Publix's Watermelon Feta Salad

The other night, my friend Susan had us over for dinner.  One of the dishes she served was this wonderful watermelon salad.  I had seen several recipes for this recently, but wasn't sure if I was buying the whole idea of watermelon being a key part of a salad - I'm always a little wary of mixing sweet and savory items.  I was really impressed with this salad, though.  Susan told me the recipe was from Publix, so today I looked it up and made it myself.  It's so great and refreshing.  I'm sure I'll be eating it more throughout the summer!

Watermelon Feta Salad
Ingredients 4 oz feta cheese
2 lb watermelon slices (or quarters)
8 oz grape tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups arugula greens (about 5 oz)
1 cup sliced red onions

Prep
Cut feta and watermelon into small bite-size pieces.
Cut tomatoes in half.

Steps
Whisk oil, vinegar, and salt to blend; set aside. Place arugula, onions, and tomatoes in salad bowl.
Add vinaigrette; toss to coat. Add cheese and melon; serve.

CALORIES (per 1/4 recipe) 270kcal; FAT 17g; CHOL 25mg; SODIUM 470mg; CARB 26g; FIBER 3g; PROTEIN 7g; VIT A 50%; VIT C 60%; CALC 25%; IRON 8%

Taziki's Friday Special

I found this recipe recently, even though it had been publish in 2008 on AL.com.  I really wanted to make it since Taziki's Friday Special is one of my favorite lunch time items!  I figured that the owners had given AL.com a slightly different version of the recipe to print (a lot of folks don't like to give away all their secrets!) but this dish really did taste like it does at the restaurant!  This recipe is supposed to be enough for 6 people, so I cut down the chicken and pasta portions to 4 people so that Kent and I could eat it for leftovers one night - we still had plenty left over even after the 2nd day, but it doesn't last too long in the fridge.  To cook the chicken, I just sauteed three chicken breasts instead of grilling them, and the chicken was still great.  Be sure to get real feta; I accidentally got reduced fat, and it is not the same!!!  This would be a perfect dish for a luncheon, and I'll definitely be making it again!

 

Photo from AL.com

Taziki's Friday Special
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon shallot, minced
½ cup balsamic vinegar
Juice from one lemon
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 ½ cups blended olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
6 cups mixed lettuces
1 ½ pounds penne pasta, cooked
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, grilled and cubed
2 cups feta cheese crumbled
3 tomatoes seeded and diced
1 handful fresh basil chopped
Flat or pita bread - toasted

To make vinaigrette: Mix thyme, shallots, balsamic vinegar, lemon, sugar, Dijon mustard. Slowly whisk in oil. Add salt and pepper.

Place about 1 cup mixed lettuces on each plate. Toss cooked pasta with 12 ounces (or to taste) vinaigrette.

Toss grilled chicken with 6 ounces vinaigrette.

Spoon approximately 3 cups pasta onto lettuce, then add chicken.

Top with diced tomato, feta cheese and fresh basil, to taste.  

Couscous Salad with Fresh Spinach and Chicken

My church hosted a Spring Fling event recently for women in the church.  This lovely dish was served for dinner and was so wonderful!  All of the ladies at the table talked about how great it tasted.  I can't wait to try it at home!  It goes well with pita bread or chips.

Couscous Salad with Fresh Spinach and Chicken
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 ½ cups cooked couscous
2 cups baby spinach leaves, rolled and sliced into slivers
1 cup dried cranberries

1 English cucumber, chopped

1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 small red onion, chopped

Cooked and sliced chicken (marinated in olive oil, lemon juice and Nature’s Seasoning)

Dressing:

½ cup plain low fat yogurt
3 T olive oil
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves minced garlic

 

Directions:
Combine the almonds and the red onion in a bowl. Whisk together yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice and

garlic. Pour over salad and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Chill, serve with sliced chicken.

Chicken and Avocado Salad with Lime and Cilantro

Kent and I made this the other night.  The original recipe says that it makes 4 servings, but it was really closer to just 3 lunch servings or 2 dinner servings.  But, it was super good!!  It definitely has a Mexican feel (Kent added a little tequila, too).  This recipe comes from a link to no-heat lunches, so I think I'll definitely be making this again to take to school!

Picture from: Kalyn's Kitchen

Chicken and Avocado Salad with Lime and Cilantro
(Recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen)

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded into large pieces
2 medium avocados, diced
1 T + 1 T fresh squeezed lime juice
salt, to taste (I didn't use too much salt because you can always add more at the table.)
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (or chop it more coarsely if you prefer)
2 T mayo or light mayo

Instructions:
Shred the chicken apart until you have 2 cups of chicken shredded into fairly large chunks. Dice the avocados into medium-sized pieces, mix with 1 T of the lime juice, and season avocado with salt to taste. Thinly slice the green onion and finely chop the cilantro. Mix mayo and 1 T lime juice to make the dressing.

Put the chicken into a bowl large enough to hold all the salad ingredients. Add the sliced green onions and dressing and toss until all the chicken is coated with dressing. Add the avocado and any lime juice in the bottom of the bowl and gently combine with the chicken. Then add the chopped cilantro and gently mix into the salad, just until it is barely combined.

Serve right away or chill for a while before serving. This could be served inside pita bread or sandwich bread, but we just ate it as a salad. (I would imagine this would be fine in the fridge overnight but I didn't have any left over when I made it!)

Waldorf Salad

This salad gets its name from its origination at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in NYC and was first published in 1896.  Waldorf Salad is such an easy appetizer to make and take.  My parents make it nearly every year as a side dish for our family's Thanksgiving gathering, but it's perfect for any time of year!

Waldorf Salad
Ingredients:
4 Red Delicious Apples, cubed
1 1/2 cups celery, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
Lemon juice
Mayo

Directions:
Cube the apples. Toss them in lemon juice to keep them fresh. Mix all of the ingredients together without mayo. Then add mayo to your taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Shrimp and Avocado Salad on Endive Leaves

This is another recipe from my church's Christmas Countdown event.  This was my favorite dish from the event, and I'm excited about trying it soon.  I think this recipe would be perfect for Spring and Summer gatherings.  It has such good flavor - the sesame seeds and scallions give it an Asian feel, so it would be perfect with sushi! 

Shrimp and Avocado Salad on Endive Leaves
(from Martha Stewart Living)  makes 24
Ingredients:
20 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 3 limes)
2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions (plus more for garnish)
1 jalapeno chile, stem, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped (2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 firm, ripe Hass avocado, pitted and peeled
2 to 3 small Belgian endives
Black sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add shrimp, and cook until opaque, about 1 minute. Let cool, cut
into 1/4 inch pieces.

Transfer shrimp to a medium bowl. Add lime juice, chopped scallions, jalapeno, and salt. Stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.  Just before serving, cut avocado into 1/4 inch cubes, and fold into shrimp mixture. Separate endive leaves, and arrange 24 on a platter. Spoon about 1 teaspoon shrimp salad on each leaf. Garnish with sliced scallions and sesame seeds, if desired.

Balsamic Vinegar Reduction - from Jeff

Jeff made a wonderful balsamic vinegar reduction last year for a Christmas party, and I thought it would make a great last-minute Christmas recipe since it only requires a few ingredients.  I've always loved balsamic vinegar, but I'm not sure that I'd had a reduction before.  The consistency is  more like a syrup.  He used it as a topping for slices of brie - it was amazing! 

Balsamic Vinegar Reduction
Ingredients:
1 bottle of balsamic vinegar (the better the vinegar, the better the reduction)
Powdered sugar to taste

Directions:
Heat the vinegar in a sauce pan on high.  As soon as it starts to boil, turn down the heat to medium.  Stir and watch closely as the vinegar cooks (some recipes say to whisk the entire time it cooks).  It should cook down to 1/3 of its original size and become much thicker.  Be careful that you don't burn the vinegar on the bottom of the pan!  Once it gets to the right size/consistency, add a little powdered sugar to taste.  Jeff says that you may want to stop cooking it just before you think it's actually thick enough as it will continue to firm as it cools (if it firms too much, reheat it for a minute and add a small bit of water).

The reduction can be served on fruit, caprese salads (tomato/mozzarella/basil), or on cheeses.  If served with cheese, it would be easiest to serve the reduction in something that pours easily (think creamer or gravy boat) next to your block of brie or other cheese.  If you prepour the reduction, it may get too sticky.

Crunchy Ramen Noodle Slaw - from Julie

My friend, Julie, brought this wonderful slaw to a cook-out that our Sunday School class had recently.  It reminded me of one of my favorite side dishes that we used to have in the Tri Delt house in college.  I had forgotten how much I missed it!  This is perfect to take to cookouts and barbecues.  You can always change it up and use romaine lettuce instead of the cabbage/slaw mixture if you'd rather have a bigger salad.
 
Slaw
4 cups shredded cabbage
1 pkg. Ramen noodles (crushed) – Chicken flavored
¼ cup slivered almonds (toasted)
¼ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup sliced green onion

Mix all ingredients together and toss with dressing

Dressing
¼ cup oil
2 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. cider vinegar
¼ cup chopped green onion
Seasoning packet from noodles (chicken)

Homewood Gourmet's Baby Bleu Salad (from Chef Franklin Biggs)

This is a great summer salad recipe from a wonderful restaurant in Homewood!  I have also included the recipes for the dressing and roasted pecans.  I can't wait to try it!

Ingredients:
1-1/2 lbs. Baby Lettuce Mix (sometimes called mezclun or spring/summer mix)
6 oz. Blue Cheese, crumbled
2 cups Balsamic Vinaigrette (recipe below)
4 ea. Oranges, peeled to the flesh and sliced (2 slices per salad)
2 pt. Strawberries, hulled and quartered (2 Tbsp. per salad)
6 oz. Sweet and Spicy pecans (recipe below)

Directions:
Toss baby lettuce mix with balsamic vinaigrette and blue cheese, using enough dressing to coat lettuce but not drown them. Place in center of plate. Scatter oranges and strawberries over the salad. Top with sweet and spicy pecans.

Balsamic Vinaigrette (for 12 salads)
Ingredients:
1 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/3 cup Dijon Mustard
1/3 cup Honey
2 TB Garlic, chopped, browned or roasted
2 tsp Fresh Shallots, chopped (optional)
2 cups Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Whisk vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, garlic and shallots until thick. Slowly add olive oil as dressing emulsifies. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Sweet and Spicy Pecans (makes six ounces)
Ingredients:
2 cups Water
1/2 cup White sugar, mixed with water to make a syrup
6 oz. Pecans, whole
4 Tbsp. White Sugar
2 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1/2 tsp. Ground dark red chilis

Directions:
Mix sugar and spices together. Briefly soak the pecans in the sugar mixture, drain lightly and toss nuts with spice/sugar mix to coat. Lay out on a roasting pan and roast for 10 minutes at 350° until golden brown.

Easter Lunch

Kent and I had a wonderful Easter celebration.  We went to church on Sunday and then had several friends over for lunch.  We prepared a few items that I've posted on the blog before, like Salmon with Lemons, Capers, and Rosemary and Fruit Tarts.  My favorite new thing that we made was Watermelon and Cantaloupe Salad with Mint Vinaigrette!  We served it in our mint julep cups.  It was so refreshing - I'll be making this all summer!

Watermelon and Cantaloupe Salad with Mint Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
1 bunch fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice, from about 1 lemon
1/4 cup simple syrup, recipe follows
1/8 teaspoon amaretto
2 cups watermelon balls, from about half a watermelon
2 cups cantaloupe balls, from about 1 cantaloupe

Directions
In a blender, combine mint, lemon juice, simple syrup, and amaretto. Blend until smooth.
In a large bowl, combine the watermelon and the cantaloupe. Add the vinaigrette and toss. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.
Simple Syrup:
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar

In a saucepan, combine water and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved. Take pan off heat and cool the syrup. Any extra cooled syrup can be saved in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Yield: 1 cup
Recipe from: Giada de Laurentiis @ foodnetwork.com

Honey Mustard Glazed Salmon Fillets

This is a great quick and easy salmon dish. Sometimes I feel like fish can be a difficult menu item to tackle. But, this recipe is super simple and can be made any night of the week. It is plated in the picture with an orzo salad. The recipe for the salad can be found here. Both recipes are from Food Network chef, Robin Miller.

Honey Mustard Glazed Salmon Fillets
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
4 (5-ounce) salmon fillets
Salt and ground black pepper
Cooking spray

Directions:
In an oiled shallow baking dish, combine lemon juice, Dijon, honey, and lemon zest. Stir together. Season both sides of salmon fillets with salt and pepper and place in the baking dish. Flip salmon to coat in glaze.

Bake immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 hours. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake 10 minutes or until fish is fork-tender.

Kent's Famous Potato Salad

Okay, so maybe it's not famous - but it is really good! I wanted to post this in case anyone was looking for a good dish to take to a Fourth of July cookout this weekend. This recipe is my favorite potato salad and perfect as a side dish for a summer dinner.

Kent's Famous Potato Salad
Ingredients:
2-3 lbs. red potatoes
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/3 cup green onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon grated black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2/3 cup celery, chopped
1 tablespoon grated onion
1/2 pound bacon, chopped and cooked (if you chop it before you cook it, it will be crispier)

Directions:
Cut the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. Put the potatoes in cold water in a stock pot. Heat the water until it boils. Continue to cook the potatoes until they are tender but not squishy. Then drain the potatoes. Let them stand until they cool.

Mix all of the other ingredients to make the dressing. Add the potatoes to the dressing and stir. Refrigerate the potato salad until serving.

Asian Asparagus Salad

Kent made this dish last night (while I was on the way home from an amazing Beachelorrette Party!). I love asparagus but sometimes get tired of cooking it the same way. This is a great recipe for fresh asparagus and the dressing gives a wonderful flavor! We had the asparagus with a grilled honey and ginger pork tenderloin (recipe to come later). It is really more like side dish than a salad and is super crisp. This would be a great dish to pair with anything Asian or even a meat dish that might be a little bland. This asparagus recipe will spice up your plate!

Asian Asparagus Salad
Ingredients:

1 pound asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions:

In a saucepan, cook the asparagus in a small amount of water until crisp-tender, about 3-4 minutes. Drain well and place in a large bowl.

Combine the soy sauce, oil, vinegar, sugar, sesame seeds, ginger and cumin; pour over asparagus and toss to coat. Cover and chill for 1 hour. Drain before serving. Yield: 4 servings.

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

This is a great Spring and Summer salad. I made it last weekend for Easter and was very pleased with how it turned out! It is so fresh-tasting and really easy to put together. Because you can go ahead and put the dressing on it before it is served, it works well for cookouts or buffet-styled meals. It is best if you make it ahead and store it in the refrigerator for several hours before serving.

Spinach and Strawberry Salad
Ingredients:
1 bag fresh baby spinach, washed
1 quart fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
½ cup sliced walnuts
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3 fresh basil leaves, chopped finely

Poppy Seed Dressing
Ingredients:
½ cup good olive oil
¼ cup cider vinegar (white distilled vinegar will work if you don’t have cider vinegar)
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 ½ tablespoons grated onion
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon paprika

Directions:
Place the spinach, strawberries, walnuts, mozzarella, and basil in a large bowl – mix all ingredients. Then, mix together all of the ingredients of the dressing in a separate bowl with a whisk. Once the dressing ingredients are combined, drizzle the mixture over the salad and stir the salad (you may not need all of the dressing.) Store the salad in the refrigerator for several hours to allow the flavors to combine before serving.

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole and Italian Chicken Salad

I love when I can take one item and make two different meals out of it. It's always good when you can spend some time at the beginning of the week cooking so that you won't have to do as much later. To make these two recipes you will need one "family sized" package of chicken breasts (they go on sale pretty frequently so we usually buy two and freeze one.) Take a large pot of boiling water and put in all of the chicken breast. They will need to cook for 20-30 minutes. When they turn completely white take them out with tongs and cut them in half to make sure they are done all the way through! Once they cool, shred all of the chicken by hand. I usually use half of the chicken for each recipe.

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole:
Using a large casserole dish, cover the bottom with half of the chicken from above.
Then add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of sour cream and 1 or 2 cans of either cream of mushroom/chicken/celery soup stirring together - you can use whichever soup you like best. (I usually add lesser amounts of sour cream and soup because I like mine to be firm, but some people prefer it to be creamier.) Mix in half of a sleeve of Ritz crackers.

Cook for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. Then pull it out of the oven to cover the top with half of a sleeve of Ritz crackers. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Put it back in the oven for 10 minutes. This usually lasts for at least 2 dinners for 2 adults.

Italian Chicken Salad:
This is great to take for lunch at work, but it's great for dinner too! It's different than southern chicken salad because it doesn't have the signature ingredient of mayonnaise!

The ingredients are harder on this one because I usually do it by sight and it's really about what you like to add in it. So these are some suggestions...
In a large bowl, combine the chicken and any of the following:
red/yellow/green bell peppers, chopped coarsely
red onion, chopped
parsley
basil
slivered almonds
drained capers
grated Parmesan
sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (my favorite ingredient!)
salt and pepper

Then top with a vinaigrette dressing.
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
3/4 cup of good olive oil
salt/pepper
(Stir vigorously - you may also add finely chopped herbs)
You may not need all of the dressing.

*Another great option for chicken salad is to purchase it from Costco. My friend, Caroline, brought some over this weekend - it was so good and had an amazing flavor because of the way they roast the chicken. Chicken salad makes a wonderful snack on crackers and is great for any meal!