Category Archives: Salad

Potato and Beet Salad

Potato and beet salad.
Potato and beet salad

Ingredients:

1 lb. potatoes,

1 lb. beets,

3 heaping tablespoons mayonnaise,

1 tablespoon white vinegar,

1 teaspoon sugar,

1 tablespoon chopped parsley,

1 tablespoon chopped chives,

3 oz. chopped red bell pepper,

salt and black pepper to taste.

Recipe:

  1. Peel and dice the potato and beets. Boil them separately until they are soft, but not falling apart.
  2. Mix the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl for the dressing.
  3. Strain the diced potato and beets, and let them cool down a bit.
  4. Add the boiled potato and beets to the dressing and toss gently with a wooden spoon until they are all covered in dressing.
  5. Optional ingredients to add: Chopped boiled egg; Shredded cheddar; Bacon bits; Diced ham; Boiled diced carrot (small dice).

Beets Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Beets, cucumber and tomato salad
Beets, Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Ingredients:

3-4 whole beets, (I used candycane beets),
1 iceberg lettuce,
1 cup grape tomatoes,
1 seedless cucumber,
greeen onion, sliced,
purple onion, chopped,
fresh parsley, chopped,
your favorite dressing

Recipe:

  1. Peel, dice and boil the beets.
  2. Strain the beets and let them cool down.
  3. Cut the rest of the vegetables and mix them with the beets and the dressing.

Stacked Caprese Salad Recipe

Stacked Caprese salad with buffalo mozzarella
Caprese Salad with Formaggio di Bufala

Ingredients:

4 large ripe beefstake tomatoes,
2-3 balls of fresh buffalo mozzarella, (formaggio di bufala)
4 tablespoons pasto sauce,
sea salt to taste,
some leaf lettuce for decoration,
freshly ground black pepper to taste,
fresh parsley sprig or basil for decoration.

Recipe:

  1. Slice each tomato to 4-5 slices and sprinkle some sea salt on each slice.
  2. Arrange the tomato slices on stacks, as seen in the picture below, and put a teaspoon of pesto sauce and a slice of buffalo mozzarella between the tomato slices.
  3. Serve each stack of caprese salad on a plate over some leaf lettuce and grind some black pepper on top.
  4. Decorate the caprese salads with fresh parsley or basil.
  5. This salad is very easy and doesn’t take any major cooking skills to prepare. Preparation time is only 10 minutes. For best results serve the salad slightly chilled, but not cold. If you have balsamic reduction ready, you can sprinkle it around the edges of the plate for decoration. Cheers.

Mixed Beans Salad with Cheese Curds

Mixed beans salad
Mixed Beans Salad with Cheese Curds

Ingredients:

1 can mixed beans,
1/4 cup chopped purple onion,
1 roasted red pepper,
1 cup diced cucumber,
3 diced tomatoes,
1/4 cup sliced celery,
4 oz. cheese curds,
extra virgin olive oil to taste,
lemon juice to taste,
salt and pepper to taste,
chopped fresh parsley (optional).




Recipe:

1. Open the can of mixed beans, pour the beans in a colander, rinse off the original liquid and let it drain properly.

2. Put all the vegetables in a mixing bowl and season to taste with the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

3. Cover the bowl and leave it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes in order to cool and blend flavors.

4. Serve the mixed beans salad in salad bowls with the cheese on top.

Cooking tip: It’s much better if you roast a fresh red pepper for this salad as opposed to using one from a jar. Simply bake the pepper in the oven until the skin gets color and starts falling off, then put the pepper in a plastic bag for 10 minutes so you can peel it easily, then cut and use in the salad. Cheers.

Egg Salad and Cheese Wrap

Egg salad wrap
Egg Salad and Cheddar Cheese Wrap

Ingredients:

12 eggs,
1/2 purple onion, chopped,
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese,
3 tablespoons light mayo,
1 tablespoon lemon juice,
1 teaspoon sugar,
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika,
salt and pepper to taste,
1 tablespoon sunflower oil,
4 nice leaves of leaf lettuce,
4 white tortillas (12-inch diameter).

Recipe:

1. Heat the sunflower oil in a non-stick pan and make scrumbled eggs from the 12 eggs. Transfer the scrumbled eggs in a container and let them cool down in the fridge.

2. Mix the scrumbled eggs with the rest of the ingredients, except the lettuce and tortillas.

3. Place each lettuce leaf in the middle of each tortilla and top it with the egg salad.

4. Make the four egg salad wraps by folding first the sides of the tortillas and then rolling the wraps from end to end.

The egg salad wrap is designed to be served cold, but it can be briefly toasted in a panini press if desired. Enjoy.

Orzo Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Orzo pasta salad
Orzo Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb. orzo pasta,
1 romaine lettuce heart,
1/4 cup chopped purple onion,
3 ripe tomatoes, diced,
10 green olives, pitted and sliced,
1/4 cup sunflower oil or light olive oil,
1/2 cucumber, diced,
1/2 lemon, juiced,
2 tablespoons light mayo,
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled,
salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe:

1. Boil the orzo pasta according to package instructions, strain it, spread it thinly in a hotel pan or a tray and mix it with the oil. Let it cool down and then refridgerate for at least 30 minutes for the orzo to get cold. The oil serves two purposes – it’s part of the dressing, and it prevents the orzo from sticking together.

2. Cut the other ingredients and mix everything together with the cold orzo.

I love the texture of the orzo pasta salad compared to say penne, macaroni or fusilli pasta salad. It’s also more compact and presentable.

Cooking tip: You can give the orzo pasta some extra flavor by putting a few cubes of vegetable stock in the boiling water.

Quinoa Salad Recipe

Quinoa salad
Quinoa salad

Ingredients:

2 cups quinoa,
2 1/4 cups of water,
2 tbsp. EV olive oil,
2 garlic cloves, chopped,
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped,
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper,
1/4 cup chopped celery,
1 cup chopped broccoli,
2 cups diced tomato,
1/4 cup chopped red onion,
1/2 lemon, juiced,
4 tablespoons sunflower oil,
salt and pepper to taste,
200 grams feta cheese.

Recipe:

1. Pour the EV olive oil in a heavy saucepan and saute the garlic, yellow onion and bell pepper for 5 minutes.

2. Add the quinoa, stir it in and immediately add the water. Cover the saucepan with a lid and reduce the heat to medium-low. It is even better if you cover the saucepan with aluminum foil first and then put the lid. Cook the quinoa for about 15 minutes or until ready. You can open the lid and check, but don’t do it often.

3. When the quinoa is ready spread it on a baking tray and let it cool down. When all the steam is gone stir it gently and put the tray in the fridge until the quinoa cools down completely.

4. In the meantime, cut the rest of the vegetables if you haven’t already done so.

5. Mix all the quinoa salad ingredients in a bowl and serve in 6 bowls. Crumble the feta cheese on top of the quinoa salads.

I cook my quinoa the same way I cook rice pilaf. If you would like to use the quinoa as a side dish you can replace the water in the recipe with chicken stock or vegetable stock. Even a spoon of butter wouldn’t be a bad idea if the quinoa is to be used as a side dish.