I served this salad twice this past weekend.  Two times when Crissie from Design Eat Play was at my house. Once for Easter and once for a bachelorette party for my friend Julie.  Here she is prior to our cowgirl extravaganza:

 More on her wild party in a later post.

Crissie will not leave me alone until I post the recipe.  Apparently she liked it. She even shot and edited the pics for me in hopes that I would post it.

She sent me this message yesterday:                 

 Dear Cordon Pink,

I was thinking of making your salad as a main dish with steak. Wouldn’t that
be yummy? Like a big, fat steak salad. Or actually I have pork in the crock
pot today…that could be good.

Ah hem. Recipe?

Give it to me or you will never see your dog again…(this part may have been exaggerated)

This salad is wonderful for entertaining because you can make the two parts in advance and just combine them when you are ready to serve.  No worries about your salad getting soggy prior to your main dish being ready etc.  Plus, it is very refreshing and light for spring.

Avocado, Orange and Fennel Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

2 Avocados Diced

3 Oranges Cut into segments with white pith removed

½ Fennel Bulb chopped into small pieces

Citrus Vinaigrette (Recipe below)

2 Heads of romaine or any mixed greens washed and cut into bite size pieces

Add avocados, oranges and fennel to a small container with a lid.  Pour dressing over fruit and fennel.  Let marinate in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

  When ready to serve, remove from fridge and pour entire mixture over the mixed greens.  Mix well and eat!

Citrus Vinaigrette

Zest of one lemon

Juice of one lemon

1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar

1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard

1 Tablespoon White Sugar

1 Clove Garlic Minced

Lawry’s seasoning salt to taste (or any seasoning salt)

¼ Cup Olive Oil

Add zest, lemon juice, red wine, mustard, sugar, garlic and seasoning salt to a small mixing bowl. 

Mix well. 

 Slowly drizzle in olive oil whisking well to combine until it emulsifies. 

Enjoy!

Love,

Lindzee

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

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