dressing

Radish Dinner Salad

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Fabulous Fixings: Radish Dinner Salad! Baby lettuces and greens not only add color to a dinner salad, they also add crunchiness, vitamins, and variety. That’s one of the reasons I like radishes, too. I bet you thought it was the spicy, peppery taste of this root vegetable, didn’t you? Well, you’re half right. I find radishes refreshing and I’m not going to stop eating them anytime soon. In fact, it’s not uncommon to find me standing barefoot in my kitchen nibbling on sliced radishes sprinkled with sea salt. I hear the French actually slather radishes with sea salt butter for a truly gourmet experience. Now that’s an idea worth exploring, especially since I buy my butter from France. 

RADISH DINNER SALAD

Ingredients:

1 Roma tomato, chopped

1 cup organic mixed greens

3 large radishes, sliced 

1/4 cup herbed feta cheese, crumbled

4-ounce sirloin steak; cooked, warm, and sliced thin

Oil & Vinegar, to taste

Instructions:

Using a salad plate, arrange food vertically when placing. Begin with chopped tomatoes followed by the organic mixed greens, sliced radishes, crumbled feta cheese, and sirloin steak. Serve with oil and vinegar dressing on the side. 

Original Spinach Salad

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Fabulous Fixings: Original Spinach Salad! Presenting a superfood that practically gives you super powers. Remember the comic book character, Popeye the Sailor Man? (Okay, I’m dating myself.) Flashback: Popeye would eat spinach through his pipe to tackle insurmountable situations.  It seems parents everywhere took advantage of this children’s cartoon character to encourage kids to “eat your spinach”. Did it work, you wonder? Not even close. Spinach is one of those veggies I didn’t learn to like until I became an adult. Go figure. 

ORIGINAL SPINACH SALAD

Ingredients:

1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1/2” pieces

12 ounces baby spinach leaves

2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

1 large tomato, chopped

5 tablespoons bacon fat

1/2 cup olive oil

5 tablespoons garlic wine vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons raw honey

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Instructions:

Cook the bacon over medium heat in a large nonstick pan. Remove bacon to drain on paper towels. Reserve the bacon fat portion for the dressing. Place the baby spinach, chopped eggs, chopped tomatoes, and half the bacon into a large salad bowl. Gently toss; set aside. For the dressing, use the same pan. Warm the reserve bacon fat and olive oil. Add the garlic wine vinegar, raw honey, and Dijon mustard. Whisk together. Warm through. Dress the salad with the bacon dressing. Gently toss. Sprinkle remaining bacon bits on top. Serve immediately. 

Three Bean Pasta Salad

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Graze or Gobble: Three Bean Pasta Salad! Yippee for meal prep. This tasty salad is one you can make ahead on the weekend for a delicious lunch at work. The dressing gives it gourmet flavor similar to the corner café, without the cost of an Uber. Add a few gluten-free pretzels or pita crackers to satisfy that munchtime craving. The slightly sharp buttery flavor of provolone cheese works well with the pasta. I know what you’re thinking…..would a bottle of wine be appropriate? Probably. Just not at work. 

THREE BEAN PASTA SALAD

Ingredients: 

4 ounces uncooked shell pasta

15-ounce three bean salad, drained and chilled

1 tablespoon pimento, chopped

4 ounces provolone cheese, cubed

2 scallions, white part only, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons garlic wine vinegar 

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon natural honey

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

1/4 cup olive oil 

Instructions:

Cook shell pasta according to package directions. Rinse in cool water; drain well. Combine shell pasta, three bean mixture, chopped pimento, and provolone cheese cubes. Gently toss. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine scallions and garlic wine vinegar. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. Add Dijon mustard, natural honey, and cayenne pepper. Mix well. Gradually whisk in the olive oil until well combined. Pour dressing over pasta salad and serve slightly chilled. 

Homemade Bleu Cheese Dressing

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Graze or Gobble: Homemade Bleu Cheese Dressing! What is it about ranch dressing that practically makes you slurp it with a straw? Ever dip raw veggies in it? Of course. Did you know if you add taco seasoning to ranch dressing, it becomes a popular “Calypso Dressing” at a Mexican cantina? Try dipping tortilla chips in that sometime. Ahhh, you wondered how they did that. One of my favorite concoctions is crumbled bleu cheese. Talk about that briny earthy zing of saltiness. Oh, yum. 

HOMEMADE BLEU CHESE DRESSING

Ingredients:

1 cup Greek yogurt 

1/2 cup mayonnaise 

1 packet dry Ranch dressing mix 

1 cup bleu cheese crumbles

Instructions:

Combine Greek yogurt and mayonnaise. Stir until smooth. Add packet of Ranch dressing mix. Blend well. Fold in bleu cheese crumbles. Refrigerate for one hour. Drizzle over salads, vegetables, chips, cheese sticks, French fries, pizza, or meats. Store leftovers (if any) in refrigerator for one week. 

Crisp Asparagus Radish Salad

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Graze or Gobble: Crisp Asparagus Radish Salad! If you can justify the high cost of asparagus, savor every bite. My husband absolutely loves asparagus. When a restaurant offers it as a vegetable option over zucchini, he’ll swallow the up-charge every time and forge ahead like a mighty warrior. So, when I buy a pound of asparagus at the farmer’s market or nearby grocers, I usually have more than one meal planned for it. This time it’s in the form of a side salad. 

CRISP ASPARAGUS RADISH SALAD

Ingredients:

1/2 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

3 radishes, thinly sliced

1 green onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon garlic wine vinegar 

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions:

In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add asparagus. Cover and boil for 3 minutes. Drain; immediately place asparagus in ice water. Drain and pat dry. Transfer asparagus to a bowl. Add thinly sliced radishes and green onions. To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, garlic wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, and cayenne pepper. Mix well. Pour over salad; toss to coat. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds. 

Watercress Spinach Salad in a Jar

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Palatable Possibilities: Watercress Spinach Salad in a Jar! My heart beats a little faster whenever I come across a bunch of watercress at the fresh marketplace. I know immediately that I will pair it with baby spinach because they work well together. Its slightly peppery taste is an amazing balance to the mild sweetness of spinach leaves. By portioning salads in a jar, they keep a couple days in the refrigerator, as long as the dressing is added later, when served. Not only is the salad appealing, it comes across as pure genius. Mmm Mmm Good.

WATERCRESS SPINACH SALAD IN A JAR

Ingredients:

3/4 cup watercress leaves

1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves

2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

1/2 red onion, sliced

1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced

1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

4 pint-size jars, with lids

Caesar dressing, prepared

Instructions:

Layer each jar beginning with watercress and spinach leaves. Carefully place sliced eggs along the inside. Add layers of sliced red onions, cherry tomatoes, and mushrooms. Finish with crumbled bacon on top. Twist the lid to seal each jar. Refrigerate salads until ready to serve. To serve, empty contents of jar onto a plate or bowl. Add bottled Caesar dressing, per taste.

White Chicken Flatbread

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Bright Ideas: White Chicken Flatbread! Nowadays I look for any excuse to have pizza, or a close second. All I have to do is go to my freezer to decide what ingredients to use. In there is often naan flatbread, precooked grilled chicken strips, and previously oven-baked bacon. In lieu of marinara sauce, creamy ranch dressing makes a tasty sauce. People know cheese is always my friend, along with fresh veggies, herbs, and spices. Throw it all together and boom; 20 minutes later it’s ready to eat. I think I deserve a star for that.

WHITE CHICKEN FLATBREAD

Ingredients:

1 Naan flatbread

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon cornmeal

1/2 cup prepared ranch dressing

4 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced

1 cup precooked, grilled chicken chunks

1/4 cup precooked bacon, crumbled

2 tablespoons sweet onions, chopped

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Brush the bottom side of the naan flatbread with olive oil; dust with cornmeal. Transfer to a pizza stone. Bake 5 minutes. Remove from oven and assemble the ingredients. Spread the ranch dressing onto the top crust. Layer, in order, the fresh mozzarella slices, grilled chicken chunks, bacon crumbles, and sweet onions. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and golden. Serve immediately.

Quirky Clean Salad

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Bright Ideas: Quirky Clean Salad! We’ve all heard the word “clean” when referring to food. Once upon a time, it meant wash the vegetables before eating them. Now it seems to have multiple meanings. Some of those phrases include “unprocessed foods, organically grown, no preservatives, low carbs, gluten-free, free-range, or no high fructose corn syrup.” Basically, it translates to what is clean for YOU. My unwritten rule is, if I have a craving for it, I’m eating it. Perhaps that’s why I added the word “Quirky” to the title. You do what is right for you. Are we good?

QUIRKY CLEAN SALAD

Ingredients:

1 head broccoli, florets only and chopped

1 green apple, peeled, cored, and diced

1/4 cup almonds, chopped

1/4 cup green olives, sliced

1/4 cup raisins

5 pitted dates, chopped

2 slices bacon, crispy cooked and crumbled

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 tablespoon garlic wine vinegar

1 tablespoon natural honey

1/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt

1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon rosemary, chopped

Instructions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine broccoli florets, diced apples, chopped almonds, sliced green olives, raisins, chopped dates, and crumbled bacon. Gently toss to mix. In another bowl, whisk together lime juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic wine vinegar, natural honey, Himalayan salt, cracked black pepper, and chopped rosemary. Pour the vinaigrette over the broccoli salad; mix thoroughly. Serve immediately.

Zinc-Rich Fingerling Potatoes

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Time To Eat: Zinc-Rich Fingerling Potatoes! I think I mentioned how much I like “grazing” through my meals. The reality is, as I’ve aged and adjusted to health challenges, my appetite has wained quite a bit. It would help if I got hunger pangs, but that doesn’t seem to be happening either. Soooo, when a dish like these broiled salt and vinegar fingerling potatoes comes along, I have no guilt about adding a couple of side sauces for dipping and calling it a meal. I promise I’ll vouch for you, too.

ZINC-RICH FINGERLING POTATOES

Ingredients:

1 pound fingerling potatoes, sliced horizontally

2 cups white vinegar

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Tzatziki Dip, for serving

Blue Cheese Dressing, for serving

Instructions:

In a pot, combine fingerling potatoes, white vinegar, and one tablespoon kosher salt. If the liquid does not cover the potatoes by 1/4”, add a little water until it does. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to Simmer. Cook until fork-tender, about 8 minutes. Allow the potatoes to cool in the liquid for 30 minutes. Drain well; pat potatoes dry with paper towels. Preheat the broiler on High setting. Arrange the potato halves in a single layer on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick oil. Brush the potatoes with olive oil; then sprinkle with remaining kosher salt and black pepper. Broil until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Then flip the potatoes over and brown the other side, about 5 minutes longer.