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    • Watercress Composed Salad with Citrus Dressing ~ March Daring Cooks

    Posted on March 14, 2014 by Andrea

    Salad

    I haven’t been living in one place for a long enough period of to really concentrate on joining any cook-alongs. It’s been over 6 months with this back and forth stuff! I’m so excited t his month to not join one of The Daring Kitchen’s challenges, but TWO!

    For March’s Daring Cooks’ Challenge, Ruth, Shelley and Sawsan asked us to totally veg out! We made salads and dressings, letting the sky be the limit as we created new flavors and combinations that reflect our own unique tastes.

    I’ve always made my own dressing. Probably because my mother always made her own dressing and my grandmother always made her own dressing. I will occasionally buy a dressing in a bottle, if I want a quick marinade for something, but otherwise I just find them … hmmm, ICKY! Thick and gloppy and off-tasting.

    This challenge was right up my alley!

    Many, many moons ago, Erie and I went to a Spanish restaurant in Queens (the name escapes me at the moment and perhaps she will chime in and let us know). We had the most wonderful composed salad – and I was surprised as I’m not usually a fan of composed salads.

    Since then, this is my go to company is coming, steak themed dinner, salad. It’s simple with lots of great ingredients.

    • 1 bunch watercress
    • 2 hard boiled eggs
    • 2 plum tomatoes
    • 1 can hearts of palm
    • 1 shallot
    • juice from 1/2 an orange, lime and lemon
    • 3 t extra virgin olive oil
    • 1/2 t oregano
    • s&p

    NOTE: I used plum tomatoes, use whatever tomatoes make you happy.

    Watercress

    Wash watercress thoroughly and cut off stems. Place watercress on a platter

    Quarter hard boiled eggs into wedges.  Scatter over watercress.

    If using Roma tomatoes, cut into wedges. If using other tomatoes, cut into chunks. Scatter over watercress.

    Slice hearts of palm into 1/4″ rings. Again, scatter over watercress.

    Thinly slice shallot into rings. Scatter over salad.

    Dressing salad

    In a bowl, whisk together citrus juices, oregano and s&p to taste. While whisking, stream in olive oil. When ready to serve salad, drizzle dressing over the top.

    Filed under: Appetizer, Daring Cooks, Daring Kitchen, Dinner, Eggs, Recipe blog, recipes, Salad, Side dish, Vegetarian | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments »

    Fattoush Salad #SundaySupper

    Posted on June 9, 2013 by Andrea

    Ready to serve

    One of the things I long for during the long, cold, dreary winter is meat on the grill.

    Nothing smells better. Nothing tastes better. Well, only if you’re a carnivore at heart, of course.

    One of my favorite things on the grill is lamb … lamb chops, to be exact. And to bring this end-of-the-winter, let’s-celebrate-the-spring feast together for me nothing is better than a Fattoush Salad from Forever Summer by Nigella Lawson.

    The salad is bright and fresh. Great, simple ingredients, simply dressed.

    To make the salad gluten free,  just skip the last step and don’t add the pita bread.

    This is another one of those do-ahead dishes that just gets better as it sits waiting for you to devour it! And devour it you will!

    • 2 pita breads
    • 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
    • 1 cucumber, quartered lengthwise and chopped
    • 4 tomatoes, chopped
    • Generous handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
    • 1 clove garlic, crushed or finely chopped
    • 6-8 T olive oil
    • 1 lemon, juiced
    • Salt
    • 1 t Sumac powder to sprinkle over finished salad

    Ingredients

    NOTE: I used an English cucumber and had to cut it into eighths, not quarters. I find they’re much less watery.

    Panorama

    Gently, but thoroughly, mix the chopped red onion, cucumber, tomatoes, parsley and garlic together.

    Waiting

    Dress the salad with the olive oil, lemon juice and a little salt.  Refrigerate until almost ready to serve.

    You want to have the pita bread still slightly warm and crisp, so this final step should be done just before serving.  Split the pita bread in half and toast or put in the oven for five minutes.  They should be crisp, but not completely brittle.

    Using scissors, snip, or just break apart with your hands, the toasted pita bread into medium to small pieces and stir into the salad mixture.

    NOTE: This was a lot of salad for two people. Knowing I’d be using the rest of this salad for lunch the next day, I sprinkled the pita shards on top so they would be eaten then and wouldn’t be a yucky, soggy mess in the salad the next day.

    Done

    Sprinkle over the sumac so it is noticeable but not too thick.

    This is part of another wonder Sunday Supper. This week’s theme ‘Free for All’ hosted by Beate at The Not So Cheesy Kitchen. Check out the rest of the posts if you get a chance!
    Breakfast
    Breakfast

    • Dairy, Egg, Gluten, Nut & Soy Free Brown Rice Breakfast Pudding by girlichef
    • Dairy & Nut and Sugar Free Blueberry Tangerine Muffins by Vintage Kitchen
    • Dairy, Egg, Gluten, Nut, and Soy Free Homemade Mango Jam Recipe by Masala Herb

    Main Courses

    Sides
    Breads

    Treats

    Drinks

    sunday supper Sneak Peek: 45+ Fabulous Summer Berry Recipes for #SundaySupper

    Filed under: Appetizer, Nigella Lawson, Salad, Side dish, Sunday Supper Movement, Vegetarian | Tagged: , , , , , , | 47 Comments »

    Corn and Black Bean Salad

    Posted on June 16, 2011 by Andrea

    I know. It’s been a long time. I just haven’t been able to get my head in the game. But I am back. And it’s Thursday. Which means it is Every(thurs)day Food Recipe day!

    I loved the July/August 2011! Then again, I love anything that is chock full of simple, it’s-to-hot-to-cook recipes!

    So here I was making these fabulous Burgers al Pastor – you have to make these, they were seriously slammin’ – with Cilantro Fries – yet to come! – and needed some sort of salad to tie it all together, but within in my FIESTA theme! Everyday Food and Corn and Black Bean Salad to the rescue!

    • 1 T vegetable oil
    • 2 C corn kernels
    • 1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
    • 1 t seeded, and minced Serrano chile
    • 4 t chopped cilantro
    • 1 T lime juice
    • 1/2 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced medium
    • coarse salt & pepper to taste

    NOTE: Obviously, fresh cilantro and fresh lime juice. I couldn’t find Serrano chilis – well, the husband couldn’t – so I used jalapeno. You will get about 2 cups of corn from 3 ears of fresh corn. Go with the fresh if you can.

    In a large, nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium high heat.  Add corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn is browned in spots, should be about 3 minutes.

    Transfer corn to a large bowl. Add balance of ingredients. Stir well. Serve immediately.

    Really, does it get easy than this!?

    Filed under: Every(thurs)day Food Magazine, Salad, Side dish, Vegetarian | Tagged: , , , , , | 6 Comments »

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