Ginger Steak Salad

Ginger Steak Salad
from tastykitchen


Marinade:

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Sherry
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 teaspoons Brown Sugar
1 whole Rib-eye, Strip, Or Sirloin Steak
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Salad Dressing:
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons White Sugar
1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
2 cloves Garlic, Finely Diced
1 Tablespoon Fresh Ginger, Minced
½ whole Jalapeno, Seeded And Diced

Salad Ingredients:
2 whole Green Onions
8 ounces, weight Salad Greens (baby Lettuce, Endive, Radiccio, Etc.)

Combine steak marinade ingredients in a Ziploc bag. Mix and place steak into bag. Marinate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Combine salad dressing ingredients and slice green onion.

When steak is finished marinating, add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a hot skillet. Cook steak about 1 1/2 minutes per side, or until medium rare. Remove from skillet and keep on a plate, allowing to cool slightly.

Toss salad greens in 3/4 of the salad dressing. Place steak on cutting board and slice thinly, then pour juices from the plate over the top. Mound tossed salad on a platter, then place sliced steak on top of salad. Pour remaining salad dressing over the top. Sprinkle green onions over the salad, and add cherry tomatoes if desired.

{cooks note}

I know, two salads in one week.  It's summer, so this is allowed.  I first saw this recipe on this blog.  I was having people over for dinner, so I decided it would be a great summer meal to serve.  When it is so hot outside, the last thing I want to eat is a hot, heavy meal.  I already feel 10 pounds overweight from the heat as it is.  This salad is so fresh and full of lot's of yummy flavor.  The fresh ginger is one of the best parts.  I used an organic spring salad mix from Costco. For the cut of meat, I used sirloin.  I marinated it all day long and let me tell you, it was totally worth the little effort.  The steak literally melts in your mouth.

BBQ Chicken Chop Salad

BBQ Chicken Chop Salad

from favorites

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup barbecue sauce

Marinate chicken in barbecue sauce, than bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (marinating is preferred, but not necessary).  Chop into bite size pieces and set aside.

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, chopped

1/2 head Romaine lettuce, chopped

3 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1 jicama, peeled and diced 

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 (15-ounce) can black beens, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen sweet corn, thawed

1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, grated

You can combine chicken and salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss.  Serve with Ranch Dressing, additional BBQ sauce and tortilla chips.  You can also individually make each plate, like I do (see photo).  Either way, I'm sure this will become a family favorite.

Tortellini Spinach Salad with Balsamic-Tomato Vinaigrette

Tortellini Spinach Salad with Balsamic-Tomato Vinaigrette

slightly adapted from www.melskitchencafe.com

Salad:
20-ounce package refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 (14.5-ounce) can quartered artichokes
1 (9-ounce) bag fresh baby spinach
1 (3-ounce) bag sun dried tomatoes or jar of sun dried tomatoes rinsed and drained
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup red onion, diced
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, grilled and sliced thin


Dressing:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste (about 1/8 teaspoon each)
3/4 cup olive oil


Cook Tortellini in boiling water until al dente.  Drain and toss (carefully so the tortellini doesn't break apart) with a teaspoon of olive oil to keep from sticking.  Let cool in colander. In a large bowl, toss all the salad ingredients together after pasta has cooled.


In a blender, add all of the dressing ingredients except for the olive oil and process until smooth.  Then, while the blender is running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until completely combined.  If serving the salad right away, immediately pour the dressing over the salad and toss well (you may not need all the dressing).  Serve.

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{cooks note}
I added grilled chicken for my husband since he likes meat with his meals most of the time.    I knew my boys wouldn't be too thrilled about the tomato-balsamic vinaigrette flavor, so I served them grilled chicken slices with the tortellini on the side.  This salad is so refreshing and tasty.

Cornucopia Salad

Cornucopia Salad

1 head green leaf lettuce, torn into pieces
1 head Romaine lettuce, torn into pieces
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
2 avacados, cut into chunks
1 apple, diced
1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup slivered almonds, sugared

Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon grated onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
3/4 teaspoon poppy seeds

Combine dressing ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.  Toss salad ingredients, almonds and dressing just prior to serving.

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{cooks note}

I la la love this salad.  I do all sorts of minor variations depending on what I have on hand.  Sometimes I add the blue cheese, sometimes I don't.  Sometimes I add other fresh berries instead of strawberries.  It really just depends on what you think would be good.  The dressing is more than enough for the salad, so I wouldn't add all of it at once.  You'll more than likely just use half of it.  If I am serving under 6 people, I usually just plate the salad myself so the presentation looks nice.  It's all about the presentation sometimes, right?  And the taste, of course.  For the sugared almonds, click on the link above in the recipe and scroll down.  I give you step by step instructions on how to make them.

**note**
The above picture does not have avacado or dressing in it.  I took this picture before adding the two.  I also realize that this may look very similar to another salad on here I have posted, but the dressings are different.

Caesar Salad

Caesar Salad

1 head of Romaine

1 Roma Tomato

Homemade Croutons

Girard's Light Caesar Dressing

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Freshly ground pepper

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{cooks note}

This is my version of a quick and easy Caesar salad.  I usually don't have time to whip up my own dressing, so I use this wonderful dressing that is a great substitute every time.  I just love Girard's. 

Croutons

Croutons

1 loaf of bread (french, sour dough, baguette)

6-8 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons Lawry's garlic salt

fresh ground pepper

Cut bread into 1"-2" cubes.  Heat a large skillet and add olive oil and butter.  You may decide to add more olive oil depending on how big your loaf of bread was.  Give the bread a good stir to try and coat each piece of bread with the oil/butter mixture.  Cook on medium heat.  Next add the garlic salt while gently stirring the bread.  Add pepper to taste.  Heat a large skillet on medium heat and lightly stir the bread until it starts to turn a golden brown color.  Once the bread looks evenly cooked, place on a parchment lined cooked sheet and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.  The croutons should be crunchy.

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{cooks note}

I know there are a variety of ways of making homemade croutons, but I have found this is the easiest for me.  They are super easy to make and last for quite a while in a zip lock bag or an air-tight container.  The great thing is, you can easily adjust the recipe.  Butter, or no butter.  More garlic salt, less garlic salt.  You do what you like.  I also use round sour dough bread loaves and the croutons turn out amazing.  Usually whatever bread is on sale at the time is what I get.

One loaf of French bread.

Cut bread into 1"-2" cubes.  Place in a large bowl.

Garlic salt and fresh pepper.  

Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet on medium heat.  I like using butter because it helps give the croutons a great brown color that the olive oil can't achieve.

Add the cubed bread to the hot skillet and give it a good stir.  Measure in the 2 tablespoons garlic salt and pepper (to taste).  Stir to combine and cook until lightly browned.

Lay the croutons on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes or until croutons are crunchy and golden brown.  I add this extra step because usually the skillet doesn't get the croutons crunchy enough.  Take it or leave it.

Homemade croutons are so good and worth the little effort they take to make.

Fruit and Feta Green Salad

Fruit and Feta Green Salad

adapted slightly from Favorites

8 cups assorted greens

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup toasted almonds

1/4 cup sliced apple (I used pink lady)

5 or 6 sliced strawberries

Dressing:

4 tablespoons raspberry wine vinegar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon pepper

dash of Tabasco sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons sugar

Combine salad ingredients in large salad bowl.  Mix together dressing ingredients.  Pour dressing over salad just before serving.  

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{cooks note}

I generally use a mix of greens that I get pre-washed from Costco.  It's a large container for $3.99, and it lasts  about a week even though we eat it almost daily.  I also use my mini food processor to mix the dressing ingredients.  A blender would work great too.  You can experiment with different fruits and cheeses for this salad.  I like the combination featured above, but blackberries, raspberries and pears would also be good.

Grilled Chicken Spinach Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Grilled Chicken Spinach Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

4 pieces of chicken

1 can mandarin oranges

1/4 cup sliced almonds (or nut of choice)

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup feta cheese

1 package of spinach

Place chicken in a zip lock bag and pound with the smooth side of a mallet until flattened to about 1/2" thick. Heat up 3-4 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet. While the oil is heating up, salt and pepper both sides of the chicken. Place chicken on skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes each side on medium heat. Once chicken is done, place on a cutting board and let cool. While chicken is cooling make the dressing and gather other ingredients. Assemble salad to your preference.

For the dressing:

5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, crushed

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Use a blender to mix the ingredients. It will produce a thicker vinaigrette dressing. One serving will equal 2 to 3 tablespoons of dressing. One cup should easily be enough for 4-6 servings. Refrigerate and store in a covered container. Whisk before serving.

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{Cooks note}

You really can't go wrong with this salad. We eat this at least twice a month. I buy the pre-washed spinach from Costco in a one pound container. Actually, everything I put in this salad I buy from Costco since it is so much cheaper there than anywhere else. I usually grill more chicken and then freeze the leftovers for a later date. You could also grill this on a barbecue grill if you wanted. I like to sugar my almonds because it gives the salad just a little bit of a sweet taste to counterbalance the vinegar dressing. I also like to use goat cheese and freshly shaved parmesan for this, but didn't have any so I just settled for feta. I like me some cheese. I have a little handheld food processor that I use to make the dressing in, but a blender does the same thing. The dressing will make more than enough for leftovers.

There is also another variation of this salad that I call my "go-to" salad. I take it to a lot of party's since I usually have the ingredients. In the summer I'll add cut up strawberries and blackberries to the mix, and if I'm crazy I'll add some green leaf lettuce too. I substitute the vinaigrette dressing for the following:

Raspberry Dressing

2 1/2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar

2 1/2 tablespoons raspberry jam

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon of sugar

Pound the chicken so it is about 1/2 inch thick. I love pounding my chicken...you should try it, you'll thank me for it someday.

Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken.

Cook chicken until it starts to turn white around a good portion of the edges.

Since it is cooking in oil and oil get's hot and splatters everywhere, I use this shield over my pan to prevent that...or at least help prevent it.

You want your chicken to look nice and brown on both sides.

Now I'm going to quickly show you how to sugar nuts. It's very easy. Put about 2 tablespoons of butter in a fry pan and melt on medium-low heat.

Grab a handful of nuts and place them in the butter. Then add one more handful.

Stir the nuts in the hot butter until they are coated.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar over the nuts.

Give it a good stir for a few minutes.

Lay nuts on a piece of waxed paper to cool. There now, wasn't that easy? I like to make a big batch of these and then store them in an air tight container for later use.

The dressing: put all of the ingredients into the blender/food processor and blend.

I use this garlic. It's $3.15 at Costco. I'll bet you guys didn't know that I like Costco. Well, I do.

Go back to the chicken cooling on your cutting board...

and slice.

Now that you have all of your ingredients together, assemble your salad. It's usually best to start with the spinach and then build it from there, but I'm sure you already knew that.

Look at how pretty your salad is. Now, devour it.