Cuisine: Salad

Chopped Salad with Medjool Dates, Manchego & Farro

My husband had this Chopped Salad with Medjool Dates, Manchego & Farro salad at a restaurant called True Food Kitchen. You can add salmon to the top to make it more of a meal. I am in love with this salad, mainly because it has so many textures. It calls for Marcona almonds, but I used toasted slivered almonds instead.

Farro is a food composed of the grains of certain wheat species. Because it contains more fiber than other popular grains like rice or even quinoa, farro might have even more positive benefits when it comes to digestion and cardiovascular health. It's also exceptionally high in protein for a grain and supplies more than 10 different vitamins and minerals.

By Leslie Blythe

Italian Orange Slices

Our friend Melanie taught us this method of making Italian Orange Slices. They are simple and yet are incredibly delicious. We happen to have an orange tree in our backyard that is bursting with fruit. You can also add sliced red onions, olives, oregano, or fresh basil, which is more like the Sicilian recipe.

By Leslie Blythe

Sweetcorn Slaw

This Sweetcorn Slaw recipe is from Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi. It has shredded cabbage and carrots with plenty of fresh sweet corn that is chargrilled in a ridged pan to give it a hint of smokiness. I didn't have a red onion, so I substituted sliced green onions, which worked well.

By Leslie Blythe

Henry Winkler’s Mexican Salad

I recently went to a local Goodwill that has mostly books. I found this cookbook called The Hollywood Bowl Cookbook: Picnics Under the Stars. It's a fantastic book with so many things I want to try. Over the years I have made many meals for people to take to the Hollywood Bowl. I really miss going there! Anyway, I made Henry Winkler's Mexican Salad for dinner because it's so hot out. I did add a shredded up chicken breast, which is not in the recipe. The dressing is rather inspiring. It consists of mayo, ketchup, salsa verde and chili powder.

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Fennel and Orange & Arugula Salad

This is such a refreshing salad. The arugula or rocket, with its rich, peppery taste, goes so well with the bright, citrus dressing. Fennel is so underutilized. It is a highly aromatic and flavorful herb with culinary and medicinal uses and, along with the similar-tasting anise, is one of the primary ingredients of absinthe. You can make the vinaigrette and prepare the fennel and oranges ahead of time and refrigerate.

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Hearts of Palm & Avocado Salad with Lime & Strawberry

I guess you can tell by now that I love hearts of palm! I love this Hearts of Palm & Avocado Salad with Lime & Strawberry. It's a very simple combination of ingredients that is full of flavor.

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Japanese Potato Salad

Japanese Potato Salad is unique in that it is half mashed and half chunky, which gives it a creamier texture. It has grated carrots, cucumbers, scallions and diced ham. To emulate Kewpie mayonnaise, you add a little bit of sugar. The Yukon Gold potatoes I used where particularly gold in color!

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Lobster Salad with Bibb Lettuce, Apple, and Tarragon Dressing

I wanted to make something "fancy" for dinner. The rich lobster, tart Granny Smith apples and creamy tarragon salad dressing on a bed of butter lettuce definitely added an air of elegance to my table. I will definitely make this again and probably use shrimp, due to my diminishing budget these days!

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Sumac Spice-Crusted Chicken and Green Bean Salad with Spiced Yogurt Dressing

This Sumac Spice-Crusted Chicken and Green Bean Salad with Spiced Yogurt Dressing is a great salad that you can make in the morning. 

Sumac is a red spice is harvested from shrubs in the Middle East and traditionally sun-dried. It is tart, acidic and tastes of lemons. This dark red powdered berry had a nutty texture with a tart, sour lemon with a slightly fermented taste. Sumac can be used as you would lemon and salt for chicken, fish, vegetables or hummus.

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White Bean, Hearts of Palm & Artichoke Salad

This White Bean, Hearts of Palm & Artichoke Salad is something I threw together using some of my pantry items. It turned out to be a great combination of things. Use this dressing recipe and with different kinds of beans, cheeses and nuts from your pantry to make your own version. This lasted a few days in the fridge and was great for lunch.

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