Taco Salad

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Grade: B
Make Again: Yes
Recipe Source: Best 30-Minute Recipes 

This was a simple (and not terribly exciting) recipe.  You make a taco filling and add the extras.  It was good and I'd make it again when I had the ingredients on hand.  I baked up tortilla chips instead of using fried chips.  I also made a lighter dressing with salsa.

Hoisin Chicken Salad

Total Time: 35 minutes

Grade: C+

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Best 30-Minute Recipes

I know I took a picture of this, but I can't find it. So much for my new photo organization.

This salad was fine, and simple, but not quite worth the effort. I think there are other chicken salads I would go for first before this one. I did adjust the dressing to use less oil and that probably made it less tasty. It was a little too vinegar-y.

Apple and Chicken Sausage Salad

Total Time: 25 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Best Light Recipe

I only make this about once a year, but it is really, really good. It was one of the completely brand new (as far as I know) recipes from the Best Light Recipe. (Many of the recipes were reworked from original CI recipes.)

I used an Apple Chicken sausage from Trader Joes with a little bit of maple flavoring and they worked really well with this salad. I skipped the walnuts, because I don't like them, and there was plenty of flavor, crunch and interest in this salad without them.

Grilled German Potato Salad

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Prep/Cook Time: 35 minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: ??

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (July 2001)

This was OK, but ends up being more work than I think it should. I think I will probably stick to the poblano version which is a little more exciting. Also, for a nice potato salad with red potatoes, the French Potato salad is really good and fairly light.

Roasted Chicken and Bread Salad

Prep Time: 19 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Grade: A+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: The Best Chicken Recipe

I normally wouldn't give a recipe an A+ until I had made it a few times, but I know this one is a real winner for me. It was incredibly easy to make, and delicious.

My bread did overcook just a bit, but that was because my chicken took longer than expected and the pieces were not all under the chicken. I used a demi-baguette from Trader Joe's which had lots of crust. It might work better from a larger loaf with less crust.

My only wish is that I could find a way to make this on the grill, because I won't want to be roasting chicken too much this summer. The beauty of this recipe is cooking the chicken on top of the bread, so I'm not sure how that would work.

The recipe was inspired from Zuni Cafe Cookbook's (I'll try to remember to post the link later to that recipe when I can find it.)

I do think I could skip the pine nuts altogether. I love pine nuts, but they seemed to get lost in the salad and I didn't notice them. So I'm not sure they are worth the calories. I forgot to add the shaved parmesan, and I think that is the addition that is probably worth it.

I will definitely be making this one again!

Crisp Goat Cheese Salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes (without potatoes)

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (March 2003)

I love goat cheese, and I really like this salad. CI has a goat cheese salad recipe too, but it is more complicated, and I'm not sure it is worth the extra effort.

This recipe calls for red potatoes, to make more hearty, I guess, but I don't always include them. I usually put it on baby spinach, which is my favorite for salads.

As usual, I made this a little lighter with less oil - less for brushing on cheese disks and less in the dressing. I use about half the oil in the dressing and usually use some water instead, to cut the dressing otherwise it is too strong.

Zucchini and Chickpea Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (July 2005)

I have modified the recipe quite a bit, to make it lighter, and to use Zucchini instead of Eggplant. The original recipe called for Mint, and I use fresh Oregano.

Roasted Zucchini Salad

4-5 medium zucchini, 1/2" dice
2 1/2 T. olive oil, separated
salt
pepper
3 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. fresh oregano, minced
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 oz feta cheese, crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Toss diced zucchini with 1 T. olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place on foil lined heavy pan. Roast
3. Roast zucchini for 30 minutes, tossing once or twice.
4. Mix olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 pepper in large bowl. Add chickpeas, zucchini and feta and toss to combine. Serve warm or cold.


Update: There is also a curry version of this salad with peas, which I tried. I don't like this one as much, so I will stick with the chickpea feta version of zucchini salad.

Black Bean and Couscous Salad

Prep Time: 14 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes (quick and easy for a hot summer day.)

Recipe Source: CI's bulletin board from Nancy, via Crystal, I think :-)

I modified it slightly to use a little less oil and so I could only open up one (slightly larger) can of black beans

Black Bean and Couscous Salad
1 cup uncooked couscous
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
8 scallions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped (I used jarred roasted)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 (20 ounce) cans black beans, drained
salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring chicken broth to a boil in a 2 quart or larger sauce pan and stir in the couscous. Cover the pot and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar and cumin. Add green onions, red pepper, cilantro, corn and beans and toss to coat.

3. Fluff the couscous well, breaking up any chunks. Add to the bowl with the vegetables and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Wilted Spinach Salad

spinach-salad2
Originally uploaded by vg123.

Prep/Cook Time: 28 minutes

Grade: A+

Make Again: Yes







I combined and adjusted recipes from Cook's Illustrated magazine and the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. This has a slightly lighter dressing with less fat used and no sugar, which I don't find is needed with the sweetness of these ingredients.

It is really my favorite way to make a salad with baby spinach.

Wilted Spinach Salad
Makes 3 - 4 large servings.

3 eggs
2 slices bacon, minced
9-12 oz baby spinach
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
salt
ground pepper
1 1/2 T. Balsamic vinegar
1 T. Water

1. Hard boil the eggs. Put in saucepan with water and 2 t. salt over high. When water starts to boil, turn off heat, cover and let sit 10 minutes. Set in cold water when done. Peel eggs and cut into quarters.

2. Meanwhile, saute bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes.

3. Remove bacon with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

4. Pour off all fat except 1 T.

5. Saute onion in fat with olive oil and 1/4 t. salt for a few minutes, until softened.

6. Add water, vinegar and pepper to taste off heat.

7. Combine spinach and dressing in a large bowl. Top with bacon bits and egg quarters.