Ahhh It's Like A Decision!!
I don't know if I can choose, I just love food in general. I guess it just depends on my mood. Because I love Chef salads, Caesar salads, Fruit & Nut salads, Bean salads, and so on. So I guess my favorite from each catagory will have to do. I got all but the three bean and the potluck pasta salad out of my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. The other two are out of a book of recipes a bunch of women in Wisconsin put together into a cookbook, called Bon Appetit!
Chef Salad:
4 C torn
Iceberg or Leaf Lettuce
4 C torn Romaine or Fresh Spinach
4 oz cooked
Turkey, Ham, Chicken, Beef, Pork, or Lamb
1 C cubed or shedded Swiss,
Cheddar, American, Provolone, Gruyere cheese, or 1/2 C of blue cheese crumbles
2 Hard Boiled Eggs, sliced
2 Medium tomatos, cut itno wedges, or 8 cherry tomatos, halved
1 small green or red sweet pepper, cut into bite size strips
1 C Croutons either freashly made or bought
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Parmesan Croutons
Cut four 1/2 inch-thick slices of French bread into 3/4-inch cubes;set aside. In a large skillet melt a 1/4 C of butter or margarine. Remove from heat. Stir in 3 T of grated Parmesan cheese and an 1/8 Tsp of garlic powder. Coat the bread cubes with the mixture. Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a shallow baking pan. Bake in a 300* oven for 10 minutes; stir. Bake about 10 minutes more or untill bread cubes are crisp and golden. Cool completely; can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Makes about 2 cups.
1/2 C of Dressing; Buttermilk, French, Italian, or a Vinaigrette
-Buttermilk Dressing
3/4 C Buttermilk
1/2 C Mayonnaise or Salad Dressing(Miracle Whip)
1 T Snipped Fresh Parsley or 1 Tsp Dried Parsley, cruched
1/4 Tsp Black pepper
1/4 Tsp Onion Powder
1/4 Tsp Dry Mustard
1 Clove of Garlic, minced
Place ingredients in a bowl and stir till well blended. If necessary, add addtional buttermilk untill dressing reaches desired consistency. Cover and chill dressing for 30 minutes before serving. If covered, can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. makes 1 1/4 cups.
Makes 4 main-dish servings.
Caesar Salad:
10 C torn Romaine Lettuce
1 Recipe Parmesan Croutons(ABOVE)
1/4 C grated Parmesan Cheese
2 C Chopped Cooked Chicken
Dressing
3 Cloves of Garlic
3 Anchovy Fillets(OPTIONAL)
3 T Lemon Juice
3 T Olive Oil
1 T Dijon-Style Mustard
1/2 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Hard Boiled Egg Yolk
In a blender container or a food processor bowl combine the 3 cloves of garlic, anchovy fillets, and lemon juice. Cover and blend or process till mixture is nearly smooth, stoping to scrap the sides as needed. Add oil, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and the cooked egg yolk. Cover; blend or process untill smooth. Cover surface with plastic wrap; chill for 2-24 hours.
To serve rub the inside of a wooden bowl with cut edges of halved garlic clove; discard when through. Put in the lettuce and croutons into the bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and add the chicken, toss lightly to coat. Sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese; toss gently and serve. Makes about 6 side-dish servings.
Fruit & Nut Salad:
My favorit fruit and nut salad would have to be the Waldorf Salad.
WALDORF SALAD:
2 C chopped Apples or Pears or Both
1 1/2 Tsp lemon juice
1/4 C chopped Celery
1/4 C chopped Walnuts or Pecans
1/4 C Raisins, Snipped Pitted Whole Dates, Or Dried Tart Cherries
1/4 C Seedless Green Grapes, halved
1/3 C Vanilla, Lemon or Orange low-fat yogurt
2 T Mayonnaise or Salad Dressing(Miracle Whip)
In a medium bowl toss apples with lemon juice. Stir in celery, nuts, raisins, and grapes.
For dressing, stir together yogurt and mayonnaise. Add dressing to apple mixture; toss gently to caot. Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to 8 hours. Make 4 side-dish servings.
Three-Bean Salad:
1 16-oz can cut wax beans, black beans, or garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 8-oz can cut green beans or lima beans, rinsed and drained
1 8-oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 C chopped Green Sweet Pepper
1/3 C chopped red oinion(1 SMALL)
Combine all ingredients into a large bowl, set aside.
Dressing
1/4 C Vinegar
2 T Sugar
2 T Salad Oil
1/2 Tsp Celery Seed
1/2 Tsp Dry Mustard
1 Clove of Garlic, minced
Combine all ingredients into a screw-top jar, covor and shake well. Pour over the vegetables; stir lightly. Covor and chill for 4-24 hours, stirring often. Makes 6 side-dish servings.
Potluck Pasta Salad:
3 C dried Wagon Wheel Macaroni, Rotini, or other desired pasta(8 oz)
1 medium Yellow Summer Squash or Zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced(2 cups)
1 C frozen Peas or Corn, thawed; or shelled fresh peas, cooked and cooled
1 medium Red Sweet Pepper, cut into strips
8 oz smoked chedder cheese or chedder cheese,cubed
1 6-oz can Ripe Pitted Olives, drianed and coarsely chopped
1 C Cherry Tomatos, halved
1/2 C chopped Red Onion
2 T fresh snipped Oregano or Basil or 2 Tsp dried Oregano or Basil , crushed
1 C bottled Balsamic Vinaigrette or Red Wine Vinaigrette salad dressing
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain again.
In a large bowl combine the pasta, squash, peas, sweet pepper, cheese, olives, tomatos, onion, and oregano. Add dressing to pasta mixture; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill for 2-24 hours. Makes 16 side-dish servings.
German-Style Potato Salad:
1 1/4 pounds Red or White Potatos
4 slices Bacon
1/2 C chopped Onion(1 medium)
1 T All-Purpose Flour
1 T Sugar
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Celery Seeds
1/2 Tsp Dry Mustard
1/8 to 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
2/3 C Water
1/4 C Vinegar
Snipped Fresh Parsley(OPTIONAL)
In a medium saucepan place potatos and a small amount of water to cover and, if desired, 1/4 Tsp Salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes or untill just tender.Drain well;cool slightly. Halve, peel, and cut potatos into 1/4-inch slices. Set aside.
For the dressing, in a large skillet cook bacon over medium heat till crisp. Remove bacon, reserving 2 T drippings in skillet. Drain bacon on paper towels.Crumble the bacon and set aside.
Add onion to the reserved drippings. Cook over medium heat till tender. Stir in the flour, sugar, the 1/2 Tsp salt, celery seed, dry mustard and pepper. Stir inthe 2/3 C water and vinegar. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Gently stir in the potatoes and bacon. Cook stirring gently, for 1 to 2 minutes more till heated through. Transfer to a serving bowl. If desired, sprinkle with parsley. Makes 4-6 side-dish servings.
Well there are a few of my favorites, sorry I got a little carried away. But hopefully some of these recipes will help someone out. I have millions more salad recipes but I figured I would stop while I was ahead.