Category Archives: Salads

The Laguna Green

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The Laguna Green

The first 90 degree day in Minnesota calls for a warm weather salad. Gorgeous spring produce star including roasted asparagus, beets, and strawberries all tossed with an orange tarragon vinaigrette. This recipe was found in the June 2015 issue of Clean Eating. Yummy. Unique. Patio-fresh.
Course Salads
Cuisine American
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 204kcal
Author Cara Lyons

Ingredients

  • 4 small golden or red beets
  • 1 bunch asparagus trimmed
  • ¼ tsp each sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup sliced unsalted almonds
  • ¼ cup plain fat free or whole-milk Greek yogurt
  • ¼ cup fresh orange juice plus 2 tsp orange zest
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp whole grain Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp raspberry wine vinegar I used apple cider vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves
  • 1 5- oz pkg baby arugula or any mixed greens you have on hand
  • 2 cups stemmed and sliced strawberries
  • 2 oz goat cheese crumbled

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roast beets. Cut a large square of tin foil, mist with cooking spray, wrap beets tightly in foil, and place on baking sheet. Roast for 45-50 minutes until tender. Let cool, remove skin, and chop.
  • Preheat grill to medium, or roast in oven. Arrange asparagus on baking sheet, mist with cooking spray, sprinkle with 1/8 tsp each salt and pepper, Gril for 5-7 minutes, or roast for 15-20 minutes in same oven as the beets until tender. Cool, chop into 1 inch lengths.
  • In small skillet on medium-low, toast almonds until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, stirring often, remove from heat.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, orange juice and zest, oil, mustard, vinegar, garlic, tarragon and remaining salt and pepper.
  • In a large bowl, add arugula, strawberries, beets, asparagus, almonds, and cheese. Drizzle dressing over salad.

 

 

Baked Goat Cheese Salad

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Baked Goat Cheese Salad

Serving food to 4 adult children, who all love to cook and are great cooks in their own right, is always an excuse to try a new recipe and hopefully elicit an exclamation of approval. This recipe from Green Cooking did such that. The kids loved the warm goat cheese with strawberries. However, thumbs down on the Dijon Lemon dressing, we preferred a balsamic dressing instead.

Ingredients

  • Olive oil cooking spray
  • 2 large Spanish onions thinly sliced
  • ¾ cup whole-wheat Panko bread crumbs
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
  • Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • 4 egg whites
  • 4 oz Chèvre or spreadable goat cheese
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons chopped raw unsalted pecans
  • 2 cups baby arugula
  • 2 cups thinly sliced strawberries

Instructions

  • Caramelize onions: Heat a large nonstick skillet on medium-high and lightly mist with cooking spray. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. (NOTE: Skillet will be quite full to start, but onions shrink as they cook.) Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, sticky and light caramel in color, about 1 hour. Remove from heat, transfer to a large plate and let cool at room temperature for 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425°F. In a medium bowl, combine Panko, thyme, salt and pepper. In a separate medium bowl, lightly beat egg whites; set aside. With your hands, gently press goat cheese into 4 1-oz balls and flatten each into 1/2-inch-thick patties. Dip patties in egg, turning to coat, then gently press both sides into Panko mixture; repeat process to coat each patty twice. Transfer to a small tray, cover loosely with plastic wrap and freeze for 20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, prepare dressing: In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice, Dijon and additional salt and pepper; set aside.
  • Line a medium baking sheet with foil and mist with cooking spray. Arrange cheese patties in a single layer on 1 half of sheet and mist tops with cooking spray. Bake for 6 minutes. Flip patties and bake for 6 more minutes, until golden. Turn oven heat off and remove sheet from oven. Add pecans to remaining half of sheet. Return to oven until pecans are warm, about 3 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine arugula, strawberries and dressing. Toss gently to coat and divide among serving plates. Top with onions, pecans and cheese patties, dividing evenly.

 

Pear and Pomegranate Salad

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Pear and Pomegranate Salad

Course Salads
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Author Karen

Ingredients

  • 2 bags baby spinach ends trimmed
  • 1 Anjou pear diced
  • ½ cup pomegranate seeds
  • ¼ cup sliced green onion
  • Honey Roasted Pecans coarsely broken
  • Bottle of Litehouse Pomegranate/Blueberry Vinaigrette or Raspberry Vinaigrette

Instructions

  • Divide all ingredients among each of 8 salad plates, shake dressing and drizzle over each salad.
  • Note: to remove pomegranate seeds cut pomegranate in half. With small spoon, gently lift seeds out of membrane. Seeds can be stored in Ziploc storage bag in the refrigerator for several days.

 

Greek Infused Quinoa Salad

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Greek Infused Quinoa Salad

Course Salads
Cuisine Greek
Prep Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4
Author Karen

Ingredients

  • ½ onion chopped
  • 1-2 garlic cloves chopped
  • A few sprigs of fresh oregano
  • ½ cup quinoa
  • 1 cup low sodium vegetable stock
  • ¼ cup black olives pitted and chopped or left whole
  • 1 can 14 oz. artichoke hearts, halved
  • ½ cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 fresh lemon zested and juiced
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • A few fresh mint leaves
  • 4 oz feta cheese
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • In a small sauce pan, sauté the onions until translucent. Add the garlic and oregano and cook for another minute.
  • Add the quinoa to the pan and toast it for a minute.
  • Add the vegetable broth, season with salt and pepper and stir once. Cover the pan with a lid and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook for about 40 minutes until all liquid has evaporated and quinoa is tender.
  • Fluff quinoa with a fork and let cool in the fridge for about 30-40 minutes (or you can make this ahead and let cool overnight).
  • Mix in the other ingredients; olives, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, lemon zest and juice and drizzle with olive oil. Mix well.
  • Top with fresh mint and cubed feta. Add the feta towards the end so you don't risk breaking it up while you mix it. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Serve.
  • Recipe courtesy: The Shiksa in the Kitchen

 

Pumpkin Seed-Topped Pear and Arugula Salad with Tangy Raspberry Dressing

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Pumpkin Seed-Topped Pear and Arugula Salad With Tangy Raspberry Dressing

Course Salads
Cuisine American
Author Karen

Ingredients

  • ½ c olive oil extra virgin
  • ¼ c lemon juice fresh
  • ½ c smashed red raspberries
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 4 cups baby arugula salad mix
  • 2 oz broccoli sprouts
  • 1 large red pear cored, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup dried cranberries
  • ½ cup dried pumpkin seeds

Instructions

  • Shake olive oil, lemon juice, smashed raspberries, honey, Dijon mustard and pepper in a cruet or sealable container and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  • Place 1 cup baby arugula mix onto each of 4 salad plates.
  • Top with broccoli sprouts, sliced pears, cranberries and pumpkin seeds.
  • Shake dressing and drizzle over salads and serve immediately.
  • Adapted from: Just A Pinch Recipes

 

Wild Rice Salad

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Wild Rice Salad

Course Salads
Cuisine American
Author Karen

Ingredients

  • ⅔ cup wild rice
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 ½ cups turkey cooked and cut-up
  • 1 can water chestnuts drained
  • 2 cups green grapes
  • 1 cup cashews
  • ⅔ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/4-1/3 cup milk

Instructions

  • Combine rice, water and salt. Cook until done.
  • Add turkey and water chestnuts.
  • Add grapes and cashews right before serving.
  • Combine mayonnaise, lemon juice and milk for a dressing. Stir into rice and turkey mixture.

 

Strawberry-Jello Fruit Salad

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Strawberry-Jello Fruit Salad

Course Salads
Cuisine American
Author Karen

Ingredients

  • 1 large package strawberry-banana jello
  • 1 10 oz packages frozen strawberries
  • 1 20 oz can crushed pineapple not drained
  • 1 pint sour cream

Instructions

  • Dissolve jello in 1 1/2 cups of hot water.
  • Add strawberries and pineapple (not drained).
  • Pour half of the jello mixture into a 13X9 glass rectangular dish and jell.
  • Spread the sour cream on top of the jello.
  • Pour other half of jello mixture on top and jell.

 

Fresh Spinach Salad

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Fresh Spinach Salad-

Course Salads
Cuisine American
Author Karen

Ingredients

  • 1 package fresh spinach
  • 1 can bean sprouts drain and rinse
  • 8 slices crisp bacon crumbled
  • 3 hard boiled eggs diced
  • 1 cup canola or olive oil
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • ⅓ cup ketchup
  • ¼ cup vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Mix spinach, bean sprouts, bacon and eggs together.
  • Mix the salad oil, sugar, ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and salt to taste together to make the dressing.

 

Overnight Layered Green Salad

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Overnight Layered Green Salad

Course Salad
Cuisine American
Author Karen

Ingredients

  • 1 head lettuce shredded or 1/2 lettuce and 1/2 spinach
  • 1 cup chopped green onions
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 can sliced water chestnuts
  • 1 package frozen peas
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ cup parmesan cheese
  • 3 chopped hard boiled eggs
  • ½ to ¾ lb crisp crumbled bacon

Instructions

  • Layer the lettuce, green onions, celery, water chestnuts and peas.
  • Top the above ingredients with 2 cups mayonnaise.
  • Mix the sugar, seasoned salt, garlic powder and parmesan cheese together.
  • Sprinkle this on top of the mayonnaise.
  • Refrigerate overnight.
  • Before serving sprinkle with 3 chopped hard boiled eggs and the crumbled bacon.
  • Optional garnish: tomatoes, radishes or mushrooms.

Hot Chicken Salad

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Hot Chicken Salad

Course Salads
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Author Karen

Ingredients

  • 4 cups boneless chicken breasts baked and cut up
  • 2 cups chopped celery
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 4 hard boiled eggs cut up
  • ⅔ cup finely cut almonds
  • 2 tablespoons chopped green olives
  • 1 ½ cups mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 1 ½ cups crushed potato chips
  • 1 cup grated cheese cheddar or American

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients except the potato chips and grated cheese.
  • Put in a large rectangular Pyrex dish. Let stand overnight.
  • Before baking sprinkle crushed potato chips and grated cheese on top.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through.