Peach Basil Mozzarella Salad

This week's (belated) recipe is a rendition of Heather Ross's Peach and Basil Salad, published in Weekend Sewing: More Than 40 Projects and Ideas for Inspired Stitching .

While she stacks the fruit, cheese and basil, I simply chop mine and toss with the dressing.  Also, I use golden balsamic vinegar so that the vibrant oranges and reds retain their gorgeous color.

Seems fitting to make this salad - look at my camera strap!  I've been taking photos of salads for weeks with Heather Ross's fabric around my neck.  It's about time I featured her salad too.

I have had this fabric in my stash for years.  It is one of those treasured cuts that doesn't often get used in my sewing room because I don't want to run out!  It is a special project, a bit of pampering, to use this fabric. 

In case you love her fabric too, here's a hostess apron in my etsy shop made out of her adorable "Lightning Bugs and Other Mysteries" fabric.

I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do - just like the fabric, it is such a treat!

Sweet, Salt and Tang Salad

This week, I'm serving up a bit more of a traditional salad.  We eat A LOT of salad in our house and so it's always nice to find new combinations of flavors and ingredients to keep the rotation fresh.  This week's salad has sweet pear, salty blue cheese, and tangy lemon vinaigrette topped with a surprise sweet caramelized walnut.  It couldn't be much easier to make, but definitely elevates your daily salad a notch or two.  

You will need:

• olive oil
• lemon
• pear
• blue cheese crumbles
• walnuts
• salad greens
• (not pictured) butter and brown sugar

Wash and place salad greens in bowl.

Mix in blue cheese crumbles.

Slice pear into thin slices.

Place in bowl with greens and cheese.  If you are plating individual salads, you could arrange pear slices on top of greens afterwards.  Set aside.

To make the lemon vinaigrette:
Mix 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice with 4 1/2 tablespoons olive oil.
Set aside.

To make the caramelized walnuts, you will need:

• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

Place all ingredients into a skillet and heat over medium-high heat.

Stir occassionally to ensure all walnuts are coated.

When butter and sugar have melted and coated the walnuts, spread them on a sheet of waxed paper to cool (and try not to eat them all!).

When walnuts have cooled, toss with remainder of salad and dressing.  Alternatively, you can toss salad greens, blue cheese and dressing only.  Then, plate the salad and garnish with the pear and walnuts.

Enjoy surprising your friends and family with this unassuming yet plethora-of-tastes salad.

Watermelon Feta Salad with Mint

For this week's recipe, I'm serving up something new in my salad repertoire.  I've seen this salad at different picnics and have been intrigued.  What follows is a compilation of many recipes, and makes for one very easy, quite unique salad.  As a simple girl, I love the fact that I can create such an interesting salad with only a few ingredients - one of which is growing rampant in my yard!  (No complaints, though - that fresh mint also goes very well in a fresh mojito!)

For this Watermelon Feta Salad with Mint, you will need:

• 10 cups cubed watermelon (approx. 5 lb)
• 1/2 c. mint (approx. 40 leaves)
• 2 limes (oops!  are there three in the photo?)
• 1 c. crumbled feta
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1/2 t. kosher salt

Measure out 1/4 c. oil and pour into small bowl.

 

Juice two limes and pour into oil.

 

Measure a generous 1/2 t. salt and pour into oil/lime juice mixture.

 

Whisk together and set aside.

 

Now, to prepare the watermelon - does anybody else find it tricky to turn an oval into small squares?  I figured out this method to get the most even-sized cubes.

First, cut off the end of the watermelon.

 

Quarter the watermelon.

 

From the top of each quarter, make 1 inch slices down.

 

From each of these pieces, cut along the rind and remove.

 

Lay the remaining piece flat and cut 1 inch lengths.

 

Then, cut across these with more 1 inch cuts.

 

Repeat for the remaining quarters of watermelon - lovely 1 inch cubes of watermelon!  (If your watermelon is extra juicy, you can strain in a colander before mixing the remaining ingredients.)

 

Here's a handy way to cut your mint, too!  Rinse and dry approximately 40 leaves.

 

Stack your leaves (about 20 at a time) and pinch tight.

 

Use your kitchen shears to cut across the leaves to create thin strips.

Sprinkle your cut mint over the watermelon.

Sprinkle the feta over the watermelon.

Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss to coat. 

 

There you have it!  A simple summer treat that perfectly blends sweet, salty, citrus and spice for such a flavor explosion!  Try it with some spicy grilled chicken.

Have fun surprising your friends with something new and different!



Sweet and Savory Cranberry Chicken Salad

With two vegetarian options already in the Summer Salad Series, I thought it was time to add a little meat to the mix.  I am the only real meat eater in the house - hubby being vegetarian and the kids being picky-tarians.  I love to make this salad (especially if I have left over chicken) as a quick lunch or dinner option for myself.

To make it, you'll need:

 

• 3-4 cooked, cooled chicken breasts *
• pecans
• dried cranberries
• mayonnaise
• garlic powder
• Italian seasoning

* I just tried a new way to cook chicken breast, and the meat came out very tender - line a baking sheet with parchment paper, lay down the chicken, cover with another sheet of parchment and fold edges in.  Cook at 425 degrees for 25 minutes (for 5 chicken breasts).

 

Dice chicken into 1/2 inch pieces.

 

Add 1 cup cranberries and 1 cup pecans to chicken.

 

Sprinkle a scant 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning and 1 1/2 teaspoons of garlic powder into the bowl.

Add mayonnaise to taste and mix together.  I actually do not like mayonnaise too much, and the other flavors carry their own weight, so I choose to use about a 1/4 cup - just enough to hold the ingredients together.

Let the salad sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour so the flavors can blend. 

Serve on its own, or on a bed of baby spinach or farm fresh spring mix.  Enjoy!



Fresh Summer Corn Salad

Welcome to week 2 of the Summer Salad Series!  This week, I'm sharing my mom's Fresh Summer Corn Salad.  If you have left over corn-on-the cob, this is the salad for you!  The bright yellow corn accented with reds and greens make this salad as good to look at as it is to eat. 

For approximately 8 servings, you'll need:

• six ears cooked corn
• one green pepper
• one red pepper
• one cucumber
• one scallion
• 1/2 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
• small bunch of dill
• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

First, remove the cooked kernels of corn from the cob.   

This gadget is a life saver - it adjusts to the cob size, and then you push down.

A nice, clean cut!

Break up any chunks of corn.

 

Cut the tops of the red and green peppers and remove the seeds.  Slice each pepper in half, and then into 1/2 inch strips.

 

Then, dice the strips into 1/2 inch pieces.  Add to corn.

 

Slice the scallion and add to corn.

 

Next, peel the cucumber.  Cut in half, and then quarter each of these halves.  Remove the seeds and dice into 1/2 inch pieces.  Add to corn.

 

Cut the tomatoes in half and add to corn.

 

Finely chop dill and measure about 1/6 cup.  Add more or less to taste.

 

With all your vegetables chopped and in the bowl, you are ready to make the dressing.

 

Pour 1/2 cup olive oil over salad and toss to coat.  Then, add 2T 2t (almost 3 whole T) balsamic vinegar and mix again.  Add salt and pepper to taste (notice no pepper in my photos - not a fan).  Let salad sit 1-2 hours to marinate.

 

 Enjoy your fresh summer corn salad!  This is a great dish on its own, or along side chicken or steak. 

Since making it this afternoon, I have been craving grilled chicken! 

Click HERE to print the recipe.

Happy eating!