Taco salad

Salad decorated with taco seasoned chicken, black beans, tomatoes, jalapenos, and cheese.

Dijon dressing

• 6 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic, smashed and chopped fine
• Pinch each of fresh ground black pepper and kosher salt for seasoning

Pour all ingredients into a salad dressing carafe and give it a good shake. Pairs nicely with hard boiled eggs.

Mediterranean Chicken Salad

Sauteed chicken and zucchini with baba ganoush feta cheese and tomatoes.

Ranch Dressing and Dip Mix

3 Tb. dried minced onion
1 Tb. dried parsley flakes
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. white sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsp. garlic powder

Combine dried ingredients in airtight container. (6 Tb. of mix)

Additional Ingredients For Dressing
  1. C. mayonnaise or plain yogurt
  1 C. buttermilk

To prepare dressing combine 1 Tb. mix with mayo and milk, refrigerate. Yield 2 C. dressing.

Additional Ingredients For Dip
  1 C. sour cream

To prepare dip, combine 1 Tb. of mix and sour cream, refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.  Yield 1 C. dip.

Pear Salad

4 Royal Riviera® Pears
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon lemon rind
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 loose–head lettuce leaves
2 Belgian endive heads


Put aside 2 tablespoons of the lime juice. Mix the remaining juice with the mustard, honey, salt, paprika, lemon rind, and oil. Set aside. Slice each pear into eights, carefully removing the core and seeds. Leave unpeeled. Place on a plate and coat well with reserved lime juice to avoid discoloration. Line a large serving dish or individual serving plates with lettuce. Arrange the pear slices and the endive leaves to make an attractive display. Spoon the dressing over the fruit and serve immediately.

Spinach Kale Salad and Butter Chicken

Spinach, kale, beet green salad with sliced almonds, dried cranberries, and balsamic vinaigrette. Butter chicken with quinoa and kale blend.

Greek Chicken Barley Salad

2 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/8 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 cup uncooked pearl barley
2 cups cubed seeded cucumber
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup reduced-fat feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives

Dressing:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 garlic cloves, minced (1/2 tsp. of stuff from jar)

To prepare salad, sprinkle chicken with 1/8 teaspoon seasoning salt. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Add 1 cup broth; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until done. Cool; shred chicken. Discard broth. Bring 3 cups broth to a boil in a large saucepan; add barley. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork. Cool. Combine chicken, barley, cucumber, and next 4 ingredients (through olives) in a large bowl. To prepare dressing, combine 3 tablespoons oil, rind, and remaining ingredients; stir well. Add to barley mixture; toss well. Cover and chill.

Salad Dressing

3 medium-size carrots, peeled and cut into about 1-inch chunks
1 piece (2-inches) fresh ginger, peeled and cut into disks
1 shallot, minced, or ¼ cup minced onion
3 Tb unseasoned rice vinegar, or 1½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
¼ cup canola, peanut, or vegetable oil
1 Tb. sesame oil
1 tsp. granulated sugar
4 tsp. miso paste (optional, but recommended)
2 tsp. mirin (optional)
Puree all ingredients in your blender. Makes 2 cups of dressing; enough for a few salads.

Basil Oil

2 C. basil
1 C. olive oil/safflower oil

Combine basil and olive oil in a blender. Puree the mixture until smooth.  In a saucepan, simmer the olive oil and basil puree over medium heat for 1 minute. Pour the heated mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a measuring cup to remove the basil and allow to cool.  Use measuring cup to pour into bottles.  Basil oil is perfect tomatoes and cheese, or toasted bread.

Caprese

I got some golf ball sized tomatoes today. We sliced them with the two varieties of basil growing on our patio and  added fresh buffalo mozzarella and balsamic vinegar.

Creamy Ceasar Dressing

1 tin anchovies                                      1 small cup unflavored yogurt
2 tsp. Dijon mustard                           1 Tb. red vinegar
pepper                                                       1 Tb. Worcestershire sauce
juice of 1 lemon                                     fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Mince anchovies (or use 2 tsp. anchovy paste) and place them in a bowl. Add mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce to make a chunky brown sauce. Whisk in lemon juice and yogurt and it becomes creamy. Adjust the flavor with pepper. Use the dressing to make your salad. Be sure to top your salad with fresh Parmesan cheese or it won't taste right.