Tag: salad

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Chickpea Salad

Rachael Ray 30 minute meals

Ingredients

  • 2 cans chickpeas (15 ounces each), rinsed and drained
  • 1 small red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
  • A few ribs celery and leafy tops, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced or grated, then grinded into a paste with salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons rosemary, finely chopped (a few sprigs)
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Combine the chickpeas with the onions, peppers, celery, garlic, crushed red pepper and rosemary in a medium size bowl. Dress the salad with the red wine vinegar, EVOO, salt and pepper.

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Greek Salad

Why This Recipe Works

Most versions of Greek salad consist of iceberg lettuce, chunks of green pepper, and a few pale wedges of tomato, sparsely dotted with cubes of feta and garnished with one forlorn olive of questionable heritage. For our Greek salad, we aimed a little higher: We wanted a salad with crisp ingredients and bold flavors, highlighted by briny olives and tangy feta, all blended together with a bright-tasting dressing infused with fresh herbs. For a dressing with balanced flavor, we used a combination of lemon juice and red wine vinegar and added fresh oregano, olive oil, and a small amount of garlic. We poured the dressing over fresh vegetables, including Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers, as well as other ingredients, including fresh mint and parsley, roasted peppers, and a generous sprinkling of feta cheese and olives.

 

Ingredients

Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano leaves
½ teaspoon table salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 medium clove garlic, pressed through garlic press or minced (about 1 teaspoon)
6 tablespoons olive oil

Salad

½ medium red onion, sliced thin (about 3/4 cup)
1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices (about 2 cups)
2 hearts romaine lettuce, washed, dried thoroughly, and torn into 1 1/2-inch-pieces (about 8 cups)
2 large vine-ripened tomatoes (10 ounces total), each tomato cored, seeded, and cut into 12 wedges
¼ cup loosely packed torn fresh parsley leaves
¼ cup loosely packed torn fresh mint leaves
6 ounces jarred roasted red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 by 2-inch strips (about 1 cup)
20 large kalamata olives, each olive pitted and quartered lengthwise
5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (1 cup)
Nutritional Information

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Per Serving (Serves 6)

  • Calories 244
  • Cholesterol 21 mg
  • Fat 20 g
  • Sodium 532 mg
  • Saturated 5 g
  • Carbs 11 g
  • Trans 0g
  • Dietary Fiber 3 g
  • Monounsaturated 12 g
  • Sugar 5 g
  • Polyunsaturated 1 g
  • Protein 5 g

Instructions

Serves 6 to 8

Marinating the onion and cucumber in the vinaigrette tones down the onion’s harshness and flavors the cucumber. For efficiency, prepare the other salad ingredients while the onion and cucumber marinate. Use a salad spinner to dry the lettuce thoroughly after washing; any water left clinging to the leaves will dilute the dressing.

1. Whisk vinaigrette ingredients in large bowl until combined. Add onion and cucumber and toss; let stand to blend flavors, about 20 minutes.

2. Add romaine, tomatoes, parsley, mint, and peppers to bowl with onions and cucumbers; toss to coat with dressing.

3. Transfer salad to wide, shallow serving bowl or platter; sprinkle olives and feta over salad. Serve immediately.

Per Serving:

Cal 180; Fat 14 g; Sat fat 3.5 g; Chol 10 mg; Carb 8 g; Protein 5 g; Fiber 2 g; Sodium 600 mg

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Brussels Sprout Salad with Warm Brown Butter Vinaigrette

salad

From Cook’s Illustrated | November/December 2015

Why this recipe works:

Our Brussels sprout salad is dressed in a warm bacon (side note, no bacon in the original recipe either so I’m not sure about this comment) vinaigrette that gently tenderizes the sprouts while letting them retain their fresh, mustardy flavor. Bites of quick-pickled shallot add pop to the salad. We dress the salad in the skillet before transferring it to a serving bowl.

Serves 6

A food processor’s slicing blade can be used to slice the Brussels sprouts, but the salad will be less tender.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 shallot, halved through root end and sliced thin crosswise
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned, and chopped
  • 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved, and sliced thin
  • 1 1/2 cups baby arugula, chopped
  • 4 ounces Manchego cheese, shaved into thin strips using vegetable peeler

 

Instructions

  1.  Whisk lemon juice, mustard, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt together in bowl. Add shallot and cranberries, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and microwave until steaming, 30 to 60 seconds. Stir briefly to submerge shallot and cranberries. Let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
  1. Melt butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add hazelnuts and cook, stirring frequently, until butter is dark golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Off heat, whisk in shallot mixture. Add Brussels sprouts and arugula and toss with tongs until dressing is evenly distributed and sprouts darken slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to serving bowl. Add Manchego and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.