Fennel Slaw with Pistachio-Parsley-Thyme Pesto, Prosciutto di Parama, and Parmigiana Reggiano

This recipe comes from Giada de Laurentiis, who happens to be one of only about three Food Network chefs that I trust anymore. I mean really, the channel seems to be less and less about good food, and more and more about over-the-top personalities (I'm looking at you Guy Fieri). 

This slaw/salad is the perfect addition to any summer cook-out or picnic. It couldn't be easier to make, and yet, it tastes seriously incredible! Also, it's really pretty to look at :)

The pesto brings a very bold flavor to the table that it balanced by the buttery prosciutto and sharp parmigiana reggiano. The crunchy, anise-flavored fennel makes the entire salad refreshing and light and will have you going back for thirds!

Fennel Slaw

recipe slightly adapted from here

ingredients:

• 4-5 fennel bulbs (about 3 1/2 lbs), thinly sliced
• Pistachio-Parsley-Thyme Pesto (recipe below)
• 4 ounces prosciutto di parma
• 2 ounces (or to taste) shaved parmigiana reggiano

1. Toss the fennel with the pesto and transfer to a serving platter.
2. Slice the prosciutto into 1/2 inch strips.
3. Top the fennel with the shaved cheese and prosciutto.

Pistachio-Parsley-Thyme Pesto

ingredients:

• 2 cups lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 3/4 cup shelled pistachios, toasted
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. In a food processor, combine the parsley, thyme, pistachios, and garlic. Process until very finely chopped.
2. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and process until well blended.
3. Season the pesto with salt and pepper, to taste.

Basil Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons

Mikey's favorite type of salad is Caesar salad, and since I have always wanted to try making my own Caesar dressing (with the raw egg and all!), I felt it was the perfect accompaniment to our Valentine's dinner!

This salad was surprising simple to make. The dressing comes together in flash because all you really do is whir all the ingredients in a food processor.

I loved the addition of the herbs in the dressing because it made the salad quite fresh and not as "heavy" as a lot of typical Caesar salads can be. It was SUCH a nice contrast to the rich, juicy, steaks.

I think the salads exceeded Mikey's expectations, and certainly my own! Also, the croutons were sooooo yummy! There is just nothing like homemade croutons; the stuff in the box you get from the grocery store just doesn't even come close.

I think that this salad would also make a delicious main course with the addition of some grilled shrimp or chicken!

Basil Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons

recipe slightly adapted from here

ingredients:

• 10-inch piece of baguette, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/2-1 tsp garlic powder, depending on your taste
• sea salt and freshly-cracked pepper
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 large egg
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp anchovy paste
• 1 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
• 1 lb romaine heart, washed and cut into fourths
• 1 cup freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Toss bread cubes with 2 tablespoons oil, 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper, and garlic powder. Spread the seasoned cubes out on a sheet pan and toast in the oven for 12-15 minutes, tossing every 4 or 5 minutes.
3. With the motor running, drop garlic clove into food processor and finely chop. Add in the egg, lemon juice, anchovy paste, and 1/2 tsp pepper and pulse until combined. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the remaining 6 tablespoons of olive oil and blend until emulsified. Add in the herbs and blend until the herbs are finely chopped and the dressing is a beautiful green.
4. Toss the romaine with the dressing, croutons, and half of the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and serve!

Wild Rice and Lentil Salad with Oranges, Dried Fruit, and Chevre

So, this is the salad recipe that I was referring to in my previous post :).


When I was asked to make a salad for the dinner party the other evening at Mikey's parents' home, I just couldn't bring myself to bring an average lettuce-and-veggie-packed salad. I like to do things a little differently than one would expect, and I like to see the surprise in peoples' faces when they see what I have made. I love lentils and found this recipe while browsing for ideas and inspiration and it sounded perfect!


It is really refreshing and absolutely perfect for eating outside in the summer air. The orange adds a juicy sweetness that complements the chewy, earthy rice/lentils and creamy goat cheese wonderfully. I also particularly liked that the currants and raisins were pretty much the same size as the lentils so they surprised your taste buds with a fruity punch. I really enjoyed all of the different textures and all of the guests mentioned how delicious and unique it was!


This recipe makes quite a bit, but I don't think that would cause much disappointment as it holds up great as leftovers (that is if any is even left to take home).

Wild Rice and Lentil Salad with Oranges, Dried Fruit, and Chevre

recipe adapted from here

ingredients:

• 2 cups wild and brown rice blend
• 1 cup French green lentils
• 1/2 shallot, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3-4 oranges (depending on how many you want; I like a lot)
• 1/4 cup dried currants
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• creamy Chevre

1. Cook the rice and lentils according to the package directions (I used a rice cooker for the rice). Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the shallot, vinegar, and lemon juice. Zest one orange and add it to the mix, set aside.
3. Cut away the pith and peel from the oranges and cut the sections free from the membrane.
4. Toss together the rice, lentils, shallot mixture, orange sections, dried currants, raisins, oil, and parsley (I also squeezed the remaining juice left in the orange membranes into the mix). Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve (can be made a day in advance) or serve warm. Top with Chevre to taste.

p.s.- How do you guys like having the top image be a bit bigger? Better? Worse? Can't tell?

Italian Salad

This is the salad that I served up the other evening with the Mussels and Fennel with Saffron Cream Sauce. I know I promised to have it up just a day after the mussels, but it's been a seriously hectic week starting my new quarter of school, plus trying to show my little sister all around Seattle!

The salad turned out AMAZING! I loved how herb-y the dressing was, and paired with the salty olives and cheese it was simply sublime. It was my personal favorite portion of the meal. Even Mikey, who only ever eats Caesar salads liked it!
This could also easily be made into an entree by adding a grilled chicken breast on top.

Italian Salad

recipe from here

serves 6 as a side salad

ingredients:

for the salad:

• 3 hearts of Romaine, washed, dried and cut into bite-sized strips
• 1 large carrot, peeled into strips
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• handful of pitted olives (I used Nicoise olives)
• handful of grape tomatoes, halved
• Ricotta salata cheese, to taste

for the dressing:

• 1 cup loosely packed fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
• 10 big fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp honey
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Make the dressing: add all of the dressing ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and blitz to combine. The dressing should be fairly thick. Pour into a container, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve salad.
2. Make the salad: combine all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Toss with the dressing, being sure to fully cover all the veggies. Serve immediately.

Peppery Green Salad with Manchego Cheese and Sauteed Pears

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas! Mine has been wonderful so far and I received far too many gifts :).

For Christmas Eve dinner, I was asked to make a simple green salad that would pair nicely with Stone Crab claws. I looked through a few recipes and there was one that stuck out at me. 
This salad uses spicy salad greens along side crunchy pepitas and sweet pears. It was perfect with the crab claws and I think everyone really enjoyed it. I also really enjoyed the nice bite of the Manchego cheese. As for the vinaigrette, I will be making it again and again. It was outstanding!

Once again, I very much apologize for the terrible quality of the photos. They were rushed while I was serving the salad.

Peppery Green Salad with Manchego Cheese and Sauteed Pears

recipe adapted from here

ingredients:

• 4 cups packed arugula
• 4 cups packed frisée (curly endive)
• 1/3 cup pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
• 5 large pears (any type will taste great), cored and cut into bite-sized chunks
• 1/2 lb piece of Manchego cheese, rind removed and grated or cut into tiny pieces
• 1/3 cup + 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp Sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp grainy dijon mustard
• salt and pepper

1. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add in the pepitas and cook until puffed and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Pour the leftover oil from the pan into a small bowl and reserve for later.
2. Heat 2 more tbsp of the oil in the same saute pan and add in the pear chunks. Saute for aroubd five minutes and remove from pan and set aside.
3. Toss together the arugula, frisée, cheese, and pepitas in a large salad bowl.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, and honey. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil (including the reserved oil from the pepitas), whisking until emulsified.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Pour the dressing on the salad and add the pears; toss to combine. If you are making this ahead of time, I like to whisk the dressing up in the bottom of the salad bowl and pour the arugula, frisée, pepitas, and Manchego over it. I put the sauteed pears in a tupperware, and then when ready to serve you just throw in the pears and toss to coat!

serves at least 10 small starter salads

Cornbread Salad with Buttermilk-Lime Dressing

This is another one of those recipes that I have had bookmarked forever, but still hadn't got around to making. After I had my plane ticket home, I knew that I would be doing a TON of cooking back in Florida so I was sure to add this recipe to the menu.

The salad was quite scrumptious and the dressing added a multitude of delicious flavors from the many herbs as well as the sweetness imparted from the honey offset by the tartness of the vinegar and lime. Additionally, the texture the peeled tomatoes provide is really something beautifully different. The cornbread itself is really tasty and I would definitely bake up some of it again just to nosh on with a little butter smeared on a piece piping hot from the oven!

Cornbread Salad with Buttermilk-Lime Dressing

recipe from Smitten Kitchen who adapted it from here

Cornbread Salad:

ingredients:

• 1 recipe Crispy Cornbread, 3 cups of 1 inch cubes (see below)
• 1 1/2 lbs ripe tomatoes (I used heirloom)
• 6 cups roughly-torn, sturdy lettuce (such as Bibb or Boston)
• 1 large Vidalia onion, sliced into very thing rings
• 1 recipe Buttermilk-Lime Dressing (see below)

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Scatter the cornbread in a single layer on a baking pan and bake until the pieces are lightly toasted, about 7 minutes.
2. Cut an X in the bottom of each tomato and blanch in a large pot of boiling water for 10 seconds. Immediately transfer to an ice bath to cool. Pell the tomatoes and chop them.
3. Place lettuce greens, cornbread, onion, and tomatoes in a large bowl and toss to combine. Drizzle with dressing and season with salt and pepper. Toss once more and serve immediately.

Crispy Cornbread:

ingredients:

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups stone-ground cornmeal
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a 12-inch skillet with 1 tbsp of butter and place into the oven.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg until frothy and then whisk in the buttermilk.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
5. Melt the remaining butter in the microwave and mix into the batter.
6. While the butter in the skillet is smoking, carefully remove the skillet from the oven and swirl the butter around to coat the bottom and sides evenly. Pour the batter into the skillet; it should "sizzle alluringly."
7. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the top of the bread is golden brown and the edge has pulled away from the sides of the skillet.
8. Let cool and reserve for salad.

Buttermilk-Lime Dressing:

ingredients:

• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 5 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup finely minced fresh basil
• 1/4 cup finely minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup finely minced green onions
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until combined.
2. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Roasted Strawberry Salad with Baked Goat Cheese

Closet Cooking has become one of my very favorite blogs to go to for recipes. Kevin's blog entries are always creative and inspired and it helps that I seem to have very similar taste buds to him! I saw this Roasted Strawberry Salad with Baked Goat Cheese and I instantly knew I had to make it.

The balsamic vinegar complements the strawberries so nicely and the creamy goat cheese is a great contrast to the tartness.

Roasted Strawberry Salad with Baked Goat Cheese

recipe adapted from here

ingredients:

• 8 ounces goat cheese
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used Panko)
• 4 cups strawberries, stemmed and halved
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 15 ounces Romaine lettuce, cut or torn onto bite-sized pieces (I used baby romaine and romaine hearts)
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 2/3 cup pecans, toasted
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp whole-grain mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and freeze the goat cheese for 20 minutes.
2. Slice the goat cheese into discs and dredge them in the bread crumbs. (I rolled mine into small balls and then flattened them out for smaller discs) Bake for 5 minutes, or until golden brown (since I used Panko it didn't really brown). Set aside.
3. Toss the strawberries in the honey and balsamic vinegar to coat and place in a single-layer baking dish. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until slightly caramelized.
4. Pour the juices from the strawberries into a bowl and mix with the olive oil, mustard, salt, and pepper.
5. Toss the lettuce, strawberries, and dressing together and place goat cheese on top. Serve immediately.