Showing posts with label Salads. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Salads. Show all posts
On Wednesday nights I usually go out to supper with my father and his friends, so I don't actually cook much around here. I do have lunch however, and I try to keep that light. Today I fancied a salad and so I decided to small batch my favorite Greek Salad.
I can enjoy one serving of it today, and then tomorrow I can enjoy it again, although in all truth it will be more like a pickle by then, but that's okay. I like pickles!
Greek Salad is actually something I make all year round, not just in the summer months. I love all of the elements of it. The crisp cucumber, the sweet cherry tomatoes.
Then you have the sharpness of the red onion, not quite as sharp as regular onion, but still making its presence known.
I love the meaty tang of the kalamata olives and don't get me started on that salty creamy Feta cheese! Oh my, just those ingredients alone get my taste buds tingling.
Add in a zippy red vinegar, olive oil, lemon and oregano vinaigrette dressing, and I am in salad heaven! This makes a lovely lunch with some crisp crackers or bread sticks on the side. I can't get enough of this stuff!
What's lovely about it as well is that there are no lettuce leaves to wilt. It is completely portable, which makes it a great salad to tote along to work, school or for taking on intimate picnics for two people.
Of course I would pack any dressing on the side so as to keep the vegetables nice and lovely and crisp. But that is just me.
You could also turn it into a full meal by adding some chopped cooked chicken, lamb or salami, or even tinned salmon or tuna, and then serving it spooned over a bed of lettuce, but trust me when I say, it is completely delicious on its own.
This is a recipe that I adapted to make only two servings that I found on Delish.com a while back What I liked about it was that it was simple and not artsy fartsy. There is no pretense here. Simple ingredients put together simply and in a delicious way.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A SMALL BATCH GREEK SALAD
The same as what you need to make a large batch, just in smaller quantities.
- 1/2 English Cucumber, washed, trimmed and thinly sliced into half moons
- 1/4 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced into half moons
- 3/4 cup (150g) cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cup (90g) Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- 3 ounces (85g) feta cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
For the dressing:
- 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
- 1 TBS red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/8 cup (30ml) extra virgin olive oil
You could totally use a regular cucumber in this, but I would peel it and remove the seeds. The one thing I really love about English Cucumbers is that there is no need for that. Just wash, trim and slice.
You could also use regular sized tomatoes. Just cut them into 1 inch chunks. I would remove the seeds in that case.
I buy the feta cheese in brine and cube it myself. It does tend to crumble more than cube, but it tastes delicious. Nice, tangy and a bit salty. Made from sheep's milk.
I love Kalamata olives. They are beautifully tangy and yes salty as well. They are real Greek olives, deep purple in color, some of them almost black. I would not use any other kind.
Also don't be tempted to substitute regular onion for the red onion. Regular onion has too harsh a flavor.
Red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil are a must for the dressing and dried oregano is perfectly ample. If you do have fresh oregano, you will need roughly twice the amount. Be judicious with the salt as both the olives and the cheese are salty.
HOW TO MAKE A SMALL BATCH GREEK SALAD
This is really a delicious doddle.
Combine the cucumber, onion, tomatoes and olives in a medium sized bowl. Fold in the feta cheese with a gentle hand.
Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar and oregano in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad and gently toss to combine. Serve immediately.
This is really a fabulous combination of textures and flavors. I wonder if they really eat this salad in Greece? Greece has been on my bucket list of places to go since I saw Haley Mills in the Disney film, The Moon Spinners when I was about 10 years old. I doubt that I will ever get there now, but hope springs eternal!
Some other salads here in my English Kitchen that you might enjoy are:
BACON AND EGG SALAD - This is a real favorite of mine. Crisp Baby Gem Lettuce leaves broken into a bowl (you can use Romaine) and topped with sliced boiled egg, salty crisp bacon and sweet roasted baby plum tomatoes. A creamy Parmesan Dressing is drizzled over top and then you top the salad with some crisp and buttery homemade croutons. This is a fabulous combination of textures and flavors.
CHICKEN NICOISE SALAD PLATTER - The perfect meal salad for a warm summer night. With roasted sliced chicken, cooked string beans, boiled egg, salty feta cheese and a mix of black and green olives. You could add some sliced roasted potato wedges for the carb lover. I added some steamed asparagus and topped it all off with a tangy lemon vinaigrette. You can either make this carb free, or add carbs depending on your preference! Delicious either way.
Greek Salad (small batch)
Yield: Serves 2
Prep time: 20 MinTotal time: 20 Min
Crunchy, rich, creamy, salty, tangy and moreish. One of my all time favorite salads, downsized to feed only two people.
Ingredients
- 1/2 English Cucumber, washed, trimmed and thinly sliced into half moons
- 1/4 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced into half moons
- 3/4 cup (150g) cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cup (90g) Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- 3 ounces (85g) feta cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
For the dressing:
- 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
- 1 TBS red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/8 cup (30ml) extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Combine the cucumber, onion, tomatoes and olives in a medium sized bowl. Fold in the feta cheese with a gentle hand.
- Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar and oregano in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad and gently toss to combine. Serve immediately.
All rights reserved The English Kitchen
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I had the family over for Sunday supper this week. We had grilled chicken and a variety of salads along with some garlic bread sticks and roasted asparagus. My sister brought a sugar free apple pie for dessert. It was just nice to get together here at my place as a family. Usually we go to my sister's!
Like always, however, I did cook too much and found myself with some leftovers that I needed to use up. Today I thought I would make myself a delicious Dinner salad! Salad for dinner is a good thing, and this is the start of salad season after all!
WHAT IS A DINNER SALAD
The simple answer is a main dish salad that is hearty and filling. A salad that won't leave you hungry and wanting more!
Dinner salads are usually composed of a delicious mix of salad greens, a variety of crisp vegetables, as well as a protein of some sort. You can make them all vegetarian, or you can add proteins such as cheese, meat, fish or poultry.
They usually also include a delicious dressing that is drizzled over top, and some croutons always go well sprinkled on top.
I had some chicken leftover from yesterday and I also made good use of the soft bread sticks that were leftover to make some croutons. I also was able to use the last of the Boursin cheese that I had in the refrigerator.
I combined that with a few other bits and pieces and some crisp lettuce and I had a salad that was incredibly delicious and substantial.
A touch of Dijon mustard, olive oil, some seasonings, a bit of honey . . . garlic. It was lush and delicious!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A DINNER SALAD
There is nothing written in stone. Here is what I used and what worked well together.
- 2 cups coarsely chopped iceberg or romaine lettuce
- 2 pieces of boneless, skinless grilled chicken (about 1 cup, cubed)
- 1 3-inch piece of English cucumber, peeled and cubed
- 6 cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 small ripe avocado, cubed
- 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and cut into quarters
- 1/4 of a red onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1/2 cup (60g) cubed cheese of some sort, pick your favorite
- crisp croutons to sprinkle
Of course any salad is only as good as its dressing and this is what you will need for this one. Its fabulous.
For the dressing:
- 3 TBS olive oil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (or one small clove, peeled and minced)
- 1 tsp good Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp liquid honey
- 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
You don't need to use chicken. Steak or roast pork, leftover ham, lamb, or turkey. You can even use leftover cooked fish. Salmon is particularly good.
If you don't have leftovers, then use cubed deli-meats. Tinned salmon and tuna broken into bite sized chunks are also very nice.
Any cheese goes! You want something nice and creamy and rich in flavor. Today I used Boursin, but goats cheese is lovely as is a nice creamy cheddar. Blue cheese goes especially nice with beef.
Boiled egg is a lovely addition. The yolk from the egg almost emulsifies with the dressing as you are eating it. Loads of crunch from the vegetables. Cucumber is nice, as is celery, hearts of palm, radishes, etc.
I added some halved cherry tomatoes, but any diced tomato would do, and chopped peppers are also nice, raw or even roasted.
Just use what you have! Just make sure all of your vegetables are lovely and fresh and crisp. You might be surprised at the delicious combinations you can come up with!
HOW TO MAKE A DINNER SALAD
It might seem silly to some for me to explain this, but there are some people who do need a bit of direction and there is nothing wrong with that! I'm always here to help!!
First make the dressing. Measure the mustard into a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil, one tablespoonful at a time. Whisk in the lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and parsley flakes. Set aside.
Divide the chopped lettuce between two pasta bowls.
Top each bowl of lettuce with the egg, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, chicken, and cheese, placing each ingredient on top in an enticing manner, and dividing them equally. Sprinkle the chopped onion and croutons on top of each.
Give your dressing a final whisk and drizzle half over each salad. Serve immediately.
This made for a really hearty and filling supper. I was quite happy with it and felt good that I was eating something healthy as well as using up my leftovers!
We won't talk about the piece of apple pie I finished off with. 😁 It was also very good, and sugar free, so I don't feel too awfully bad about it.
Some other salads here in my English Kitchen that you might enjoy are:
SALAD COMPOSE - Very French with crisp salad leaves, boiled egg, sweet plum tomatoes, crisp salty bacon and buttery crisp garlic baguette croutons. Finished off with a beautiful sherry vinegar vinaigrette dressing!
STEAK MUSHROOM AND BLUE CHEESE SALAD - Perfectly cooked grilled medium rare pieces of steak, combined with tasty rich sauteed mushrooms, capers, creamy tangy blue cheese all tossed together with a rich sherry and honey vinaigrette dressing. Delicious!
LOW FAT CHICKEN TACO SALAD - A mix of salad greens, black beans, corn, peppers, black olives, along with crispy chicken strips combined with a low fat creamy spicy dressing and some baked tortilla crisps on top. Fabulously tasty!
Dinner Salad
Yield: 2
Prep time: 15 MinTotal time: 15 Min
With the warmer temperatures some nights we enjoy a delicious salad for our dinner. This is one really fabulous version, with plenty of crunch, protein and a killer honey mustard vinaigrette dressing. Sized perfectly for two. Its also a great way to use up any bits and bobs you might have in the refrigerator that need using up!
Ingredients
- 2 cups coarsely chopped iceberg or romaine lettuce
- 2 pieces of boneless, skinless grilled chicken (about 1 cup, cubed)
- 1 3-inch piece of English cucumber, peeled and cubed
- 6 cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 small ripe avocado, cubed
- 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and cut into quarters
- 1/4 of a red onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1/2 cup (60g) cubed cheese of some sort, pick your favorite
- crisp croutons to sprinkle
For the dressing:
- 3 TBS olive oil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (or one small clove, peeled and minced)
- 1 tsp good Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp liquid honey
- 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
Instructions
- First make the dressing. Measure the mustard into a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil, one tablespoonful at a time. Whisk in the lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and parsley flakes. Set aside.
- Divide the chopped lettuce between two pasta bowls.
- Top each bowl of lettuce with the egg, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, chicken, and cheese, placing each ingredient on top in an enticing manner, and dividing them equally. Sprinkle the chopped onion and croutons on top of each.
- Give your dressing a final whisk and drizzle half over each salad. Serve immediately.
All rights reserved The English Kitchen
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE CROUTONS
I found myself with some leftover garlic bread sticks after the weekend. I think it was a bit of a stretch for the maker to call them bread sticks, as they were more like hot dog buns brushed with a bit of garlic butter. Anyways, I had some leftover and I used about six of them to make homemade croutons.
Making your own homemade croutons for salads and soups is really easy, and (you will discover) much more delicious than any ready-made variety!
All you need is a quantity of somewhat stale bread or rolls. Cut them into 1/2 inch cubes with a serrated knife and place them onto a baking sheet. Preheat your oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6.
Spread the bread cubes out into a single layer on a lipped baking sheet. Give them a good spritz with some olive oil spray. I find the spray the best thing to use because it allows you to evenly coat the bread pieces, whereas if you use just oil, it soaks into some and misses others.
Toss together with your hands along with some of your favorite seasonings. I used 1 tsp of garlic Italian seasoning today. But you can use any combination of herbs or seasonings you enjoy.
Toast them in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring them every 5 minutes or so, until crisp and golden brown.
Store in an airtight container. They will keep for a few weeks or even longer depending on how crisp you get them. Great sprinkled over salads or soups!
Thank you so much for visiting! Do come again!
On Wednesday nights, I usually go out to supper with my father and a few of his friends. Sometimes my sister joins us. We just go to a local eatery down the road from where I live. The food is hit and miss, but I don't go for the food, I go for the company.
Its just nice to be able to spend this time with my dad and sister, if she has joined us. Family times are the best of times.
Because of this I didn't cook myself a main meal today (as I write this, it is Wednesday). I did make myself a delicious salad for my lunch however.
Several weeks ago I had been watching Martha Stewart on YouTube and she was making Salad Dressings. She made a lovely wedge salad with a beautiful Blue Cheese Dressing. You can see the video here.
It looked so delicious. My favorite salad of all is a Caesar Salad, but Blue Cheese Dressing is my second all time favorite! Hers looked so delicious, I bookmarked it in my brain to try. Today was the day!
I love, Love, LOVE Blue Cheese. That is kind of strange I know, considering that I grew up only eating processed cheese slices and being afraid to try anything else.
I did start using cheddar cheese for cooking when I got married and had a family of my own, but I was still not fond of strong cheeses as far as just eating the went.
I don't know why. I never actually ever really ate them. I was always too afraid to try. In my mind any kind of cheese stronger than a processed cheese was not something I thought I would like.
That all changed when I moved to the UK however. How could you live in the birthplace of cheddar and not end up liking at the very least cheddar? Its impossible!! And then when I trained as a Chef, I also had to start trying things I had never thought I would like, one of which was cheese.
You cannot be squeamish about things like this if you are going to cook for a living.
That reminds me of when I was a very young woman and had my very first cooking job. I say cooking rather loosely because I didn't really have to cook much of anything. I was hired as the Pastry Chef at a big Hotel here in the valley that was quite prestigious at the time.
I was responsible for the appetizers and desserts. I baked cakes and put together simple desserts such as parfaits, etc. I also made the Shrimp cocktails, escargots and all of the salads.
That was the very first time I learned about recycled salad. Yes. Recycled salad. Their policy was that you scooped off the manky salad on the top of the salad in the refrigerator and then added fresh to freshen it up. I know. Appalling. And this was a very supposedly high class place.
I won't name the place because I don't want to ruin their reputation. I am sure this was probably a practice in many restaurants. You just couldn't get rid of all the salad every day I suppose. It would have been a great waste. Hence salad recycling.
Anyways back to this delicious dressing. I decided to have a nice mixed salad for my lunch today, using what I had in the refrigerator and to make myself Martha's Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing to drizzle over top. A real treat indeed!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE MARTHA'S CREAMY BLUE CHEESE DRESSING
Aside from the blue cheese and perhaps the buttermilk, really simple ingredients. If you don't have buttermilk you can use whole milk, but the dressing won't have quite the same tang!
- 1/4 cup (30g) sour cream
- 1/4 cup (55g) mayonnaise
- 2 ounces (57g) crumbled blue cheese
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley or thyme leave
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, optional
- Pinch fine sea salt
- Pinch fresh ground pepper
- 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk
If you want to cut back on the calories a bit you can use yogurt instead of the sour cream. Martha used both low fat Greek yogurt and low fat mayonnaise, also low fat buttermilk.
She used minced fresh thyme leaves. I didn't have any fresh thyme, so I used fresh chopped parsley leaves.
Do use fresh lemon juice. Reconstituted lemon juice just is not the same and you don't get the same clean taste ad you do with fresh. There is a HUGE difference between the two and in something fresh like this simple salad dressing it really DOES matter!
HOW TO MAKE MARTHA'S CREAMY BLUE CHEESE DRESSING
If you can whisk a few things together then you can make this. It really isn't that hard at all.
Combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, blue cheese, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and stir until well blended and creamy. Use the back of the spoon to press some of the cheese into a paste in the dressing, leaving some chunky.
Whisk in the buttermilk. If you like a thicker dressing, you can cut down the amount that you use, but I find the amount called for just right for use as a salad dressing. Leave it out altogether if you are wanting more of a dip consistency.
This will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to one week.
This was really, really nice. Rich and creamy. I served it on a bed of mixed salad greens, along with some sliced cucumber, radish roses and fresh tomatoes.
I added a sprinkle of additional blue cheese, crumbled to the top of the dressed salad and some crispy french fried onion bits for salads. This made for a delicious light lunch that I quite enjoyed!!
If you are a fan of salads, and we are coming into salad season now, you might enjoy the following recipes from the blog:
HOMEMADE SALAD CREAM - When I first moved over to the UK, generally speaking, this was the only salad dressing offered in most places. Its delicious. This fabulous homemade version is a cut above the stuff that comes in the jar. It tastes just like it, except somehow better, if that makes sense!
HONEY LEMON VINAIGRETTE - Our mother never bought store made salad dressings when I was growing up. We always had a homemade vinaigrette dressing on our salads. This is a particularly delicious version. Honey and Lemon are beautiful taste partners.
Martha's Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing
Prep time: 5 MinTotal time: 5 Min
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (30g) sour cream
- 1/4 cup (55g) mayonnaise
- 2 ounces (57g) crumbled blue cheese
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley or thyme leave
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, optional
- Pinch fine sea salt
- Pinch fresh ground pepper
- 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk
Instructions
- Combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, blue cheese, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and stir until well blended and creamy. Use the back of the spoon to press some of the cheese into a paste in the dressing, leaving some chunky.
- Whisk in the buttermilk. If you like a thicker dressing, you can cut down the amount but I find the amount called for just right.
- This will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Notes
This is a lovely rich dressing. I like to serve some additional crumbled blue cheese to sprinkle on top of the salad after it has been dressed, but then, I love blue cheese.
I like to use Danish blue cheese, or Castello Blue Cheese.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons