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Posts Tagged ‘salad dressing’

Fruit and Greens Summer Salad

Posted in Calorie Conscious, Cooking for One or Two, Cooking Tips, Dinner, Entertaining, Quick and Easy Weeknight meals, Recipes, Salads, Sides, tagged , , on July 16, 2010 | 2 Comments »

Make the most of Blueberries and Strawberries with this healthy salad!

I can’t pass up the seasonally fresh blueberries and strawberries that I see at Farmers Markets and roadside fruit stands this time of year.  Not only are they delicious and healthy but they work so well in green salads adding color and flavor.

There’s no recipe for this salad…just lay  fresh greens, celery, onions, the berries and some almonds on a platter.  Then top with your favorite fresh dressing.  I enjoy Citrus Peppercorn dressing below:

Dressing –

  • 1 TB lemon and 1 TB orange zest
  • 3 TB lemon juice
  • ¼  cup orange juice
  • ¾ cup olive oil
  • 2 TB Creamy Peppercorn Dressing Base – Penzeys Spices*

*Note…if you don’t order from Penzeys , substitute cracked black pepper, coarse salt, garlic powder

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Meatless Mondays featuring Blue Cheese Dressing

Posted in Cooking for One or Two, Dinner, Meatless Mondays, Quick and Easy Weeknight meals, Recipes, Salads, tagged , , , , on November 18, 2009 | 1 Comment »

To bring our bodies into harmony after a weekend of gastronomical indulgence (preparing and overeating great food), Greg and I have been engaging in what I call Meatless Mondays.  Typically this is a salad such as the one below with steamed potatoes, various greens and red veggies.  To pick up the meal and make it more interesting, I usually add steamed cauliflower or broccoli. 

meatless monday salad w blue cheese dressing

The star of Meatless Mondays is my delicious homemade Blue Cheese Dressing.  Since I began preparing this dressing we no longer purchase store bought.  It’s so delicious and easy to make.  While I suggest making a big batch ahead of time to let the flavors meld you can make it right before the meal and it will taste nearly as good. 

Of course the Blue Cheese Dressing is not non fat but you can reduce the calories with low fat sour cream and mayo.  I prefer to just use less on my veggies so I don’t reduce the creamy flavors.

What are your favorite veggie dishes?  I’ll be posting more in the coming weeks as I continue our new tradition of Meatless Mondays!

Blue Cheese Dressing

  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 ½ TB Penzey’s Peppercorn Dressing Mix *
  • 3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (or more to taste)

Whisk together the sour cream, mayo and spices.  Stir in blue cheese carefully.  Cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours before serving.

* substitute cracked black pepper, coarse salt, garlic powder

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Grilled Chicken *Paillard (Pi-yar) with Citrus Dressing Salad & Grilled Avocado.

Posted in Cooking for One or Two, Dinner, Entertaining, Grilling, Poultry, Quick and Easy Weeknight meals, Recipes, Salads, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 8, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

This is an excellent way to use chicken breast in the summertime for salad as it grills fast and the meat stays moist.  The savory-salty-sweet combination of the citrus dressing, bacon and blue cheese is fabulous!  My inspiration for this dish was from Tyler Florence’s Ultimate Cookbook and from several Bobby Flay recipes on The Food Network.

For a Printable version, click here.

chicken paillard (3)

Greg and I enjoy this salad at least twice a month in the spring and summer.

Serves 4 – Cook for 2 by cutting the ingredients in half…or save the chicken for a nice chicken salad for lunch the next day.

 Ingredients

  • 1 TB lemon and 1 TB orange zest
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 small shallot, chopped
  • ½ cup mayo and ½ cup sour creme
  • 2 TB Creamy Peppercorn Dressing Base – Penzeys Spices
  • 2 TS Splenda
  • 4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, pounded thinly
  • Olive Oil and Salt and Pepper for chicken (I also like to use Grill Mates Montreal Chicken Seasoning)
  • 2 Avocados – sliced in half and pitted
  • 2 TB red wine vinegar
  • 2 TB extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for garnish
  • Toasted Pine Nuts (Trader Joes)
  • 1/2 lb mixed greens
  • 1 small red onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
  • ½ lb cooked and crumbled bacon bits
  • ¼ lb blue cheese – broken into chunks

Directions

  1. Whisk together first eight ingredients (through Splenda) and refrigerate for dressing.
  2. Oil the chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Preheat grill to high. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until golden brown and just cooked through.
  4. Spread a little olive oil on avocado halves and grill just long enough to get grill marks.  Drizzle remaining olive oil and red wine vinegar on avocado and sprinkle with pine nuts.
  5. Combine greens and onion in a large bowl. Place each paillard on a large plate and top with some of the salad.  Drizzle with citrus dressing and sprinkle bacon bits and blue cheese on top.

* Paillard (Pi-yar) are thin slices of meat which you construct by sandwiching the chicken breasts between 2 sheets of wax paper and pounding them very thin with the side of a meat cleaver.

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