Quick post # 4

I've been enjoying salads for lunch or dinner for the past couple of weeks; they're healthy, quick and delicious, making them ideal meals for the summer.
Layering my salad ingredients probably started out of sheer hunger. Who has time for tossing a salad when you're ravenous and all you want to do is stuff food in your face?
But, this layered assembly method stuck with me and now I've got it down to an art.

Start with one or two fistfuls of salad greens of your choosing and place them inside your bowl. Now unless you have enormous bowls, this alone will fill them to capacity, or close enough that adding anything else could result in a tragic mess.
Don't fear, our next step will rectify this. Add any seasonings you may like such as salt and pepper to taste, and then the recommended serving of your favorite dressing. Mine's ranch, and I use a smidge more than 2 tbsp, measured by eye.
Now is the time to cut and/or toss the greens so they get an even coating of dressing. You'll notice that as this happens that the greens will start to take up les volume in your bowl. (The dressing helps to weigh down the greens so there is less air present between all the leaves)
Next, layer on whatever toppings you like. Today I added parmesan cheese, cucumber slices, a tomato, and two hard boiled eggs.
Topping combos are endless, and some of the others I've added recently have been diced chicken breast, sliced mushrooms, sliced bell peppers, carrots, and other typical salad mix-ins.
By leaving the ingredients in layers on top of the greens, I can dig into my salad and get a little bit of everything on my fork, without chasing them around in my bowl.
I also avoid the potential mess of my salad spilling over the sides of the bowl when I try to mix all the ingredients together.

For me this is clearly a superior way to eat salad at home.

Tuna Croquets and Wilted Spring Salad with Mushrooms

This is a quick wilted salad bursting with garlic flavor, sized just right for one person as an entrée, or good for two servings when paired with a starchy side. If you are making this for two people I would suggest using 2 cans of albacore, and making 4 croquets total.

Ingredients
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Garlic Clove
1/2 cup Raw White Mushroom
3 cups 50/50 Mix
1 tsp Parmesan Cheese, Grated
1 can , drained Solid White Albacore In Water (5oz/142g)
1 tbsp Sandwich Shop Garlic & Herb Mayo
0 tsp Salt*
1/2 tsp Pepper*


Heat up 1 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a medium sauté pan. Mince the garlic cloves and add to the oil in the pan until the garlic aromas have been released and the garlic has been slightly browned. Roughly chop the mushrooms and add to the garlic. Sauté in the pan for several minutes (5 - 8) until they have released their liquids and have browned up.

In the meantime, mix the drained tuna with the 1 Tbsp of garlic and herb mayo in a small bowl. Score the mixture in half and scoop the halves out and form into balls. Set aside.

When the mushrooms have browned add the salad mix to the pan, one handful at a time. Use tongs to toss the salad in the pan, so the leaves become evenly wilted. Pull the salad out of your pan and set aside on your serving plate.

Put the pan back on the heat and pour in 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Place the tuna croquets into the olive oil and let sauté until brown on the first side. Do not move them around or they will fall apart. Once a brown crust has formed, after 2 - 3 minutes, flip and allow the second side to brown.

Sprinkle the tsp of Parmesan cheese onto the wilted greens and plate the finished croquets on the plate.

* You may want to enhance the flavors more by squeezing on some lemon juice, onto either the greens or the croquets.

I didn't get any pictures in because I was hungry. Oops.. Next time I will have my camera handy!

Spring Salads and Balsamic Vinegar

I've noticed that all winter, I've been making a lot of soup, but now that the weather is warming up, I've been craving some greens to with them.

Here are a few salad recipes I've come up with lately to keep things fresh and vibrant.

As to the apparent balsamic theme, I happen to like the thick sweetness of it, as opposed to the tartness of other vinegars, like cider vinegar.

Balsamic Bean and Tomato Salad

A simple, yet tasty salad, from standard pantry items

1 cup Low Sodium Pink Beans
1 cup white beans, canned
1 cup Canned Diced Tomatoes No Salt Added *
1/2 cup Onions, Diced
1/2 cup Sliced Mushrooms
4 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 serving Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper, To taste

Drain the canned beans and rinse well; pour into your Salad bowl.

Drain diced tomatoes and add to the beans.

Dice up onion, slice the (rinsed) mushrooms, and add to the bean mixture.

Drizzle in Balsamic Vinegar, a few turns around the bowl, about 4 Tbsp. Drizzle in a little less of the EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil), about 2 Tbsp.

Sprinkle in some salt and cracked black pepper to taste.

Mix well and allow to chill in the fridge before eating.

*NB When summer does finally come around, I will likely be making this with fresh tomatoes instead of canned. In this case 1 large or 2 medium ripe tomatoes will be substituted. Just seed and dice them and add to the beans.



Balsamic Cobb Salad with Herbs

Spring greens with herbs dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette.

• 2 clove Garlic Clove
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 tbsp Honey
• 4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup Carrots
• 1/2 cup Cucumber
• 1/4 cup Onion, Sweet
• 3 large egg Hard-boiled Egg
• 1 cup Smoked Ham
• 6 cup Organic Spring Mix, with herbs
• 4 tbsp Parmesan Cheese



Start by making the vinaigrette in the bottom of your salad bowl.

Mince the garlic and add to the bowl. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Pour in the balsamic vinegar, mustard and honey. The mustard will help stabilize the vinegar and oil when you whisk them together and the honey balances out the tartness in the vinegar.
Whisk the ingredients together. When well combined, slowly drizzle in the oil, while whisking to create an emulsification.

Check the taste and adjust the vinaigrette as needed. It should be tart and slightly sweet.

Next assemble your salad.

Wash all vegetables first. Peel and slice the carrot and cucumber, dice the onion, peel and slice the eggs, slice the ham into strips. Toss everything into the vinaigrette. Double check the spring greens are clean and add those as well. The variety I found at the store had herbs as well as greens, which added fresh doses of flavor to each bite. You can add your own to the mix; try dill, arugula, and parsley.

Toss everything together and serve. This would make a good side, or lunch salad, or could even stand alone as an entrée salad with rolls or bread on the side.

You may want to garnish each bowl with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.