good dinner salad ideas?

[nfowife]

I like to make a yummy salad to eat with dinner every night, instead of just a plain old garden-type salad. For a loooooong time (like 3 years!), I pretty much made a greek salad every night (tomatoes, feta, olives, Kraft greek salad dressing). Then we finally grew tired of that and I've been making a salad for the past few months that has craisins, praline pecans, tomatoes, and honey-balsamic dressing. DH is getting tired of this one so now I'm on the hunt for a new one. Maybe something with bleu cheese crumbles? It has to be somewhat easy since I make it pretty much every night, and a store-bought dressing would be the best. I use mixed baby greens or organic baby romaine as the lettuce. Any ideas?

[jd11365]

DH makes awesome chopped salad. He basically buys a prepared salad from the produce department (just easier and actually cheaper) chops it up finely, adds feta cheese and blue cheese dressing and mixes it all up. YUMMY! He does mine with a spinach salad...even better!

[brittone2]

I like something sweet, some sort of nut, and an interesting cheese in combo.

I love pear/walnut/gorgonzola or bleu cheese, but DH hates pears so I don't make that very often. I like pecans sometimes instead.

There was a thread a few months ago about roasting beets. I've never been a big beet lover but a few people mentioned using them in salads. I roast the beets in the oven whole w/ olive oil, then peel (skin kind of slides off). I like that with blue cheese and walnuts.

Feta, spinich, and mandarin oranges is good too.

If you live near a Trader Joes, I always liked their bagged organic salad that has herbs with it (dill, cilantro and a few others). It made for some nice variety over just plain romaine or regular baby greens. You could always add your own herbs obviously instead, but there's was good right out of the bag :) Oh, how I miss Trader Joes :( Cilantro is a great detoxer too.

[jbowman]

I just made this salad for Thanksgiving and it was delicious (so good that you'll want to slap someone!):

http://food.southernliving.com/southern/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1120221

I'm sure you could substitute a bottled dressing for the viniagrette. FWIW, I used pecans when I made it! HTH!

[cbm]

Hi Margaret,
have you thought of alternating the salads? Perhaps add more vegetables to them like carrots, avocado, celery, canned mandarin/oranges, canned corn, cooked green beans (usually I use fresh ones cooled after cooking, but you can try frozen or canned) and other type of cheeses. With these additions you can use whatever dressing you like.

For crunch in the salad, crushed tortilla chips are great. I have used them instead of croutons with Italian dressing. Another tip, if you like lemon juice, add some of it to an oil and vinegar based dressing. Or use lemon juice instead of vinegar if you make your own dressing.

Also, if you are open to not using the greens every night, you could make an Italian potato salad. Boiled potatoes, cooked fresh green beans, tomatoes, red onions, salt, pepper, oregano and oil and vinegar. If you prefer a store bought dressing then an oil and vinegar based dressing will do, but you may want to omit the salt and pepper since the dressing will have tons of them. Usually the green beans are left long, while the rest is cut to whatever size a person prefers. It is very good and it takes care of the vegetable and starch. By the way, this salad can also become a meal onto itself if you add hard boiled eggs.

Claudia

[mudder17]

Actually, do a search on Salad Ideas (both words and maybe Yummy) in the Lounge. I know there have been at least 2 threads on yummy salad ideas that have had my mouth salivating!


Eileen

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Kaya's a cousin! 10/1/05, 5lb13oz

[Mommy_Again]

This might be too garden-y, but I like the bagged Riviera lettuce (Fresh Express, I think? it has a lot of bibb lettuce, which I love), and add tomatoes, yellow pepper and either goat, gorgonzola or feta cheese. Olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dressing. Since you are only make two servings, and it is not your entire meal, the pepper should last a week and the cheese even longer, since they are expensive.

[tarabenet]

Well, you've already mentioned a couple of our favorites, especially the Greek one. Another one we love is from one of the South Beach books. It's an avocado and tomato "salsa".

The quickie version is roughly 2 parts avocado, 2 parts tomato (we only use the NatureSweet coctail tomatoes) and 1 part red or yellow onion. These are all diced up medium/small (I cut the cocktail tomatoes into quarters for this one), and mixed with fresh lemon, vinegar, olive oil and minced garlic as a dressing. I like to season with seasoning salt, fresh pepper and oregano.

Another long-time family favorite is called House of Molay (spelling?) Salad, from my mom's favorite and long-gone restaurant. It is toasted sliced almonds and toasted sesame seeds, with grated Parmesan, all tossed with romaine and dressed with regular old Italian dressing like WishBone or Newman's Family Recipe. This one is favorite comfort food in my family.

A local "dive" called Texacali Grill makes a yummy one just called "That Salad" with romaine (?), pickled red onions, sweety-seasoned pecans, and bleu cheese.

Ooooh! Another one we love, and use as a one-dish dinner, is "Black and Blue Salad", with blackened steak and bleu cheese crumbles over lettuce and salad veggies. The spicier the steak, the better the contrast with bleu cheese.

How 'bout a basic Tomato/Basil/Mozzerella salad? Or an old-fashioned Waldorf Salad? My grandmother used to make some kind of Carrot/Raisin salad that she adored -- use something like mayo or Miracle Whip to hold it all together. Not a favorite of mine, personally, just brainstorming here. Oh, and my cousin always makes one that is a lot like the Molay one, but with seasoned peppitas (pumpkin seeds) and fried capers in the nut/seed mix.

I'm lovin' this thread. Thanks for asking this question. I didn't realize how salad-hungry I am lately!

[nicoleandjackson]

My sister and I make a great salad with mixed greens, kidney beans, chick peas (garbanzo beans), sweet corn kernels, halved grape tomatoes (we love Santa's Sweets), diced avocado (in season), shredded chicken (get one of the whole roasted ones from the deli section in your grocery and shred a big hunk of it -or- use diced turkey breast--I ask the deli person to give me one slice of turkey 1/2" thick and then slice it up into cubes). You can toss with bottled French dressing, Catalina dressing (my personal favorite), or Ranch. You can put croutons on top, or crushed tortilla chips, or even the seasoned almond slices that you get at the store.

Yum!

Nicole
Mommy of Jackson 4/30/02


Who's the Biggest Boy? It's Jackson!
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[mom_hanna]

How about romaine with chopped apples, walnuts and blue cheese with a vinaigrette?

[Rachels]

Pick up the book A Good Day for Salad! It's wonderful. I use it all the time.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0811819914/qid=1133554872/sr=1-13/ref=sr_1_13/102-7456624-6059312?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

-Rachel
Mama to Abigail Rose
5/18/02
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Nursed for three years!

and Ethan James
10/19/05
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"When you know better, you do better."
Maya

[kfk]

DH's favorite carrot salad (slightly sweet, pretty low-fat, and terrific when you have no fresh greens): grated peeled carrots, large handful of golden raisins, small can crushed pineapple with its juice, spoonful of mayo, spoonful of plain yogurt.

2 Simple Salads from the Italian restaurant I worked at forever:

Baby spinach, pinenuts and orange sections (either fresh or use mandarins). Dressing made from equal parts orange juice (fresh is best), olive oil and s&p to taste.

Mixed baby greens, croutons, grated parmesan and balsamic viniagrette. Of course, homemade croutons and good quality parm make this one gourmet.

Choose your ingredients "gourmet" salad: Baby greens, crumbled goat cheese/bleu cheese, diced apples/pears/grapes, chopped almonds/walnuts/pecans and raspberry viniagrette (Consorzio brand is really yummy).

Cucumber salad: Thinly sliced hothouse (English) cucumbers, thinly sliced red onions, seasoned rice vinegar. This one is really good with simple dinners like burgers or meatloaf.

[barbarhow]

pecans or walnuts with crumbled blue cheese and sliced pear. Serve with a champagne vinaigrette. Yummy.

[Tondi G]

Trader Joes makes a spinach salad in a bag that has cranberries, pine nuts and gorganzola or blue cheese with a raspberry vinagrette that is nice!

there is always chinese chicken salad as well.... put in some shredded carrots, scallions, crunchy noodles, slivered almonds, mandarin oranges..... you can add avocado too. We like the Joey D's chinese chicken salad dressing!

I like a simple green salad of romaine lettuce with carrots, bell peppers, garbanzo beans, cucumber, red cabbage and a balsamic vinagrette!

Good Luck

~Tondi
MOmmy to Mason 7/8/01 and Aidan 5/4/05

[MeredithsMom]

My favorite salad for the past year or so has been the following:

Earthbound Farms baby romaine
Newman's Own balsalmic vinaigrette (or lite)
bleu cheese crumbles
Diamond glazed walnuts (I crush them)

YUM

[nfowife]

Wow, thanks for the ideas! I'm really looking for something very simple since this isn't what we eat FOR dinner, but just as a side with our dinner. Plus, I'm not planning on changing the salad for myself since I'm currently dairy free (thanks to DD) and so can't have any bleu cheese anyhow. I think I'm going to try some granny smith apples, walnuts, and bleu cheese with a balsamic vinaigrette and see how it goes.

[MrsZaz]

I would love to try this recipe. I looked t the links and could get the info. about the salad but not for the walnuts or vinagrette. Care to share??

Thanks
Colleen

[crayonblue]

I love salad and eat many different kinds but my two favorites are:

1. Avocado and halved cherry or grape tomatoes with Ranch dressing
2. Strawberries and toasted almond slivers with oriental dressing (I make a dressing with vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and oil.)

[jerseygirl07067]

baby spinach leaves, mandarin oranges, blue cheese crumbles, pecans or walnuts, raspberry vinagrette is my new fave!!

Marcy

[jbowman]

Yes! Here are the recipes, I hope that you enjoy this salad (it is so awesome!!!):

Sugared Curried Walnuts

1 6 oz. pkg walnut halves (pecans can be substituted)
2 tbsp. butter, melted
3 tbsp. sugar
1/4 teas. ground ginger
1/8 teas. curry powder
1/8 teas. kosher salt
1/8 teas. ground red pepper

Toss walnuts in melted butter. Stir together sugar and next four ingredients in a medium bowl. Sprinkle over walnuts, tossing to coat. Spread in a single layer on a nonstick aluminum foil-lined pan.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack; separate walnuts with a fork. Store in an airtight container for up to a 1 week.

Maple-Cider Vinaigrette

1/2 c. cider vinegar
2 tbsp. pure maple syrup
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 teas. salt
1/4 teas. pepper
2/3 c. olive oil

Whisk together first 5 ingredients. Gradually whisk in oil until completely blended. Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days.

[karolyp]

My favorite salad is an arabic salad called fattosh (sp?). And I make it almost every day. If you have a taste for somewhat sour things....you'll love it!!

Here's how I make it:
fry some pita bread till it's crispy and let it cool (kindof like croutons)
chop up some romaine, tomatoes, broccoli, and green onions
Squeeze a lemon or add in lemon juice, a bit of olive oil, salt to taste, bit of dried mint and sumat (you can find this spice at a middle eastern grocery store).

Mix it all together and you're done!

Of course you can add more veggies, like cucumber and green peppers, if you want

HTH

Edited for spelling

[KBecks]

Thanks for starting this thread, we need to eat more salads around here, and I'm going to work on my skills!

[MrsZaz]

Thank you...I'm going to try it tonight!

Colleen