5 salad recipe
Cucumber Yogurt Salad
Cucumber
yogurt tzatziki, a simple salad of peeled, sliced cucumbers, yogurt, dill, and
salt and pepper. To accompany spicy dishes.
- Prep time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cucumbers, peeled,
quartered lengthwise, then sliced
- Plain yogurt, about 1 cup
- 1 teaspoon dried dill, or a
couple of teaspoons of fresh dill
- Sprinkling of salt and
pepper
Method
First
taste the cucumbers to make sure that they are not bitter. Depending on the
variety of cucumber you are using, and many other factors, you may find a
cucumber that is distinctly bitter in taste. If this happens, soak the cucumber
slices in salted water for half an hour, or longer, until the bitterness is
reduced, then rinse and drain before using.
To make
the salad, simply gently mix together the ingredients. Salt and pepper to
taste.
Yield: Serves 4.
Avocado Salad with Heirloom
Tomatoes
Beautiful
avocado tomato salad with sliced avocados and colorful heirloom tomatoes.
Ingredients
- 1 half avocado, peeled, sliced
- 1 half ripe heirloom tomato,
sliced
- A pinch of chopped fresh
chives or sliced green onions
- Juice from one slice of
lemon
- A pinch of coarse salt (fleur de sel if you can get it)
Method
Arrange
slices of avocado and tomato on a plate. Sprinkle with chives, lemon juice, and
coarse salt.
Yield: Serves one.
Broccoli Salad
Broccoli
salad, blanched fresh broccoli tossed with toasted almonds, bacon and peas,
topped with a homemade honey vinegar dressing. A favorite picnic salad.
- Prep time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5-6 cups fresh broccoli
florets (about 1 pound of florets)
- 1/2 cup toasted slivered
almonds
- 1/2 cup cooked, crumbled
bacon
- 1/4 cup of red onion,
chopped
- 1 cup of frozen peas, thawed
(or fresh peas if you can get them)
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons apple cider
vinegar
- 1/4 cup honey
Method
1 Bring a large pot of water,
salted with a teaspoon of salt, to a boil. Add the broccoli florets. Cook 1-2
minutes, depending on how crunchy you want the broccoli. 1 minute will turn the
broccoli bright green, and leave it still pretty crunchy. 2 minutes will cook
the broccoli through, but still firm. Set your timer and do not cook for more
than 2 minutes, or the broccoli will get mushy. Drain the broccoli and
immediately put into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Let cool and
drain.
2 Combine broccoli florets,
almonds, crumbled bacon, chopped onion, and peas in a large serving bowl. In a
separate bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, cider vinegar and honey. Add dressing
to the salad and toss to mix well. Chill thoroughly before serving.
Yield: Serves 4 to 6.
Deviled Egg Salad
An egg
salad made in the style of deviled eggs, with mustard, mayo, hot sauce and
paprika.
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 12 eggs, hard boiled* and peeled
- 1/4 cup chopped green onion
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 cup chopped red bell
pepper
- 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp cider, white wine or
sherry vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- Salt and black pepper to
taste
To hard
boil eggs, place them in saucepan and cover them with at least an inch of
water. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 10 to 12
minutes.
Method
1 Chop the eggs coarsely and put
them into a large bowl. Add the green onion, celery, red bell pepper.
2 In small bowl, mix together the
mayo, mustard, vinegar and Tabasco. Gently stir the mayo dressing into the bowl
with the eggs and vegetables. Add paprika and salt and black pepper to taste.
Best
served chilled.
Yield: Serves 4-6.
Green Bean Salad with Basil
and cheese
Fresh green beans, blanched and toss with a
balsamic vinaigrette, red onions, basil, and Parmesan. To save time, while the
water is coming to a boil, prep the other ingredients.
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds trimmed green
beans, cut to 2 to 3 inch long pieces
- Salt
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red
onion (or shallots)
- 2 Tbsp lemon
- 4 Tbsp oil
- 3/4 cup chopped fresh basil
leaves
- 3/4 cup freshly grated
cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces)
- Freshly ground black pepper
Method
1 Place the chopped onions in a
small bowl of water. This will help take the edge off the onions. Let sit while
you prepare the rest of the salad.
2 Bring a large pot of salted
water to a boil (2 Tbsp salt for 2 quarts of water). Add the green beans to the
water and blanch only for about 2 minutes or so, until the beans are just
barely cooked through, but still crisp. Fresh young beans should cook quickly.
Older, tougher beans may take longer. While the beans are cooking, prepare a
large bowl of ice water. When the beans are ready, use a slotted spoon to
remove them from the boiling water to the ice water to stop the cooking. Drain
the green beans and the red onions.
3 Place the green beans, red
onion, and chopped basil in a large bowl. Sprinkle in the olive oil, toss to
coat. Sprinkle in the balsamic and Parmesan cheese. Toss to combine. Season to
taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Chill until
ready to serve.
Yield: Serves 6.