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Wilted spinach salad with warm feta dressing

The title really says it all. I've had this recipe for several years and finally decided to try it. When I made the salad, I literally couldn't get it in my mouth fast enough. It's that good. I mixed just enough for my portion, and saved the rest for the next day. Honestly, it wasn't as good on day two. I'm all about leftovers, but something with warming the feta and onions up just wasn't as tasty as the first day. Next time I'll either cut the recipe in half or feed it to more people! Serves 4.

Wilted Spinach Salad with Warm Feta Dressing
INGREDIENTS
9 oz. bag fresh spinach leaves
5 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 medium red onion, halved & cut into wedges
7 oz. feta cheese, coarsely crumbled
2 tbsp. Sherry wine vinegar

DIRECTIONS
Place spinach in a large bowl. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add onion, saute until brown and softened about 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl with spinach; remove from heat. Add remaining 3 tbsp. oil and cheese to skillet. Stir to melt cheese slightly, about one minute. Stir in vinegar. Season with pepper to taste. Pour over spinach; toss to coat and wilt slightly.
Source: from Bon Appetit Dec. 07

Read More 6 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

Pizza pasta salad

An interesting twist on pasta salad that actually tastes like pizza, minus the crust of course. This is another great recipe found on Inside BruCrew Life. It's a perfect, light summer salad when you don't want to cook a hot meal. I think the pasta is best served slightly warm, but not hot. For leftovers, I placed it in the microwave for 20 seconds and added a bit more oil and vinegar. It really brought the dish back to life from being in a fridge. Serves at least eight.

Pizza Pasta Salad
adapted from Inside BruCrew Life found in All You Magazine

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. pasta (shells, bowties, or penne)

1/4 c. olive oil
1/3 c. rice vinegar
1/3 c. sun dried tomatoes, chopped

1/2 c. cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
3/4 c. artichoke hearts, chopped

1 small green pepper, diced

8 oz. small fresh mozzarella nuggets, halved
4 oz. diced turkey pepperoni, halved
1/2 c. shredded fresh basil leaves
2 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano

salt and pepper

parmesan cheese to taste

DIRECTIONS
Boil water and cook pasta until al dente, approximately 8 min. Drain and cool. Place pasta in large bowl and stir in oil and vinegar. Add remaining ingredients. Toss well and season with salt and pepper. Finish with fresh parmesan cheese.

Read More 3 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

Pecan grape chicken salad

I came across this recipe from one of my favorite bloggers Jocelyn at Inside BruCrew Life. We share many of the same interests and seem to like a lot of the same foods because I want to make everything she posts!

I really enjoy a flavorful chicken salad. I don't order it when I'm out at a restaurant/deli because I'm afraid of how much fat is in it (and what is in it). Oftentimes it contains too much mayo, too bland or really just isn't that good. I made this over the weekend and was delighted in the taste. Thankfully I wasn't that hungry when I made it because I would of ate too much. Makes approximately 8 servings.

Pecan Grape Chicken Salad
adapted from Cooks as seen on Inside BruCrew Life

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. cooked chicken, shredded

1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped

3 stalks of celery, diced

1 lb. red grapes, halved

1 cup fresh dill, chopped

1 1/3 cups reduced fat sour cream

1 1/4 cups low-fat mayo

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. fresh cracked pepper

DIRECTIONS
Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate at least two hours to enhance the flavors. Serve on bread lightly toasted, with crackers or by itself. I recommend a nice quality bread from a local bakery. The bread makes a huge difference in overall taste. I picked up the pictured bread at the Farmer's Market. It's called Stone Hearth Rustic from the Delano Bakery.

Read More 5 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

The big salad

What's in the big salad you ask? Big lettuce, big carrots, tomatoes like volleyballs. Ahh a classic Seinfeld episode — The Big Salad. If you haven't seen it, you should check it out.

I haven't blogged about food in awhile so I thought this would be a nice way to start the week. As the weather gets warmer, I like to eat lighter, eat more fresh vegetables and take advantage of the local farmer's market. (The market hasn't started up yet, but I am really looking forward to when it does).
Your first thought might be, who needs a recipe for salad? Oftentimes, I stick with the standard spinach, tomato, cucumber, celery and dressing route. I wanted to change things up a bit. The addition of blackened chicken is really what I liked. It didn't turn out like the spicy blackened chicken I think of from a restaurant, but it has a nice flavor and goes really well with the rest of the ingredients. Plus you make your own croutons! They taste much better than the packaged kind and really doesn't take much effort to make.
I want to start experimenting with making my own salad dressings. I do the olive oil, balsamic mixture sometimes, but I want to try the classic ranch dressing. It's always been my favorite. As an adult though, I just don't like all the additives in it. I'll post a dressing recipe when I find or create one I like.

Blackened Chicken Salad
INGREDIENTS
2 cups sourdough or French bread, cubed
non-stick cooking spray
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp. thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
1/2 tsp. fresh black pepper
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 cups fresh spinach leaves, rinsed and torn
2 cups romaine lettuce, rinsed and torn
2 cups zucchini, cubed
2 cups cucumber, seeded and cubed
1/2 cup green onions, sliced with tops
1 medium tomato, cubed

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375. To make croutons, spray bread cubes lightly with cooking spray. Place on a baking sheet and bake 10-15 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally.
Combine paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, white pepper, red pepper and black pepper in a small bowl; rub on all surfaces of chicken.
Broil chicken 6 inches from heat source, 7-8 minutes on each side or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Cool slightly, cut into thin strips.
Combine warm chicken with greens, zucchini, cucumber, green onions, tomato and croutons in a large bowl. Drizzle with your choice of dressing; toss to coat. And now you have yourself a big salad. Serves four.

Adapted from All-new Light Cooking book

Read More 1 Comment | Posted by Anonymous |

Hot potato salad

I wasn't sure what to expect from this recipe. When I see potato salad I think of potatoes covered in mayo and mustard and that's not my favorite thing. Come to think of it, I don't really like potato salad. When I read through the ingredients and found cream cheese and no mayo, I wanted to give this a try. It reminds me of a dish created around the holidays. Next time, I'll either add more potatoes or use just one block of cream cheese. (I adjusted this in the listed ingredients.) It was very creamy, as you can see from the before pic below. The addition of fresh herbs makes it very flavorful and the bread crumbs gives it a nice crunch which balances well with the creaminess. Serves six.

Hot Potato Salad

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CASSEROLE

2 lb. baby red potatoes, quartered
1 package cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup cheddar, shredded
2 tbsp. fresh chives, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh dill, minced
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
FOR THE TOPPING
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp. paprika

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425. Coat a 2-qt. casserole dish with nonstick spray.

Boil potatoes in a large pot of salted water oven high heat until fork tender, 12 to 15 minutes; drain and set aside.

Combine cream cheese and buttermilk in a large bowl until blended. Stir in cheddar, chives, 1 tbsp. parsley, dill and cayenne; season to taste.

Stir hot potatoes into cream cheese mixture until well coated; transfer to prepared baking dish.

Combine bread crumbs, parmesan, 1 tbsp. parsley and paprika in a small bowl. Season with salt and black pepper. Sprinkle topping over potato salad.

Bake until potatoes are completely soft and topping is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

Adapted from Cuisine at home, Issue No.80 April 2010

Transfer potato mixture to prepared baking dish

Sprinkle topping over potato salad

Out of the oven

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

Graphic designer, baker and a photo taker. Inspired by Jesus, photography, stellar design, all things creative, cooking, the arts and funny stuff. I prefer to visually tell stories through photographs; whether a trip I was on, a dessert I made or a recent vintage find. Art is all around me, and I capture it whenever I can.

Wilted spinach salad with warm feta dressing

Pizza pasta salad

Pecan grape chicken salad

The big salad

Hot potato salad

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