water for seasoning. While rice is cooking, boil lentils on stove in a small pot with just enough water to cover, add bouillon cube to water. Cook until lentils are tender drain and let cool. In a pan, saute garlic, onion, carrots with a splash of evoo, salt and pepper to taste. Combine all ingredients in saute pan with spices. Serve hot or cold. Garnish with fresh lemon zest and parmesean cheese.
Feel free to get creative with this dish. Use any veggies you like-mushrooms, shallots, asparagus, or maybe even throw in some tofu for protein. You could also add fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary. There are endless possibilities with this dish.

Healthy “Cobb” Salad

Jessica — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:57:35 +0000

Before I gave up pork, I would LOVE to eat bacon topped cobb salad. I love the hardboiled egg, avocado, and fresh tomato! I was craving a salad the other night and I used what I had available. Although this does not stick with the original cobb salad ingredients, cobb salad is what inspired me and I still loved how it turned out!

I used a LOT of romaine lettuce, red onion, hard boiled egg, cheddar cheese, a few whole grain croutons, fresh corn, and diced red bell pepper. It was so delicious especially with the following light honey mustard dressing! Honey Mustard dressing is typically made with A LOT of mayo, this only uses 1/2 tablespoon and it is still tangy and sweet.

Light Honey Mustard Dressing
2 and 1/2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard (grey poupon please!)
1 and 1/2 tablespoons (or more to taste preference) of raw honey
1/2 tablespoon of light mayo (or Spectrum canola oil mayo)
generous drizzle of EVOO

Whisk the above ingredients vigorously (or in food processor). Use immediately. This makes enough for about 2 servings, just double for more!

Super Simple Summer Salad-II

Jennifer — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:09:14 +0000

Inspired by the beauty of summer and the stifling heat that scorches my appetite allowing me to eat only the lightest fare, I’ve created a second super simple summer salad. This salad requires just a handful of ingredients, is inexpensive, and can be whipped up at a moments notice.

Ingredients:
1 sliced apple (any kind you like)
handful of walnuts
handfull of goat cheese crumbles
salad greens

Dressing: zest and juice of 1 small lemon, 2 tblsp evoo, salt and pepper. Mix to taste.

Combine salad ingredients and drizzle with as much dressing as you like. The acid in the lemon dressing is a perfect compliment to the sweet apples and is tempered by the fat in the cheese and nuts. This salad is light, refreshing and perfect on a scorching summer night when a hot meal just won’t do.

Sesame noodles

Jessica — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:25:15 +0000

One of my favorite comfort foods especially in the hot summer time is cold sesame noodles. Although one of my favorite brands is Annie Chuns’s, recently, I’ve been more willing to make my own dressing and noodles!

I used rice noodles- they cook really fast- just dump them in hot water for about 10 minutes and then mix with stirfried veggies and the dressing.

For the dressing, I just did a mix of sesame oil, a little rice wine vinegar, raw honey, peanut oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and low sodium soy sauce. I didn’t use exact measurements because I just added until it tasted yummy. However, I will be trying to get the measurements perfect so I can share it with you. If you are looking for a recipe, you can use Rachel Ray’s asian slaw dressing- it is essentially the same as mine, I just made a larger serving.

I garnished mine with sesame seeds and toasted cashews and the veggies included water chestnuts, carrots, onion, red bell pepper, and snow peas. Very satisfying and easy to make!

Super Simple Summer Salad

Jennifer — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 22:42:11 +0000

Try saying that 3x fast! Impossible!

This salad recipe is very near and dear to my heart. I ate it often while living in France and now, when I make it at home, it takes me back to that year abroad when I lived off simple, inexpensive, fresh foods that I found in my local village. I’ll share with you the most basic recipe, but please feel free to jazz it up to suit your taste. I personally find comfort in the simplicity of the salad and the delicate balances of the acids and fats and the incredible variety in texture-all from just a few easy ingredients:

Ingredients for 1 serving:
Bibb lettuce-as much as you like (you could use any kind of lettuce or even spinach as a substitute)
1 apple cored and cubed ( I prefer a sweet apple like a macintosh or a gala)
1-2 handfuls of cheese cubes ( I like to use a good cheese like a guyere or a good,strong cheddar)
red wine vinegar
evoo
salt and pepper

Directions: Super easy. Place lettuce, apples and cheese in a bowl. Drizzle with evoo and red wine vinegar, season with SP and toss well. Serve with a side of toasted pita or crackers or a baguette. Or, you could serve this as a side dish. It’s really that simple. I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do!

Egg and Olive

Jennifer — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:29:43 +0000

Egg and olive sandwiches remind me of my childhood. My sister and I ate a lot of them growing up. My father also ate them as a kid and so this particular sandwich is very nostalgic for me-aside from being really tasty.

It’s basically an easy egg salad recipe with olives added to the mix. It may sound like an odd recipe, but trust me, it’s really good. The olives give the salad that briney, vinegary kick, plus tons of flavor from the salt and olive juice. You really don’t need to add much else in terms of seasoning.

Egg and olive salad for 2:
3 hard boiled eggs (chopped)
a handful of olives (finely chopped)
fresh chives (finely chopped)
black pepper
mayonaise or veganaise (1 tblsp or as much as you like)

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and serve with lettuce on toasted wheat bread. Or, use as a dip for crackers and veggies.