Grilled Eggplant Salad

This was a delicious salad that I made a few weeks back when my Mom came over for dinner on her 65th birthday. This salad was the appetizer, for the main course I made BBQ leg of lamb with tahini sauce (recipe coming soon!) and for dessert we had Hot Cross Bun Bread Pudding. The recipe for the salad dressing called for smoked paprika, but I only had hot paprika on hand. So, even though I cut down the amount a little, my salad dressing had some serious kick, or as my six year old, Marco, would say.... this salad "stings my tongue!"

Turns out I could have gone ahead and added a cup of hot paprika, my kids weren't going to touch this salad anyway (I think they ate the cheese curls only)... so in that case, I figure I might as well continue to make it the way the adults prefer it... stinging tongue and all!

Grilled Eggplant Salad
from Eating Well Website

2 small eggplants (about 1 pound total)
1 1/4 tsp salt
cooking spray
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 plum tomato, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (I used 1 tsp hot paprika)
3 cups mixed baby salad greens
2 oz Manchego cheese

1. Make decorative stripes down the length of the eggplant with a vegetable peeler, and then cut the eggplant crosswise into 1/2" thick slices. Spread on a baking sheet and sprinkle with 1 tsp salt. Let stand 15-20 minutes then rinse thoroughly and pat dry.

2. Preheat BBQ to medium. Lightly spray eggplant with cooking spray and grill for about 10 minutes total (turning halfway) until eggplant is soft and has grillmarks on both sides.

3. In a blender, puree the oil, vinegar, tomato, garlic, paprika and 1/4 tsp salt.

4. In a large bowl toss salad greens with half of the salad dressing.

5. On 6 salad plates, arrange a few slices of eggplant. Drizzle with remaining salad dressing, and then top with salad greens and a few curls of Manchego Cheese (make curls with a vegetable peeler).

Italian Salad

I had my Mom and Dad over for dinner on Sunday night. I wanted to make homemade Gnocchi for them, since my Mom has never tried it before. I have made this Gnocchi recipe 5 times since my friend, Roger, taught me how. It is so easy to make and so so good. The last time I made it, I made way too much, and before I boiled the Gnocchi I flash froze them, now I have a huge Ziploc bag of homemade Gnocchi in the freezer, just ready to be dumped into some boiling water for a few minutes. GENIUS!! (if I do, say so myself).

Anyway, enough about the Gnocchi, this post is supposed to be about the salad. I didn't feel like making a Caesar salad to go with this. It just seems like I am ALWAYS making Caesar salad. But, I wanted something that complimented the meal. So, I went on Google and typed in "Italian Salad"...I found this recipe on Epicurious. It was so unbelievably good! It was perfect and this one is "recipe file worthy".

I made a couple of small changes to the recipe (because I can't help myself... I like to meddle). I even wanted to change the name of the salad because "Italian Salad" just doesn't sound that sexy. But unfortunately my creative juices aren't running today and the only name I can come up with for the salad is.... "Chopped Salad with Garbanzo beans, Red Pepper, Red Onion and Fennel garnished with Proscuitto, Black Olives and Goat Cheese, in a garlic oregano Vinagrette, seasoned with Salt and Pepper"

Italian Salad

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 large garlic clove, minced
8 cups chopped lettuce (mixture of romaine and leafy)
1 19 oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup very thinly sliced red onion
1 cup very thinly sliced fresh fennel bulb
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese (about 3 ounces)
2 ounces thinly sliced proscuitto cut into strips
1/4 cup sliced pitted black olives
salt and pepper

1. In a bottle, let the minced garlic sit in the olive oil for a few hours. When ready to mix the salad add the white wine vinegar and oregano. Close the bottle and shake well.

2. In a large bowl add chopped lettuces, garbanzo beans, red pepper, red onion and fennel. Toss with salad dressing and season.

3. Sprinkle olives, goat cheese and proscuitto on top.

Napa Cabbage Salad

This is another recipe from the party at my house on the weekend where all the men cooked. I kicked things off yesterday with my post for Roger's Gnocchi and Mario's Meat Sauce.

Mark brought a Napa Cabbage Salad. Mark was the only man to decide on and bring a salad. In fact after perusing the list of recipes the men were bringing, my friend Kristen and I decided they were very meat and dessert centric and we thought she should bring an extra salad, just in case (and also because as women, we are control freaks and we really just can't leave well enough alone).

Mark's salad was quite original, and unlike some of his male co-chefs, Mark picked a new recipe which his better-half, Krista (of Krista's Couscous Salad fame) had never prepared either.

There were leftovers, and I am also happy to report that this salad keeps very well. The cabbage did not get wimpy. The oriental noodles got a little soft, but you could always avoid that by sprinkling them on each individual portion as you serve them. We did try to feed some of the leftovers to the kids, but we couldn't close the sale.

Nonetheless, I think I will be adding this recipe to my permanent repertoire. Thanks Mark!

Napa Cabbage Salad
made by Mark

Salad:
1 large Napa Cabbage, shredded
8 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 red pepper, diced
1 pkg oriental noodles (beef or chicken) crumbled
1 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup sesame seeds

Dressing:
1 cup olive oil
6 tbsp rice wine vinegar
3 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 envelope of soup mix from the oriental noodle package

1. Toast almonds and sesame seeds on baking sheet at 375F for 3-6 minutes or until golden. Let cool.

2. Mix together all ingredients for salad dressing.


3. Combine shredded Napa Cabbage, onions, parsley and red pepper. Add salad dressing and mix.

4. Just before serving, add noodles, almonds and sesame seeds.

Greek Salad

A couple of weeks ago, I got an e-mail from a friend of mine, "Do you have a recipe for a good Greek Salad?". Of course I do! Look who you're asking! Problem was all my recipes are tucked away in my recipe file at home, and I was at work. So, I gave her my recipe from memory (this was actually fairly irresponsible of me, as it had the potential for a great deal of reputational risk). But I figured, it's a salad, as if I don't know how to throw together a basic Greek Salad off the top of my head.

So, I sent my makeshift memorized recipe, and I never heard back. No news is good news right? Unless I poisoned everyone, then no news is bad news...

A few weeks later, this same friend had Mario and I over for dinner. She served Greek Salad. It was FABULOUS! I kept commenting, "Andrea, this is the BEST Greek Salad I've ever had". She says, "um Janet, it's YOUR recipe."....

"oh."

I get home, and I immediately dig up my original Greek Salad recipe as well as the e-mail I had sent her with my memorized recipe. They were different! Ooops.

But it's OK, as it turns out, I am brilliant and I should really just stop following recipes altogether. I had remembered the basic ingredients pretty well, but I had the proportions messed up. I guess it was one of those mistakes that turns out to be a good thing... like moldy bread that cures infections (yes, that's right, I just compared myself to Alexander Flemming). But, please don't underestimate the importance of a really good Greek Salad recipe. I've made it twice in the last week.


Greek Salad
adapted from my own recipe, by mistake

1 large head Romaine Lettuce
1/2 half red onion, sliced
1 English Cucumber, sliced
1 cup Kalamata olives
1 cup Greek Feta, crumbled

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper

1. Place lettuce in a large bowl.

2. Mix dressing ingredients in a bottle and give it a good shake.

3. Toss lettuce with about 1/2 the dressing.

4. Place remaining salad ingredients on top of lettuce, and drizzle with some more dressing.

Bean Salad

Well I was coming home from work the other night in the minivan (Dodge Caravan) with Claire and Marco strapped into their booster seats in the middle row, and the following conversation took place:

Claire: "Mommy, can you roll my window down?"
Me: "Sweetheart, you know the windows in the sliding doors don't open."
Marco: "But, Daddy does it!"
Me: "Well, Daddy does it in the car, but in the van, the windows can't open."
Marco: (ponders this for a minute) "If the windows don't open, how are we gonna go to restaurants ?!?!?!?"

Really though, I swear on my blog that my children eat healthy stuff MOST of the time! And to prove it... I brought them home and fed them frozen fish sticks and fries. Mario and I were going out to a restaurant... and not the roll-down window variety, either.

Seriously though, here is a nice healthy bean salad recipe that has been sitting in my draft posts for a few weeks waiting for it's 15 seconds of fame on my homepage...

This recipe came from my Mom, who analyzed her favorite store bought bean salad and came up with a copy-cat which in my opinion is better than the original.

Bean Salad

2 19oz cans bean medley
1/2 19oz can black beans
1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked and cut fresh green beans
1/2 cup cooked corn kernels
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 onion, chopped

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp honey dijon mustard
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cloved minced garlic
3 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

1. Mix all the beans and vegtables in a large bowl.

2. Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing and pour over beans and vegetables. Stir until all coated.

3. Best made one day in advance.

Krista's Couscous Salad

My dishwasher is broken. My dishwasher has been broken for 83 days and counting (my dishwasher naturally waited only 32 days past the expiry of the warranty period to stop washing my dishes). Mario seems to think it should be my job to schedule a repairman to come and fix the dishwasher. I wonder why? Is it because dishwashing is my responsibility? (don't get me started on that).

So, I am refusing to schedule the dishwasher repair! (Yes, I know... maybe I LIKE to shoot myself in the foot... OK?) Mario also seems to have dug his heels in on this one. I don't know what to do. I am tempted to just go out and buy a NEW dishwasher, because my stubborn streak could never extend to a shopping embargo. So if anyone would like to take pity on us, and save our marriage, could you please call a repairman?.... My dishwasher is a Frigidaire model #PLD2855RFC, and I think it has an electrical problem. Phew thanks.

Alright, well here's a recipe that doesn't dirt too many dishes! This is a delicious couscous salad recipe that I 'borrowed' from my friend Krista. Krista used to bring this salad to a lot of parties but she doesn't anymore because the recipe has 'jumped the shark'. FYI - Jumping the Shark is my new favorite expression, check it out on Wikipedia.

Krista's Couscous Salad

1 cup couscous
1 cup boiling water
1 tsp chicken bouillon
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cucumber, chopped
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/2 cup crumbled feta
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
parsley to garnish

1. In a bowl mix cucumbers, vinegar and garlic. Let sit 20 minutes to marinate.

2. In another bowl (see only 2 dirty bowls), add boiling water to couscous and chicken stock. Mix and let cool.

3. Once couscous is cool, add cucumber mixture, onion, tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir in feta. Garnish with parsley. (Note: the Feta was my addition and not in Krista's original recipe).

Mexican Chopped Salad

This is a great recipe to go alongside any sort of Mexican or Caribbean dish. The lime based dressing is very tasty and the crispy tortilla chips are the main attraction. I didn't have red onion so I used regular. You can also add olives and/or jalapeno peppers. This is a great use of the broken chips at the bottom of the bag (if you can bring yourself to save them instead of tipping the bag up and pouring them in your mouth - GUILTY).

In this picture, the salad is shown with Caribbean style black beans and rice, grilled snapper with cajun seasoning (bottled) and crostata with pesto sauce (bottled)....see? I don't make EVERYTHING from scratch...

Mexican Chopped Salad

8 cups (approx) of shredded iceberg and romaine lettuce
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup cucumber, chopped
1 cup broken tortilla chips
juice of one lime
1 tbsp salsa
2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Place the lettuce, tomato, onion and cucumber in a large salad bowl.

2. Mix dressing: In a bottle, place olive oil, lime juice, salsa and cilantro. Shake vigorously until well mixed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Toss salad with the dressing. At the last minute, toss in the tortilla chips.

Chicken and Canteloupe Salad

Does anyone else out there ever feel like giving up and just giving their kids chicken fingers and hotdogs everynight? It's what they want and it would be so much easier... not to mention cheaper!

Last night we felt like having a light supper, and so I made these pretty chicken salads served in canteloupe bowls. Here's what the kids did....first they whined, and complained, "Do we have to eat ALL the canteloupe?" Then Claire dumped all the chicken salad out onto her plate and scraped some of the canteloupe off the bowl. That was her dinner! A couple of bites of canteloupe, a crusty roll, and a piece of cheddar cheese. Marco copies whatever Claire does, so that's what he ate too. sigh.

I got the idea for this recipe about 15 years ago when I was in the Dominican Republic with a girlfriend. We were staying at a cheap-o all-inclusive resort, and the food was so gross and stinky we barely managed to get enough to eat. The only thing we could find that seemed even remotely edible was a fruit salad served in a canteloupe bowl. We ate it three times a day (which did not do nice things to our digestive systems). At some point a few years later, I got the idea of adding chicken. I've managed to block out the bad memories of resort food, and now this is one of my favorite light lunches.


Chicken and Canteloupe Salad

2 small ripe canteloupes
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
2 large chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
4 tbsp slivered almonds
1/4 cup light miracle whip
1/4 cup fat free sour cream
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper

1. Mix dressing: Stir together the Miracle Whip, sour cream, vinegar, cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Cut each canteloupe in half in a zig zag pattern. Scoop out the seeds and with a melon baller, scoop out some more of the flesh to make the bowls bigger (leave about 1/2" of flesh in the canteloupe. Save the little balls of melon.

3. In a medium bowl, mix chopped chicken, celery, green onion, green pepper and the reserved melon. Stir in the dressing and mix to coat.

4. Spoon the chicken salad into the canteloupe bowls, sprinkle each bowl with a tablespoon of slivered almonds. Take pictures, and eat.

Mixed Greens with Pear, Walnut and Maple Vinaigrette

Just a boring old salad recipe today. This is one of our favorite salads though. Easy enough to make for an everyday meal and impressive enough to serve for guests. I found this recipe about a year ago in an LCBO Food and Drink Magazine (a quarterly magazine that you can pick up free at the Liquor Store here in Ontario), it is usually packed with amazing recipes and wine pairing suggestions. Most of the recipes are also available on-line.

We particularly love the maple vinaigrette and I make it often, even when I don't have the pears and walnuts to make the original salad recipe. I have also, on occasion, added little chunks of Brie with great results. The red onion wasn't in the original recipe either, but I think it makes the salad better.

I know the recipe calls for "12 cups" of salad greens, but please don't measure your lettuce - how do you measure lettuce anyway? Just fill a big salad bowl with lettuce and then add the other ingredients and toss with dressing in increments until you think there's enough. Sorry I don't have any funny stories to go along with this post, its hard to screw up a salad.... even for me.

Mixed Greens with Pear, Walnut and Maple Vinaigrette

12 cups mixed salad greens
1 firm ripe pear
1/2 cup toasted walnut
1/4 cup red onion, sliced into thin rings
3 tbsp cider vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt

1. Wash pear (don't peel) and cut into quarters lengthwise. Slice each quarter crosswise into thin slices.

2. Mix dressing: whisk together the vinegar, olive oil and syrup (I like to use a milk frother to mix my salad dressings).

3. Put the greens, onion, pear, and toasted walnuts in a large bowl and toss with dressing, until everything is lightly coated.

Grilled Teriyaki Salmon and Salad with Japanese Ginger Dressing

I have always loved the Ginger Salad Dressing that you are served in most Japanese restaurants (it's a "lick the plate" sort of love). So, I embarked on a quest to re-create this dressing at home. I think I was fairly successful, but I honestly don't know if I will make this again just due to the sheer number of ingredients involved. Besides, its such a treat go out and have it served to me in a restaurant. For the salad itself, I used roughly chopped iceberg lettuce, one grated carrot, and one chopped stalk of celery. For the life of me, I couldn't really remember what other vegetables are typically found in this sort of salad...

Also for dinner I made Grilled Teriyaki Salmon which was very simple. I served the salmon and salad with some leftover rice that came from a local takeout greek place called Greek on Wheels. The kids pretty much only ate the rice. Figures.

Japanese Ginger Salad Dressing

1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
2 tablespoons minced celery
1 tablespoons ketchup
4 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons white sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and whiz until well blended and vegetables are pureed.

Grilled Teriyaki Salmon

4 salmon fillets
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced onion

1. Mix teriyaki with garlic, onion, and ginger.

2. Pour over salmon in a shallow dish. Let marinate about 30 minutes.

3. Grill salmon on BBQ or under broiler about 3 minutes per side.

Garlic Shrimp with Barley Salad

Many nights for dinner I actually follow recipes, even making special trips to the grocery store for just the right ingredients (ask Mario about my grocery shopping addiction...). But sometimes, I get lazy and I just toss something together on the fly. Sometimes that works out fabulously and other times.... well those dinners don't get posted. This one was pretty adequate.

I rummaged around in the deep freeze before breakfast, totally undecided about what I would make.... roast pork - takes too long, ribs - ditto, chicken breast - don't feel like it, italian sausages - too fattening, chicken nuggets - too pre-made.... then ah-ha from the scary depths of the freezer I pulled a bag of frozen (duh) raw peeled tiger shrimp. I can ALWAYS figure out something to do with shrimp.

Before I left for work I put the shrimp in a covered dish with about a 1/4 cup of olive oil and 2 cloves of minced garlic to marinate in the fridge. Then I sat at my desk at work all day, thinking about my shrimp, and surfing the internet (but just a little bit I promise) for ideas on how to complete what I started.

Sometime after my second cup of coffee, I remember that I had a container of leftover cooked barley in the fridge, and so I concocted a "barley salad" that is loosely based on my friend, Krista's, recipe for "couscous salad" (which I may post someday, if she doesn't mind).

Sautéed Garlic Shrimp

1lb raw shrimp
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic
Splash of white wine
salt and pepper

1. Marinate shrimp in garlic and olive oil.

2. When ready to eat scoop shrimp out of the marinade with a slotted spoon (don't need to get ALL that oil). Place in a skillet over medium-high heat and sauté for a few minutes, until the shrimp is pink and cooked through. Add a splash of white wine and season while cooking.

Barley Salad

1 1/2 cups cooked barley
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 chopped tomato
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper

1. Mix together lemon juice, and olive oil and pour over all remaining ingredients. Mix it all up until everything is coated. Season to taste.