salad

Salad and Slice

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Joy of Eating: Salad and Slice! Now here’s a perfect combo that won’t set you back on the calorie-counter scale. One slice of pizza with a garden salad is a deliciously satisfying portion any time of day or night. Add a Greek peperoncino and a couple of olives for that burst of flavor and you’ll be patting yourself on the back for stirring up that wall of will power. Who says you can’t have your cake (or pizza) and eat it, too?

SALAD AND SLICE

Ingredients Single Serving Pizza: 

1/2 cup bread flour

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup warm water

Pinch salt

Toppings of your choice

Instructions:

Get the oven warm and then turn it off. This helps the dough to rise. Combine flour, yeast, olive oil, and sugar. Gradually add the warm water and stir. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Knead the dough on a floured surface until it forms a ball. Place the ball in a bowl, cover it loosely with plastic wrap and set it in the warm oven for 30 minutes. It will double in size. Remove from oven, flatten to the size of a plate, and add sauce and desired toppings. Bake on a pizza stone in a 400° oven for 12-15 minutes. Cut into 4 pieces for now and later. 

Ingredients for Garden Salad:

1-2 Romaine leaves, gently torn

2 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 teaspoon Parmesan cheese

2-3 crunchy croutons

Garlic Vinegar and Olive Oil, salad dressing

Instructions:

Mix together and serve. 

Mouth-Watering Strawberry Mint Salad

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Joy of Eating: Mouth-Watering Strawberry Mint Salad! Before the frost sets in, I wanted to take advantage of the lingering crop of fresh mint in the herb garden. What better way than to give it center stage in this appetizing side salad? It’s refreshing, light, aromatic, and appealing to the eye. Experience your first bite through the sense of sight, then follow your heart to the nearest market and pick up 3 simple ingredients to create your own masterpiece. 

MOUTH-WATERING STRAWBERRY MINT SALAD

Ingredients:

1 quart of fresh strawberries

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

3 sprigs of fresh mint leaves

Instructions:

Rinse strawberries and pat dry. Remove tops and discard. Slice strawberries into quarters. Place portions into chilled salad bowls. Spoon feta crumbles over strawberries. Tuck mint leaves throughout. Serve. 

Hacienda Taco Salad Bowls

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Joy of Eating: Hacienda Taco Salad Bowls! It’s okay to indulge in those fast-food cravings. Everyone does now and then. When I get the urge to succumb to the temptation, I begin to turn things around in my own kitchen. Take, for example, the glorious Taco Salad with the edible crispy flour shell bowl. It can be made for half the cost at home, leaving extra money in your wallet for something like…oh I don’t know…SHOES! Make this guilt-free version at home. 

HACIENDA TACO SALAD BOWLS

Ingredients:

6 flour tortillas

1 pound lean ground beef

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

Romaine lettuce leaves, torn

2 tomatoes, diced

1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded

2 green onions, snipped

1/4 cup black olives, sliced

1/4 cup jalapeño peppers, sliced

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

1/2 cup salsa

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Using nonstick spray oil, coat the inside of oven-safe bowls. Gently mold the flour tortilla inside to form a bowl. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Remove from oven and cool before transferring to wire rack. Meanwhile, brown ground beef and drain. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cumin. Mix well.  Assemble hacienda bowls by filling with remaining ingredients, per taste. Top with Greek yogurt and salsa. 

Mediterranean Salad

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? A Burst of Flavor: Mediterranean Salad! I was asked to provide a salad on short notice for a gathering recently, so it seemed like a no-brainer to share the bounty of my garden. The abundance of ripe tomatoes practically transformed my platter into a work of art. Anyone can do the same. All you need is a few ingredients and two different size platters. 

MEDITERRANEAN SALAD

Ingredients:

4-5 medium tomatoes, sliced

3-4 small tomatoes, sliced

1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced

1/3 cup olive oil

1/8 teaspoon dried basil

1/8 teaspoon dried marjoram 

1/8 teaspoon dried oregano 

2 mozzarella sticks string cheese, sliced

1 small green pepper

1/2 cup pitted black olives

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

2-3 tablespoons balsamic reduction sauce

Instructions:

Choose tomatoes that are uniform in size. This will enhance the pinwheel effect when complete. Slice the tomatoes, discarding the end pieces. Place on paper towels to avoid too much juice on the platter. In a shallow dish combine sliced mozzarella, olive oil, dried basil, oregano, and marjoram. Try to coat the cheese evenly. Set aside to marinate. Meanwhile, take the green pepper and cut across the top to remove the stem portion. Hollow out the pepper and rinse. Turn upside down so no water remains inside. This pepper will be placed in the center as the focal point to hold the black olives. To assemble platter, begin by placing the smaller plate inside the platter. Place the green pepper in the center of the small plate. Arrange the small tomatoes and sliced string cheese around the green pepper. Next take the medium tomato slices and alternate with the marinated mozzarella slices until the outer area of the large platter is filled. Take the fresh basil and arrange the leaves throughout. Some may remain whole while others may be snips of basil. Drizzle reserve olive oil being careful not to drench. You may not need much. Drizzle balsamic reduction sauce over all. Garnish olives with colorful picks. 

Unbeatable Italian Favorite

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food Plating: Unbeatable Italian Favorite! Let’s step away from pizza and pasta a minute to talk about another Italian favorite. Behold, the Caprese Salad. It’s a classic dish from the island of Capri, originating in the 1920s. The presentation is simple yet elegant, so choose your platter wisely. The serving piece should showcase the colorful beauty of the food symbolizing the Italian flag: green, white, and red. Appreciate the heritage, culture, art, and food of Italy. They hold a sense of gratification that is timeless. 

UNBEATABLE ITALIAN FAVORITE 

Ingredients: 

16 ounces ripe Campari tomatoes, sliced

8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into rounds

1 bunch fresh basil leaves

3-4 tablespoons balsamic glaze

1/2 teaspoon Italian herbs, dried

Instructions: 

Choose a decorative platter or individual serving pieces. To prepare the base of the salad, arrange sliced Campari tomatoes along with fresh mozzarella slices. Tuck whole fresh basil leaves in between the layers for flavor as well as presentation. Drizzle the tangy balsamic glaze generously over the top of the tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with dried Italian herbs. Serve immediately. 

Onion Cucumber Tomato Salad

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food Plating: Onion Cucumber Tomato Salad! Here’s a creamy salad that makes your meal-planning easy. Anyone who has had a garden will tell you it’s a no-brainer and goes with practically any meal you have planned. Farmers Markets typically have an abundance of these ingredients, should you choose to visit them instead. There’s a debate over whether to salt the vegetables as you layer them or simply add it to the dressing ingredients. I’ve done both. The way I presented it here allows a thicker dressing. Salt will draw out the water in the cucumbers and tomatoes, making the dressing thinner. It also enhances the taste of the veggies, so you be the judge.  In any event, keep a spoon handy. You’re going to want to slurp the dressing in the bottom of the bowl anyway. 

ONION CUCUMBER TOMATO SALAD

Ingredients: 

1 English cucumber, skin on and sliced

2 ripe tomatoes, sliced and quartered

1/4 red onion, sliced and quartered

Dill weed, for garnish

Ingredients for Dressing: 

1/4 cup mayonnaise 

1/4 cup sour cream 

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions: 

In a large salad bowl, alternate layers of sliced cucumbers, ripe tomatoes, and red onions. In another bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, sea salt, and black pepper. Pour over vegetables and gently toss to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to one hour. Before serving, gently toss and sprinkle with dill weed. Enjoy! 

European Baguette Sandwich

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food Plating: European Baguette Sandwich! WYKYK. My all-time favorite lunchtime sandwich begins with a bakery fresh French baguette. It has become the starting point for what I consider a staple in France and Europe. Perfect for picnics, compact enough for lunch, and elegant enough to eat with your fingers. Of course, it’s all about the ingredients. You may recall, my husband and I order French sea salt butter online after visiting the country years ago. I can’t buy it in America. But that’s okay because it freezes well. Personally, I love Emmental cheese and can buy that locally, along with prosciutto sold without added preservatives. Choose your ingredients wisely. One bite and you’ll practically feel your eyes roll back in heavenly bliss. 

EUROPEAN BAGUETTE SANDWICH

Ingredients: 

1 French baguette, halved and split lengthwise (makes two servings)

4 tablespoons French sea salt butter, room temperature

1 cup mixed greens

2-3 Swiss cheese slices

4 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced 

2-4 sweet gherkins, sliced lengthwise 

Instructions:

To build your sandwich, place all four halves on the counter, open-faced. Slather each cut side with French sea salt butter. On the baguette that will be the top, divide the micro greens between the two portions. For the bottoms, layer the Swiss cheese onto the buttered side, followed by the paper-thin prosciutto. Finally, arrange the sweet gherkins over the prosciutto. Carefully place the tops of the sandwich onto the bottoms. Wrap each baguette sandwich in waxed paper. 

Copycat 1905 Salad

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food Plating: Copycat 1905 Salad! If you’ve ever traveled to St. Augustine, Florida, located in the heart of historic downtown is a place that’s been in business for a while now. It’s called the Columbia Restaurant offering Spanish/Cuban cuisine. You can always expect a long line of people that trails around the corner toward the Spanish-style fountain. Once inside, most customers insist on their signature 1905 tossed salad and then work their way through the menu. Now you can enjoy this specialty at home without the cost of a plane ticket. 

COPYCAT 1905 SALAD

Ingredients:

Dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano 

Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Salad:

I head iceberg lettuce, shredded or gently torn

1/2 pound deli ham slices, julienned 

1/3 pound Swiss cheese, julienned

10 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved

5 ounces green olives, sliced

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

5 ounces garlic croutons

2 ounces parmesano reggiano cheese, grated

Instructions:

In an extra large salad bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic cloves, dried oregano, sea salt, and black pepper. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine ice berg lettuce, ham slices, Swiss cheese, cherry tomatoes, green olives, red onion, garlic croutons, and parmesano reggiano cheese. Gently toss. Add prepped salad contents to the dressing. Toss to thoroughly coat the salad with the dressing. Serve in individual salad bowls. 

Wayward Wedge Salad

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Daily Special: Wayward Wedge Salad!  I get so excited when I come across bleu cheese at the Farmers Market!  Recently, I was fortunate enough to lay my hands on a nice creamy chunk of Amish Bleu Cheese. And rather than nibble the entire portion away, I thought I better do something healthy with it. Does anyone else struggle with an internal tug-of-war?

WAYWARD WEDGE SALAD

Ingredients:

1 head iceberg lettuce

6 slices bacon, precooked

2 eggs, hard cooked and chopped

Blue cheese crumbles

Blue cheese dressing

2 Campari tomatoes on the vine, quartered

Instructions:

Chill 4 salad plates in refrigerator. Cook bacon until crisp; let cool and crumble. Set aside. Quarter and core lettuce. Place one wedge on each chilled plate. Top with dressing, bacon, tomatoes, and chopped egg. Garnish with cheese crumbles. Serve immediately.