Let's Talk Salads!

[MsWoods]

What's your favorite. Got anything really different?

I've been just eating a lot of salads because of the heat I think. Haven't been eating much meat.

Lately it's been:
Spinach
Feta
Olives
Ken's Northern Romano light dressing
Maybe a few pickled veggies (cauli, carrots, etc...)

[TBipp]

I have been using shrimp more.

I made a chopped salad with a homemade creamy Greek dressing tossed with chopped Romaine, shrimp, Kalamata olives, feta, red peppers, a few cherry tomatoes and a few very thin slices of red onion.

I also made a Tex Mex shrimp salad (not a lettuce salad): cold cooked shrimp, lime juice, mayo, shallot, a small amount of chipotle in adobo sauce, a little bit of fresh cooked corn (optional but I believe in allowing myself a taste of what is in season once in awhile), diced avocado and diced cilantro.

For dinner one night I had a large Romaine leaf spread with homemade creamy Italian dressing, several slices of very rare roast beef from deli and sprinkled with grated Dutch gouda cheese (cheese was yummy and I had bought on sale at Whole Foods).

If I have a salad for lunch, it is usually baby kale or arugula, olive oil, lemon juice, feta, olives, red bell pepper, green onion and a piece of salmon that I steam in microwave.

I am not a huge fan of salads but this year's weather is changing my opinion temporarily. I have found that I enjoy salads way more if I use a homemade dressing.

[LindaSue]

This is an old recipe but yesterday I turned it into a main dish salad by adding some ham and more eggs.



CAULIFLOWER & HAM SALAD
1 medium cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces (about 20 ounces)
1 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons sugar free sweet pickle relish
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved (about 5 ounces)
1/2 small red onion, minced (about 3 ounces)
8 ounce ham cubes
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Place the cauliflower in a large bowl or casserole. Cover and microwave on HIGH for 6-8 minutes, stirring after 3 minutes. Cook until the cauliflower is slightly tender and not mushy; drain off any excess water. Let cool to room temperature before adding the remaining ingredients.

Meanwhile, blend the mayonnaise, relish, mustard, parsley, salt, pepper and sweetener. When the cauliflower has cooled, add the dressing and gently toss to coat. Stir in the tomatoes, onion, ham and eggs. Cover and chill at least 3 hours.

Makes about 8 servings

Per Serving: 314 Calories; 28g Fat; 10g Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 6g Net Carbs

[Nigel]

I put a good asparagus salad up a while ago.

I made an easy salad the other day.

I chopped up some fresh broccoli, some black olives halved, a couple of slices of onion and a tomato and added in a little mayo. It was very tasty!!

[sligh]

One of my favorites lately is buttoni's Tabbouleh made with cauliflower instead of cracked wheat.

Tabbouleh

1 cucumber peeled, seeds scraped out and diced very fine
2 small tomatoes, seeded and diced very fine
¼ cup chopped green onions
1 cup cauliflower, grated
1 ½ cup chopped parsley (usually 1 bunch)
¼ cup fresh chopped mint
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Combine all the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix oil and lemon juice. Toss with vegetables. Adjust seasonings. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

[Ginaaaaaa]

I had my favorite salad today for lunch. Quantaties are at your own discretion.

Baby spinach
Tomato
Cucumber
Green pepper
Onion
Feta
Kalamata olives

Greek House Dressing

3/4 cup oil
1 cup vinegar (your favorite kind)
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp basil
1.5 tsp pepper
1.5 tsp salt
1.5 tsp onion powder
1.5 tsp Dijon-style mustard

Mix everything together but the oil then slowly drizzle in the oil to emulsify.

[goheels]

A favorite meal salad I have been having is a chicken with poppy seed dressing(I recently found a recipe for dressing here).Chicken, romaine, a few fresh mushrooms, broccoli, red onion, and a few cashews.
It's even better if you heat the dressing slighly.

Also, a chicken caesar is easy and good.

[Nigel]

I also make chef's salad, cobb salad, taco salad, ceasar salads a lot.

Green bean salad:

can of green beans, drained
black olives, halved (however many you want) I use about half the can
half a can of artichokes, cut in half
1 tomato, chopped
2 green onions, chopped

marinate all this in Italian salad dressing for at least 2 hours or overnight
I drain it before serving.

[Kismet311]

I had the best salad at a restaurant the other day. Spinach, goat cheese, pears, pecans. The dressing was kind of bleh but the cheese was so tangy I hardly needed it.

[buttoni]

My go-to salad is a beautiful green salad (or fresh baby spinach, slivers of purple onion and red bell pepper slivers) with 2 T. of my homemade mayo that I've added my Shawarma Seasoning blend to. Mmmmm. I keep that Shawarma mayo mixed up all the time. It's my preferred recipe for homemade mayo.

[Barbo]

Iceberg Lettuce Shrimp Salad with Thousand Island Dressing

This goes way back to the 1950 era.

Cold and crisp with lovely chilled shrimps.

Iceberg lettuce (I like it coarse chop) very chilled.
Sometimes back in the 50's they used iceberg lettuce wedges.

Dressing:
1 c. good mayonnaise
1/4 c. sf catsup
Chopped dill pickles, to taste
Bit of salt
Black pepper to taste.
Mix well. Taste, if you like it more tangy add a couple
spoons of lemon juice or sweeter, a bit more catsup.
Chill this well.

Some accompaniments:
Sliced radishes
Boiled egg slices

Fresh and chilled shrimp, (all you want this is low carb
Putting it together
Toss the cold lettuce with the dressing.
Place into each bowl
Add the shrimps and the accompaniments.

Serve with toasted LC English muffins
Iced tea or coffee

[jdcri]

my favorite
Kind of a south American - tropical/Caribbean-ish flavor – very good - can omit shrimp and use as side dish - I make this for parties and it dissapears in minutes!

boiled shrimp, cold – I bring a pot of water to a boil (I add a the squeezed lime rind here – squeeze juice, reserve for dressing and toss the rinds into pot) add shrimp – return to rolling boil – drain water (remove lime rind) return to pot cover with lid for 10-15 min. to steam further) then place in colander with ice on bottom – peel shrimp and refrigerate

add any combination of:
1/3 med cuke, seeded and cubes
cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 seeded and deveined jalapeno, diced (or serano chile peppers) more or less to taste
1 green onion sliced
cilantro - handful chopped
a handful or so of broccoli slaw
thin sliced celery stalk – I peel the outer side with veggie peeler to remove the coarse fibers
thin sliced baby bell peppers (2-3)

1/8-1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 lime - squeeze all the juice you can from it!!
1 minced clove garlic
1-2 tbs oil - olive, grape seed etc. – really needs the oil IMHO
optional 1 packet of splenda or whatever sweetener you like
salt and pepper to taste
hot sauce to taste
1/2 avocado chopped

mix all ingredients except for avocado (season to taste) - let marinate for 1/2 hour at least garnish with avocado and season to taste with salt and pepper - I like some extra on my avocado

sometimes I add a handful of blackberries and/or large unsweetened toasted coconut flakes the coconut flakes definitely contribute to the tropical taste – I like it without too

[cabrioluvr]

Had this as a side salad at a pizza restaurant - it was better than the pizza!!

Spring mix
goat cheese crumbles
chopped pistachios
little red onion, chopped
couple of cherry tomatoes halved
homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing

I've made this at home using different nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts)

[Mobear]

Originally Posted by LindaSue

This is an old recipe but yesterday I turned it into a main dish salad by adding some ham and more eggs.



CAULIFLOWER & HAM SALAD
1 medium cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces (about 20 ounces)
1 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons sugar free sweet pickle relish
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved (about 5 ounces)
1/2 small red onion, minced (about 3 ounces)
8 ounce ham cubes
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Place the cauliflower in a large bowl or casserole. Cover and microwave on HIGH for 6-8 minutes, stirring after 3 minutes. Cook until the cauliflower is slightly tender and not mushy; drain off any excess water. Let cool to room temperature before adding the remaining ingredients.

Meanwhile, blend the mayonnaise, relish, mustard, parsley, salt, pepper and sweetener. When the cauliflower has cooled, add the dressing and gently toss to coat. Stir in the tomatoes, onion, ham and eggs. Cover and chill at least 3 hours.

Makes about 8 servings

Per Serving: 314 Calories; 28g Fat; 10g Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 6g Net Carbs

I have to give this a big . I made it early last week and just mentioned it to DH. Since he doesn't like cauliflower I thought oh boy, more for me. . He loved it and ate quite a lot!

I made it again yesterday and he promised to go a little slower in devouring it this time. I decided to cut up some of my sea kelp noodles and add them to mine as a crunchy variation and it was very good.

Thanks Linda Sue.

[nicole714]

Seafood Salad

(sorry I always throw this together by taste so I don't have exact measurments)

Imitation crab meat (sometimes I add small shrimp if I have them)
a drizzle of lemon juice
mayo
dash of seafood seasoning
chopped celery
chopped red pepper
green onion
dill

mix and refrigerate

I roll them up in large lettuce leaves sometime and in lieu of cocktail sauce I may top with a little low carb catsup if I have it.

[healthylowcarbin]

baby spinach
walnuts
goat cheese
thinly sliced strawberries (or grape tomatoes cut in half)
walnuts
balsamic vinegar
Evoo

[graciejean]

I want me some seafood salad

[LJB]

I had one of the most fantastic salads today.

Mixed greens
strawberries
grapes
goat cheese
slivered almonds
balsamic vinaigrette

All mixed together. Now, I am no fan of goat cheese, but the saltiness of the cheese with the the sweetness of the fruit balanced well.

Great salad on a hot day!

[RVcook]

Taco salad with no shell...just lots of homemade taco meat with different lettuce varieties, cukes, tomatoes, green pepper, chopped avocado, shredded cheese, green onion and ranch dressing...OMG...kill me ;-)

[socaligirl714]

iceburg lettuce
cucumber
tomato
cheese
a lil avacado
ranch or ceaser

[Nigel]

My fave induction salad was and still is:

Lettuce, chopped
sliced radishes
thinly sliced celery
crumbled blue cheese
cracked black pepper
and just enough mayo to know you have some (very little)

Mix it all together well.

[mojave]

I have been making caprese lately. Sliced tomatoes, sliced fresh mozzarella, basil leaves, sprinkle of olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fresh mozzarella is a must, Trader Joe's has it. I serve it with some tuna packed in olive oil and a bit of lemon juice and a few greek olives on the side. The tomatoes must be flavorful ones, home grown if you are lucky or farmers market tomatoes.A very fresh , light summer lunch.

Dee

[Oregon Transplant]

BLT Salad

lettuce
tomatoes
bacon
(sometimes avocado)

Pour 2 TBSP melted bacon grease over the salad, then dress with 4 TBSP mayo, 1-2 TBSP red wine vinegar.

[Nigel]

Another tomato salad is slice tomatoes and chop up cilantro and layer the cilantro a a drizzle of olive oil in between each tomato slice. You can stack them short or tall. I also salt and pepper inbetween each tomato slice.

[DiggingDogFarm]

Sweet and Sour Sauerkraut and Kielbasa Salad is one of my favorites.
Can be served warm or cold.

~Martin

[lynnport]

Originally Posted by RVcook

Taco salad with no shell...just lots of homemade taco meat with different lettuce varieties, cukes, tomatoes, green pepper, chopped avocado, shredded cheese, green onion and ranch dressing...OMG...kill me ;-)

This is a mainstay summer salad. We also add cilantro, chopped jalenpeno, and red or sweet onion.
I like a little sour cream and Taco Bell hot sauce, my husband adds Italian to his (lame).

[mojave]

Great salad ideas. Barbo , the shrimp salad sounds so cool and delicious. Cilantro and tomato salad, wow, thanks, Nigel. LJB, your salad sounds divine.I have been making taco salad often, nice variations. I love summer.

Dee

[Dukester]

My favorite salad is:
Grilled chicken cut up and smothered with hot sauce
Shredded cheese
Chopped black olives
Lettuce
Topped with blue cheese dressing

[zipp2play]

My go to this summer is:

Lettuce
Chicken
Cheese
Wholly Guac (100c packs)
salsa
sour cream

[Nigel]

I made this again today, except instead of grilling the asparagus, I steamed them. It was still delicious!!

Grilled Asparagus Salad = 4 servings

1 pound Asparagus, tough ends removed
2 tablespoons Olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon Coarsely ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons Lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup Red onion, diced
1 cup California Black Ripe Olives, whole, pitted
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated


Toss asparagus spears with 1 tablespoon olive oil in mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes*, turning to brown evenly. Reserve mixing bowl for dressing.
While asparagus is cooking whisk together remaining oil, lemon juice and mustard in reserved bowl. Toss in red onions and set aside.
Toss cooked asparagus with vinaigrette and California Ripe Olives. Transfer to serving plates and top with cheese.