Spinach & Strawberry Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Raspberry vinegar was on sale at Whole Foods so I had to buy some!  :)  I know that strawberries are not in season and I did feel guilty buying non-local produce but these organic strawberries were also on sale!  Strawberries and spinach are quite the pairing.  I made this extra simple with just the two main ingredients but you could add feta cheese and toasted nuts (maybe pecans or pine nuts).  Yum!

Raspberry Vinaigrette

2 Tablespoons  raspberry vinegar
2 Tablespoons  extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon clover honey
kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

This makes enough to dress 6 ounces of spinach --add as many stawberries as desired!

Summer Pasta Salad

This is another one my first ever recipes.  (Read: "before I knew how to cook".)  I haven't made this salad in years -probably the last time was 10 years ago.  I had no problem remembering the recipe--I never wrote it down because it is that easy!  This recipe was inspired by one I found on the back of some box of pasta.  The original recipe seemed "heavy" so I adapted it to my liking.  I can't believe I haven't made this for such a long time --it is so light and delicious!  My 11-year old was helping me with the grocery shopping today.  We passed the prepared foods section and the pasta salad caught her eye.  She said, "oh, let's get some of that pasta salad!"  I replied, "let's make our own!" 

Claire's Summer Pasta Salad

1 pound pasta (elbow, farfalle, etc.) cooked, rinsed under cold water, drained well
scant half cup of mayonnaise
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1-2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1-3 Tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 large english cucumber or a 1 lb package of mini cucumbers, seeded and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces or similar size of tomato halves (I like to leave the skin on half the cucumbers and peel the other half)

Mix mayonnaise and vinegar in large bowl.  Add salt, pepper, and dill, mix to combine.  Add pasta, tomatoes, and cucumbers and toss until all ingredients are coated with dressing.  Enjoy!

Spinach and Nectarine Salad with Tarragon Buttermilk Dressing

 I am in love...AGAIN!!!  I was (still am) totally in love with the Arugula with Golden Balsamic.  Truth is, this salad warrants the same "lovefest".  Really. This salad is just as light and delicious but a little more perfect for the summer months.  I know that I will be making this all-year long but instead of nectarines I will add pears or apples.  You must try this!!!!

Spinach & Nectarine Salad with Tarragon Buttermilk Dressing

adapted from The Best of Fine Cooking #40

6 ounces baby spinach

4 ounces frisee

2 yellow nectarines, sliced

1 avocado cut into cubes

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 Tablespoon sour cream

1 Tablespoon golden balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1-2 Tablespoons chopped  fresh tarragon leaves

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine buttermilk, sour cream, vinegar, honey in small bowl or cup.  Whisk to combine and then slowly whisk in the oil to blend.  Stir in the tarragon and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Combine spinach and frisee in bowl, pour half the dressing over and toss light to coat all the greens.  Add nectarines and avocado and drizzle a little more dressing over entire salad.  Enjoy!!

Old-Fashioned Carrot Salad

Carrot salad is very popular this time of year.  It is cool, crunchy, and refreshing.  This recipe is very easy and a traditional take on carrot salad.  This is my favorite carrot salad recipe.  My mom and sister Amelia adore it, too.  I added it to our Thanskgiving Menu this year because I thought it would be nice to have something cold on the buffet.  It was a hit!! 

Old-Fashioned Carrot Salad

adapted from the Cuisinart Food Processor Manual

1 Granny Smith apple (small to medium size), peeled, cored and shredded
5-8 medium carrots (1 lb total), trimmed, peeled, and shredded
1-2 stalks celery, finely sliced
¼ cup mayonnaise
juice of one lemon
¼ cup raisins
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Shred carrots and apple with food processor using shedding disc or by hand with a box grater.
Combine carrot, apple, celery, and raisins in medium bowl, toss to combine. Add mayonnaise, lemon juice and fold into ingredients until well blended. Add kosher salt and pepper to taste.

Endive, Frisee, Radicchio, Pecan and Blue Cheese Salad with Port Vinaigrette

We had a little dinner party for our 5th grade teacher, Mr. C.  It had to be special so I knew I had to put this salad on the menu!  The recipe comes from famous Washington, D.C. chef, Ris Lacoste.  She had it on the menu when she was the chef at the restaurant 1789.  My sister Amelia had this salad at 1789 and asked for the recipe.  I have adapted it to my tastes.  I know you will love it just like we do!

Endive, Frisee, Radicchio, Pecan and Blue Cheese Salad with Port Vinaigrette

3 heads endive

1 head frisee, separated from the stem, cleaned and spun dry

1 small head of radicchio, cut into ½ inch bands

6 oz port vinaigrette (see recipe below)

½ cup pecans, toasted (click here to see how to toast nuts)
9-12 oz blue cheese of your choice

Arrange leaves of endive around the edge of a large platter. Toss together the frisee, radicchio, pecans and some of the port vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper and add more dressing, if necessary. Always be careful not to overdress. Drizzle a bit of dressing on each endive leave and place the salad mix in the center of platter at the base of the endive leaves. Sprinkle salad with crumbled blue cheese to taste.

Port Vinaigrette

(makes about 3 ½ cups)

2 cups port

1 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

2 shallots, diced

2 ¼ cups olive oil

Reduce 2 cups port to ¼ cup. When working on a reduction the liquid must be at a slow simmer for (in this case) about 20-30 minutes.  If you bring liquid to a full boil the liquid will reduce too quickly and not create the thick syrup that you need for this recipe. 

Combine reduced port, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard and shallots in a non reactive bowl (glass or ceramic). Whisk ingredients together and then emulsify with a steady drizzle of olive oil. Taste for balance before all of the oil is added. More or less oil may be needed depending on the acidity of the vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. The vinaigrette will last a month (or more) in the refrigerator.

Tuna Salad Two Ways

 

My kids love tuna salad sandwiches for lunch.  I do, too!  Who doesn't?  Here are two of our favorites.  As you may have guessed, the type of  tuna you choose will alter the flavor greatly. For tuna salad I like Tonno -this is solid light tuna from Italy packed in olive oil.  I drain the oil but the tuna is still very moist and retains flavor from the oil.  You only need a little bit of mayonnaise as a binder.  If you are used to making your tuna salad with tuna packed in water you will really see a difference in flavor --I think superior.  Won't you try it and see?

Tuna Salad Two Ways

6 cans of Tonno tuna or combination of Tonno and Albacore

2 to 4 ounces of sharp cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes

1/4 cup of dark raisins

1 lemon, halved and juiced

2 small stalks of celery, slices thin

1 Tablespoon fresh Dill, chopped

2-4 Tablespoons mayonnaise

Drain oil from tuna cans and using two bowls empty three cans into each bowl.  (15 ounces per bowl.)  Add 1 or 2 tablespoons mayonnaise to each bowl and using a fork mix into the tuna.  Add the raisins and cheese to one bowl and mix to combine.  Add the juice from the lemon, celery, and dill to other bowl and mix to combine.  I DO NOT add salt or pepper.

I prefer the Genova brand but Cento was all I could find today and it is a fine 2nd choice.  You can also mix in some albacore.  Again, try to choose albacore packed in oil.

Caprese Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes

Does it get any better than this?  A new Whole Foods opened up near my house.  Of course I was there for the Grand Opening  at 10am this morning!  The first item that caught my eye were some organic plum heirloom tomatoes.  I smelled them and the aroma was wonderful.  I knew right then that we would be having a Caprese Salad with our dinner tonight.  My kids love the taste of balsamic vinegar and this salad has plenty of it.  I was also the lucky recipient of a very special bottle of Olive Oil.  My good friends Ann and Gerry gave me a bottle of EOLIA Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  Their daughter lives in Chicago and they purchased the olive oil from a specialty store there called TA-ZE.  Let me tell you, this olive oil is really something!!!  It is from Turkey --which surprised me and according to the TA-ZE website their olive oil is made from olives grown in Turkey's Aegean region.  Here is another link to the type of oil that Ann and Gerry gave me as a gift --it is called EOLIA!  Delicious!

Claire's Caprese Salad

Equal amounts of tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil leave, chiffonade (cut into thin strips)
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar

In this example the picture shows a salad that serves 4-6 people.  I cut up three medium size tomatoes and about 6 ounces of fresh mozzarella cheese.  The key is to cut the tomato slices into a similar size as the cheese slices.  I usually use about 10 nice, medium size basil leaves for this amount.  I use 2 or three turns of the pepper mill and about 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt.  I am guessing that I pour about 2 tablespoons of both vinegar and olive oil over the salad.  You can make this several hours in advance and let it sit at room temperature until ready to serve.  This is also wonderful on a crusty baguette!