Salad

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Roasted Root Vegetable and Sautéed Beet Greens Panzanella Salad

January 10, 2010 in Salad, Sides, Vegetarian | 3 comments

Hi all!  I decided to get a little frisky today and try something that I totally made up.  I didn’t even look on the internets for advice. I love Panzanella salad and every time I go to Bardenay in Boise I order their version of the Panzanella.  Since, tomatoes (typically in Panzanella) are not exactly in season ‘round these parts I thought I would try to make it with root veggies and some sourdough bread I bought at local bakery Zeppole.

Root vegetables are amazing and great in the winter when you don’t have other summertime fresh fruits and veggies available. I included some parsnips, beets, carrots and onion in my panzanella.   My roommate Katie said “I think beets taste like dirt, but I really kind of like it”. 

 I totally agree! Except, they are messy!!  I forgot to wear gloves while chopping and this happenened. 

 

Doesn’t  this look like rat tail carnage?

 

 Everyone seemed to really enjoy this little concoction and said they felt healthier after eating it.  Apparently, root veggies are packed full of precious vitamins and minerals.  Even Jav (Mr. Meat and Potatoes) gave it a really strange look at first but went back for more.  Potatoes (also a root veggie) would be good in this too though!

 

Roasted Root Vegetable with Sautéed Beet Greens Panzanella Salad

4 Beets with Beet Greens

2 Parsnips

5 Carrots

1 Red Onion

1 Small Loaf of Sourdough Bread Day Old ( 3 Cups in Cubes)

2 Cloves Garlic

½  Lemon

2 Tablespoons Rosemary Chopped

1/2 Cup Olive Oil + 4 Tablespoons

2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar

¼ Cup Parmesan freshly grated

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven

Peel and chop the beets into chunks reserving the beet greens for later.  I used a normal peeler for all the veggies in the recipe

 

Peel Parsnips

 

 – See that lighter center? It is woody and icky.  Chop around it into chunks.

Peel and chop carrots and onion.

 

Add all veggies  into large baking dish

 

Grate part of lemon peel for about 1 teaspoon of peel without the white pith.  The microplane is one of my favorite kitchen tools – Thanks Crissie! 

 Chop garlic and smash with lemon peel and about a teaspoon of salt to make a paste.  

Add to small mixing bowl with olive oil and a teaspoon of the lemon juice and the Rosemary.  Mix together well and pour ½ of the olive oil mixture over veggies. Reserve other half of oil mixture.  Mix well to coat.

 Bake for 45 minutes.

Take other half  of oil mixture and pour over the sour dough bread cut into cubes just a little larger than typical croutons. 

  Add cubes to baking dish and mix the olive oil mixture over the cubes to coat well.  Season with salt and pepper. 

 

Bake for 10 minutes on 400.  Remove from oven and let cool.

Meanwhile, take the beet greens and chop them into large pieces. 

Saute them in about a tablespoon of olive oil until just wilted over medium heat in a medium skillet.  Sorry! Forgot to take a picture of this.  Remove and set aside.

Mix 3 Tablespoons olive oil and red wine vinegar.  Set aside.

Remove veggies from oven after 45 minutes.  Mix veggies with bread cubes, sautéed beet greens and red wine vinegar and parmesan.  Season to taste.  Can be served warm or cold.

Enjoy!

Love,

Lindzee

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Homemade Salad Dressings

January 4, 2010 in Salad, Salad Dressing | 5 comments

Surprisingly, I had quite a bit of champagne leftover from our New Years Eve celebration.  Hmmmm….what’s a girl to do with leftover champagne when I have sworn off drinking for at least two weeks after the liver damaging holidays?  Make my favorite Champagne Vanilla Scallop recipe? Nah too much work.    Shine my shoes?  Apparently, cobblers use flat champagne to shine shoes, but I don’t really have any shoes nice enough to shine.   I decided to keep it simple and make a champagne vinaigrette complete with cheesy photo of vinaigrette in a champagne glass. Yes, I said simple. 

 

Many people think that buying store bought salad dressings is the way to go.  But once you make your own you will never go back to store bought.  It is extremely easy and the flavor/quality does not compare to store bought.  Trust me.  Plus, you don’t have to worry about what is actually in the dressing because you made it your self.  In store bought, there are always fillers or preservatives or colorings because the average American consumer is not used to the way things naturally look.  This isn’t a Food Inc. type rant (I work for a large food company), merely a suggestion because you honestly can’t beat the taste of a homemade dressing.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Champagne Vinaigrette

 

As a general rule, I use the ratio one part vinegar to three parts oil for any vinaigrette.  Then just add in your extras.  I generally try to use a little bit of Dijon too because it makes it creamier and acts as an emulsifier which keeps the vinegar and oil from separating. 

3 Tablespoons Red wine vinegar

3 Tablespoons Champagne

1 Clove garlic minced

1 Tablespoon Mayo (optional for creaminess)

1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard

½ Teaspoon Sugar

Salt and Pepper to taste

½ Cup Olive Oil

Mix all ingredients except oil in blender.  I always blend my dressings – it seems to work. Drizzle in oil slowly and blend until creamy.  

Spicy Chipotle Vinaigrette

¼ Cup Balsamic Vinegar

1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard

1.5 Teaspoons Chipotle Chili powder or Adobo powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

½ Cup Olive Oil

Mix all ingredients except oil in blender. Drizzle in oil slowly and blend until creamy.  

Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

 

¾ Cup sour cream

½ Teaspoon dry mustard

½ Teaspoon salt

½ Garlic clove minced

1 Teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ Cup mayonnaise

3 Oz. crumbled blue cheese

Combine all ingredients with the exception of blue cheese in a large bowl.  Mix for 2 minutes on low speed.  Slowly add blue cheese and blend 4 more minutes.  Refrigerate 24 hours prior to serving.

Also, here are a few others I have posted in the past:

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

 

Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

 

I will post my Caesar recipe soon.  That is the first thing I learned to make in my dad’s restaurant.:)

Hope you enjoy!

Love,

Lindzee

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My Mom’s Pretzel Raspberry Jell-O Salad

December 15, 2009 in Salad, Sides | 1 comment

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Warning: This is not a fancy highfalutin dish and it probably won’t impress your foodie friends, but I think it is truly fantastic.

It also may seem like a strange combination of flavors, but this recipe has been a holiday tradition in my house since I can remember.  We serve it with our holiday meals, but it is almost like dessert.  My mom makes this dish every year on Thanksgiving and Christmas. And every year it is the dish that gets the most rave reviews.

Here is my amazing mom pulling a dish out of the oven:

 

The combination of sweet, creamy and salty flavors in this dish can’t be beat.  It is a fairly inexpensive dish to make for a large crowd or potluck.

Additionally, I wanted to post this picture of my two roommates in their snuggies just for fun:

 

My Mom’s Pretzel Raspberry Jell-O Salad

 

Step 1:

2 Cups Pretzels Crushed

3/4 Cup butter, melted

4 Tablespoons Sugar

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees


Mix together all ingredients and spread in thin layer in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool. I am serious when I say this.  Please make sure it is cool. Not a place for a shortcut.

Step 2:

1 Large Package Raspberry Jell-O

2 Cups boiling water

2 (10 oz.) bags of frozen raspberries

Dissolve Jell-O in 2 cups boiling water. Add frozen raspberries.

 Set aside for 15-20 minutes until lightly set.  Not too set but a little firmish.

Step 3:

8 oz. cream cheese softened – room temp.

1 Cup sugar

1 (8 oz.) Cool Whip

Mix together until smooth.

Spread this mixture over the cooled pretzel mixture.  Top with Jell-O mixture. Refrigerate overnight.

Enjoy!

Love,

Lindzee

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Cancer Fighting Chopped Salad with Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

December 8, 2009 in Entrees, Salad | 6 comments

Cancer Fighting Chopped Salad with Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette


My mom and I have recently researching cancer fighting foods to help aid my dad in his battle.  I am not a doctor, but I personally believe a combination of traditional medicine, diet and supplements is the best way to treat cancer. Since cancer is an epidemic in this country, it is important to not only eat well after you are diagnosed with cancer, it is also imperative to eat well for preventative measures.  Based on secondary research, I came up with a chopped salad that incorporates many ingredients that may prevent and smash cancer – It is also yumtastic too!

Cancer Fighting Chopped Salad with Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette


Serves 2-3

Chicken

What you’ll need:

2 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breast (If possible, organic and free range)

1 Tablespoon Turmeric – Studies have show this spice slows the growth of some cancer cells

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Rub chicken with turmeric and salt and pepper and add to small baking dish.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until cooked through and golden.  Set aside to cool.  Once cool chop up chicken into small pieces.

Chopped Salad

What you’ll need:

Cooked roasted chicken from above

5 Cups Romaine Lettuce Chopped – Like other dark leafy greens, romaine lettuce is believed to fight cancer.

2 Apples Chopped – Apples have a lot of  phytochemicals and because they are inexpensive and available all year long, it’s easy to add them to a cancer fighting diet.

1 Avocado Chopped – Not just for heart health! Plus my 85-year-old grandma swears she is healthy due to eating ½ Avocado a day for the last 20 years.

½ Cup Dried Craisins – Studies show this superstar fruit battles cancer.

1 Tomato Chopped – Lycopene, which is naturally occurring in tomatoes, has long shown to lower risk of some cancers.

¼ Cup of Feta or Blue Cheese Crumbles

1 Recipe of Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette (see below)

Directions:

Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. Enjoy!

Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

¼ Cup Blueberries (I used thawed frozen) – Blueberries are high in antioxidants which act as a tonic for your cells.

¼ Cup Balsamic Vinegar – Since good Balsamic is made from grape pressings it is also high in antioxidants.

1 Tablespoon Garlic Chopped – Garlic contains allium compounds, which have been found to prevent several different types of cancer.

1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard

½ Cup Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Blend up all ingredients in the blender. 

Pour over salad.

Hope this recipe helps add to your cancer arsenal!

Love,

Lindzee

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Wedge Salad with Creamy Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

November 20, 2009 in Salad, Salad Dressing | 4 comments

I would like to introduce you to an old friend of mine, Iceberg Lettuce.

 Iceberg has been a staple in my life for a really long time. I first remember enjoying the company of old Iceberg on my elementary school lunch tray, smothered in ranch dressing with shredded rusty tasting carrots. Iceberg has recently received a poor reputation for lacking nutrients, flavor, color ect. Foodies scoff at Iceberg and tend to cast the pretentious bitter microgreens or the pompous mixed greens as the shining stars of their salads today.

I, however, still have a special place in my heart for Iceberg. I love its crunchy texture, crisp, cold and clean flavor and its ability to play a secondary role to any creamy salad dressing. This is why I am posting my recipe for a Wedge Salad with Creamy Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing – a salad that cannot be made with any other lettuce but Iceberg. At least in my mind. So cheers to you, Iceberg, not ever flashy but always dependable and sturdy.

Wedge Salad with Creamy Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Serves 3-4 with extra dressing for your pizza

 1 Head of Iceberg lettuce
5 Strips of good bacon cooked and chopped into bits
1-2 Roma Tomatoes Chopped
2 Green Onions Chopped
Handful of Blue Cheese (optional)

Wash the outside of the Iceberg and pat dry gently. Chop entire head into 3-4 wedges depending on the size. Sprinkle bacon, tomato, onions and blue cheese evenly on each wedge.

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

1 Cup Real Mayo
½ Cup Sour Cream
½ Cup Buttermilk
2 Tablespoons minced Basil
½ Clove garlic minced very fine
1 Tablespoon minced Chives
1 Teaspoon of Dill
1 Tablespoons minced Parsley
1 Tablespoon A-1 Sauce (optional)
1 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
Dash of Cayenne pepper or Tabasco
Salt to taste
Peper

Mix all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. I blend it in the Kitchen Aid on speed 3 for 3-4 minutes. It gets fluffier this way. Add fresh ground pepper. Poor over the lovely Iceberg and enjoy with a fork and knife. 

Love, Lindzee

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