Mom's Oriental Salad

1 large head of cabbage chopped

4-6 oz slivered almonds

3 or 4 green onions chopped

2 packages Oriental Top Ramen noodles

Dressing

2/3 cup red wine vinegar

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup sugar
 2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 packages Oriental seasoning packet from Top Ramen

Put all ingredients in a mason jar and shake well. 

Dress the salad right before serving.

Mediterranean Chopped Salad

Why this recipe works:

To prevent the cut-up produce in our chopped salad recipe from exuding moisture, we turned to techniques like seeding the cucumbers and quartering the cherry tomatoes before salting them to expose more surface area to the salt. An assertive combination of equal parts oil and vinegar delivered the bright acidic flavor we were looking for in our dressing for our chopped salad recipe. Briefly marinating the other ingredients in the dressing delivered an additional flavor boost.
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Serves 4 as a light entrée and 6 as a side dish

For information on how to prepare the cucumbers, see Seeding and Chopping Cucumbers, below.

Ingredients

• 1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered (about 1 1/2 cups)
• Table salt
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
• 1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
• 1/2 small minced red onion (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
• 1 romaine heart, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
• Ground black pepper

Instructions

1. 1. Combine cucumber, tomatoes, and 1 teaspoon salt in colander set over bowl and let stand 15 minutes.
   
   2. Whisk oil, vinegar, and garlic together in large bowl. Add drained cucumber and tomatoes, chickpeas, olives, onion, and parsley; toss and let stand at room temperature to blend flavors, 5 minutes.
   
   3. Add romaine and feta; toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
   

Technique

Seeding and Chopping Cucumbers

1. Peel cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, and scoop out seeds with spoon.

2. Cut each half crosswise into 2- or 3-inch pieces.

3. Place each piece cut-side up on cutting board; slice lengthwise into even batons.

4. Cut batons crosswise into even dice.

On the fly cafe rio dressing

1/4 cup salsa verde
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped (I always keep a few in the freezer) optional
Shake of garlic powder or 1 clove minced
Few dashes neon green habanero hot sauce
3/4 cup high quality ranch dressing
Handful cilantro (stems welcome)

Blitz in the blender. Let sit 20 min and serve. Season with more hot sauce if desired. Serve as a "cafe Rio" salad by layering a warmed tortilla with cheddar, rice, beans (see my bean recipe on here), meat of your choice, and romaine lettuce. Garnish with cilantro, guacamole, pico de gallo, and a lime wedge if desired.

Greek dressing

1 tsp. Greek seasoning from Penzeys
1 tsp hot water
2 tablespoons shallot or 1 tablespoon sweet onion
1 garlic clove minced or grated
1 tsp. Dijon
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 c. Red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 oz feta cheese
Pepper to taste

Add water to Greek seasoning. and let sit for a few minutes. Mince shallot and garlic. Smash garlic to a paste using coarse salt and chefs knife. Add garlic, shallot, sugar, dijon, and red wine vinegar to Greek seasoning. Drizzle in olive oil and whisk vigorously to emulsify dressing. Crumble in the feta, stir and serve.

Thai-style beef salad

Stella could not get enough! I was so Tempted to mess around with this and add a bunch of things to the dressing...DONT. It was soooo good on it's own. I think it will be my new go to steak marinade. Beautifully brought out all the rich beefy flavor of the steak.

Serves 3-4

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (2-3 limes)
1 tsp dried mint or 1 tablespoon fresh
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
a small squirt of sriracha
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
2 boneless rib-eye steaks, (each 8 ounces and 3/4 inch thick)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 pound carrots, (3 to 4 medium)
1 medium head romaine lettuce, cut crosswise into 1-inch ribbons
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
5 radishes sliced thinly
1 small apple, diced
1 small cucumber, diced with seeds removed
1 cup of bean sprouts (optional)
1/3 cup salted peanuts, chopped (optional) (subbed almonds and it was great)
 
Make marinade: In a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, sriracha, and oil. Season steaks generously with salt and pepper; place in a baking dish. Pour 1/4 of marinade over steaks (reserve remaining marinade); turn steaks to coat. Let steaks marinate up to 30 minutes.

Grill or pan fry steaks on medium-high heat, turning once, 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board; tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest, 5 to 10 minutes. Slice steaks across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices; halve slices crosswise.

Toss the cubed apple with a squeeze of lime juice to prevent browning. With a vegetable peeler, cut carrots into long ribbons, and add to cucumber, radishes, lettuce, mint and apple. Dress lightly with reserved dressing. (if using dried mint, just whisk it into the dressing). Divide salad among four shallow bowls. Top with slices of steak. Sprinkle with some dressing, bean sprouts and peanuts, if desired. Pass remaining dressing at the table.

Adapted from Everyday Foods

Jicama slaw

Sweet crunchy jicama makes for a crisp and refreshing salad. A mild vinaigrette keeps this very light.

Half of a medium jicama
1 carrot grated
1/2 head of cabbage
8 leaves romaine lettuce

1/4 cup champagne or white wine vinegar
Pinch salt
Fresh ground pepper
Small garlic clove
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil

Smash and peel garlic. Add salt, garlic, and vinegar to a small bowl. Stir. Add dijon mustard and slowly whisk in olive oil
Set aside.

Peel jicama and cut into matchsticks or dice. Shred cabbage and romaine. Toss salad with salad dressing right before serving.

Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

3 medium beets, cooked
romaine lettuce
1/4 cup goat cheese
few sprigs thyme, leaves removed
3 Tbls. sherry vinegar
6 Tbls. extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper

Add 1/2 t. salt to vinegar, add olive oil and pepper and shake to combine. Adjust seasoning. Slice beets and arrange on lettuce. Crumble goat cheese over the top, sprinkle with thyme leaves, dress with vinaigrette. Add rotisserrie chicken and make it a meal.

Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

Ingredients

* 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
* 3 tablespoons shallots, thinly sliced
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 6 medium beets, cooked and quartered
* 6 cups fresh baby spring mix
* 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped
* 3 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled

Directions

Boil Beets until fork tender

Whisk the vinegar, shallots, and honey in a medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with salt and pepper. Toss the beets in a small bowl with enough dressing to coat.

Toss the salad, and walnuts, in a large bowl with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper. Mound the salad atop 4 plates. Arrange the beets around the salad. Sprinkle with the goat cheese, and serve.

Giadia's inspiration