Summer isn’t over yet!  This was another potluck summer find recipe for us (thanks Bennys for another good one, that was delightfully surprising).  You know, the surprise with this dish was a treat because it was a new take on an old classic (or maybe the other way around and I’m not aware).  We loved the hint of basil against the sweetness of this unique fruit salad. The mozzarella balls add an interesting texture to the fruit salad because the taste is definitely a subtle taste that mixes well with the fruit and basil.

Fruit Salad with Mozzarella Recipe

from Southern Living

Ingredients

• 3 cups peeled, coarsely chopped fresh peaches (about 1 1/2 lb.)
• 1 (8-oz.) tub fresh small mozzarella cheese balls, cut in half
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 3/4 cup Lemon Poppy Seed Salad Dressing (see dressing recipe below)
• 4 cups seeded and cubed watermelon
• 4 cups cubed honeydew melon
• 3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 2 cups seedless green grapes, cut in half

You can toss the peaches, mozzarella, and basil together with the dressing and then serve this fruit salad. Then arrange the fruit in layers in a Trifle dish.  OR you can mix everything together with the dressing and serve.

Homemade Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing Recipe

• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

This is a tasty salad, a bit time consuming, but worth it.  Potlucks are some of the best places to catch a new recipe worth your time, so thanks Tee for this one.  You have to blanch the Brussels sprouts first and then peal them off as leaves to put into the salad.  Then you mix all the right stuff from arugula to almonds and Parmesan together for a hearty and crunchy salad.  It’s a hit!

Brussels Sprouts & Arugula Salad Recipe ->

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup freshly lemon juice
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels Sprouts
• 2 cups baby arugula
• 1 head Belgian endive, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (or any other green leaf lettuce or not all!)
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted OR Toasted Pepitas
• 1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan

Wash and remove outer leaves of Brussels sprouts.  Boil water and add the Brussels sprout leaves for 1 minutes.  Then drain the Brussels sprouts in ice water to blanch them.  Then place cooled Brussels sprout leaves on a paper towel to drain.  Mix Brussels sprouts, arugula, endive, almonds, and cheese.  Add dressing and toss!

Recipe adapted (just slightly) from Giada De Laurentiis

First off, I LOVE this salad! It is now my favorite way to eat greens.  I’ve made it three times in two weeks.

Feed your kids greens early on … as a salad, and it just might stick … so I’ve heard! At least this is what some photographer friends in Santa Cruz told me who recommended the recipe.  They were eating Carob, given to them by their parents, a generation before I was.  Thinking nothing of it, they said, kids like this salad too.  I started laughing, thinking to myself, not a chance I would have been excited about eating greens as a kid unless it was seamlessly slipped-into my Ohio, kid diet as a cold salad that has a bit tougher lettuce and that had no description that it was kale.  I mean, we flipped out when my mom made stuffed peppers for dinner as kids.  A story about a cousin who grew up in California came to mind when thinking about kids eating kale.  This cousin had eaten such healthy, organic food as a kid that when his parents were forced to stop by KFC and get him some fast food one time, he threw up!  Don’t worry, when I moved out to CA, I corrupted him by introducing him to loaded baked potatoes.

• TASSAJARA KALE SALAD vs. ESALEN KALE SALAD

In terms of these two variations on the cold kale salad, I would recommend combining aspects of both.  I over salted the Tassajara Kale Salad the first time but liked the fruit aspect, ginger, honey, and lemon dressing in this recipe but would add the sprouts, red onion, and nuts from the Esalen Kale Salad recipe in the future.

KALE IS SO GOOD FOR YOU!

For Recipes —->

Tassajara Kale Salad with Radish, Apple, Avocado, & Sunflower Seeds Recipe

from Edward Brown’s The Complete Tassajara Cookbook

• 12-15 leaves dinosaur kale
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon sea salt (BE CAREFUL WITH SALT – CAN BE TOO SALTY)
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice (one whole lemon)
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• Black or red pepper
• 1 apple, cut into small cubes
• 6 radishes, rounds
• 1 avocado, chunks or slices
• 1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds

* Variations:

• Oranges or pears, dried apricots, or cranberries instead of apples.
• Instead of honey: Pomegranate molasses, jams/jellies.
• In addition to Sunflower seeds: Add toasted pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds.

Rinse off the kale, Cut crosswise into 1/4 inch pieces, including stems if using dinosaur kale. Sprinkle on 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and begin to squeeze the kale and salt vigorously with your hands so that the kale softens and moisture begins to sweat out. Taste it to see if you need any more salt, which you probably will. Massage the kale until it’s moist and tender.

Mix together the lemon juice, honey, and ginger, and combine with the kale. Toss together. Slice up the apple into small chunks, the radish, the avocado, add the roasted sunflower seeds and some pepper–toss it and serve. Amazing!

*to roast sunflower seeds, put into a shallow pan, preheat your oven onto 350 degrees F and bake for 10-15 minutes. For lighter a roast, 10 minutes, for a darker roast, 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Esalen Kale Salad Recipe

from Esalen Cookbook

Serves 4 to 6

• 1/3 cup Bragg Liquid Aminos or tamari soy sauce
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup flax seed or extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium- sized red onion (rings or longer strips)
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 lb. fresh kale
• 1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts
• 1/2 cup sunflower sprouts
• 1 avocado, cut into 1/2″ inch cubes (optional)

* Can also add ¼ cup dried cranberries

Combine the Bragg or soy sauce and lemon juice in a blender or whisk in a bowl. Slowly drizzle in the oil as the blender turns or as you whisk vigorously. Slice the onion into thin half moons and marinate in the dressing as you prepare the rest of the salad.

Toast the seeds in a toaster oven or in a heavy bottomed pan (cast-iron is the best) over medium heat until seeds are just golden and fragrant. Toast each seed type separately as their size requires varying roasting times. Cool to room temperature.

Destem the kale. Slice kale leaves into 1/4 inch ribbons (very important!)

Toss the seeds, spouts, and kale with the onions, and as much dressing as necessary to lightly but completely dress the kale. Thoroughly massage the kale with your hands.

This salad recipe got me thinking, are favorite dishes or recipes those that you could eat over and over everyday (regardless of calories)? If so, this salad will be on my favorites list for this year and it is only February.  This salad has really grown on me, so much so, that I desire it at every meal where our cousin’s are present.  In this family we eat salad at the end of the meal,  so by the time you are done eating everything, with this salad, you are actually craving it.  Cousin C says this is a variation on a salad his mother made growing up and then he also saw a variation of it at Esalen in Big Sur when he worked there.  Now we can all try and make it.  I think Bragg Liquid Aminos (made from health-giving, NON-GMO soybeans and purified water) is one of the secret ingredients here.  Another fun part of this salad is that you can really add or take away ingredients based on what you have in the fridge as long as you have the onion, lettuce, and the dressing ingredients.

Cousin’s Salad Recipe

Serves 4 as a side salad

Salad:

• 2 cups of Romaine Lettuce
• 1 cup of Arugula
• Dried Cranberries
• Sweet and Spicy Pecans (from Trader Joe’s or an alternative)
• Grated Parmesan (Raw Parmesan from Trader Joe’s or an alternative)
• Avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
• Red Bell Pepper, sliced
• Red onion, sliced
• Cilantro, coarsely chopped

Dressing:

• 6-8 TBSP of Olive Oil – per cup of lettuce (2 TBSP per cup of lettuce)
• 3 TBSP of Bragg Liquid Aminos (1 TBSP per cup of lettuce)
• 3 tsp of Balsamic Vinegar (1 tsp per cup of lettuce)
• Garlic powder, sprinkled over top of salad
• Squeeze Lemon juice of 1/2 lemon over-top of salad

Preparation:

Prepare all salad ingredients and place in a large salad bowl.  Toss together.  Then sprinkle dressing ingredients over-top of salad and mix well again. Serve!

Sunset Magazine recipes are the go to place to find a recipe when friends are coming over and you don’t have time to try the recipe the week before. I really trust Sunset Magazine’s recipes because they always test them to ensure their quality and they always have flavor and spice.

For the holidays this year, a friend got me the Sunset Cookbook.  There are so many recipes in it worth trying that it will take me years to get through all of them.  This recipe has great flavor and can be eaten for dinner on salad and for lunch the next day in a sandwich.  Don’t skimp on the Jalapeno, you need at least 2-3 TBSP to feel a bit of heat.  Also, this chicken salad is half the harm utilizing Greek Yogurt for half of the Mayo.  Um, the flavor is partially acquired from the white and dark meat of a rotisserie chicken!

Lemon Cashew Chicken Salad Recipe

From Sunset Magazine Online

1. In a medium frying pan over low heat, toast cumin and coriander seeds until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer seeds to a spice grinder and process until finely ground. Zest lemons and set aside zest. Juice 1 lemon and set aside 3 tbsp. juice.

2. Melt butter in the frying pan over medium heat. Add ginger, jalapeño, and salt. Cook until jalapeño is soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, stir together mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, ginger-jalapeño mixture, and ground spices. Add cilantro, green onions, and chicken; stir to coat well with dressing. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Sprinkle with cashews and serve.

A few weeks ago I was inspired to recreate this Mexican salad after I had a version of it at Tacubaya, a tasty upscale Taqueria in Berkeley and the casual sister restaurant to Dona Tomas.  This salad is great because it’s crunchy, tangy, and versatile.  You can eat it on a weeknight as a main dish when you’re on a diet, use it as a base for a taco salad, as a relish for fish tacos or pulled pork sandwiches, or just as a side dish for any Mexican entree such as Chili Rellenos or Enchiladas.

Oh, I got a new photo-toy for photographing food for the blog!  It is called a Photo Softbox Light Tent!  It should be fun to see what we come up with. What do you think so far?

Mixed Cabbage Salad with Pumpkin Seeds, Avocado, and Lime Vinaigrette Recipe

• 1/2 head red cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1/2 head green cabbage, thinly sliced
• 2 cups salad herb mix (any mixed organic salad greens are good)
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 3 carrots, shredded
• 1  red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2  cup chopped fresh cilantro

• Optional: 1 Jalapeño or serrano chile pepper, minced

• 1/2 cup Pepitas (pumpkin seeds), toasted
• 2 Avocados, cut into bite-size pieces

Mix all Cabbage ingredients in a large salad bowl.  Toss salad well with Lime Vinaigrette.  Put the dressed cabbage mixture on each plate and top with toasted Pepitas and sliced avocados.  Serve!

Lime Vinaigrette Recipe:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar OR red wine vinegar

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Salad Description @ Tacubaya:

Ensalada de Primavera- mixed greens, shredded cabbage, carrots, red onion and avocado tossed in a lemon vinaigrette, sprinkled with toasted pumpkin seeds.

Are you still on your New Year health kick?  We have been able to keep our food baby bellies pretty quiet so far even though we have cut back on carbs and booze.   The reason we have been able to keep the grumbling to a minimum is because we haven’t sacrificed flavor for healthy food, this time around anyways!  This recipe is a perfect example of flavor trickery on your health-o-meter.

This is one of those recipes that we just added to our, “Impress your Friends at a Dinner Party, Recipe Card Box” because it is that good!

Over the holidays we made this North African Lemon Dressing from the Tassajara Cookbook and paired it with a Mixed Herb Salad and served it with a Foret Saison Farmhouse ale.   I had read that you should pair Saison Farmhouse ale with spicy sausages and meats.  For a vegetarian pairing I picked this salad recipe because of the spice kick to the dressing, from the cayenne, and it did hold its own with a great Belgian beverage.

North African Lemon Dressing Recipe

from the Tassajara Cookbook

• 2 cups mixed mescalin salad greens
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 2 cups arugula
• 1/8 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, large leaves coarsely torn
• 1/4 cup fresh dill
• 1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley
• 3-4 scallions, chopped

This is a California salad that I made for our first thanksgiving on the West coast.  Each year, it is requested by friends as being one of their favorites.  There are so many recipes for using persimmons such as cookies, cakes, puddings, salads, and dried fruit roll-ups.  My next experiment will be a Persimmon Pudding in the fashion of our Brazilian friends Passion Fruit Pudding.  Can you juice a persimmon? Hmmm….

Hachiya: Deeper orange color, sweet and slightly tangy, and you want to wait until they are liquidy-ripe and or else they will be bitter (these are my favorite choice for the salad).

Fuyu: Are short and squat, and a bit firmer than the Hachiya, with a honey sweetness when ripe.

Pomegranate Persimmon Salad with Endive and Sherry Dressing Recipe

You can use the common Hachiya (also called Japanese persimmon and kaki) or Fuyu persimmons, just make sure they are ripe.

A Recipe From Cooking Light

This salad recipe is a restaurant recreation based on a salad that I had at Big Sur Bakery and Restaurant in June.  It was awesome!  This is definitely one of my favorite recipes of the summer, so far.  I looked in the Big Sur Bakery Cookbook and realized that the peach and mache salad was based on the Field Greens Salad with Pecans, Croutons, and Ranch Dressing recipe + garlic in the dressing, peaches in the salad, and Feta cheese but no croutons.

Peach, Feta, & Mache Salad with Creamy Garlic (Ranch) Dressing

Serves 10

* You can limit the salad greens you use based on what you have.  I used radicchio, butter lettuce, and mache.

• 2-3  peaches, sliced with skin on
• 2 heads frisee
• 1 head of raddachio, torn into bite sizes
• 1 head butter lettuce
• 2 heads of Beligian endive
• 2 handfuls of mache

• 6 oz. crumbled Feta cheese
• +pecan halves (optional)

Big Sur Bakery Ranch Dressing (+ Garlic)

• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons creme fraiche
• 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
• 1/2 cup homemade mayonnaise (see instructions below)
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 whole scallion, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon minced chives
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

For dressing combine buttermilk, creme fraiche, and vinegar in a spouted measuring cup.  Put the mayonaise in a bowl, and slowly pour in the buttermilk mixture while whisking vigorously.  Add the shallots, scallions, parsley, and chives, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Let the dressing sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

* I added garlic to this recipe, about 3 cloves minced.  The dressing on the salad at BSB was called a Creamy Garlic Dressing.  The next night I took what was left over of the ranch dressing and added Gorgonzola to it to create a blue cheese style dressing for an apple fennel salad.

Homemade Mayonnaise

• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 cups rice bran oil or canola oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

To make mayonnaise in a food processor, put 1 tablespoon water, the egg yolks, a few drops of lemon juice, and the Dijon Mustard in the processor.  With the processor running, gradually add a few drops of the oil.  Continue adding the oil in a thin stream-you want to do this slowly to ensure that the oil is fully emuslified into the yolks from the get-go.  Once you’ve incorporated about 1 cup of the oil (the mixture should be very thick at this point), add another tablespoon of the water and a few more drops of lemon juice.  Season with the salt and pepper, and continue to slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup oil while the processor is still running on high speed.  Transfer the mayonnaise to a glass jar or plastic container until ready to use.

The mayonnaise will keep for up to 3 days under refrigeration.

I am getting better and better at creatively throwing together the ingredients that I randomly have in my refrigerator with the last of my CSA food box veggies.  Sometimes the concoctions are somewhat edible and sometimes there is a tasty recipe that comes out of googling various ingredients in order to compile a worthwhile creation to share!  And yes, I am behind on the CSA food box weeks but I am still keeping the week numbers in sequence to make myself feel better.   This is a great summer salad and I actually made a Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe from the Big Sur Bakery Cookbook instead of the dressing with this Serious Eats Recipe below.  I will list the Meyer Lemon Dressing recipe in the next post.  It is a total California recipe and it adds additional uniqueness locally grown goods to this salad.

CSA Food Box Ingredients:

• Beets
• Arugula
• Avocado

Beet, Avocado, and Goat Cheese Salad Recipe

Adapted from Serious Eats

Dressing:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon honey
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Salad:

6 medium cooked beets
6 cups baby arugula, or normal arugula roughly torn
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted then coarsely chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries or dried cherries (I didn’t have these)
1/2 avocado, pitted and cubed
3 ounces goat cheese, coarsely crumbled

Procedure

1. Whisk together vinegar, shallots, and honey in a bowl, then whisk in the oil slowly to make a vinaigrette. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If using raw beets, quarter and toss in the vinaigrette and roast until cooked and gently caramelized, about 15 minutes.

2. Toss arugula, walnuts, cranberries, and cooked beets in remaining vinaigrette. Arrange on plates, top with avocado and crumbled goat cheese, and serve.