Romaine Salad with Blue Cheese & Hazelnuts
Drizzled with our creamy housemade dressing, this crisp salad is topped with fresh blue cheese and earthy, toasted Northwest hazelnuts for a flavorful finish.
Ingredients:
1 head baby romaine lettuce
½ cup chopped hazelnuts
½ cup crumbled Westward Blue cheese (included in box)
Westward Blue cheese dressing (included in box)
Method:
1. Wash lettuce and pat dry with paper towels. Trim root section and cut head in half lengthwise.
2. Pile greens on a serving platter and top with chopped hazelnuts and crumbled blue cheese, then drizzle with dressing. Season with fresh ground pepper to taste.
Romaine Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing & Roasted Hazelnuts
The salad makes for an excellent accompaniment to this week’s Butternut squash soup.
Ingredients:
1 head Romaine lettuce
F&L blue cheese vinaigrette
½ cup roasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
Fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Wash Romaine lettuce and drain, patting dry with a paper towel. Remove the core end of the lettuce, and coarsely chop the greens.
2. Place the lettuce in a large bowl and drizzle with the dressing, scattering the roasted hazelnuts over the top. Season generously with fresh ground pepper and serve.
Variation: This salad is also wonderful with chopped bacon bits!
Warm Beet Salad with Blue Cheese & Hazelnuts
Topped with blue cheese and toasted hazelnuts, this flavorful salad is incredibly beautiful.
Ingredients:
Roasted beets, sliced and still warm from the oven (see recipe)
1 head each Little Gem, baby Romaine and Butter lettuce, rinsed, patted dry with a paper towel and coarsely chopped
1 cup raw hazelnuts
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
½ cup high-quality olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
Fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. To toast hazelnuts: Preheat oven to 350°. In a baking pan toast hazelnuts in one layer in middle of oven 10-15 minutes, or until lightly colored and skins are blistered. Wrap nuts in a kitchen towel and let steam 1 minute. Rub nuts in towel to remove loose skins (don’t worry about skins that don’t come off) and cool completely. Coarsely chop.
2. To prepare vinaigrette: Whisk olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic together, seasoning with fresh ground pepper to taste.
3. To assemble the salad: Arrange lettuce on a large platter and then top with beet slices. Top with crumbled blue cheese and chopped hazelnuts, then drizzle with the vinaigrette.
Summer Roasted Vegetable Salad with Smoked Chicken & Blue Cheese
This room temperature salad is both crisp and refreshing, topped with all-natural smoked chicken.
Ingredients:
1 pound mixed summer greens, such as escarole, frisée and Cegolaine baby red butter lettuce, washed
½ pound fingerling potatoes, scrubbed clean and sliced in half
½ Vidalia sweet onion, peeled and sliced into rounds
½ pound Tokyo Market turnips, washed, peeled and quartered
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
2 red radishes, washed and sliced into thin rounds
½ pound smoked chicken, shredded
½ cup Westward blue cheese, crumbled
For dressing:
¾ cup cup olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
Fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400°. On a sheet pan, tossed potatoes, turnips and sweet onions with 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, seasoning well with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
3. To serve, line salad plates with a bed of summer greens, topping each with a helping of cooled vegetables. Then, top with a helping of smoked chicken and a smattering of sliced radish. Drizzle each salad with desired amount of dressing and crumble blue cheese over top. Grind additional pepper over each as desired.
Roasted Beet Salad with Raspberries & Hazelnuts
Tossed with our Cara Cara orange vinaigrette, this showpiece salad boasts beautiful color.
Ingredients:
1 bunch Chioggia beets, cleaned and trimmed
4 cups water
½ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup sugar
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly shaved crosswise, fronds reserved
4 cups loosely-packed salad greens, washed and patted dry with a paper towel
F&L Cara Cara orange vinaigrette
¼ cup goat cheese
½ cup fresh raspberries
¼ cup toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place beets in a large roasting pan and pour over water, red wine vinegar, sugar and 1 tablespoon salt. Cover with parchment and foil. Roast until just tender, they should be easily pierced with a knife, about 40 minutes. Peel beets under cool water. Cut into quarters.
2. Toss the roasted beets, fennel, fennel fronds, and greens with about ½ cup of the dressing. Plate dressed greens. Season with more salt and pepper if necessary, garnish with the raspberries, goat cheese and hazelnuts and serve.
Savory Roasted Squash, Two Ways
After roasting, this side is topped with either fresh thyme, honey and walnuts, or hazelnuts and blue cheese, for a spectacular finish.
Ingredients:
1 fall squash of your choice, such as Delicata, seeded and quartered
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for drizzling
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
For Honey-Herb Topping:
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
¼ cup toasted walnuts, chopped
For Blue Cheese Topping:
¼ cup crumbled blue cheese
¼ cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Place squash quarters skin side down on a heavy baking sheet and brush flesh generously with olive oil using a brush. Sprinkle each piece with salt and pepper, and bake for 30-40 minutes until squash is tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool just slightly.
2. For honey-herb topping: Transfer squash to a serving dish and brush lightly with additional olive oil before sprinkling the pieces with fresh thyme and walnuts, finishing with a healthy drizzling of honey. For blue cheese topping: Transfer squash to a serving dish and brush lightly with olive oil before sprinkling blue cheese and hazelnuts over each piece of squash.
Blue Cheese & Pear Salad with Arugula Greens
Tossed with a light balsamic vinaigrette, this crisp salad is both bold and beautiful.
Ingredients:
4-6 cups arugula greens
1 D’Anjou pear, cored and thinly sliced
½ cup blue cheese, crumbled
¾ cup olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic until well combined. Season to taste with salt and ground pepper.
2. In a large serving bowl, combine arugula greens and pearl slices. Toss with about half of the vinaigrette, adding more to taste as desired. Crumble blue cheese over top and serve.
Fall Green Salad with Apples, Blue Cheese & Dried Cranberries
This beautiful salad is light and fresh, a perfect pairing for fall’s heartier pastas, risottos and soups.
Ingredients:
4 cups salad greens, washed and patted dry
1 cup radicchio, cored and thinly sliced
1 apple, cored and diced
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
¾ cup walnuts
¼ dried cranberries
F&L apple cider-honey vinaigrette
Fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In large bowl combine the greens, radicchio and apple slices. Drizzle about ¼ cup of the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to incorporate, then add more as desired. Top salad with crumbled blue cheese, walnuts and dried cranberries. Add fresh ground pepper over if needed.
Frisée Salad with Apricots & Hazelnuts
This salad is amazing with pretty much any stone fruit, from plums to peaches.
Ingredients:
1 medium head radicchio, torn into bite-size pieces
1 medium head frisée, torn into bite-size pieces
2 apricots, pitted and cut into thin slices
¼ cup hazelnut oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
½ cup roasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In a large bowl, whisk the hazelnut oil with the red wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
2. Add the radicchio and frisée and toss until coated. Add the apricots slices, goat cheese and hazelnuts, season the salad with salt and pepper, toss gently and serve.
Roasted Beet Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette
Tossed with our housemade vinaigrette, this showpiece salad boasts beautiful color.
Ingredients:
1 bunch red beets, cleaned and trimmed
4 cups water
½ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup sugar
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly shaved crosswise, fronds reserved
4 cups loosely-packed salad greens, washed and patted dry with a paper towel
F&L blueberry vinaigrette
¼ cup queso fresco cheese, crumbled
½ cup fresh blueberries
¼ cup toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Place beets in a large roasting pan and pour over water, red wine vinegar, sugar and 1 tablespoon salt. Cover with parchment and foil. Roast until just tender, they should be easily pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes. Peel beets under cool water. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
2. Toss the roasted beets, fennel, fennel fronds, and greens with about ½ cup of the dressing. Plate dressed greens. Season with more salt and pepper if necessary, garnish with the blueberries, queso fresco cheese and hazelnuts and serve.