Category Archives: Salad

Red Berry Vinaigrette

Posted by Annie in Salad

As I mentioned before, I’ve started making more of my own salad dressings. So far I’ve tried a couple different recipes that have been really good, but this might be my favorite so far. The raspberries make it a little tangy, but the honey keeps it from being too tart. I served this over a salad with baby spinach, hard-boiled eggs, and candied almonds and it was delicious!

Red Berry Vinaigrette 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raspberries
  • 3 strawberries
  • 1 tbl. champagne vinegar
  • 1 tsp. coarse ground Dijon mustard
  • 1 1/2 tbl. honey
  • 2 tbl. vegetable oil
  • Salt to taste
Directions
  1. Use a food processor or blender to puree the berries. Add the vinegar, mustard, and honey and blend to combine. Pour in the oil and blend for several minutes until emulsified. Season with salt if desired.
  2. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge, it should keep for about a week. Enjoy!
Makes: About eight 2 tablespoon-sized servings
Adapted from Healthy Food for Living

Avocado Egg Salad

Posted by Annie in Salad

Occasionally I’ll try a recipe and instantly know that it’s something that I’ll be making again many, many times. This is definitely one of those recipes. I love egg salad but always cringe when thinking about all the mayo that’s mixed in to give it the creamy texture. Instead of mayo, this recipe uses plain Greek yogurt and avocado so it’s still creamy, but also much healthier. The end result is something that tastes like a combination of egg salad and guacamole, basically, it’s delicious!

I ate this with some pita chips, you could also serve as filling in a sandwich or just eat it with a spoon!

Avocado Egg Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 avocados, peeled and pitted
  • 8 eggs, hardboiled and cooled
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • 1/2 medium sweet onion, diced
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • Bread or pita chips to serve
Directions
  1. Use a fork to lightly mash the avocados in a medium-sized bowl. Peel the hardboiled eggs, coarsely chop them then add to the bowl with the avocado. Also add the celery and onion then stir until combined. Salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Serve the egg salad with bread, pita chips or crackers. Store leftovers in the fridge with a piece of plastic wrapped pressed against the surface to minimize browning of the avocado. Enjoy!
Makes: 4 to 5 servings
Adapted from We Are Not Martha

Green Salad with Apples, Parmesan Crisps and Mustard Vinaigrette

Posted by Annie in Salad

I always forget how good home-made salad dressing is. When I’m at the grocery it seems easier to just buy a bottle of dressing, but in reality dressing is easy to make and it tastes so much better when you make it at home. This mustard vinaigrette is light and flavorful and really delicious with the Parmesan and apples.

Green Salad with Parmesan Crisps and Mustard Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 2 tsp. whole grain dijon mustard
  • 2 tbl. red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp. honey
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 6 to 8 ounces salad greens (I used half lettuce, half spinach)
  • 2 apples (Gala, Fuji or Honey Crisp) cored and thinly sliced
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with a silicon baking sheet or parchment paper. Combine the Parmesan and pepper in a bowl and use a tablespoon to scoop the mixture onto the baking sheet. Slightly flatten each mound of Parmesan to make a thin round. Bake for 2-3 minutes until the crisps are melted and golden brown. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing with a metal spatula.
  2. To make the dressing, combine the mustard, vinegar and honey. Whisk in the olive oil until combined then add salt and pepper to taste.
  3. In a large bowl, toss the lettuce, apples and enough dressing to lightly coat the lettuce. Serve with the Parmesan crisps and the remaining dressing. Enjoy!
Makes: 4 servings
Source Kitchen Boss

Southwestern Salad

Posted by Annie in Mexican, Salad

I eat a lot of salads for dinner, they’re delicious and healthy and they don’t require much effort when I get home from a long day. One of the things I struggle with when I have salads is that they usually aren’t very filling, especially if you’re going vegetarian and not including any sort of meat. This southwestern salad is is a great solution to that, the beans add some protein and they also help you feel like you’ve had a real meal, not just a super-sized side salad. This has so much flavor from the beans, onions, salsa and guacamole that I don’t think a salad dressing is necessary, but feel free to use one if you’d like!

Southwestern Salad

Ingredients

  • baby spinach (or other salad greens of your choice)
  • 1 can black beans
  • 3/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1 tbp. olive oil
  • salsa
  • shredded cheese (optional)
  • guacamole
Directions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, when it’s hot add the onions and cook them over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they start to become soft but still have some texture. Add the beans and cook until they are warm. Add salsa to taste.
  2. Place a layer of spinach on a dinner plate followed by a few spoonfuls of the bean and onion mixture and the guacamole. Add another spinach layer on add with more beans and guacamole. Top with cheese and/or salad dressing if desired.
Makes: 2 large salads

Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Posted by Annie in Salad and tagged with
A few weeks ago I traveled to Oregon my cousin’s wedding. The food at the wedding was great, and this salad dressing was fantastic. When I saw the recipe folder sitting on the table, I knew I had to make a copy of this one!

Last night I had this dressing over a spinach salad with diced apples, walnuts and chunks of string cheese, it was delicious. This would also be great as a light dressing for a veggie pasta salad.
Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
Ingredients
  • 2/3 c extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 c water
  • 1/3 c balsamic vinaigrette
  • 1 T Dijon mustard
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 t honey
  • 1 t oregano
  • 1 t Italian spice mix
  • 1 t salt
  • 1/2 t pepper
Direction
  1. Combine all the ingredients in a jar. Shake to combine.
Makes about 2 cups