Category: Salad

Curried Red Lentil, Kohlrabi, and Couscous Salad

Recipe here.

This was quite yummy (the dressing, in particular, is delicious,) but the recipe makes WAY too much.  We will be eating this for days.  Lots of commenters have said the same thing on epicurious, but I didn’t (thumping forehead) actually read them before executing this recipe.  So, unless you’re having a huge party or are attending a vegetarian potluck, you should make half the batch.

Other commenters also mentioned that the red lentils took less time to cook than the recipe said and that is definitely true.  In fact, I really think a lentil with more bite would be better in this recipe.  Plain brown ones would be great.  I think French green ones (my usual favorite) would be too peppery and strong and would overpower the kohlrabi.

The final product of this recipe is very dependent upon the quality of your curry powder.  If you can’t remember when you bought your jar, throw it out.  And then buy some of this.  Or this, if you like it spicier.

Also?  Kohlrabi is weird.  Tasty.  But weird.  My kohlrabi didn’t have the leaves, so I just omitted that step from the recipe.

Greek Salad

Adapted from a recipe from our friend, A.F., who adapted it from a recipe in the Pittsburgh Steelers cookbook.  It is flavorful and delicious and can be a salad course, but is also hearty enough (add a loaf of crusty bread) to be a meal on its own.

Greek Salad

1 head leaf lettuce (or 5 ounces packaged baby greens)

1 6-ounce package crumbled feta cheese (or a 6-ounce block, cut into small cubes)

1 12-ounce jar Kalamata olives, drained

1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes (cut in half, if desired)

1 seedless cucumber

(peeled, cut in half lengthwise, seeded and sliced into half-inch wide half-moons)

Dressing:

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

1 heaping Tbsp dried mint

1 heaping Tbsp dried oregano

6 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Lay lettuce or greens in the bottom of a very large salad bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the herbs and spices, and lemon juice.  Pour the olive oil in, in a slow stream, whisking constantly and quickly until fully incorporated and slightly thickened.

Pour desired amount of dressing over salad (you may not need it all) and toss gently to coat.  Top with tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and feta.

Serve immediately.

Wheat Berry Salad with Raisins and Pistachios

Recipe here.

This was quite tasty.  It had a nice lemony tang to it, and the chewiness of the wheat berries was very filling.

Now, that being said…if you hate raisins and goat cheese, or if you’re not crazy about cilantro or are frightened by unfamiliar novelty grains, this salad isn’t going to convert you.  It is exactly the sum of its parts, so if you like the parts, you’ll love it; if you don’t, you won’t…

Spring Salad with Grapes and Pistachio-Crusted Goat Cheese

Recipe here.

This was delicious and ridiculously quick.  The Easy Herb Vinaigrette in the recipe was indeed, easy and was quite tasty, but you could also use a balsamic vinaigrette or any other dressing that you prefer (although I would stay away from anything creamy, so that it doesn’t overpower the cheese.)  I highly recommend allowing the cheese to come to room temperature, as the cheese is much more palatable that way.  Nothing worse than a cold glob of cheese, in my opinion.  I used lowfat cream cheese for The Boy, because goat cheese is a little too gamey for him.  Boursin would also be good.

I was planning to grill some chicken to serve with this, but I forgot until I had the salads completely prepared and ready to go.  It was a very light dinner, but we didn’t miss the chicken at all, because we were having a VERY decadent dessert.  (Check out the next post for details.)

Spinach Salad with Lentils and Crispy Goat Cheese

Recipe here.

This will be a definite repeat.  Lentils are one of our favorite foods (especially Girl.)  They are terrific for you and have tons of the precious protein that can be so hard for vegetarians to get enough of.  We also all really like spinach, as well.  And, crispy-crunchy-gooey melted cheese?  Well, doesn’t EVERYONE love that?

This is similar to another salad that I made earlier this year (by the same food writer, even!,) but forming the cheese into patties and frying it takes this to a whole other level.

I made two slight modifications:

I cut back the amount of oil added to the lentils significantly.  I put in just enough to keep them from sticking (2 tsp?) while the garlic cooked.

I also used a bit of balsamic vinaigrette on the spinach instead of the olive oil.

We loved this and will definitely make it again.  The goat cheese was a tiny bit strong for Boy, so I might make his with boursin or something milder next time, but was still a fabulous and healthy vegetarian treat.

Green Lentil Salad with Baby Spinach and Goat Cheese

Recipe here.

Super fast and easy and very yummy.  I served this with some sliced, grilled steak (and a 2006 Ironstone Cabernet Franc) for the die-hard carnivores at my house, but it was definitely hearty enough to be a meal on its own.
Update:  I just saw that a new version of this recipe (with the goat cheese formed into a patty, breaded, and fried until crispy) has been posted by Blake Royer (the original author) on Serious Eats.  It can be found here.  I will definitely be trying that soon.  My mother made a fabulous salad with homemade vinaigrette, roasted chicken and breaded, toasted goat cheese medallions that is TO DIE FOR, so I imagine this will be great, too.

Giada’s Roman-style Chicken and Smoked Mozzarella and Sun-Dried Tomato Cigars

Yum yum yum.  Chicken recipe here.  Salad/Cigar recipe here.

I adapted the chicken recipe quite a bit, because it was a last-minute decision to make it and I didn’t have the exact right ingredients on hand, but the basic gist was still the same…browned, then simmered with tomatoes and peppers.  Caramelized/roasted cauliflower on the side.

The salad and cigars were fantastic.  The smokey, gooey cheese (a bit hard to find, but worth effort) and the sweet, chewy tomatoes were delicious together.  The salad (with cigars) is hearty enough to be a main dish, but since we were using it as a side, I only put half a cigar on each portion.  Also, for the dressing, I didn’t want to open a bottle of champagne just to make it, so I made a vinaigrette with champagne vinegar, instead.  Delicious.

Thai Noodle Salad with Sautéed Tofu

From April 2008 Cooking Light magazine.  Recipe here. This was REALLY good and very easy.  It tasted a lot like a spring roll, only without the wrapper.  The only thing to be aware of is that the tofu has to marinate for 2 hours before cooking, so be forewarned that, although the hands-on time investment is pretty small, this is not a recipe that can be thrown together at the last minute. I cut the amount of chili-garlic paste in the dressing down from 3 Tbsp to 2 Tbsp (and didn’t even use all of the dressing) and it was still pretty spicy.  Definitely still edible, but if your kids/family are spice-sensitive, I’d cut it back even more.  If you love the hot stuff, this is definitely your kind of dish.  Hubby LOVED it.  It would be great with some chopped peanuts sprinkled over the top of it.  Chopped cucumber would be a nice addition, too.

Middle Eastern-Style Flank Steak and Orecchiette with Brussels Sprouts, Gorgonzola, and Brown-Butter Pecans

This dinner tasted a lot better than my stinky photo makes it look.  I overcooked the steak a little bit and I undercooked the brussels sprouts a little bit, but both dishes tasted WONDERFUL.  The pasta was very rich and cheesy and creamy and the steak had just enough spice on it.  Girl, of course, only ate the pasta, and the meat was a tiny bit too spicy for Boy, but he still ate it enthusiastically.  The leftovers would be great tucked into a pita with some tzatziki and lettuce.

I highly recommend d’Arenberg Stump Jump Shiraz with this.  There’s a straight shiraz and there’s a shiraz-mourvedre-grenache blend.  They’re both good, but the straight shiraz is better and the 2008 is better than the 2007, but even the 2007 blend is still pretty good.

These recipes are, again, from Fine Cooking’s website, but I’m including the links…just in case.

Orecchiette recipe here.

Flank steak recipe here.