food, crafts, nerdy things, travel, etc.

Posts from the ‘Salad’ category

Shredded Broccoli Salad

DSC_0662

This past month I have been working 10-12 hour days, working weekends, and my boyfriend Mark has been visiting me so he was doing a lot of the cooking and the rest of the time we just made something quickly and I didn’t have time for photos and blogging. I should start having more time to myself in the evenings now that things are settling down and I’m excited to be back in the kitchen 🙂

This broccoli salad is very delicious and a lot healthier than a lot of broccoli salad recipes you might come across (which use far more mayonnaise, or sour cream, or sugar).

You can easily double this recipe if you want more leftovers or are serving a larger crowd. This should serve 2-4 people depending on if you’re using it as a side dish or eating a larger portion for lunch or whatever. The salad has delicious flavor and a good crunch with added nuts and can easily be modified to use whatever ingredients you prefer or have on hand.

DSC_0652 DSC_0625

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb broccoli (~ 1 medium head) (or equivalent bag of pre-shredded broccoli)
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries (could also substitute raisins, currants, grapes, other fresh or dried fruit)
  • 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup sliced or chopped almonds (could also substitute or add sunflower seeds or other nuts)
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tbs lemon juice
  • 1 tbs rice vinegar
  • 1 tbs sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • fresh ground pepper to taste (I love pepper so I used quite a bit)

Directions:

  • Using the grater disk attachment of a food processor, shred the whole head of broccoli in a food processor (including the stalk). You can also run the onion through the shredder disk or just finely chop it with a knife.
  • In a large bowl, combine the shredded broccoli, cranberries, onion, and almonds.
  • Whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, salt, and fresh pepper. Pour the dressing over the broccoli mixture and stir to combine. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes in the fridge so the flavors can mingle. You can also make this ahead and store overnight in the fridge before serving.

Recipe from The Kitchn

March Hare Salad

DSC_0146-2

This is a unique side dish that my parents made frequently when I was growing up. I believe it comes from one of the Moosewood Cookbooks. The combination of the cottage cheese with the crunch of the sunflower seeds and some of the veggies is very appealing. This is a very refreshing tasting and healthy side. This was the first thing I made when I got my new food processor because it helps a lot with all the chopping. We would always make a big batch of this and then have yummy leftovers for a few days.

DSC_0137

DSC_0155

Ingredients:

  • ›3 cups (1.5 pints) cottage cheese (may be low fat)
  • ›2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
  • ›4 tablespoons toasted sunflower seeds
  • ›1 carrot, grated or diced
  • ›1 tomato, diced
  • ›2 scallions (spring onions), sliced
  • ›1 small bell pepper – any color – diced
  • ›1 celery stick, diced
  • ›1 small cucumber – diced
  • ›1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
  • small handful alfalfa sprouts
  • ›juice of 1 lemon
  • ›salt and pepper to taste

Optional extras:

  • ›1/2 a diced apple
  • ›handful of raisins
  • ›hardboiled egg, chopped
  • ›3 or 4 cooked, chopped potatoes
  • ›1/2 cup black eyed beans

Directions:

  • Combine all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate

Spinach and Goat Cheese Salad with Beet Vinaigrette

DSC_0620

Making your own salad dressing seems to really impress people and it’s extremely easy to do! I love the color of beets so I was excited to try out this salad. It turned out extremely good tasting! I devoured my whole bowl of it so quickly. The flavors of the goat cheese and dressing are great together and the nuts add a nice crunch. It would be fine without sugaring the nuts as well and just adding them plain. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 2 tbs sugar
  • 7 oz pickled beets
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp chicken bouillon
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp white sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 lb baby spinach
  • 4 oz goat cheese, crumbled

Directions:

  • In small saucepan over medium heat, cook and stir the walnuts and sugar until walnuts are lightly browned and sugar is caramelized. Thoroughly coat the walnuts with the sugar.
  • In a blender or food processor, blend the beets with cider vinegar, bouillon granules, garlic powder, sugar, salt, and pepper. Gradually blend in the oil.
  • In a large bowl, toss together the sugar-coated walnuts and spinach. Before serving, drizzle with the blended beat mixture, toss, and sprinkle with goat cheese.

Recipe from Allrecipes