VMBURNS: After Cleo Coyle shared her Franch Dressing, I started to crave a salad. Yet, no matter what I do, my salads just aren't that special. Why is it when I make a salad at home, it never tastes as good as when I get it at a restaurant? Is it just me? I recently tried to recreate a salmon salad that I LOVE from a local eatery. I used all of the same ingredients (well, the ones I know about). I fried my own bacon. I charred the corn, I added crunch, I seasoned, but it just wasn't as tasty. I have researched salads (yes, I'm that much of a nerd) and found that its important to include seasoning (salt, pepper, etc). Also, make sure your lettuce is dry. I try to include sweet, salty, and crunchy. It was good, but it wasn't great. So, I thought I'd ask the experts. Spill it! What's your secret salad ingredient? Or, what technique do you use to get the tastiest salad ever?
LUCY BURDETTE: Valerie, you aren't alone on this! I used to order a salad in an Italian restaurant near Hartford that I could have lived on. It had polenta croutons, mozzarella balls, roasted garlic cloves and who knows what else. I have never been able to recreate it! But in general, cheese! Fresh feta cheese from the farmer's market or crumbles of blue cheese. Fresh mozzarella with garden tomatoes... If I'm not too lazy to make homemade croutons, those help enormously! Now I'm looking forward to all the other secrets... (And ps, your salad looks amazing!)
LESLIE BUDEWITZ: First let me say I would eat either of your salads in a heartbeat! Throw in bacon and hardboiled eggs and I'm in. And Caprese salad is the food of the gods as far as I'm concerned. Seeing yours reminds me of one I had in Giverny on our first trip to France. Absolutely perfect tomatoes with a light, nutty olive oil I can still taste in my memory.
Years ago, when I was a young lawyer in Seattle and had just bought my first house, I discovered an Italian restaurant in the neighborhood. It was a joint -- homey, not fancy, with red and white checked tablecloths and Dean Martin on the airwaves. I adored it and took myself there regularly. The salads -- what we might call a dinner salad or a side salad -- were super simple -- iceberg lettuce with tomatoes, Greek olives, and a homemade Italian dressing, croutons, and a few other bits and bites. I can still picture the giant bowl of lettuce in the glass-front chiller at the end of the counter, and see the waiter assembling the salad before my very eyes. Maybe what made it so wonderful was that I was making a place and a neighborhood my own.
Now a salad AS dinner is another critter, and we collected a few of our favorites a couple of years ago, in this post, Salad as a Meal. I'd eat any of those, too! Turns out I've posted a LOT of salad recipes here over the years, but I'll leave you with just one, Mosiac Salad. Salad as art?
I don’t know the secret to the perfect salad, but I know it’s worth the chase!
PEG COCHRAN/MARGARET LOUDON: I love salad--side salads, dinner salads, all of them. Our usual salad is lettuce, those baby tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, blue cheese and dried cranberries. I've also made a ramen noodle salad that includes edamame and a winter salad that includes mandarin oranges and a dressing with orange marmalade in it. I find that the dressing makes a big difference in any salad. I love a classic vinaigrette. My friend Clementine used to put a pinch of curry powder in hers. Just the tiniest pinch takes the dressing to a whole new level. My other go to dressing is lower calorie homemade ranch. But when I want something different, I whip up a version of Japanese salad dressing or the dressing with marmalade. Even a bowl of plain lettuce tastes great with the right dressing!
KORINA MOSS: I agree with you, Valerie. They're just not the same at home, however my sister-in-law makes amazing salads. Perhaps it's the fresh local farmstand produce. My favorite salad in the summer is a burrata salad. (Cheese is my favorite? Who me?) I characterize burrata as the Lindor Truffle of cheese -- it's wonderfully creamy and decadent. I also love fresh corn in a salad, scraped off the cob. It gives the salad a touch of sweetness. Here are two burrata salads, one made with strawberries and off the vine tomatoes, and one with tomatoes and fresh corn (the burrata is hiding underneath). Both have simple greens and freshly grated parmesan cheese with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
🍅🥒🥗
MADDIE DAY: What a great challenge! Some of the best salads I've had have been super-simple creations made with fresh-picked ingredients. I had two primo experiences forty years ago in graduate school. One was a Caesar salad tossed at the table with whole leaves of dry romaine lettuce. A raw egg coddled in hot water. Salt. Pepper. Excellent olive oil. Freshly grated Parmesan cheese. That's it. Our host tossed it with his (clean hands) and it was absolutely delicious.
In the same era, my Greek friend Marios, who taught himself to cook using his mother's recipes, would make a real Greek salad that I have recreated many times. I cut homegrown skinny cucumbers into cubes. Halve homegrown gold cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle on Kalamata olives and cubes of feta cheese, add fresh oregano leaves, and drizzle with a good olive oil. Marios served it with a crusty baguette, and guests dipped their hunks of bread into the juices. I do the same. I can't believe I haven't shared the recipe here on the blog, but I will later this month.
Meanwhile, I was on vacation last week, and Hugh was making BLTs for lunch every day. I'd been eating just a wee bit too much, so I opted for a BLT salad, sans bread. Fresh local lettuce and heirloom tomato, topped with two crispy rashers, was all I wanted. I dabbed on a little good mayo, and it was delicious. It's all about the ingredients.
🌿 🍅 🍀
LESLIE KARST: I'm with you, Peg--it's often the dressing that makes the difference between a good and a great salad. And I learned in culinary arts school that almost all restaurants add sugar to their salad dressings--not a lot, but just enough to give it that extra zip (like what a little salt can do for a dish).
a composed salad with left-over string beans and cheese
In addition, it's the variety of textures: adding something crunchy like croutons (those salty snack packets they give you on airplanes make for great salad toppings!) can make a huge difference to a salad. And experimenting with a combination of different favors is also fun--sweet (raisins or sliced pears), salty (crumbled feta or olives), sour (picked onions), and savory (smoked fish or meat).
🍉 🍉 🍉
LIBBY KLEIN: I feel like I have had more than my fair share of salads in my lifetime. And many of them have been designed around some deprivation diet. If I never had to eat iceberg lettuce again I think that would be cause to celebrate. But seeing as how salads are incredibly healthy and full of vegetables, taking them out of the diet category and placing them in their rightful place of creative side dish would go a long way to improving their status. The most important element to a salad for me is variety. There are too many wonderful ingredients to just stick to the steakhouse side salad big four. I love a Chinese Chicken Salad made with napa cabbage and a peanut dressing. And I adore any combination of fruit, nuts, and cheese - but never fruit and tomato on the same salad. That's just weird. My all time favorite salad, has to be what I call Pink Salad. Pink napa cabbage, red lettuce, radicchio, red onions soaked in sherry wine vinegar to make their color pop. Sliced strawberries, and my all time favorite ingredient for visual appeal - watermelon radish. Like tiny little watermelons, these are vibrant green on the outside and hot pink in the center. I top this salad with a nut and a cheese because that right there makes me want to eat it, and a strawberry balsamic dressing. I wish I had a photo for you because this is a stunning salad perfect for special occasions. As soon as I can find the ingredients, I will make it for the blog.
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MOLLY MACRAE: I love this topic, Valerie. We're all detectives on
the trail of the elusive Salad Supreme. At my house we eat a lot of main dish salads, so the other night I brought up the question of favorite or secret
ingredients. Our first thoughts are salt, pepper, lemon juice and lemon zest, but
from there we decided seasonings, in general, can make all the difference. Not namby-pamby shake or two of a seasoning, though. Wallops of seasonings.
One of our favorite salads is Bitter Greens, Carrot, and Chickpea with an amazing vinaigrette. I’ll post the entire recipe sometime this fall but give you the basics of the vinaigrette now: 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest plus 6 tablespoons juice, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon minced shallot, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/4 teaspoon table salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir those together and see if they don’t wake up almost any salad. Here's a picture of another salad I'll share this fall - Roasted Beet and Pepper Salad with Oranges and Curried Pecans. MM-mmm.
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MAYA CORRIGAN: We almost always have a green salad with dinner. Our garden plot yields fresh leaf lettuce for half the year (April, May, June, September, October, November). Garden radishes, along with store-bought cucumbers, avocados, and carrots add color and crunch to the salad. With a salad of fresh ingredients, I prefer a simple vinaigrette dressing and use it sparingly. Our lettuce bolts in the hotter months, but the garden tomatoes are a great consolation. We have a big plate of them sprinkled with fresh basil with our summer dinners.
☕ 🥗 ☕
CLEO COYLE: Salad days are the best, Valerie, and LOL on your shout-out to my Franch Dressing recipe post. For anyone who missed it, the dressing was inspired by an episode of one of the most acclaimed crime drama series ever to have aired on television, the award-winning Breaking Bad. The Franch dressing is a combo of French and ranch dressings, and my post shares how it was used in the television episode (with a video clip), along with some fun triva on where it originated, and a recipe on how to make it (either from scratch or if using bottled dressings).
On the topic of all-time favorite restaurant salads, two come to mind. The first I still remember fondly from many (many!) years ago, when I was studying and interning as a journalist in Washington, DC. The Georgetown restaurant I went to every Friday night with my roommate Beth (also an interning journalist) served a grilled chicken salad with poppy seed dressing. Only recently have I found the right combo of ingredients to mimic that amazing dressing, and I’ll be sharing it in the future. My second favorite salad was one I enjoyed here in NYC, a Buffalo chicken salad with blue cheese dressing. So good. And I agree with you, Valerie, reproducing a restaurant’s dish is not always easy, but we foodie nerds think it's fun to try! ~ Cleo
B O O K
G I V E A W A Y!
Readers: What are your favorite salads or salad ingredients? Let us know in the comments. Include your email address, and you will entered to win these five fabulous mysteries!
Giveaway Prize Package:
by Valerie Burns
A Poisonous Palate
by Lucy Burdette
Mischief Nights Are Murder
by Libby Klein
Honey Roasted
by Cleo Coyle
Come Shell or High Water
(audiobook) by Molly MacRae
Wednesday, August 7
🌻
My favorite salad is a Caesar salad with grilled chicken.
ReplyDeleteKitten143(at) Verizon (dot)
I love those too!
DeleteYep. Those are awesome. I also love Caesar salad with grilled shrimp or salmon.
DeleteI loved this post! My favorite salad is what I call a taco salad. It starts with the crunchiest lettuce I can find, includes a variety of beans- often kidney & black, continues with olives and a soy chorizo (Trader Joe’s makes a great one), is dressed with spicy ranch, and then topped with crushed tortilla chips (a small bag of Fritos works great!). Yum! adriennechasteensnow at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteYummy! I might add some grated cheese, too.
DeleteI love taco salads and you really need the crunch. I use Dorittos, too.
DeleteMine is a raspberry salad with pecans and zesty Italian dressing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance.
Jess
Maceoindo(At)yahoo(dot)com
The tomato's look delicious. cheetahthecat1982ATgmailDOTcom
ReplyDeleteI enjoy a summer salad with grilled or fried chicken, walnuts, mixed salad greens including baby spinach, chopped eggs, crumbled bacon, carrots, buttery croutons, shredded Colby Jack cheese, and honey mustard or raspberry vinaigrette. Yummy! Ummm.....I need a salad now. Wonder if I have all the ingredients...???
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win. barbiefan(@)comcast (.)net
That sounds absolutely marvelous, Ann! But alas, it's still breakfast time here....
DeleteI love a good salad but I usually top any of the ones I eat with an avocado! Just seems to make a plain salad a hit and it's extra healthy for you. I can't do tomato or onions any more but most everything else is a go. nvictoria77 (at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of avocado, but it looks so pretty.
DeleteMy favorite is a Strawberry Field salad. Greens, sliced smoked turkey, strawberries, candied pecans and a berry dressing. Perfect for a summer lunch. 3labsmom(at)gmail(dot)com.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favs, too, Brenda!
DeleteI love the Waldorf Salad because it's so sweet.
ReplyDeleteOh yum. That's a fav or mine, too!
DeleteMy favorite salad includes chickpeas, pistachios, cucumber, red onion, feta cheese and a dressing of lemon juice and olive oil. I didn’t invent it but found on FB as “Jennifer Anniston’s favorite thing to eat on the set of Friends.”
ReplyDeleteHa! Love it, Marcia! And that salad does sound yummy!
DeleteI forgot quinoa, fresh mint and parsley. That’s what comes of relying on memory! lol
ReplyDeleteWow. I might need to try that. It sounds great. And, I just happen to have chickpeas.
DeleteLettuce, grilled chicken, cucumbers and croutons with French dressing. Thanks. Maycarlson6848@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really refreshing and perfect for summer.
DeleteMy favorite is tomato and mozzella
ReplyDeleteAwesome. Thanks for sharing.
DeleteMy favorite salad contains baked chicken chunks, green and red grapes, toasted pecans, a sour cream and mayo dressing, served on a croissant .
ReplyDeleteOh that sounds good. I love chicken salad with grapes and pecans. Thanks for sharing
DeleteLately I’ve been adding Chinese crispy noodles instead of my homemade croutons as a topper. I also make homemade Sam Choy (chef in Hawaii) dressing. Yum! sbb22@comcast.net
ReplyDeleteSounds ono--I'll eat anything Sam Choy recommends!
DeleteWhat a great topic!!! As most of my food plan includes salads this was great for ideas and recipes. A salad I made recently is now a keeper - Summer Blueberry salad with baby spinach, fresh blueberries, toasted pecans and crumbled goat cheese (as a substitute for bleu cheese). The dressing is real simple - puree 1 cup of blueberries and add raspberry vinaigrette dressing to thin to desired consistency. Thank you for the chance to win. madamhawk at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteThat sounds so fresh and summery! Perfect!
DeleteLove these recipes. Salads!
ReplyDeleteFavorite salad is C
ReplyDeleteMany years ago I got a spinach salad recipe from a good friend. It remains one of my favorite salad recipes. As I was copying the recipe on a little index card, the comment was "it really isn't the salad, it is the dressing." I hadn't made this recipe for several years, but I started to make it again. Each time I serve it, someone asks for the recipe. The salad includes spinach, bean sprouts, red onion, bacon, and chopped hard boiled egg. It really is the dressing that makes it delicious. Thanks for all the salad suggestions that every has given.
ReplyDeleteSummer really is salad season and I am looking forward to giving some of these a try. lroth@pceext.com
But now you need to give us the recipe for that dressing, lol!
DeleteLois! Yes! We need that dressing recipe. LOL.
DeleteI like Chef Salad. Thanks for the chance. ckmbeg (at) gmail (dot) com
ReplyDeleteI like Chef salads, too.
DeleteOne of my favorite things to eat at any time of year is salad, and I thank you for honoring salads in today's blog, dear ladies! I am taking pieces and tips from each of you as I try to create my next set of salads! For 3/4s' of the year it is easy to use produce from our garden, and the rest of the year I get what I need from a wonderful local grocery store. I love to mix different types of greens, especially arugula, kale or spinach. I am always experimenting with candied pecans, pistachios, or adding orange slices or Craisins. My all time favorite cheese is Feta! My dressings consist of simply olive oil and balsamic vinegar, or olive oil and lemon juice, though I am partial to Thai peanut dressing, which is easy to make with peanut butter. I dislike store-bought croutons, so I skip them, but I havea slice (or three) of homemade artisan bread as an accomaniment! Thank you for sharing your salad secrets with us, dear friends! Have a delicious week! JOY! Luis at ole dot travel
ReplyDeleteSpinach salad with cranberries and croutons. mrnwagner@yahoo.com
DeleteYour salad of mixed greens with a simple dressing - and the nuts, feta, and oranges is right up my alley, Luis.
DeleteI love a chicken waldorf salad it is so refreshing and simple to make. Chicken, celery, grapes, apple, chopped pecans, mayo and if desired raisins season with salt and a little sugar to taste. Deborah
ReplyDeleteThat sounds wonderful. I like this too.
DeleteMy favourite salad is a mixed greens, roasted beets, candied walnuts & goat cheese with a balsamic reduction . Yummy!
ReplyDeleteDianne Mahoney. mdiannemahoney@ gmail.com
That sounds fabulous, Dianne.
DeleteAny salad with curried cashew. suefoster109 at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteI've never had curried cashews, but I'm going to look it up now.
Deletei think i'm more of a fruit rather than vegetable person. in terms of the later spring greens, a little dressing, and oven roasted veggies does me just fine.
ReplyDeletefruitcrmble AT comcast DOT net
This sounds delicious.
DeleteYears ago, I read somewhere that the key to a great salad was having at least 7 ingredients. I still hold with that concept. In salads, more is more! Some of my favorite ingredients include: butter lettuce, ripe tomatoes, red onion, bacon, cheese, fresh seasonal fruit, olives, croutons, avocado, a fruit vinaigrette, etc! Cheers to salad days!
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
Love that rule of 7, Nancy!
DeleteYou had me a bacon! I'm going to try 7 ingredients. Thanks for sharing.
DeleteI love salads and eat them as my meal often, especially this time of year. A healthy mix of greens (mixed lettuces, chard, arugula, kale, herbs), cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, sweet pepper, and avocado with a lovely balsamic vinaigrette is a favorite. I add chicken, salmon or shrimp for a meal with a bit of cheese. I also make a marinated vegetable salad that is always a hit, broccoli, cauliflower, red peppers, carrots, blanched green beans with a good Italian dressing. Make the day before, refrigerate and stir several times. Right before serving add some fresh basil and optionally baby bella mushrooms. One more is a Mediterranean Shrimp salad with a green olive, basil, red onion, olive oil and lemon juice dressing poured over a shrimp and tomato mix served atop salad greens and fresh parsley. Delicious served with a fresh baguette. YUM!
ReplyDeletePure yum, Marcia.
DeleteMy favorite isn't a traditional salad. It's called mango salad. Mangos, Red Bell pepper, Cilantro, Lime juice and sometimes I put avocado in it.
ReplyDeleteI make this as a salsa and put it on fish tacos!
DeleteMango in anything is superb!
DeleteLaura
ReplyDeleteMy favorite salad is Greek salad with a stuffed grape leaf on the side. And watermelon with feta cheese and torn mint. Yum!
Dlcnason1@msn.com
The stuffed grape leaf sounds so yummy.
DeleteNice salads and recipes . Nice book collection too . I like a good spring mix . I don’t like regular lettuce .i think it’s the pesticides I taste . I like carrots , mushrooms , tomatoes, onions , cheese , sometimes I make a ranch salad with dressing . Or my favorite ceaser salad with added chicken
ReplyDeleteI love Caesar salad too!
DeleteAmanda Edwards I wrote last post .wont let me share my name
ReplyDeleteGotcha! No worries.
DeleteBasic psychology guys. The reason your home made copy of a restaurant or bought salad IS, IS --You made it. We usually find what others make better than what we do. That's the only thing I can figure it is. As for my salads. I Use at least 4 different greens, prefer mixed herb and baby greens. And ANY vegetable that can be eaten raw. But prefer at least peas, broccoli, squash, mushrooms, red onion, green onion, & cauliflower as a basis for the rest. Sometimes I add a meat, sometimes shrimp or crab meat, sometimes bacon, sometimes hard boiled egg. As for dressings. Though I like a change occasionally. Prefer very blue cheese dressing with raw garlic. bess dee potter 84 at gmail dot com.
ReplyDeleteAnd reading these comments by you authors and your experiences has been an interesting endeavor. And those of the fans. Has been really neat. And for me. I always make a big batch to last for a week at least. Any time of the year.
DeleteWhat fun!
ReplyDeleteMy go to dressing is from Leslie's RBG book. It consistently gets rave reviews.
When in doubt, I use balsamic vinegar.
libbydodd at comcast dot net
Just reading the titles makes my mouth water😊
ReplyDeleteLOL -Me too!
DeleteI enjoy a good salad, but I don't make good salads. There are a couple of restaurants around here that have good take out salads. My favorite salads are chopped salads, taco salads and salads that also have fruit in them.
ReplyDeletediannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
I like fruit in my salad, too. I seem to like everything in my salad. :-) Thanks for sharing.
DeleteI like a salad with chicken, celery, cucumbers, carrots, olives, nuts, and croutons!! Lindaherold999(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI enjoy nuts in my salad, too. Oh and croutons are a must!
DeleteLet's eat!
DeleteSalads are eaten all summer and enjoyed greatly. Salad ingredients that are a must are mixed greens, romaine lettuce, sliced and chopped cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and a light lemon dressing. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI am fast becoming a fan of the lemon dressing. So simple and refreshing.
DeleteMy current favorite salad is an orzo salad that I make from a recipe for the New York times. It has cucumber, grape tomatoes, chickpeas, and feta cheese. The best part is that the dressing - a simple vinaigrette - is poured over the hot pasta, so it soaks in. Thanks for the giveaway and all the yummy salad ideas! aut1063(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteYum! That sounds great.
DeleteMmmm now I want a salad! My favorite to make has romaine lettuce, baby spinach, shredded chicken, tomatoes, carrots, avocado, roasted chickpeas, sunflower seeds, crunchy tortilla strips, and either salsa or BBQ sauce as the dressing. Your recipes all sound wonderful! teri_kellum at yahoo dot com
ReplyDeleteThat sounds delicious! I'll have to try it.
DeleteI am a salad person— from a chef salad to a lettuce and tomato plus whatever else you have to add to it—doesn’t need meat. My email is. Sissie_sue@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteLinda, thank you for sharing. I love a good chef salad, too.
DeleteI agree with Cleo, Buffalo chicken salad with blue cheese dressing, is my favorite salad. My second favorite is Chicken Caesar Salad. Thank you for this chance. areewekidding(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI could eat both of those salads right now, Robyn. (Grilled chicken Ceasar wraps are a fave, too.)
DeleteI love most salads but my favorite is a grilled chicken salad with fresh greens from garden, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, boiled eggs, sunflower seeds and a raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Thanks for the chance to win the awesome books!
ReplyDeleteLuvs2read4fun at gmail dot com
I would swap the tomatoes for bacon and eat that right now.
DeleteIt's all about the dressing for me. See if your local eatery will sell you some of their dressing and use it on your home salad. I bet it's the best salad!!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea.
DeleteMy current favorite is roasted beets with mixed greens, arugula, whipped goat cheese, arugula pesto, heirloom tomatoes, crushed pistachios and citrus vinaigrette.
ReplyDeletejtcgc at yahoo dot com
Whipped goat cheese? OMG I need to look that up. It sounds great.
DeleteWe have a local Mexican restaurant that serves a delicious fajita salad in a crunchy tortilla bowl. I get the chicken version. It is divine with juicy grilled chicken, bell pepper strips and onions that have also been grilled, fresh guacamole, sour cream and melted cheese. I don’t even get dressing because it is delicious without it.
ReplyDeleteNow that sounds amazing.
DeleteI love chicken salad with grapes, serve on mini croissants or eat with crackers.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds delicious.
DeleteI love tomato’s and cheeses in salads. And light dressing.
ReplyDeletebmedrano34@yahoo.com
I like cheese in my salads, too.
DeleteI made the salads at home because my mother said mine always tasted the best! Turns out, she just didn't like making them! She fed me cucumbers when I was very young, and i think thats why any green salad with cucumbers is delicious to me! Fortunately my husband agrees! Betcei(at)(aol)(dot)(com)
ReplyDeleteI like cucumbers on my salad, too. So nice and refreshing.
DeleteI like almost any salad that someone else makes! If I make one today it will have homegrown cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, creamy avocado, maybe some romaine lettuce, and a vinaigrette. patdupuy@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteSalads made by others are always delicious.
DeleteWhen I lived in Honolulu, one of the local (Cantonese) Chinese restaurants served a chicken salad - bed of romaine lettuce, fresh cilantro leaves, cut up roasted chicken, fried won ton pi strips, dressed with Chinese red vinegar, a few bits of dried chili pepper, and sesame oil. I loved it. My husband now makes it at home for a nice summertime dinner. Kat Kan, teenlibn(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteThat sounds awesome. You're lucky to have a husband capable (and willing) to make your favorite salad. That's really sweet.
DeleteI like Caesar salad, taco salad and Mixt’s mandarin salad.wskwared(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteThose all sound great. Thanks for sharing.
DeleteI love three bean salad! Sally@camtel.net
ReplyDeleteMy favorite salad 🥗 is usually one that someone else makes! I do enjoy a good Caesar salad, and I used to make a really good strawberry salad but I haven’t made it in years.
ReplyDeletemeeshpsych@aol.com
I love a fresh Caesar salad with warm grilled chilled or a basic tossed salad with warm breaded chicken, fries, and vinaigrette.acnole@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteI love Greek salad with spring mix, feta, olives, and topped with a delicious vinaigrette. I also love Caesar salads as well. cherierj(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteAny salad I eat has to have tomato in it. There is nothing better than fresh, home-grown tomatoes! When they aren't available, I prefer to use cherry tomatoes rather than hothouse tomatoes which just taste bland to me. I like salads with lots of veggies. I don't really care for salads with fruit. I like balsamic vinegar, blue cheese dressing. or Italian with blue cheese crumbles. I think part of the reason salads in restaurants taste better is because they use fresh ingredients. With just my husband and I, it seems like we have to eat salad constantly (which makes them seem repetative and ordinary) or else some of the ingredients go bad before we can use them all up. Thank you for this wonderful discussion of salads. suemngirl(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI love this post! I eat salads almost daily. Caesar salad is my favorite. I also enjoy a simple salad with iceberg lettuce, cranberries, garden tomatoes and garden cucumbers, onions, and some feta cheese. Yum!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance!!
jarjm1980(at)hotmail(dot)com
Annie's Organic Sesame Ginger or Annie's Organic Shitake Sesame are my favorite dressings. My salads are best when i chop all of the ingredients and place them in separate little bowls. They each have a separate cover so that they are easy to pop in the fridge for the next meal. I also like to use a prewashed organic salad mix and freshly chopped romaine or bib lettuce. As far as salads at a restaurant, our go to salad is as simple as The Texas Roadhouse basic salad with all add-ons and honey mustard dressing on the side. Skipjacks Seafood Cobb Salad tops my list for a great seasonal salad. When I make my own dressing, I use the recipe from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest Cookboo by Molly Katzen the author of the Moosewood Cookbooks. It is on page 77 in the salads section and is just called "Salad Dressings - Garlic & Herb Vinaigrette." I can't wait to read Lucy's new hard covered cookbook as well as A Poisonous Palate which will be as entertaining as those that came before it! Thank You!
ReplyDeleteI love a good Caesar salad! c85516246 (at) gmail (dot) com
ReplyDeleteGreat recipes from everyone! Libby I am looking forward to what you come up with :). We usually enjoy chicken Caesar during the week thanks to a Costco rotisserie chicken and romaine but what I really like to make is a spinach salad with mushrooms, boiled eggs sliced up, bacon, and a warm honey and poppy seed dressing. YUM YUM. Thank you for the opportunity of not just one but FIVE books, ya'll are generous beyond belief tracy.condie@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteWe love chef salads with everything but the kitchen sink in them. I think the most important thing is fresh ingredients. We usually have a garden so the majority of ingredients go straight from garden to table (well with a little cleaning LOL). However, this year with a major bucket list trip to work around, it wasn't reasonable to go to all that work putting in a garden to have it dry out and die while we were gone. So, this year we will depend on the farmer's market for our fresh veggies. In addition to the veggies, there's ham, cheese (and to add depth, we add many types of cheeses), bacon and boiled eggs. I love to add crunch so there's homemade croutons, sunflower seeds and fresh made bacon bits (no jar stuff for me). Love adding dried cranberries for that added zing of flavor too.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the fabulous opportunity to win this amazing and very generous giveaway. On that spoke of vacation where internet and phone service is extremely limited so running a day late in entering.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Oh now wonderful to see all these salads. Thanks ladies. I love salads, especially fruit salads. I will use what I have on hand. Some times I will add nuts, hard boiled eggs, etc. Thank you for this wonderfully generous give a way. quilting dash lady at comcast dot net
ReplyDeleteI make a marinated broccoli salad with red onion, cherry tomatoes and craisins.
ReplyDeleteWow!!! All your summer salads look and sound delicious!!!
ReplyDeleteMine is OVERNIGHT SALAD. It uses a head of lettuce, head of Cauliflower, green peppers, onions, crisp fried bacon, shredded carrots, and shredded Colby. You layer all that, then top it with a mixture of 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, 1/3 cup parmesan cheese , and 1/4 cup sugar. Let sit overnight and mix everything together when ready to serve.
Sherry Brown
ozdot4@sbcglobal.net
All of these salads look amazing! I’m getting hungry for salad now! I like to make a salad with a variety of greens, grilled chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, carrots, strawberries, shredded cheese, and raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Thank you for this opportunity!
ReplyDeleteNancy Urtz
jnurtz@yahoo.com
What a great bunch of books. I'd be delighted to win. Thank you so much for the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteWow what a nice selection of books. I love winning free books and exploring new authors. Thank you for the opportunity to win. Fingers crossed! Transport@watervillecares.com
DeleteI tried to copy my sister’s Chicken salad. Mine was not as good as hers. I like Caesar salad & Pasta salad with Italian dressing. sqbradshaw@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteMy all time favourite salad is made with cooked, cubed sweet potatoes, chives, cranraisins and a simple raspberry vinaigrette. I bought it premade once from the grocery store counter as it was the only salad that appeared to be gluten free. I have made it myself many times and have added bacon to it for a complete meal. Make sure that the sweet potatoes are not overcooked or you will end up with mush, which, by the way, still tastes great IMO. I'm looking forward to you all posting your favourites!
ReplyDeletesandra shenton 13 at gmail dot com
I love cutting up advocadoes into slices and putting tomato slices on top of the and sprinkling spicy ranch seasoning salt on top. Then covering with olive oil! tWarner419@aol.com
ReplyDelete