SUMMER SALADS WITH FRESH CORN

• Blackberry Corn Salad – the one berry that stays fresh the longest.
• Caprese for a Party – How did I never think of this years ago.
• Corn, Avocado Salad, Tomato, Black Eyed Peas – the salad that almost feels like a meal.
• Grilled Corn and Tomato Salad – if you insist on grilling the corn, this is a fun one.

By the way my most popular post of summer for the last three years is THIS FRIED CORN RECIPE.

SUMMER SALADS WITH RAW VEGGIES– Salads that take you right through the fall.

• Broccoli Salad with NO sugar dressing.
• Purple Cauliflower Salad with walnut vinaigrette
• Shaved Cauliflower Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette
• Red Cabbage Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette
• Triple Crunch Cabbage Salad with Marcona Almonds

SUMMER SALADS FOR A CROWD WITH ADDED FRUIT

• Cole Slaw with Blue Cheese and Apple
• Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
• Spinach Salad with Grilled Nectarines
• Blackberry with Baked Goat Cheese Salad
• Strawberry Arugula Salad
• Swiss Chard, Nectarines, Toasted Pecans

ITALIAN SALADS (make ahead)

• Italian Potato Salad with Green Beans
• Tuscan Kale

Last by not least, enjoy these Summer Cocktails

Bonus Idea

• Bruschetta

As simple as this is, there are ways to get it right and get it wrong. When done right, it disappears fast and you’ll want to make more right away.

The post Summer Salads for a Crowd appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Enjoying food with friends and or family is hard to beat.

In former years I have written here about the rise of twitter, etc. ruining dinner parties, but now that sentiment seems so yesterday, as instagram and tik tok have high-jacked relationships with relationship-removed entertainment.

I am not saying anything that hasn’t been said a million times, as most of us take our hands and throw them up in the air in as if to say “this is now our world and nothing can stop it,” while holding tightly to our phone. But wait.

I want to give you something to think about.

When we’re on social media, watching people (like me) cook on reels, salivating over amazing images of all kinds of food that often feels unreachable, my question is who eats that food. Is it all show to get the like, the following, and then they eat alone, or is it that these people have real lives, real friends and there’s going to be a party or a dinner somewhere in their delicious part of the world that we only get to watch?

So shouldn’t you (and I ) stop watching so much and get to cooking, AND INVITING others. Yes, we should, and the party wedge salad for a crowd is one of those recipes that even the novice cook that pull together.

I recently took this to my church group gathering and it received rave reviews and they loved the homemade blue cheese dressing. I highly encourage you to make your own (free of soybean or canola oil). Even if you decide to serve bottled dressings, the idea of the help yourself wedge salad is an affordable winner.

The wedge salad board for a crowd does two things.

• It mimics both a salad bar and a charcuterie board. People love both.
• It gives people a healthy choice at a party that is both delicious and satisfying.

Make the Wedge Salad Bar for the Season

Along with organic iceberg lettuce, you get to pick the accompanying ingredients. You can add or subtract ingredients according to what is in season. Corn for summer, chopped hard boiled egg at any time.

Spring /Summer Wedge

• Tomatoes or try chopped nectarines
• Corn (taken fresh off the cob, not cooked)
• Chopped toasted nuts
• Bacon (every season)
• Cheddar cheese (why not)
• Hard Boiled Egg (option)

Fall Wedge

• Apples or Pears
• Cheddar
• Toasted Almonds
• Bacon

Winter Wedge (Recipe Here)

• Replace fruit with Pomegranate arils
• Pistachios

How to Cut the Wedge

I used organic iceberg lettuce, and cut each head into four wedges. Restaurants serve a much bigger piece, but for the wedge salad board, keep the pieces small enough for everyone to feel free to grab. They can always go back for seconds.

Make Your Own Blue Cheese Dressing

To understand blue cheese, you might want to understand what blue cheese is and what kind of blue cheese to buy. I either use gorgonzola or roquefort.

• Gorgonzola is an Italian cow’s milk cheese, tangy, and can be either sharp or mild, named after the town of Gorgonzola, in Italy.
• Roquefort is a French sheep’s milk blue cheese, and is the strongest of the blue. It is a protected European Union designation of origin, meaning, only blue cheese produced in the caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon can be legally called Roquefort cheese.

It’s been my experience that some blues are much stronger than others and sometimes you don’t really know what you’re buying. Just make sure to buy a whole piece and not those crumbles in the grocery store. RECIPE FOR BLUE CHEESE DRESSING HERE.

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More Salads from Spinach Tiger to Take to a Party

• The Pot Luck Kale Salad Everyone Loves
• Make Ahead Asian Slaw with Ginger Dressing
• Most Requested: Shaved Cauliflower Salad
• Party Caprese Salad
• Festive Kale with Butternut Squash

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Blue Cheese Wedge Salad Board

Classic Blue Cheese Wedge Salad or Try it with a twist, with homemade blue cheese dressing, and various toppings, depending upon the season.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 heads organic iceberg lettuce
• blue cheese dressing Recipe Here
• 4 slices bacon Oven Baked Recipe
• 1/4 cup chopped tomato
• 4 tablespoons cheddar cheese shredded
• 1 corn on cob

Instructions

• Arrange wedges on platter or individual plates. Cut each head into 4 servings.
• Arrange on board or large platter.
• Remove corn off cob (uncooked).
• Chop tomatoes in small bite sized pieces.
• Make Bacon Crumble into small pieces.
• Arrange toppings in small bowls, either on board or a different board.

The post Wedge Salad Board for a Crowd appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

The wedge salad  is very retro (circa 1950’s)  and I’m seeing it on a lot of menus lately. As much as I like a kale salad, I don’t want one every day.

Speaking of retro, have you watched the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel yet? It’s been out for a few years now, but was in season 3 when I first posted this wedge salad recipe.

The wit, the clothes, the storyline, the pace, are enticing in this absolutely original take on a New York Jewish housewife in the 1950’s who has it all, and then stuff happens. Of course, that “all” is defined by 1950’s Jewish mothers who want son-in-laws, grandchildren and close proximity.

This amazon original is just as refreshing and accessorized by proper twists and turns as this festive wedge salad.

Lately I’ve been on a wedge salad kick, ordering them everywhere I go. Typically, made with crisp iceberg lettuce, blue cheese and bacon, the wedge hits all the right notes, when I’m hungry and want salty yet refreshing

In my holiday version of the wedge salad, I add pomegranates and chopped pistachios for a festival holiday feel, bringing yet one more texture and color to the mix.

In a wedge salad summer version, I use fresh tomatoes and possibly some hard boiled eggs and fresh corn.

Sometimes I use a blue cheese vinaigrette; sometimes I make a homemade creamy blue cheese dressing.

I like to throw blue cheese crumbles in my shallot vinaigrette, but sometimes I long for a creamy blue cheese dressing like the one I made here. 

I  used a gorgonzola cheese which is an Italian blue cheese, a little more crumbly,  but not really that much different from other blue cheese.

What I Most Love about the Classic Party Wedge and Blue Cheese Dressing.

Iceberg lettuce gets a bad rap, and for so long has been the lettuce to make fun of, but I’m bringing it back to the table with gusto. The number one reason I love the wedge is that it’s can be a meal. It takes a long time to eat, and I like that. It can handle creamy dressings far better than most lettuces.

There’s a lot of crunch with the wedge and the bacon and a lot of umami satisfaction with the blue cheese. It’s also refreshing at the same time.

Iceberg lettuce has a high water content yet doesn’t wilt easily. It can sit high on a plate smothered in blue cheese vinaigrette or blue cheese dressing and stay crisp. Or the wedge can be the  height of luxury with homemade blue cheese dressing.

It’s the perfect thing to serve at a party! Don’t you just love this slate plate? You can order it here.

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Assemble Your Own Party Wedge Salad

The great idea for a brunch, lunch or dinner, is to allow people to assemble their own wedge. You can set out a bowl of crumbly blue cheese next to the dressing. There are always people who hate the blue, so set out cheddar and ranch for them. Everyone can be happy.

You can serve individual wedge salads on a platter with dressing applied or on the side.

So tell me do you make a salad for your parties? I always do.

Similar Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
• Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
• Blue Cheese Purple Potatoes
• Blue Cheese/Apple Cole Slaw
• Blue Cheese Bacon Biscuit Sandwich
• Grilled Peach Salad with Blue Cheese

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The Wedge Salad Recipe with Variations for a Crowd

Classic Wedge Salad or Try it with a twist, with homemade blue cheese dressing, and various toppings, depending upon the season.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 head iceberg lettuce
• blue cheese dressing Recipe Here
• 4 slices bacon Oven Baked Recipe
• 2 hard boiled eggs Recipe Here
• 1/4 cup pomegranate arils or chopped tomato
• 1/4 cup chopped pistachios
• 2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
• sliced radishes

Instructions

• Arrange wedges on platter or individual plates. Cut into 4 pieces for large sized servings or six pieces for party wedges.
• Top with dressing, followed by toppings.
• You can switch the toppings out as you see fit.
• Top with crumbled blue cheese.
• Serve immediately

The post The Blue Cheese Party Wedge Salad Recipe appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

These salads for dinner are substantial enough, yet easy enough to pull together. You can make various substitutions as needed. For example switch out chicken for salmon on the Greek Salad and shrimp for crab on the Crab Louis. I included Asian Slaw and you can add grilled chicken or grilled shrimp for an outstanding salad. I also included my summer wedge salad which can be a meal in and of itself.

Salads for Dinner

• Summer Wedge – Corn, Bacon, Tomato with homemade blue cheese dressing.
• Asian Slaw – A medley of veggies with a great ginger dressing. Add grilled shrimp.
• Taco Salad – With the best taco salad dressing.
• Spinach Salad with Grilled Peaches – Add grilled chicken breast or rotisserie chicken. Fall in love with a peach vinaigrette.
• Shrimp Avocado Tomato Salad – This can be put together fast, but feels like slow food.
• Kale Greek Salad with Salmon – Add Lemon Dressing, Olives, Feta.
• Salad Nicoise – with Seared Tuna, Shallot Vinaigrette. Feel free to replace this with canned tuna.
• Crab Louis – With the best remoulade dressing. Feel free to replace crab which is pricey with steamed shrimp.
• Big Mac Salad – It’s all in the right sauce.

The post Salads for Dinner in August appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

McDonald’s actually makes their sauce with sweet pickles and sugar, but this is my version and I think it is the best big mac sauce around.

Today I give you my version of Big Mac Sauce for either a large big mac salad, a big mac burger, or big mac bowls. You could even make big mac tacos on flour tortillas or my grain free tortillas.

The Best Big Mac Sauce Recipe

It is not the thousand island type dressing one sees on many burgers. It is different in that it is not tomato based.

• 1 cup Mayonnaise (I prefer Better Body Foods (no canola oil and has a tang).
• 3 tablespoons Dill Pickle, diced
• Dill Pickle Juice (splash)or white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Yellow Mustard
• 2 tablespoons Sweet Onion, very fine dice
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Paprika

How to Make the Original Big Mac Burger

Two grilled flat patties, melted cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce and lots of this sauce and a triple bun. You can still do that, but I’m opting more for a big mac salad.

What is the Best Mayonnaise?

There is no substitute for Better Body Foods Mayonnaise and it makes everything better, including this sauce. According to Amazon I’ve purchased this mayonnaise 19 times already. Unlike most avocado based mayonnaise, this one has a lot of zest and flavor.

Big Mac Salad with Big Mac Sauce

• lettuce
• shredded cheddar cheese
• tomatoes
• pickles
• Big Mac sauce
• Tomatoes (optional addition)

Related Recipes

• Keto Chicken Tenders would be great with the sauce
• Remoulade Sauce
• Taco Salad Dressing
• Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

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Big Mac Sauce

Big Mac Sauce with Big Mac Salad

Course Salad and Salad Dressing

Cuisine American

Keyword Big Mac Salad, Big Mac Sauce

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Sauce Time 10 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup mayonnaise Better Body Brand (amazon)
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 3 tablespoons dill pickles finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons onion finely chopped
• splash pickle juice or white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

Big Mac Salad

• 6 cups lettuce
• 1 pounds ground beef
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• Big Mac Sauce as needed

Instructions

Big Mac Sauce

• Make sure pickles and onion are very finely chopped.
  
• Mix together with all ingredients.
  

Big Mac Salad – Two Ways

• There are two ways to serve this salad.
• You can make small burger patties, top with thin slices cheddar, allow to melt, and place on salad and serve with sauce, extra pickles.
• Cook crumbled ground beef (season with salt and pepper) and place on salad with shredded cheese, sauce, extra pickles (optional chopped tomato).
  

The post Best Big Mac Sauce Recipe with Big Mac Salad appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

The very next day I replicated this salad adding in lemon pasta, feta cheese, tossed with a very lemony dressing. Trader Joe’s sold a lemon pasta for a while which was perfect to add and complimented the feta cheese perfectly. At the last minute I added in some tomatoes for color. I would have included some olives if I had some on hand.

I am known for my salads, because I always make my own dressing and have mastered the what lettuce goes with what type of dressing thing. It is a thing. For example, if you want to mix a pasta and feta cheese with lettuce, a heartier lettuce such as romaine works best. The crunch and bite from romaine lettuce compliments the bite of an al dente pasta.

Green Salad with lemon salad dressing is a versatile salad, but I especially like how a briny feta cheese fits right in. Since pasta is on the bland side, a strong cheese works well. You could also use slivers of parmesan cheese or crumbled blue cheese as a substitute.

You can make this an entree salad by adding pulled chicken or salmon.

Feta Cheese

As I wrote in my olive feta appetizer post, look for a feta cheese sitting in brine that is 100% sheep’s milk. Not all feta is alike, and you may seem crumbled feta sold in your grocery store. Usually a pre-crumbled feta is tasteless, and doesn’t add much to a dish.

More Salads from Spinach Tiger

• Wedge Salad Bar with Homemade Blue Cheese
• Asian Slaw with Ginger Dressing
• Taco Salad with Special Dressing
• Crab Louis with Remoulade
• Caprese Party Salad
• Kale Salad with Apple and Sweet Potato (our most popular of all)

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Green Salad, Lemon Dressing

Salad with Feta, Pasta, Lemon Dressing

Course Salad and Salad Dressing

Cuisine American

Keyword green salad, lemon salad dressing

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

• 10 cups romain lettuce 2 bags Italian Lettuce Mix
• 4 ounces feta cheese (in brine)
• 10 grape tomatoes sliced in half, cross-wise
• 1 cup cooked pasta such as penne, corkscrew
• Lemon Dressing as needed

Lemon Dressing

• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 lemon juice and zest
• sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1/4 red wine vinegar or champagne or white vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

The post Green Salad, Lemon Salad Dressing Recipe appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

What is Crab Louie?

Crab Louie referred to as the king of salads is made with crab, covered with a creamy dressing and often accompanied by asparagus and hard boiled eggs.

It was created on the West Coast, made with dungeness crab, and a dressing of mayo/ketchup mix. Recipes have been found in cookbooks as early as 1910.

I grew up eating Crab Louie made with blue crab as I lived on the east coast. It was often served with thousand island dressing or a remoulade. I prefer the remoulade for its complex flavors and think the dressing is just as important as the quality of the crab.

Blue crab is expensive, but rich and goes a long way. The crab meat is sweet and tender and not like any other crab. I would not use an imitation crab meat for this salad. If you can’t get crab, use shrimp for a shrimp louie salad.

Crab Louie salad often includes steamed, cold asparagus, hard boiled eggs, avocado slices, and cherry tomatoes. I made my own remoulade because it adds exciting flavor to the crab and the hard boiled eggs.

What are ingredients for Crab Louie?

• Lettuce
• Blue Crab (can use crab of choice or replace with shrimp)
• Asparagus
• Avocado (How to Peel avocado)
• Hard Boiled Eggs
• Tomato
• Remoulade or a Creamy Thousand Island Dressing

Crab Louie is an elegant, old school salad and a nice surprise for a summer dinner.

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Crab Louie with Remoulade Sauce

Blue crab, lettuce, asparagus, remoulade is an elegant dinner salad.

Course Salad and Salad Dressing

Cuisine American

Keyword blue crab, crab, remoulade, ricotta salad

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Hard Boiled eggs 20 minutes minutes

Servings 2 Servings

Ingredients

• 3 cups Salad Greens Romaine, Butter Lettuce
• 8 ounces blue crab
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 6 stalks asparagus
• 1 avocado sliced
• 2 hard boiled eggs peeled, sliced
• 1/2 cup Remoulade Remoulade Here
• Cherry Tomatoes as desired

Instructions

• Trim asparagus and put in boiling water for 6 to 8 minutes. Place in ice bath to maintain bright green and to chill for salad.
• Arrange lettuce on platter.
• Add crab to middle, accompanied by tomato, hard boiled eggs, avocado, asparagus.
• Serve with Remoulade. You can serve with other creamy dressings such as thousand island or green goddess. Add tomatoes if desired.

The post Crab Louie Salad with Remoulade appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

If you need to have the perfect salad to offset a spicy Indian dinner, a grilled nectarine (or peach) salad with peachy vinaigrette and toasted almonds is perfect. Perfect because the juicy, sweetness of the fruit and the boost of flavor from the blue cheese works well with any rich, fatty food or spicy food. You can use nectarines or peaches, because they are practically the same fruit.

The difference between nectarines and peaches is basically the peach fuzz. Nectarines carry a recessive (no fuzz) gene and this is how nectarines have come to be. Did you know that sometimes a peach tree will produce a nectarine fruit and sometimes a nectarine tree will produce a few fuzzy peaches.

I intended this to be just a peach trio, but I planted a nectarine tree, and to my great surprise I got fruit the first year, against all odds and bad conditions. Armed with peaches and nectarines for my challenge, I made everything and took it to a dinner party where my neighbors, who are from India, were making Tandori chicken, Rice byriani and a very spicy green chile yogurt sauce. It was all delicious, and at the end of the night, hardly a bite of food remained.

This Peach salad was the star of the entire evening, even beating my peach tart and amazing skillet blueberry cobbler, not to mention the seconds and thirds of chicken and rice that people were eating. This salad was so good, that we all found ourselves fighting over the last few bites using our fingers to grab pieces out of the main bowl.

How to Grill Nectarines and Peaches.

The first thing I had to decide was how to cut the fruit. Keeping the skin on, I made knife cuts across the fruit all the way around and pulled each ring off. This results in beautiful pieces that have that gorgeous red ring in the center. I brushed them with a a mixture of olive oil and chile paste for a little zing and grilled at high heat about four minutes a side (you may have to do less, depending on the fruit). The recipe for grilling fruit is here.

Assembling the Salad

The most important thing in a salad is getting the dressing right and premixing. Nothing irks me more than to go to a nice restaurant and be served a salad with a dressing on the side. A salad must be tossed thoroughly with dressing, but not to much dressing, so it takes practice to get it right. I am absolutely adamant that a salad will never be as good with dressing on the side as a tossed salad, and I always toss my salad about twenty minutes ahead of the dinner.

Enjoy this peach salad with blue cheese and a peach vinaigrette at your next barbecue or along side a spicy chili.

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Grilled Nectarine or Peach Salad with Blue Cheese, Toasted Almonds, Peach Vinaigrette

A peachy salad with blue cheese, grilled fruit, perfect alone or as a side for a spicy dish.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 peaches or nectarines
• chili paste
• 1 head Romaine lettuce
• 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
• 1 – 2 ounces of crumbled blue cheese
• grilled peaches found here

Peach Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup mimosa champagne vinegar can use white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon peach jam or jelly
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup lemon olive oil can use regular olive oil
• sea salt
• freshly ground back pepper

Instructions

• Grill nectarines or peaches. If you don’t have a grill, place under broiler on high for five minutes.

Peach Vinaigrette

• Mix together vinegar, mustard and jelly. If you don’t have peach preserves or jam, you can use fresh peach slices, grilled first.
• Mix peach preserves with vinegar and mustard. Mix in mini blender.
• Slowly add the olive oil, while whisking, or put all in jar and shake.

Assemble Salad

• Wash and dry romaine lettuce. Tear into pieces about 2 inches or bite size.
• Mix lettuce with crumbled blue cheese and most of toasted almonds, saving both a little bit of blue cheese and almonds for garnish on top.
• Add dressing, just enough to wet the lettuce, using hands.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Arrange grilled fruit on top with a little crumbled blue cheese and toasted almonds.
• Serve.

Notes

Note: This salad is also delicious served at room temperature and is great for taking to a pot luck or dinner. Dress salad, and garnish with fruit, cheese and nuts right before serving.

The post Grilled Peach Salad with Blue Cheese, Toasted Almonds, Peach Vinaigrette appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Did you ever get into something late in the game like a television show in its last season?

I’m a big Monk fan, but way behind the trends, I only became a fan during the second to the last season. Then over the next year or so, I caught up and watched all the episodes.   While I enjoyed the obsessive compulsive Mr. Monk, I didn’t have to live with him, and could just enjoy the brilliance in the way he saw what others didn’t see, noticed the little nuances, and always solved the murder. He never missed anything, and at the end of the show left viewers satisfied.

Caught behind the trends is exactly how I feel about this roasted salad. I am known in my circles as the salad queen, so how did I not know people were roasting salads. Sure, I knew they were roasting radicchio and sometimes romaine lettuce, but a spring mix?

I did not know.  And, just like binge watching my favorite shows, I am now obsessed with this salad, making different versions of it over and over. I’m also paying attention to the nuances.

There are up 14 different greens in a bag of spring mix, which is usually made up of baby lettuces and baby greens. When roasted together, it works like a salad orchestra that has practiced well.

I was hoping for better pictures, but I’ve been battling a bout of pneumonia and not much energy to cook. This is one of the few things I’ve prepared so far this year. When I first saw the idea in Food and Wine Magazine, it was the picture that captured me. The cheese had melted just right over the lettuce and I became intrigued.

Use as much or as little of the cheese when you make this, but do use a good Pecorino Romano. It the right mix of saltiness for the greens.

I used to think spring mix was boring, but roast it up and you can actually taste and appreciate each of the different lettuces in the mix.By the way did you ever wonder what all the lettuces are? For the first time, I took a look at the bag.

In a typical bag, you might find:

Baby Lettuces: Lollo Rosa, Tango, Red and Green Oak, Red and Green Romaine, Red Leaf Parella,

Baby Greens: Tatsoi, Mizuna, Red and Green Chard, Frisee, Baby Spinach, Radicchio.

This is an amazing mix of greens, something before this post I never paid much attention to.

It’s obvious that spring mix is nutrient packed, because each type offers its own special benefit. The only advice I might offer is to buy organic when you can if you are buying spring mix, but most importantly, buy it fresh. Look for moisture in the bag, which you don’t want. Examine the mix thoroughly, buy it only a day in advance if not the day you’re making it.

I first saw this salad in Food and Wine Magazine and I adapted it to my liking, but it was all their idea. I’ve made it for two separate sets of friends and they all loved it. It was on our Christmas Eve table with pomegranates. It was a brunch with poached eggs another day.

A few ways I’ve enjoyed this salad:

Topping with a perfectly poached egg or two.

Topping with pink grapefruit. Roast the grapefruit with the lettuce, brushing balsamic vinegar on it first. This idea worked out amazingly with the juiciness of the grapefruit with the crunchiness of the nuts.

Topping with cooked bacon, or better yet some crispy pancetta. Add the grapefruit to this idea and it’s double good.

Varying the nuts: Toasted almonds or pinenuts.

Adding dried fruit, especially dried cherries if you have access to them.

So tell me, have you ever roasted a salad before?

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Roasted Salad of Spring Greens, Hazelnuts, Pecorino

Adapted from Food and Wine Magazine, roasted spring mix comes alive with hazelnuts, and melted pecorino cheese.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Author Angela Roberts, adapted from Food and Wine Magazine

Ingredients

• 1 bag of fresh spring mix about 6 cups
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1 -2 ounces pecorino romano cheese
• 10 hazelnuts toasted, chopped
• drizzle of good balsamic vinegar
• Sea Salt
• Black pepper
• pomegranate arils optional

Instructions

• Mix olive oil into the greens with your hands. You will find you need very little when you do this. Toss with vinegar, salt pepper.
• Arrange on shallow baking dish. Place thin slices of pecorino cheese and chopped hazelnuts as much or as little as you like.
• Roast for 5-6 minutes at 400 degrees.

The post Roasted Salad of Spring Greens, Hazelnuts, Pecorino appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

It’s Farmer’s Market Season in the Nashville area. Our Franklin Farmer’s Market. The warm weather has hastened the season and last Saturday was like a day in May instead of March.

I am excited to bring together three of my favorite local farmers with the creation of a honey goat cheese salad dressing and a garden bowl of fresh lettuce. The honey is from Delvin Farms; the goat cheese is from Nobel Springs Goat Dairy Farm and the lettuce bowl is from Rainbow Hill Farms. We don’t have a large season for local lettuce in Tennessee, but when we do, I’m grateful to the farmers that produce it.

Have you ever had lettuce growing in your kitchen?  Me neither, but this gorgeous salad bowl, featuring several types of local lettuces is sitting on the counter, and each day looks like a bunny (that would be me) has gotten to it. Having all this local lettuce at my fingertips called for a very special treatment, and, thus honey goat cheese salad dressing was born. Goat cheese and honey are natural partners and I stayed with a southern twist, using apple cider vinegar and a non-flavored grapeseed oil. It’s pungent and goes very well with the addition of apples or pears.

Not all goat cheese is created equally. I’ve written about Nobel Springs Dairy before featuring this beautiful FrenchTomato and Goat Cheese Tart. Since then, I’ve made my favorite appetizer, Golden and Red Beet  Goat Cheese Crostini,  a goat cheese cupcake that I have not yet posted, (stay tuned) and a pasta with goat cheese that is also on the way.

Nobel Springs Dairy is minutes from my house and I’ve had the luxury of a personal tour. There is an open house coming up on April 22, from 11:30 – 2:30 and if you are in the area, I urge you to go see this beautiful 230 acre property and meet the goats.

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Local Lettuce, Honey Goat Cheese Salad Dressing

Local goat cheese and local honey make this a surprisingly tasty salad dressing.

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 4 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil
• 2 tablespoons goat cheese I used the spread, not the log

Instructions

• Put all ingredients in blender and blend.
• If doing by hand, start with mustard and honey. Add in vinegar, until thoroughly mixed.
• Whisk oil a little at a time.
• Whisk in goat cheese a little at a time.

The post Local Lettuce, Honey Goat Cheese Salad Dressing appeared first on Spinach Tiger.