Layered Veggie and Herbalicious Salad With Lemon and Garlic Vinaigrette

I love this time of year when the produce gets so colourful and tasty. I made an herb salad which is my fav with lots of dill and cilantro as well as arugula and other fine lettuces together with peppers some yellow and orange tomatoes and some perdy red cabbage. I stuffed some chicken breasts to go with it, but here is the salad dressing I put over it.

3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup sherry vinegar, 2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest (from about 1 large lemon), 1 tsp. granulated sugar, 1 tsp. minced fresh garlic, 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper.

Put all the ingredients together in a jar and shake it then pour over salad and toss. You can keep the vineaigrette in the jar for up to 5 days - though I've fed my husband stuff after 10 days and he's fine. :)

As you can see I'm going to try and add photos to my blog which in some ways makes me feel a bit silly when my family is wondering what the hell I'm doing while they're trying to eat.

Pear Gorgonzola Vinaigrette Jello Salad

I just knew I could find a good Jello Salad Recipe from a Jean Pare cookbook! She is so not a cooking snob and because of that has surpassed many a cookbook author 10 times over. I read her autobiography and to me she is a true Canadian Rock star! I posted her biography on Succulent Sage/Tara Cooks (how many names do I have?). I was determined to find a Jello Salad Recipe to prepare for tonight's dinner because you can put so much spring or summer into a single bowl. My Aunt Linda used to make the most gorgeous several layered jello salad which is now a family tradition. A Jello Salad is Prairie food, it's Midwest, it's down home, it's so 1960 and it's very very gorgeously kitschy. Be brave, step out and step over all those silly little cooking snobs you know and serve a jello salad at the next family or friend dysfunction.

I'm printing a recipe here today and have no idea as of this moment if it will turn out, but I'm determined that it will....and if it doesn't, add tequila and turn it into a jello shot.

2 packs of lime jello
½ cup of pear Gorgonzola salad vinaigrette (or choose another fancy vinaigrette)
2 cups of boiling water
1 ½ cups of cold water
½ cup of light Hellman’s mayo
3-4 cups of shredded coleslaw/cabbage mixture (I bought a bag of already shredded...you can also add cucumber chopped up or shredded too).

Mix jello up first according to the package directions (hot water then cold water) then all all of the above, stir and put into the fridge.

P O S T S C R I P T

****OMGoodness - so beautiful and delicious! Easy and addictive. Ingredients are perfect. I think I'm going to try a few more this year.

Edible Parmesan Salad Bowls!

OK - these are just simply gorgeous, easy to do and most impressive. Of course when trying anything unusual like this, you might worry that it won't work out. Well, keep practicing and eventually it will look like a bowl. It took me a couple of tries...I made some of them too big so they looked a little floppy. But I fixed that and broke off the uneven pieces and ate them! Also, if it looks more like a plate than a bowl - who cares! Just put the salad in the bowl. Now here is the secret to making a successful Parmesan Bowl. Cut individual squares of parchment paper to put the cheese on. That way when you take them out of the oven, you only have to pick up the parchment paper with the cheese on it and lay it over an inverted bowl. Easy removal. That was my mistake. I used a spatella to remove the cheese and it bunched up (though it was still amazing). Serve these salad bowls when you have people over tonight for dinner - they will think you are amazing!

1. grate about 1 1/3 cups of fresh Parmesan (not the powdery canned cheese).

2. cut up four parchment paper squares and put onto a cookie sheet

3. Put 1/3 of a cup of grated Parmesan on each parchment paper square and make into a nice even circle (if you need to grate more cheese then do).

4. Put into a 325 degree oven and let it just melt (about 2-3 minutes - maybe even longer if need be...don't worry)

5. When it's a nicely melted consistency, pull the cookie sheetout of the oven and lift one of the parchment paper squares up and lay the cheese side over an inverted 5inch bowl or rounded coffee cup which I think might be better. Repeat the process with three more bowls/coffee cups and with a paper towel, blot the excess oil and shape the bowls with your hand.

6. Let cool for five minutes or so take a deep breath and gently remove each Parmesan salad bowl from it's mold,put onto invididual plates and fill with your favourite salad. There you go, easy, takes about 10-15 minutes total, and you'll be a star! My whole family loved them and they said they "looked fancy!"

Salads!!!!! I've Got So Many More WINNING recipes to post soon!!

I absolutely adore vinaigrette and I swear to you everybody I’ve ever served a salad to with one of my homemade vinaigrettes, always asks for the recipe (maybe because I twist their arms to admit they like it and they have to ask for it). They are quick to make and always delicious. Here are a few family favs:

Mother McIntosh’s Poppy Seed Salad Dressing
1 tbsp of chopped green onion, 1 tbsp. Of Dijon mustard, ¼ cup of honey, 1 tsp of poppy seeds, 1 cup of canned or fresh mandarin oranges, 1/3 cup of oil, ¼ cup of grapefruit juice, and 2 chopped avocados. Mix up all of the liquid ingredients, but save the oranges and avocado for when you are assembling the salad, then serve over the salad leaves of your choice. Romaine is a nice lettuce for this salad.

Blue Cheese Tarragon Dressing
1 cup of olive oil, ¼ or 1/3 cup of rice wine vinegar, 1 ¼ tsp of dried tarragon, ½ tsp of dried Dijon mustard, ¼ tsp finely minced garlic, 3 ounces of blue cheese dressing. Shake all the ingredients together in a jar until smooth. Chill for about 1 ½ hours. When you make your salad, add grapes and pecans.
Soy Lemon Vinaigrette
½ cup of vegetable oil, ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tbsp white wine, 2 tbsp of grainy Dijon mustard, ¼ tsp of finely minced garlic, freshly ground pepper to taste.

My Mama’s Chop Chop Salad
Here is my mom’s fabulous Chopped Salad Recipe: chop 2 celery, 2 green onion, and 1 Spanish onion (mom likes this onion best), chop up red or yellow pepper or both if you want, 1 head of iceberg lettuce chopped up into very small pieces, 1 cup of cubed or shredded cheddar cheese (or add whatever cheese you prefer, but at least a cup full), put in one package of shredded fake crab, then add salad toppers like flavoured almonds. Then, wrap it up and put the bowl aside, in the refrigerator for at least a half hour to allow the flavors to mingle. It really made a difference. You basically eat this amazing salad with a spoon.

Potato Caesar Salad
This is amazing and comes compliments from my friend Marie who brought it along to our lacrosse wind up party this past summer – my mom LOVED it.
Parboil (10 minutes) 10 pealed cubed large potatoes, drain and let them cool a bit. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and Lawrey’s seasoning salt over the potatoes (there are no measurements but use your discretion for how much salt you personally like, and oil to just coat). Then sprinkle some paprika and some parsley flakes on them. Then mix them all together and place the potatoes on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 – 30 minutes. Let cool, add Caesar salad dressing (not the creamy kind, but the oil and vinegar one), sprinkle Parmesan cheese (however little or a lot you like) then add bacon pieces (Marie used the Hormel bacon bits in a jar) or you can make your own. Then toss and serve. You can even add cut up green onions for garnish. Simply delicious!

Yummy Hot German Potato Salad with Pork Roast and Pancetta Broccoli on the side

Sometimes I think I need a little spanking to wake me up from the bliss of cooking such delightful concoctions. I broke the rules, I think...if there even are any. I served pork in three freakin' dishes tonight. Does my family care? No. I did it to get my children to gobble up the veggies and try new dishes and it worked. It bloody well worked. It's been decades since I enjoyed and made a good Hot German Potato salad. In fact, making a HGPS was the very first thing I ever made together with a pot of coffee when my mom came home from work one night. It was the first of many nights, that I would indulge in the joy of making, alchemizing, stirring, peeling, and sauteing, simply for the joy it brought to moi, but of course to all of those around...moi. Yesterday my mom made HGPS for our annual family/chick luncheon. Here's what she did. Never be afraid of the measurements, just add a little more of this or a little more of that:

Hot German Potato Salad

Boil six potatoes with skins on until you can prick a fork in it and it's just tender (get your mind out of the gutter). Drain and cool the potatoes. Saute up one half of a red onion and three slices of chopped up bacon in a pan until its gliseny and cooked how you like it. Be careful not to burn the onions, you only want it all to be soft and slightly brown. Then to make the vinaigrette, add 1/4 cup of canola oil with about 3 tbsp. of HONEY MUSTARD, and 1/8 cup of apple cider vinegar, or any other whitish vinegar you have on hand. Finally peel all the potatoes of their skins and slice into a dish. Add the bacon and onions, then the vinaigrette and toss ever so gently. Add some pepper and a little green garnish if you'd like.

The little Pork Roast that Could...

Mix up a marinade of 1/4 cup of orange marmalade, 1/8 cup of low sodium soy sauce, a tsp. of minced garlic, and 1/4 cup of olive oil (I love oil and you ought to see my smooth skin!). Mix up and pour 1/2 of the mixture over the roast (which is in a nice roaster with a bunch of washed button mushrooms), pour some chicken 1broth in the pan (why is there no pork bouillon?), and then put into a 350 degree oven until meat is just cooked (there can be a little pink in it). There is seriously NOTHING worse than overcooked pork. Use a meat thermometer to help you along or look on line to get cooking times. When the roast is just cooked to medium rare, take it out of the oven and put tin foil over it to rest.

Last but not least, broccoli with pancetta: Simply clean and cut up broccoli and steam either in a steamer or in the microwave until al dente (not soft but just soft with a bit of bite to it.) Toss into a frying pan, once again with a tad of garlic, a smattering of olive oil and 1/2 cup of pancetta (which is an Italian bacon).

Alright then. Pork pork and more pork. It was an evening of experimentation to get my kids to try more things. They ate ALL of the broccoli, all of the pork and their HGPS which they said was ok, but me.....I had to undo my pants because I ate so much of it tonight. Until these kids know what they're talking about in terms of good taste when it comes to HGPS, trust me...you'll love it! XOXXOXO

Fresh With Anna Olson - Blueberry Corn Toss and Beet and Goat Cheese Terrine

I looked at Anna Olson's cookbook everytime I went through the Thrifty's cashier line up.  It wasn't cheap, $30, but I couldn't stop thinking about it.  The cookbook is loaded with delicious gorgeous unique recipes.  I bought it and folded over page after page of incredibly good looking recipes.  I was having my aunt, mom, sister, and cousins over for lunch so I thought I'd make a couple of Anna's thumbs up recipes:

Corn Blueberry Toss:  This is a super delish recipe, but I like it better made the day before and served the next day.  I used what I had on hand so didn't follow the recipe to a t, but I do recommend Anna's cookbook.  1 can of crispy summer corn, 2 tbsp. of olive oil, 3 chopped up green onons, 1/2 red bell pepper chopped up, 1 cup of fresh blueberries, 1/2 juice of lime, a handful of cilantro leaves and a little sweetener (one packet), and 1/2 tsp. of ginger, salt and pepper.  Anna's recipe calls for candied ginger and jalapeno which I wished I added.  Mix everything together and put in the fridge overnight.  Very yummy and beautiful to look at.

Beet and Goat Cheese Terrine:  This is amazing.  Line muffin tins with plastic wrap so terrines will be easily removed later on.  Boil up 1 1/2 pound of fresh beets with 1 lemon cut in half******leave the beets untrimmed and boil for 45 minutes.  There will be lots of pink flowing out of the beets, but keeping the stems on and adding a lemon to the pot will help.  Drain, discard lemon, cool and then peel.  Slice the beets as thinly as possible and set aside.  Beat the goat cheese with 2 tbsp. of whip cream and add 1 tbsp. of chopped chives, 1 tbsp. of finely chopped mint, and 1 tsp. of lemon zest.  Fill the goatcheese mixture in a pipping bag.  To assemble, place a single beet slice in the bottom of each prepared muffin cup.  Line the sides of each cup with beets, bending them gently to fit into the edge if necessary so that each cup is entirely lined with beets.  Pipe goat cheese filling into each and top with the cheese with beet slices.  Chill for at least 2 hours.  To serve, gently pull out each terrine, unwrap, and turn out onto a serving plate.  The terrines can be served on a bed of baby greens and a little cucumber with a simple vinaigrette.  Alternatively you can add an extra layer of smoked salmon or chooked shrimp inside or on top for a lunch entree.  ****You know, that's what I didn't do and should have...added a vinaigrette.  Next time. These are very impressive.

Orange and Red Onion Salad

I love simple flavours, and this salad just so happens to be one of my most favourite. 

Peel 2 oranges and cut up into chunks.  As well cut up 1 roma tomato.  Put the orange chunks and the tomato into a bowl and liberally sprinkle with salt and cover and put aside for a couple of hours to allow the juices to come out of the fruit and mingle - don't refrigerate however.  Once the salad is ready for assembling, chop up some black olives and a few slices of red onion to add.  Wash some gorgeous and crispy romaine lettuce and layer on a beautiful flat serving plate with some chopped up olives - I like to use about a cup.  Finally before serving, add 1/2 cup of olive oil to the tomato and orange mixture and stir.  Pour over the romaine lettuce and olives and serve.  Simply divine.

Roasted Potato Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette

I found this unique and delicious potato salad online. Our family had a simple BBQ of hamburgers and hotdogs, grilled onions and red/yellow pepper, so I thought that instead of the regular french fries served with this stuff, an updated potato salad would be nicer.

Cut and quarter about 6 large red pototoes. Toss with 1/4 cup of olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. I also added sprigs of "fresh" rosemary. Add pepper and garlic too if you like. Put into a 400 degree oven until done, about 20-25 minutes. Just poke the potato to see that it's the perfect texture. Then take out of the oven and cool a little. Then you make your vinaigrette. I usually add the basic ratio of 1 cup of olive oil to 1/4 cup of (your choice) vinegar. This time I used a red wine vinegar, then added 4 cooked crumbled strips of bacon, two packages of splenda and a tbsp. of Dijon mustard to the oil and vinegar mixture. Stir or shake up well and pour half the mixture over the potatoes, toss, and serve!

English Girl's Prawn/Crab/Egg Salad

Why English girl? Well I kind of have an idea about what the Brits enjoy considering my roots. This uber simple salad is just that....simple and yet one more cool no fuss salad for a hot summer day.

Pile some organic fancy green lettuce on a pretty luncheon plate. Mix up 2 cups of prawns or shrimp, chop up some 2 cups of fake crab, 4 hard boiled eggs, 2 green onion, 1/4 cup of chopped up fresh tarragon, juice of 2 lemons, and 1 cup of miracle whip. Obviously this amount will make several salads, but you can keep it in the fridge throughout the week to enjoy mid afternoon when you get a little hungry. Add a little Kosher salt - I used pink Hawaiian salt, pepper and lemon wedges. P.S. You could if you like add a little seafood sauce to the mix. Nice with a little glass of white. P.S.S. What tastes even more amazing is when you don't add the eggs right away, and refrigerate this salad over night to allow the flavours to mingle. Add a slice of lemon to the salad and put away until the next day. Then boil up your eggs and when still warm slice up and add to the cold salad and mix up and serve. The warm eggs and the cold salad are heavenly. XO

Pork Cilantro Lettuce Wraps with Chimichurri Sauce

Well well. What does one do with a little extra pork roast hanging about? I use up the cilantro I've got in the refrigerator, combine it with a few bits and pieces, together with some "Memories of Patagonia" Herb and Garlic Chimichurri Sauce and voila! Fresh, delish, and perfect for a hot summer night.

You'll need your favorite lettuce that's nice and bend-y so you can wrap it easily. I happen to use Romaine lettuce leaves tonight. Wash and dry each piece and set aside.

You can find Chimichurri Sauce Recipe on the Internet (because I've not made it from scratch yet) and it's really lovely when you're making an exotic flavoured wrap such as this. I used a bottled version from President's Choice which really carries lovely marinades, etc. Here's what you'll need.

1 cup of Chimichurri Sauce, 1 cup of sour cream, the juice of one lime, 1 cup of cilantro leaves (fresh), 1 sliced red onion, shredded fresh ginger, thinly cut up pork roast. Combine in a bowl the Chimichurri Sauce with sour cream and add the lime juice. Then lay out the lettuce leaf and begin layering with a tbsp. of Chimichurri Sauce/Sour Cream/Lime mixture, shredded or thinly sliced pork roast, red onion, dots of freshly shredded ginger, about 2 tbsp. of cilantro leaves, then top again with another tablespoon of sauce. You can, if you like secure the leaves with toothpicks. What's so "cool" is you can assemble all of this and have it later. There is no heating required and it's a terribly refreshing dinner on a hot summer night. Enjoy!

Ever have an Herbed Salad?

It's never even crossed my mind - an abundant of herbs mixed with a bunch of leafy organic greens. What an incredible salad I bought at the grocery store the other day. It was a container of your typical organic salad leaves...but what I didn't discover until later, when we were all enjoying the salad, was the mixture of herbs that included cilantro and dill. Oh amazing and so delicious. I'll be making lots of herbed salads in the future.

Strawberry Blue Cheese Organic Salad with Pesto Vinegrette

Probably everyone in the world already knows about the marriage with strawberries and blue cheese together - well I just discovered it last night when I tossed a last minute salad together for friends that were coming over for a BBQ. Divine. As usual I am obsessed with vinaigrette's. To me, they are incomparable and contain all of the elements that suit my Gemini nature. A little sweet, vinegary, earthy, and zingy!

Toss about 8 cups of nice organic lettuce into a bowl and slices big succulent strawberries into it. Then add some almonds, I had 1/2 cup and crumble in about another 1/2 cup of blue cheese. The cheese next to the strawberries look really pretty and picturesque.

Vinaigrette - I only had a little more than a 1/4 cup of olive oil, I do like to add more, but I added two rounded tbsp. of pesto, 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, and 4 packs of splenda, or you can add sugar to taste, salt and pepper.

Pour it over the salad just before serving and voila - to die for!

Hot Chicken Salad

This is an old favorite I enjoyed a few years back at my friend Mrs. Govette's home. Yesterday my Dad, his girlfriend, and my sister came over for lunch and they LOVED this simple salad; asking for the recipe (it's great if you have left over chicken). I served a lower fat version of the original recipe since my Dad had been having a few chest pains of late. He seemed just fine after eating this dish, though to tell you the truth I haven't spoken with him today. But as far as I am concerned this lower fat dish can be served to anyone whose health is a little "iffy" because it's good for the soul! Put the following ingredients in a casserole: 2 cups of left over chicken, 1 cup of chopped celery, 1/4 cup of toasted almonds, 1/2 cup of low fat sour cream, 1/2 cup of half fat Hellman's Mayo, juice from one lemon, 1 cup of shredded cheese, pepper, and a pinch of salt. Top the casserole with a cup of crushed potato chips. Enjoy

Valentine Salad and Mother-in-Inlaw Cocktails

I created the loveliest salad the other day and put the lonely old red cabbage languishing in my fridge to some use. I had my mother-in-law coming over for lunch the same afternoon so in addition to the Valentine Salad, I also needed to concoct something of the alcohol variety so that I could stare deeply into her suspicious cranky eyes and think good thoughts Truth be told my Valentine Salad is really just a red cabbage cole slaw. However, if you were in my kitchen, you would have witnessed what looked like 1960's retro/art gorgeousness. You would have been captivated at the beauty of this salad sitting beside a gorgeous frosty glass of Pink Chystal light laced with a little Vodka - hence the christening of Valentine Salad. Because I'm getting physically ready for a Spring vacation to Mexico with my family, I was most impressed with how easy it is to assemble some old fashioned lunch favorites using some low fat ingredients and feel as though you're appetite has been royally filled up emotionally, soulfully, and joyfully. Here is the recipe for Valentine Salad:

Roast about 40 almonds at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes and cool.

Cut up in thin slices either a whole red cabbage or half of one and for God's sakes, please watch your fingers. Toss your sliced red cabbage into a bowl to mix up all of the following ingredients:

1/4 cup of lite sour cream, 1/4 cup of lite Hellman's mayonaisse, 1/4 cup of pickle juice (there is something magical about this vinegared little cucumber that adds the top note taste needed in this Valentine Salad), then finally a tbsp. or two of Spenda and 1/2 cup of feta cheese and 1/2 cup of baking cranberries. Remember to add the almonds. This salad is simply ADDICTIVE and it is outstanding to remember that you will loose weight pigging out on it.

Enjoy!!!!!!