Skip to main content

Favorites from the box and summer salads, part 1

This week in the box we got more lettuce, but there were 2 treats I really enjoyed. 1, strawberries. It is truly amazing how different strawberries straight from the farm taste vs. the grocery store. They were really tart and melt in your mouth. Number 2, fresh dill. It was possibly the best dill I have ever had. The first thing I did with it was add it to the lettuce to make a salad. I blanched asparagus, cut those up and added chopped green onion. I made a quick lemon vinagrette with simply, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper, shallot chopped finely and olive oil. The second thing I did with the dill was roast small yukon gold potatoes with more dill, chopped shallot, olive oil, salt and pepper, and cayenne. Dill and potatoes make some magic connection, I couldn't stop eating them! (this goes back to my long enduring love of potatoes and the statement I have made "I have never met a potato I didn't like". )

I really do love salads in the summer. The abundance of fresh vegetables makes them easy and there isn't much that is more refreshing and cool to eat when the temps rise. I am sure many people have had the "Asian" salad that I put in quotes because it uses bag cole slaw and Ramen noodles. In addition to being a summer picninc standard in MN, it is actually really tasty. Last night I did my spin on this salad. I used a bag of broccoli slaw (if you haven't had it, delicious AND nutritious), shredded rotisserie chicken, green onion and a package of beef flavored ramen noodles. I took the ramen flavor packet and combined it with some sugar (probably a heaping tablespoon), soy sauce, sesame oil (just a little), rice wine vineagar, cayenne and olive oil. I whisked together like a vinagrette and tossed the slaw, green onions and chicken together. Then topped only what I was eating with the crunchy ramen noodles (don't add all of them to the dish otherwise they will get soggy). It was a perfect summer dinner salad. More salads to come!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Christmas Drink aka Buttered Rum

In our house as kids, my parents were big fans of the traditional "Tom & Jerry" drink mix. I remember them making an alcohol-free version for us that had a light sprinkle of cinnamon on top. It was the epitome of Christmas season for me until I had my first sip of buttered rum. It was like liquid brown sugar with a shot of buttery goodness. I thought though, I think I can do better. I took it on as a personal mission to perfect a recipe. The first time I made it, way too much butter. When I melted it in with hot water and took a sip, my lips were shiny with a buttery sheen and my lips felt like I had Vaseline on them. Then, I made one with too much brown sugar, taste was good and fine, but it didn't mix quite the way I wanted it to with a frothy creamy look. So I did some research online with ingredients. Some of them had vanilla ice cream in them. So I decided to give it a whirl. Take in mind, this is in no way a healthy drink. This holiday season, it was perfected. ...
2 comments
Read more

MORE Summer Salads

I had a friend over for dinner and promised that I would be experimenting on her. I am pretty sure she was a little scared. I had seen on a couple of Food Network shows, grilled romaine salad. I have always been a traditionalist when it comes to lettuce, it should be cold. UNTIL NOW! I purchased a bag of romaine hearts and sliced them in half (keeping the core at the bottom so they don't fall apart on the grill). I brushed them with olive oil and put them right on the grill. They cook very quickly, so move fast. They spent the most time on the cut side, but I moved them around. Then I took them off the grill and went inside. I made a lemon/dijon vinagrette with lemon (juice and zest), a hefty couple of tablespoons of dijon, chopped shallots, some salt and pepper and a little honey. Whisked it together with olive oil and ready... I crumbled some bacon and gorgonzola cheese over the top and yum. Along with the salad, I decided to try grilling pizza dough. I have seen it done a numb...
Post a Comment
Read more