Mr. Prof designer home

I don't know about you but side dishes frustrate me. I find myself making the same boring things over and over again because they're either easy or because I'm too lazy to think of something better. I had seen this recipe for Chickpea Salad with Tomatoes, Lemon, and Herbs on Kelsey's blog awhile back and thought it sounded like a great, light side dish (she serves it as a main course).

Then I completely forgot about it until I was trying to come up with something to serve with black bean burgers from the freezer. It needed to be something I could make in advance since I was planning to serve it for dinner on a Tuesday after my exercise class. Baby Girl and I threw together a half order after I picked her up from daycare and it sat in the fridge until SP and I enjoyed it about 4 hours later. I think it got better the next day once the flavors had married a little more and I finished it off for lunch.

I'm excited to have a new quick and easy side dish in my repertoire. This went well with the black bean burgers (I had mine with mashed avocado and it was divine). It would also go great with grilled chicken, steak, pork chops, seafood, portabello mushrooms, alongside a traditional burger or chicken sandwich, or as a salad tossed with chopped lettuce.

Chickpea Salad with Tomatoes, Lemon, and Herbs
As seen on Apple a Day, adapted from Bon Appetit, April 2011

2 (15-oz.) cans low-sodium chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Zest of one lemon
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 small garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon each coarse sea salt and black pepper, plus more to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Taste salad and adjust seasonings as desired. The salad can (and should) be made ahead of time and chilled to allow the flavors to marry.

This is one of my favorite salads at an Italian restaurant but there's only one place I've had it where they didn't skimp on the extras like fresh mozzarella, meat and olives. As soon as Elly posted this Antipasto Salad on her blog I knew I'd found a great recipe to make at home. Why it never occurred to me to make it at home is beyond me. It's not like there's anything difficult about chopping some veggies and whisking together a vinaigrette. Now I can make my favorite salad at home whenever I want. Thanks Elly!

PS. You may notice the banana peppers are missing from my photo. DO NOT SKIP the peppers. They bring the whole salad together. I didn't realize they were missing until I looked at the recipe again the next morning, after I'd served it to SP (who's bowl is photographed above) and eaten a bowl myself, the whole time wondering what was missing. I added them to my lunch the next day and it was bliss. Don't make my mistake.

Antipasto Salad
As seen on Elly Says Opa!

Salad:
3 hearts of romaine
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced cucumbers
1/3 lb. genoa salami, thick dice
1/3 lb. ham, thick dice
1/2 lb. mozzarella
1/3 lb. provolone brick cheese, diced
1/4 cup olives
1 large banana pepper or 2-3 pepperoncini, sliced

Dressing:
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 teaspoon oregano or Tuscan/Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Lightly toss together the salad ingredients.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, garlic, oregano, and Dijon. Slowly stream in the oil, while continuing to whisk, until it emulsifies and is well-combined. Pour the dressing over the salad, tossing to combine.

I love proscuitto and cantaloupe. Such a great flavor combination with the sweetness from the melon and the saltiness of the ham. While looking through my recipes for another side dish for July 4 I found this one for Cantaloupe and Mozzarella with Prosciutto and Basil.


It's a gorgeous platter of food and another side dish that requires minimal effort to put together. No cooking required, which was great since the temps were topping out in the high 90s that day. I cut up the melon the night before (Baby Girl loved watching me and helped by holding the container I was using to store the pieces until the next morning), so the day of all I had to do was assemble the platter. Easy peasy.

Cantaloupe and Mozzarella with Prosciutto and Basil
As seen in Everyday Food

1 cantaloupe, halved and seeded
3/4 pound bocconcini (bite-size fresh mozzarella balls)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes (l omitted because we had kids eating this)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/3 pound thinly sliced prosciutto
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

With a large melon baller, scoop melon flesh into a large bowl (or cut into bite-size pieces). Add bocconcini, oil, and red-pepper flakes (optional); season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Arrange prosciutto along edges of a large serving platter. Stir basil into melon mixture, transfer to center of platter, and serve.

I get bored with salads. I know I need to eat more salad and it's a great side dish, but it needs to be interesting in order to keep my attention. Enter this Easy Mixed Greens Salad, originally made with arugula (which I'm sure would also be delicious). Pine nuts are my new favorite salad ingredient after they made an appearance in my all-time favorite salad, the Bacon, Egg and Asparagus Salad, so as soon as I saw these on the ingredient list I knew I'd love this salad. Add two more of my favorite things - tomato and avocado - and I'm sold.


SP wasn't a fan of this salad, although he did eat the bowl I served him. He likes plainer salads, so I need to find a happy medium. I loved this, as I knew I would, and can't wait to make it again. It went very well with the Chicken and Basil Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes.

Easy Mixed Greens Salad
Slightly Modified from The Keenan Cookbook

4 cups mixed greens
1 cup cherry or grapes tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 large avocado - peeled, pitted and diced

In a large bowl combine greens, tomatoes, pine nuts, oil, vinegar, and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss to mix. Divide salad onto plates, and top with diced avocado.

Want to see what other Celebrity recipes were made during the swap? Here is the link to the Celebrity Recipe Swap Roundup


Awhile ago I asked the ladies who participate in the recipe swaps for help coming up with themes. One of the suggestions was your favorite celebrity recipe, with celebrity being defined as someone who has published a cookbook, been on TV, or is basically a known name. I was lucky enough to receive Nicole's submission, Chopped Apple Salad with Toasted Walnuts, Blue Cheese and Pomegranate Vinaigrette, which is a Bobby Flay recipe.


I rarely have trouble finding things in my supermarket, but I asked one of the produce managers if they had pomegranates and she said they aren't in season right now. Boo! She said they sometimes carry packages of the arils, but not at the moment. I've never bought a pomegranate before so I was disappointed that I wasn't able to try it for this recipe. When I Googled I discovered that pomegranates are in season from September - February in the Northern hemisphere. This fact, along with the growing season for apples, makes this a perfect fall salad.


I really enjoyed the flavors in this salad, especially the sweetness of the vinaigrette against the salty stinkiness of the blue cheese. The walnuts added crunch, as did the apple chunks. Even though I've never eaten the arils from a pomegranate, I missed them as I imagine they're like dried cranberries in a way. That just means I need to make this salad again in the fall.

Thanks for a great recipe, Nicole!

Chopped Apple Salad with Toasted Walnuts, Blue Cheese and Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Bobby Flay, via Prevention RD

Pomegranate Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup POM Wonderful
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 - 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:
3 apples (Gala, Fuji, or Honeycrisp), cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups spinach, arugula or mixed greens
1 large head Romaine lettuce, torn into pieces
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
6 oz blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 pomegranate, arils removed (in season September-February)
Salt and pepper to taste

To make the vinaigrette, simmer the POM Wonderful over medium heat until it simmers, thickening to about 1/4 cup (about 10-12 minutes). Whisk together the pomegranate juice, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Set aside.

For the salad, combine the apples, spinach/arugula/mixed greens, Romaine, walnuts, blue cheese and arils in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then add the vinaigrette and toss to coat.

It's Secret Recipe Club time again. Man, that month goes by fast!


As soon as I got my blog assignment (Kudos Kitchen by Renee) for March I started to look through all her recipes. Renee does crafts in addition to cooking and has some beautiful handmade items. After a quick spin through her blog I knew I wanted to make this Bacon, Egg and Asparagus Salad. Just the name made my mouth water. Unfortunately the post didn't include a recipe. One of my biggest pet peeves about the whole Dorie Greenspan blogging community is that those who participate aren't allowed to post the recipe on their blog. I love food porn (aka photos) as much as the next person but if a meal looks good I'd like to be able to make it at home, especially if the blogger made some changes to the original recipe. Thankfully Renee saw my comment on her post asking for the recipe and responded quickly so I was able to get this made before the SRC deadline. Renee, I'm sorry I wasn't able to explain why I was so anxious to get this recipe but now you know. :)


Like I said, I was in love with this salad just from Renee's photos. It combines some of my favorite things - asparagus, runny eggs, pine nuts and bacon - into a gorgeous salad with a tangy dressing. I ended up subbing white wine vinegar for the sherry vinegar because I already had some on hand. Besides the asparagus and mixed greens I didn't have to buy anything else - all the ingredients are things I keep on hand. A tip - if you belong to a wholesale club look for pine nuts in their baking aisle. They're so much cheaper than the grocery store and you can keep them in the freezer so they don't go rancid. This recipe used up the last of my pine nuts so it's a good thing we're headed to the wholesale club this weekend.


This would make a great first course at a dinner party because you can assemble the plates while the asparagus is roasting and then fry or poach some eggs and serve. I fried my eggs in bacon fat to stay true to the original recipe, but I don't think it added anything extra to the taste. Next time I'll poach the eggs to save some calories. Regardless of how you cook your eggs a runny yolk is key. It mixes with the dressing to create something luxurious. If you don't like runny eggs this isn't the salad for you.

The final bite:


I knew SP wouldn't be into this salad so I made it for lunch one day (one of the perks of working from home). I was very happy that it made enough for two salads so I could enjoy it again for lunch the next day.

I can't say enough good things about this salad. I may or may not have licked the plate clean to get up all that delicious dressing and egg yolk. What a winner. Thank you SO much, Renee. This was a great treat and surprisingly simple to make. It was the perfect light lunch and I can't wait to make it again soon.

Bacon and Eggs and Asparagus Salad
Slightly Modified from Kudos Kitchen by Renee
Makes 2 main course salads or 4 first course salads

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons sherry or white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and coarsely-ground black pepper
4 large eggs
1 bunch asparagus spears, preferably thick, trimmed
6 strips bacon
3 handfuls mesclun or other mixed salad greens, rinsed and dried
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

To make the vinaigrette: Put all the ingredients in a small jar, cover, and shake to blend; or use a small bowl and a whisk. Set aside, and shake (or whisk) again before using. (You can make the vinaigrette up to a week in advance and keep it in the fridge.)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and arrange the asparagus on a baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast until just cooked through, about 5 mintues.

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat, turning as needed, until the bacon is golden and crisp on both sides. Remove the strips and put them between a double thickness of paper towels; when the bacon is cool, cut it into narrow strips or chop it into bits. Leave 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the skillet. Rewarm the bacon fat over medium heat. Cook eggs over-easy, making sure the yolks are still runny.

Season the mesclun with salt and pepper, then toss it with about three quarters of the vinaigrette, and arrange in the center of the platter or your plates. Toss the asparagus with the remaining vinaigrette and lay the spears over the greens. Lift the eggs out of the skillet and place them on top of the asparagus. Scatter the bacon bits and toasted pine nuts over the salad and serve immediately.

I received quite a nice package of goodies from Newman's Own as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program - 2 jars of pasta sauce (Tomato & Basil and Roasted Garlic), 3 bottles of salad dressing (2 Family Recipe Italian and 1 Lighten Up Raspberry and Walnut), and my favorite item, a Flip Video Camera. SP has been bugging me to do some video how-to posts and now I have no excuse not to. Look for those, probably in the spring when I've got daylight on my side again.

I needed an easy weeknight meal recently so I went into the pantry for a jar of sauce and bottle of salad dressing. I had made garlic and parsley butter over the weekend so all I had to do was cook the pasta, heat up the sauce, toast the bread and cut up some veggies for a quick salad.


First, the salad since we ate those as an appetizer while we waited for the garlic bread to toast. In addition to the spring mix greens I grated some carrot, chopped mushrooms, cucumber and tomatoes and finished with croutons.


I absolutely LOVED this dressing. It was tangy and I could actually taste the oil, vinegar and seasonings. But my favorite part was the cheese. The ingredient list says Romano cheese is included, which was very exciting for me since I love grating cheese over my salads dressed with oil and vinegar.

Next up, the pasta. I topped my bowl with a dollop of ricotta cheese leftover from a lasagna SP and Baby Girl made as a welcome home dinner after my latest work conference.


Notice the basil leaf on the left side of the picture? The sauce was full of real pieces of basil, which was great to see but unfortunately made the sauce overly sweet. I don't put basil in my tomato sauce for this reason. Lots of extra grated pecorino helped tame the sweetness a bit, but this sauce wasn't our thing. Baby Girl, however, loved it. She slurped this one up, literally, and said "yummy" after each bite. I'm hoping the roasted garlic one has a more tangy flavor.

Another fantastic and easy meal from my friend who brought you Bow Ties with Sausage, Tomato and Cream and Ranch Pork Chops; this one is a hearty BBQ Chicken Ranch Salad that packs great flavor with minimal ingredients.


I really loved the combination of flavors in this salad. The tangy BBQ sauce, the cool Ranch dressing, the freshness of the cucumber, the spice from the red onion. Everything works so well together. I opted to top my salad with tortilla chips since we had some on hand, but I've seen other recipes that call for French's fried onions or even French fries. I picked up a rotisserie chicken at the supermarket before getting Baby Girl from daycare and the convenience can't be beat. My chicken wasn't BBQ because they didn't have any, so feel free to use whatever kind of roast chicken you like (or poach, grill, roast your own if you have the time).

BBQ Chicken Ranch Salad
As seen throughout the blogosphere

Spring Mix salad greens
1 BBQ roast chicken, shredded
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (I left these out because SP doesn't like beans)
1 can Mexicorn
1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, Monteray Jack, pepper Jack)
1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1/4 cup diced red onion
Crushed tortilla chips
BBQ sauce
Ranch dressing

Divide salad greens and toppings on 4 plates. Drizzle with BBQ sauce and Ranch dressing.

Click here to check out some more delicious salads.

A woman on my cooking board recently posted a recipe for Greek Tacos that sounded delicious. We are trying to eat healthier these days so I decided to make the recipe into a taco salad instead of using the crispy shells.


I really enjoyed the salad and used the crispy pita wedges as dippers for the tzatziki but SP wasn't a fan. I think he would have preferred these in the crispy taco shells. I actually put some of the leftover meat mixture, tzatziki, feta, and romaine into a pita for lunch the next day and it was fantastic, so that's another alternative to the traditional taco shells.

Greek Taco Salad with Crispy Pita Wedges
Inspired by A Seasoned Greeting

1 pound lean ground beef
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 teaspoons Greek seasoning (see note below)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 bag baby spinach, roughly chopped
1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cucumber, diced
2 hearts of romaine, torn into bite-size pieces

Crispy Pita Wedges
2 pitas, cut into 4 wedges
Olive oil for brushing
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Tzatziki
12 ozs. plain Greek yogurt
1 cucumbers, seeded
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Salt and a little pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes, Greek seasoning, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add spinach and olives; cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until spinach is wilted.

Crispy Pita Wedges: Place pita pieces on a baking sheet lined with foil. Brush the tops with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, oregano and thyme. Bake at 300° for 3-5 minutes or until heated through and crispy.

Tzatziki: Peel and seed the cucumber. Shred on the large holes of a box grater and then squeeze in a towel to get rid of as much excess moisture as possible. Mix together the yogurt, shredded cucumbers, garlic, vinegar and lemon juice. Salt to taste. Refrigerate overnight, if possible, or at least 30 minutes for the flavors to meld.

To serve, fill shallow bowls with romaine. Top with beef mixture, feta, red onion and cucumber. Dollop tzatziki on top and arrange crispy pita wedges around the perimeter.

Note: For a substitute for 1 tablespoon Greek seasoning use 1/2 teaspoon each dried oregano, dried marjoram, garlic powder, lemon-pepper seasoning, ground mustard and salt.

As the weather gets colder and I find myself gravitating toward rich, creamy (read: fatty) meals, I'm rediscovering salad. A nice side salad with lots of veggies and a light vinaigrette dressing not only adds a healthy component to a fattening meal, it helps cut through the richness.


I love making homemade salad dressing because it takes next to no time to throw together and I can control the ingredients. This is my standby for simple green salads. Lately I've been using spring mix, romaine hearts, shaved carrot, chopped mushrooms and tomatoes in my salads and thyme from my garden in the vinaigrette.

Red Wine Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 shallot, finely minced
4-6 sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped off the stems
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine mustard through pepper in a bowl, cup, salad dressing container, etc. Stir/whisk to combine. Slowly add oil in a steady stream, continuously whisking to emulsify. I like a tangy vinaigrette so I use less oil, an even amount to the vinegar. Adjust to your personal preference and season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed.

I've had this recipe for Broccoli Salad printed out for years but have never gotten around to making it. Fourth of July weekend seemed like the perfect time since we were doing a lot of grilling.


I ended up cutting the recipe down substantially after SP took a look at the ingredients and said, "No way will I be eating any of that." I used one small broccoli crown and pretty much eyeballed the rest to make two portions just for me. It was delicious. I loved the crunchy broccoli, the sweetness of the grapes and dried cranberries mixed with the tanginess of the vinegar and the salty bacon.

Broccoli Salad
Very Culinary

1 large head of broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
2 cups of red grapes, sliced in half length wise
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup dried cherries, raisins, or dried cranberries
6 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup cooked bacon pieces
1 cup mayo
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix mayo, vinegar, and sugar together in a small bowl. Pour mayo mixture over broccoli mixture and combine well. Serve right away or chill for a few hours.

The theme for this week's recipe swap was Main Course Salads. With the heat of summer in full force, as well as an abundance of gorgeous fresh produce in supermarkets and farmers markets, we can all use some lighter, healthier recipes.

I always hope whoever gets my recipe likes it, so I was thrilled to see that Katie's whole family liked the BBQ Chicken Salad:


Moviegirl03 loved her recipe for Southwestern Chicken Salad:


Jaida's recipe for Quinoa and Roasted Sweet Potato Salad introduced her to not one but two new ingredients:


There was supposed to be steak in the Cookaholic Wife's recipe for Steak and Artichoke Salad, but unfortunately her fridge didn't cooperate and she had to leave it out:


Heather really enjoyed her recipe for Chicken Salad with Strawberries & Dried Cranberries:


Jey's recipe for Chinese Chicken Salad didn't disappoint:


Even though my husband wouldn't touch my recipe for Strawberry, Orange and Grilled Chicken Salad, I loved it:

Want to see what other Main Course Salad recipes were made during the swap? Here is the link to the Main Course Salad Recipe Swap Roundup

This week's recipe swap theme was Main Course Salads. I know a lot of people like to eat lighter, healthier meals in the summer but still want a meal that's substantial enough to last until morning. My recipe was Strawberry, Orange and Grilled Chicken Salad:


In the interest of full disclosure, SP didn't even attempt to eat this one. As soon as I told him what I'd made for dinner he said he "didn't do fruit in salads unless it was a fruit salad" and promptly heated up some leftovers. Oh well, more for me. I really enjoyed this salad. I happen to love fruit in salads and the combination of the strawberries and mandarin oranges was perfect. I added some blue cheese and sliced almonds and I think they were great additions that helped cut some of the sweetness from the other ingredients.

Strawberry, Orange and Grilled Chicken Salad
Adapted from The Cookaholic Wife

6 cups baby spinach leaves
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
2 cups strawberries, diced
1 cup mandarin oranges, chopped
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled
Raspberry vinaigrette (recipe below)
Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Add desired amount of dressing, toss well to coat. Season with pepper, to taste. Serve cold.

Raspberry Vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon raspberry preserves
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Fresh tarragon, minced
Black pepper
1 shallot, minced
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Honey, to taste

Blend all the ingredients, except the sugar or honey, in a food processor, adding water as necessary to adjust the consistency. Add honey to taste at the very end.

Want to see what other Memorial Day recipes were made during the swap? Here is the link to the Memorial Day Recipe Swap Roundup

This week's cooking board recipe swap theme was something you'd bring to a cookout. I got this recipe for Avocado & Tahini Salad with Chickpeas from Jill over at JBean Cuisine.


The salad was good and like Jill's husband, we found the dressing to be almost like a dip. Unfortunately we didn't have any cookouts to attend this year so it was just the two of us eating this, but it was a welcome change from our usual sides.

I found the dressing to be a little thick, even with the addition of the yogurt, so I added some cold water to the food processor to thin it out. I left out the carrots since I'm not a fan of raw carrots, and I didn't specify baby spinach on the shopping list so I left that out as well, but I'm leaving Jill's original recipe below. You can add whatever salad ingredients you like or have on hand.

Avocado and Tahini Salad with Chickpeas
JBean Cuisine

1 avocado, cut in half and flesh removed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, grated
3 tablespoons tahini
1/3 cup plain yogurt (or Greek yogurt)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
cold water, as needed
1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped finely
1 can of chickpeas, drained and well rinsed
1/4 red pepper, chopped
1/4 green pepper, chopped
6 mushrooms, sliced
10 baby carrots, chopped
10 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/4 medium cucumber, chopped

Using your food processor combine all of the dressing ingredients. Give it a whirl until well incorporated.

Prepare and chop all of your salad ingredients. Place salad ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

After last week's BBQ Chicken Salad I had about half a huge container of mixed greens leftover, as well as blue cheese and peach preserves. What better to make with it then another arranged salad, this time a Harvest Salad.


I made the dressing with some of the leftover peach preserves from the previous salad since we already had it on hand. It was delicious but I know the raspberry would also be wonderful. I think this salad will be making a regular appearance on our table. I love the combination of salty, sweet and tangy from the various ingredients.

Harvest Salad
Recipe from Allrecipes.com

1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Mixed greens, baby spinach or arugula
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons red raspberry jam (peach also works well)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast in oven for 5 minutes, or until nuts begin to brown.

Arrange the greens, walnuts, cranberries, blue cheese, tomatoes, avocado, and red onion on a plate.

In a small bowl, whisk together jam, vinegar, oil, pepper, and salt. Pour over the salad just before serving, and toss to coat.

I love arranged salads, but they can be an awful lot of work. When I saw this recipe for BBQ Chicken Salad, though, I knew I needed to make it ASAP simply because it combines so many of my favorite foods into one salad.


Thankfully all of the prep work can be done ahead of time, which for me means in the morning before work after Baby Girl and SP have left for the day. When it was time to eat all I had to do was reheat the chicken and potatoes and arrange the salads.

BBQ Chicken Salad
Two Peas and Their Pod

For the Avocado Vinaigrette:
2/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 medium shallot, chopped
3 tablespoons peach jam
1 medium ripe avocado
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Blue Cheese Vinaigrette:
2/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 medium shallot, chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, dry pan roasted and chopped
2 tablespoons peach jam
1 cup sour cream
1 cup blue cheese or Gorgonzola
Salt and pepper to taste

For the potatoes:
2-3 pounds red potatoes, washed
1 stick butter
1 medium shallot, minced
1 small bunch parsley, finely chopped

For the chicken:
Chicken breasts
BBQ sauce - use your favorite brand

For the salad:
Mixed greens
Tomatoes, chopped
Corn
French fried onions

To make the avocado vinaigrette-put all of the ingredients into a food processor or blender. Mix until smooth.

To make the blue cheese vinaigrette-put all of the ingredients into a food processor or blender. Mix until smooth. If the dressing is too thick, add a drizzle of extra olive oil and mix again.

To make the potatoes - boil a large pot of water and salt well. Boil potatoes until they are fork tender. Drain the water and return potatoes to the pot. Stir in butter, shallot, and parsley. Stir well. Set aside and keep warm until serving.

Grill the chicken and brush each piece liberally with BBQ sauce. Cut into strips and set aside.

To plate the salads - place mixed greens on a plate. Lay the sliced chicken on top of the greens. Top with tomatoes, corn, and fried onions. Place a few warm potatoes on the side. Drizzle entire salad with avocado vinaigrette and blue cheese vinaigrette.

I love the House Salad at Texas Roadhouse so when I was stumped for what to serve with dinner one night I decided to recreate it at home.


It's a very simple salad made infinitely better by their homemade Ranch dressing and croutons made from their delicious rolls (two things I haven't tried recreating at home yet). It's just greens (romaine), tomato, hardboiled eggs, cheddar cheese and croutons.

Next step - make my own Ranch dressing and find a knock-off for their rolls.

I love Caesar salad, especially now that I've taken to making my own dressing. I served these salads with the Portobello Parmesan I made for the vegetarian recipe swap.


I combined two recipes awhile ago to make use of ingredients I always have on hand. I usually throw everything into my mini food processor. I've started grating large slices of Pecorino cheese over the lettuce and croutons and it's been a huge hit.

Caesar Salad Dressing

1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons anchovy paste (or 2 anchovy filets)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mayo
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Combine lemon juice, anchovy paste, cheese, mayo, garlic, white wine vinegar and Worcestershie sauce in blender. Blend until smooth and then drizzle in oil while blender is on. Season with salt and pepper.

A friend recently posted a photo of Ina Garten's Cape Cod Chopped Salad on her Facebook page and I fell in love. Her photo is much better, but the takeaway message here is MAKE THIS SALAD. Seriously. It's delicious. Even SP, who isn't usually enthusiastic about salads, loved this salad.



Cape Cod Chopped Salad
Ina Garten

8 ounces thick-cut bacon
8 ounces baby arugula
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
1/2 cup toasted walnut halves, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces blue cheese, such as Roquefort, crumbled

Dressing:
3 tablespoons good apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup good olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a baking rack on a sheet pan and lay the bacon slices on the rack. Roast the bacon for about 20 minutes, until nicely browned. Allow to cool.

In a large bowl, toss together the arugula, apple, walnuts, cranberries, and blue cheese.

For the dressing, whisk together the vinegar, orange zest, orange juice, mustard, maple syrup, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.

Chop the bacon in large pieces and add it to the salad. Toss the salad with just enough dressing to moisten. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and toss well. Serve immediately.

I'm so sorry everyone. I promise to be better about remembering what I made and/or blogging more frequently so this doesn't keep happening. Here's a salad...


... with stuff in it. I see grape tomatoes, chicken, lettuce (of course), bacon, and what is probably homemade Caesar dressing. Yes, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!