Salads

Autumn Salad

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This is just simply a wonderful salad.  It’s easy to prepare, packed with nutrition and the taste is outstanding.  My perfect salad contains sweet, savory, salty and many textures, to boot, and this one has it all.  The savory chicken, the sweet squash, pears and vinaigrette, the salty bacon, the creamy goat cheese and the crunch of the walnuts will leave your tastebuds (and dining buddies) very VERY happy.  A perfect way to  celebrate Autumn.  

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Autumn Salad

Ingredients

For the Vinaigrette:

5 Tablespoons Olive Oil

3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

2 Tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup 

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/8 Teaspoon Black Pepper

For the Salad:

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

3 Cups Cubed Butternut squash (1/2 inch-1 inch cubes)

1 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper

6-8 Ounces Mixed Greens

4 Skinless Boneless Split Chicken Breasts, grilled or roasted

4 Slices Nitrate and Nitrite Free Bacon, cooked and chopped  *optional

1 Pear, diced

4 Ounces Goat Cheese, crumbled

1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts

Directions

For the Vinaigrette:  Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl until well combined.  Set aside.

For the Salad:  Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with non stick foil.  Place squash on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss well to ensure all the squash is coated.  Spread out evenly in one layer and roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until squash is tender and just beginning to get a crust on it, stirring 1 time in the middle of cooking. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes.  

Begin to build your salads.  Drizzle all but 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette on top of the greens and toss well to coat.  Divide the greens among four plates, top with squash, chicken, bacon, pear, goat cheese and walnuts.  Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette on top of the salads.  Serves 4.  

Roasted Chicken Salad

~ nourishedpeach ~ 2 Comments

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This is one of those make-on-sunday-and-eat-througout-the-week dishes.  It’s both savory and sweet and is great on sandwiches, crackers, or tossed on a bed of greens.  The chicken has such a great roasted flavor that you really don’t need a large quantity of mayo or additional seasonings.   It’s a great way to get your protein, veggies and fruit in one delicious no-fuss meal or snack…it never lasts long in our fridge.

Roasted Chicken Salad

Ingredients

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Course Ground Black Pepper

2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Red Onion

3/4 Cup Chopped Spinach Leaves

1 Tablespoon Mayonaise

1 Tablespoon Sour Cream

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

2 Tablespoons Sliced Almonds

1/3 Cup Red Grapes, halved

1 Tablespoon Fresh Chopped Parsley, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 and season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.  In an oven proof skillet heat olive oil on medium high heat.  Add the chicken and cook, top side down, until you get a nice sear on top, about 4 minutes.  Flip chicken over, transfer to the oven and bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes.  Let the chicken rest and cool for ten minutes after taking it out of the oven so the meat can absorb all of the juices.

Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to a medium sized bowl along with the juices.  Add red onion, spinach, mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard and stir well until combined.  Stir in almonds, grapes and optional parsley and serve or chill.

Rich Man’s Salad

~ nourishedpeach ~ 1 Comment

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Well, if I truly do experience such a thing as a pregnancy craving this is it, without a doubt. I ate this salad non-stop during the summer I was pregnant with my first and this time?  Well,  lets just say I’ve had it three times this week alone.  And it’s Wednesday.  If you need a little help with the math that means I’ve eaten it everyday this week and I have no intention of stopping.   I wonder if there is such a thing as Rich Man’s Salad Anonymous?

This salad was a summer treat growing up and it tastes just as fresh and lip puckering as it did back then.  My sister and I would fight over who got to drink the juice at the bottom of the bowl and I now fight with my toddler over it.  What?  It’s mine!  I will say it is so important to use in season homegrown tomatoes…it just won’t taste the same if you don’t.

As for the name?  Well…I am led to believe it was named this because it does not have any inexpensive fillers such as wheat in tabouli or lettuce in traditional salad.  It’s simply a big ol’ bowl of all the goods.  My own personal theory?  It was named that because it just tastes like a million bucks.  It’s garlicky and tart and sweet and crunchy and fresh and perfect in every way possible.  Okay I’ll stop…but you guys seriously have to try this while those awesome tomatoes are still available.  And if you find yourself as addicted as I?  Call me…we can start our own support group.

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Rich Man’s Salad

Ingredients

1/4 Cup + 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

2 Garlic Cloves, grated

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Pepper

2 Large Home Grown Tomatoes

1 English Cucumber

1 Green Pepper

1/2 Red or Sweet Onion, sliced vertically

2 Tablespoons Fresh Chopped Mint Leaves

2 Tablespoons Fresh Chopped Parsley

Directions

In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper until well combined.  Chop the tomatoes, cucumber and green pepper into large bite-sized pieces and place in a large bowl.  Add the onion, mint and parsley and drizzle the vinaigrette over the top.  Stir well to coat and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.  Serves 4

Eggplant Caprese Stacks

~ nourishedpeach ~ 3 Comments

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It is officially my second favorite cooking time of the year.  The time when home grown tomatoes are in full effect.  Friends, theres a small chance I may go overboard these next few weeks.  If you are not a tomato-lover, you should be ashamed of yourself I apologize for my overindulgence here on the blog.  If you are a tomato-lover, you are in luck because I vow to celebrate these little gems as best I can and share the party with you.

Quite honestly my hopes were not too high this year for tomatoes considering we had such a crummy spring but my gosh I am so pleasantly surprised.  The ones we got this past weekend at our favorite summer produce spot were perfect enough to be eaten as apples, which is exactly what we did.  This is an old clip but I must tell you that tomato love is hereditary.  This is sort of how it went down this weekend…and I feel safe saying she ate hers a lot more gracefully than I.

This dish is a great way to celebrate the home grown goodness of tomatoes and makes the perfect compliment to just about any grilled entree.  It’s simple, healthful and so satisfying.

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Eggplant Caprese Stacks

Note:  The eggplant can be served in this dish either warm or at room temperature

Ingredients

1/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Pepper

3 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Basil

1 Medium Eggplant, sliced 1/2 inch thick

Sliced Home Grown Tomato

Sliced Avocado (sliced horizontally)

Sliced Fresh Mozzarella

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 and brush both sides of the eggplant slices with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and place on a baking sheet in a single layer.  Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until both sides are nicely browned, flipping halfway through.  Remove from oven and cool slightly.

In a small bowl combine balsamic vinegar, dijon, salt, pepper and basil.  Stream in 1/4 cup olive oil while whisking until the vinaigrette is well combined.  Set aside.

To assemble stacks place 1 piece of eggplant on a plate.  Top with a tomato slice, avocado slice, mozzarella slice and a drizzle of the vinaigrette.

Mixed Green Summer Salad

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I made this salad for company last night and received wonderful reviews;  I, personally, can not wait to have it again.  (you’d think I’d learn to stop trying new recipe ideas and experimenting on company…thankfully it did not backfire this time; livin on the edge over here, folks) It makes a wonderful side dish but would also be the perfect main dish with a grilled chicken breast on top.  A crave-able combination:  creamy goat cheese and avocado, sweet, bright, juicy nectarine, smokey bacon, crunchy pine nuts and a tangy vinaigrette.  Summer-fabulous.

Mixed Green Summer Salad

Ingredients

For the Vinaigrette:

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

2 Teaspoons Honey

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper

For the Salad:

5-8 Ounces MIxed Greens

1 Nectarine, diced

1 Avocado, diced

4 Slices Nitrate and Nitrite Free Bacon, cooked and chopped

3 Ounces Goat Cheese, crumbled

1/4 Cup Pine Nuts

Directions

Make vinaigrette:  in a medium bowl whisk together olive oil, vinegar, dijon, honey, salt and pepper until it begins to thicken and is completely combined.  Set aside.  Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Assemble salad:   combine greens, nectarine, avocado, bacon, goat  cheese and pine nuts in a large bowl.  Drizzle with 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette and toss gently.  Serve remaining vinaigrette on the side.

Parmesan Dressing

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This will turn non salad lovers into believers.  It’s tangy, cheesy, creamy and light; use it for green salads, pasta salads, veggie dip and more.  My favorite way to serve it?  Drizzled on a salad of romaine, tomato, banana peppers, salami, red onion, black olives and shredded parmesan.  Num.

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Parmesan Dressing

Ingredients

1/3 Cup Olive Oil

1/3 Cup Grated Parmesan

1/4 Cup Mayo

1/4 Cup Sour Cream

2 Garlic Cloves

2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Tablespoon Honey

1 Teaspoon Dried Italian Seasoning

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/8 Teaspoon Pepper

Directions

Combine all ingredients except for olive oil in a food processor or blender.  Blend for one minute or until all ingredients are mixed well and garlic is completely broken down.  Stream in olive oil and blend until combined.  Store in the fridge for up to one week.

Southwest Chicken Chopped Salad

~ nourishedpeach ~ 2 Comments

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A perfect summer dish.  Any cooked chicken will work in this recipe but I highly recommend blackening the chicken on the grill with this seasoning; it makes for tremendous flavor that runs through the entire salad.  Hearty enough to be man-pleasing, yummy and fun enough to eat to be kid-pleasing and this mamas perfect sort of meal.  Flavor-packed, fresh, loaded with protein, fiber, iron and Vitamins A and E; both your health and tastebuds will give you a pat on the back.

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Southwest Chicken Chopped Salad

Ingredients

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

2 Teaspoons Blackened Seasoning

1/3 Cup + 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1/3 Cup Fresh Lime Juice

1 Large Clove Garlic, grated or pressed

1 Tablespoon Agave Nectar or Honey

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Pepper

5 Leafy Romaine Leaves, chopped into bite sized pieces

2 Green Onions, thinly sliced

3/4 Cup Canned Black Beans, drained and rinsed

1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes, quartered

1/3 Cup Diced Gouda Cheese

1/4 Cup Chopped Cilantro

1 Avocado, diced

Directions

Preheat grill to medium high.  Rub chicken breasts with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season each breast (both sides) with 1 teaspoon blackened seasoning.  Place on the grill and cook 8-10 minutes per side or until juices run clear.  Let rest for ten minutes and chop into bite sized pieces.

In a small bowl whisk together 1/3 cup olive oil, lime juice, garlic, agave or honey and salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Place romaine, onions, black beans, tomatoes, cheese, cliantro, avocado and chicken in a large bowl.  Drizzle vinaigrette over the top and toss gently with your hands.  Serve immediately.  Serves 3-4 as a main course

Salata

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Please brace yourself…this post may include but is not limited to:  a LOT of food, some bragging, extremely adorable children, probably too many photos and so much love it’s almost gross.  We took a trip back to my parents house for fathers day weekend.  Here’s where the bragging comes in: there are just no words to describe how wonderful it was to see these sweet faces and spend such quality time with my parents, a few of my siblings and their families.  Quite frankly, I sit here with a heavy heart as I write this because I want nothing more than for my own daughter to be able to experience this type of sense of family and love on a regular basis; but we will take what we can get and cramming an obscene amount of it into a few short days really did hit the spot and make for some tremendous memories.

On another note you would not believe the amount of unbelievable food that my mom prepared for fathers day dinner.  She was working her little teezo off in the kitchen all weekend and you could taste every ounce of the work in each dish she prepared.  Every single bite was over-the-top-good…Lebanese cuisine at it’s true best.  And as for the 10 pounds I probably gained..meh, totally worth it.  Heres a few highlights of the trip:

Sittie preparing the squash for the KusaImageGeorgia and Sit washing the squashImage

Jiddo trimming the meat for the KibbiImage

Sittie grinding the meat Image

Eating sundaes with Sitties homemade hot fudge with some very special cousinsImage

And now making cupcakes! With the hidden dollar bill baked into one just like my own Sittie used to do 🙂Image

Picking rhubarbImage

And tasting the rhubarb…sour!Image

Kusa:  squash stuffed with rice, beef or lamb, tomato sauce and spicesImage

Rice and Peas:  sweet peas simmered in tomato sauce with onion and spices and served on the most buttery-tasting rice everImage

Raw Kibbi:  very very lean ground lamb or beef mixed with bulgur wheat, onion and spices.  my absolute favorite.Image

Baked Kibbi:  because my mom is crazy thought the raw just wasn’t enoughImage

Stuffed Cabbage RollsImage

An after dinner ice cream treatImage

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Hula hooping!Image

Jiddo fixing the bike.  For any of you who know my father you’d be very proud…he fixed it:)Image

The worlds best daddy.  Thank you for wanting to spend your special day with my family…it made my heart so happy.  We are beyond blessed to have you xoImage

This salad is everyone’s favorite.  It is so healthful, fresh and simple to put together and was a staple with almost every meal I grew up eating.  You will love it.

Salata

Ingredients

1 Head Romaine, chopped or torn

1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes, halved

1 English Cucumber, halved and sliced

1/2 A Sweet Yellow Onion, sliced

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

1/2 Cup Lemon Juice

1 Large Clove Garlic, grated or pressed

1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley

1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Mint

1 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Pepper

1/4 Cup Kalamata Olives, optional

Crumbled Feta Cheese, optional

Directions

In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, mint, salt and pepper.  Place romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives and feta, if using, in a large bowl and drizzle half the vinaigrette over the top and toss with your hands.  Add as much vinaigrette as desired, the leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to one week.

Grilled Steak Salad with Tomato-Balsamic Vinaigrette

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This vinaigrette is just plain delicious.  Quite frankly, I would be happy eating it with a spoon.  Or simply bathing in it.  What?  But then you throw smokey grilled steak, creamy bleu cheese, chewy bread and crunchy radishes into the mix?  Lord help me.

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Grilled Steak Salad with Tomato-Balsamic Vinaigrette

adapted from this recipe

Ingredients

1 Medium Tomato, halved

1 Tablespoon Finely Chopped Shallot

1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Pound Top Sirloin Filet, both sides seasoned with salt and pepper

2 1/2-Inch-Thick Slices Whole Grain Baguette

1/4 Cup + 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

3 Cups Baby Arugula

4 Radishes, halved and sliced

2 Ounces Bleu Cheese, crumbled

Directions

Make Vinaigrette:  Grate the cut sides of the tomato into a medium bowl until you get down to the skin, toss the skin away.  Add shallot, balsamic vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Whisk in 1/4 cup olive oil until well combined.  Set aside.  Can be refrigerated and chilled up to a day in advance.

Grill Steak and Bread:  Heat grill to moderately high heat. Brush both sides of the steak with the vinaigrette and place on the grill.  Cook, with the lid closed, for 5 minutes.  Flip steak over and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes or until desired  doneness;  my cook times should yield a medium rare steak.  Remove from heat and let rest for at least ten minutes before slicing.  While steak is resting brush both sides of the bread with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.  Place on the grill and cook until nicely toasted and starting to char, about 2 minutes per side.

Build Salad:  In a large bowl break up the toasted bread into cubes.  Add arugula and radish and drizzle about 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette on top.  Gently toss with your hands and add more vinaigrette as desired.  Distribute salad amongst 2 dishes and top with bleu cheese and sliced steak.  Serves 2 as a main course.

Asian Chicken Wild Rice Salad

~ nourishedpeach ~ 3 Comments

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I love this salad.  Like, so much that I made it yesterday and I am eating the last of it as I write.  The recipe makes enough for 8-10 servings, you guys.  I mean we did have it for dinner last night and my husband took some for lunch today but seriously, me, pull yourself together.

About five years ago a client of mine gave me a bag of amazing, beautiful wild rice that was grown on her family’s farm…and she included a recipe very similar to this one with it.  It is an awesome recipe and I have been making it regularly ever since then but just last night I decided to turn it Asian.  Why, you ask?  Apparently you are unaware that I was born in Thailand in my past life and love and adore anything with Asian flavor..hence, why I am able to eat enough servings of this stuff to feed a small country.  I will never make it the old way again…it’s seriously craveable.

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Asian Chicken Wild Rice Salad

Note:  this salad gets better with age so make it in advance if you are able.

Ingredients

1 Large Garlic Clove, grated or pressed

1/3 Cup Rice Wine Vinegar, unseasoned

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

1/2 Tablespoon Sesame Oil

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

3 Teaspoons Agave Nectar or Honey

3/4 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Pepper

2 Cups Cooked Chopped Chicken

1 1/2 Cups Wild Rice

1 Red Pepper, diced

1/2 Cup Sugar Snap Peas, sliced

4 Green Onions, Chopped

Chopped Walnuts or Almonds, optional

Diced Avocado, optional

Directions

Cook wild rice according to package directions substituting chicken stock for half the amount of water recommended.

Make vinaigrette:  In a small bowl combine garlic, vinegar, olive oil. sesame oil, dijon, agave or honey, salt and pepper.  Whisk until well combined.

Make salad:  Combine chicken, wild rice, red pepper, snap peas and green onions in a large bowl.  Pour vinaigrette over and mix to coat well.  Chill.  Serve topped with diced avocado and nuts, if desired.  Makes 8-10 servings.