Romanesco Salad
Bright Romanesco florets are tossed with an equally vibrant red wine vinaigrette, plus red onions, celery and capers in this fabulous salad from food blog Simple Recipes.
Ingredients:
2 heads Romanesco
2 stalks celery
½ large red onion
1 cup loosely-packed fresh parsley
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Dressing:
1 clove garlic
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
½ anchovy, minced (optional)
¼ cup high-quality olive oil
Method:
1. Cut Romanesco heads into quarters, stalk to tip. Cut out the tough core and any outside green leaves. Cut again lengthwise. Place into a steamer basket in a pot with about an inch of water. Sprinkle the Romanesco florets with a little salt. Bring water to a boil. Cover and steam until just tender, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove Romanesco florets from steamer, place into a bowl, and chill.
2. Thinly slice the celery and red onion. Place the red onion slices in a bowl and cover with water. Set aside.
3. Smash the whole clove of garlic (not cut, just smash with the flat side of a chef’s knife) and place in the bottom of a small bowl. Add the vinegar and salt, stir to dissolve the salt. Add the minced anchovy if using. Whisk in the olive oil.
4. Break up the wedges of Romanesco into smaller chunks of florets. Place into a large serving bowl. Add celery, onions (drained of the water), parsley, capers, and lemon zest. Remove the garlic clove from the dressing and add dressing to the salad. Toss to coat with the dressing. Let marinate for at least 15 minutes, preferably an hour. (It’s even better left overnight.) Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper to serve.
Pink Radicchio Salad with Red Pears
This winter salad is incredibly crisp and colorful.
Ingredients:
1 head pink Rosalba radicchio, halved, cored, and cut into 1 1/2-inch-wide strips
1 red D’Anjou pear, cored and thinly sliced
For dressing:
½ cup high-quality olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
Fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Place the radicchio in a large bowl.
2. To prepare vinaigrette: Whisk olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic together, seasoning with fresh ground pepper to taste.
3. Drizzle about half of the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to incorporate, then add more as desired. Top salad with the pear slices. Add more fresh ground pepper over if needed.
Variations: Feel free toss in a few handfuls of arugula, toasted pecans and even crumbled blue cheese into this salad to make it a main course dish.
Mediterranean-Inspired Spring Salad
The light and bright salad is extremely versatile; toss in your favorite salad ingredients!
Ingredients:
4 cups mixed spring salad greens, such Little Gem and Cegolaine
1 slicing cucumber, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
4 mini peppers, seeded and chopped
1 cup Kalamata olives
¾ cup feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons fresh oregano or other fresh herb of your choice, stripped of stems and chopped
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Place the greens, peppers and cucumber all in a bowl. Mix in the olives.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, oregano, and salt and pepper, and pour over the salad to coat. Toss well then sprinkle with feta cheese.
Cherry Tomato, Cucumber & Mint Salad
This low-maintenance salad is light and bright—perfect for a picnic!
Ingredients:
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup crème fraîche
¼ cup minced shallots
¼ cup finely chopped mint
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Freshly ground pepper
Method:
1. In a colander set over a bowl, toss the cucumbers with the salt and let stand for 1 hour. Rinse the cucumbers and pat dry.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the crème fraîche with the shallots, mint, lemon juice and zest and a generous pinch of pepper. Add the cucumbers and tomatoes, toss to coat and refrigerate for a few hours. Stir the salad just before serving.
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.
Cucumber & Snap Pea Salad
This crisp salad will cool you down on a hot summer’s day.
Ingredients:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly-chopped parsley, chives and mint
1 cucumber, sliced
¾ pound snap peas, trimmed and halved
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Whisk together the yogurt, vinegar and fresh herbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Fold in the cucumber and snap peas. Refrigerate for up to 8 hours.
Beefsteak Tomato Salad
Simple to make, but big on taste, this salad is all about the quality of the ingredients, so use the best you have.
Ingredients:
3 ripe beefsteak tomatoes
3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
3 tablespoons high-quality olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh herbs, such as parsley and marjoram
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together red-wine vinegar and olive oil; stir in shallot and herbs.
2. Core tomatoes; cut each into 8 wedges and place in a serving bowl. Drizzle with dressing, and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Cara Cara Orange & Sunflower Shoot Salad
This crisp, citrus-kissed salad is both bold in flavor and beautiful in presentation.
Ingredients
- 1 Cara Cara orange
- ½ pound sunflower shoots
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 fennel bulbs, quartered, cored and thinly sliced, plus a handful of the fronds
Vinaigrette
- 1 shallot, peeled and minced
- â…“ cup freshly squeezed juice from a Cara Cara orange
- â…“ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¾ cup olive oil
- Sea salt salt and fresh ground pepper
Method
- Spread the salad greens out on a large, round serving platter to make a bed.
- Using a sharp paring knife, cut the tops and bottoms off the orange. Stand oranges up and slice to remove the peel and membrane. Then, slice oranges crosswise into thin wheels.
- Arrange the orange on top of the salad greens, overlapping the slices slightly. Then layer on the fennel slices. Scatter the onion slices on top of the salad.
- Drizzle vinaigrette over the salad and then season with ground pepper if desired.
Summery Orzo & Corona Bean Salad with Arugula
This orzo salad is always a hit; feel free to swap your favorite summer produce in!
Ingredients:
1 cup orzo pasta, cooked according to package directions
1 cup canned Corona beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup canned artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
¼ cup each orange and red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 cups arugula greens
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
3.tablespoons chives, snipped
¼ cup golden raisins
¼ cup currants, plumped in hot water and drained
Dressing:
¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ cup white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar and garlic, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Toss the cooked orzo and beans with the dressing. Let cool.
2. Add the remaining salad ingredients, tossing lightly to distribute evenly. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (This can be prepped up to a day in advance, though wait to add the arugula until just before serving.)
Quinoa Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumber & Coriander
This tabbouleh-inspired salad is fresh and light thanks to an infusion of summer produce and herbs.
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half and quarters if large
1 large cucumber, seeds removed, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 small shallots, minced
½ cup green coriander leaves, roughly chopped
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Combine quinoa, 2 cups water and a large pinch of salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stir, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 7 minutes. Shut off heat and let rest until water is absorbed, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer quinoa to a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold water until thoroughly chilled. Let drain for 10 minutes.
2. While quinoa cooks, combine tomatoes and cucumbers in a colander. Season with salt and toss to coat. Let drain in sink until ready to combine with quinoa.
3. In a large bowl, toss drained quinoa, drained tomatoes and cucumbers, shallots, parsley, mint, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, or for best flavor, let rest overnight in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Salad can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.