salad

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. 

World Class Steak Salad

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food With Soul: World Class Steak Salad! There’s nothing more satisfying than a bowl of fresh salad greens, crumbled cheese, and garden veggies…unless you add a juicy grilled steak. Suddenly, the meal becomes restaurant-worthy. It’s filling, protein-rich, and pretty! It seems like a lot is going on there, but once you plan it out, the assembly takes mere minutes. To save money, you can use flank steak instead of sirloin or ribeye, as long as you tenderize it in a marinade. Giving you options makes everything taste better. Wouldn’t you agree?

WORLD CLASS STEAK SALAD

Ingredients for Steak:

1 pound flank steak

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon garlic wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Ingredients for Salad:

2 cups iceberg lettuce

2 cups romaine lettuce

1 cup Campari tomatoes, quartered

1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced

1 ripe avocado, sliced

1/4 teaspoon lime juice

3 strips precooked bacon, crumbled

1/4 cup bleu cheese, crumbled

1 green onion, sliced

Everything But Bagel seasoning

Instructions:

In a shallow dish, combine olive oil, garlic wine vinegar, kosher salt, and black pepper. Coat both sides of flank steak. Cover dish with plastic wrap and marinate steak for one hour. Meanwhile, prepare the salad. In a serving bowl, layer the iceberg and romaine lettuce leaves first. Leave a small area for the grilled steak. Arrange Campari tomatoes, red onion slices, and avocados around the edge of the bowl. Sprinkle lime juice over avocado slices to prevent browning. Top salad with crispy bacon pieces, bleu cheese crumbles, and sliced green onions. Sprinkle Everything But Bagel seasoning over all. Refrigerate salad until ready to serve. To grill the steak, preheat grill to 450°. Remove the steak from the marinade and place directly on grill grates. Close lid; cook for 3 minutes. Discard marinade. Turn steak and grill 3 minutes longer with lid closed. Transfer steak to a cutting board. Allow to “rest” for 5 minutes. Slice meat and place onto the prepared salad. Serve with bleu cheese dressing.

Quick Egg Salad Subs

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food With Soul: Quick Egg Salad Subs! Lucky for you, egg salad is a no-brainer when it comes to a fulfilling lunchtime meal. It’s quick, basic Cooking 101, and all you need as additives are salt and mayo. Now if you happen to have celery, onions, mustard, or pickles in the back of the fridge, you can elevate this sammie to a level fit for the royals. For me, brioche buns carry enough natural sweetness, are chewy, and serve as a gourmet vessel for all that chunky, flavorful deliciousness. Serve with a side of kettle chips.

QUICK EGG SALAD SUBS

Ingredients:

4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 rib celery, finely chopped

1 teaspoon scallion, minced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

2 brioche split-top sub buns, toasted

Watercress, for garnish

Instructions:

In a bowl, combine hard-cooked eggs, mayonnaise, finely chopped celery, minced scallion, kosher salt, and celery seed. Stir until completely mixed. Divide between 2 brioche sub sandwiches. Garnish with fresh watercress.

Hard Salami Corkscrew Pasta

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food With Soul: Hard Salami Corkscrew Pasta! Tricolor pasta always makes me feel like a special occasion. The burst of natural colors in spinach and tomato keep the dish from becoming humdrum, in my opinion. By adding veggies, cheese, or pickles, the salad becomes a meal-in-a-bowl. Mix things up by substituting artichokes, hard-boiled eggs, or cucumbers. It’s really up to your personal preference and cravings of the moment. Any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days. As if. (smile)

HARD SALAMI CORKSCREW PASTA

Ingredients for Pasta Salad:

1 1/2 cups rainbow rotini corkscrew pasta, uncooked

4 ounces hard salami, cut into strips

1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup green olives, halved

1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

1/2 sweet bell pepper, chopped

Ingredients for Dressing:

3 tablespoons garlic wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon marjoram

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Rinse under cold water. In a serving bowl, combine cooked pasta, hard salami, grape tomatoes, green olives, red onion, and bell pepper. Gently toss. In a small bowl, whisk together garlic wine vinegar, olive oil, sugar, sea salt, black pepper, oregano, basil, marjoram, and garlic powder. Mix well. Pour the dressing over the pasta. Toss to coat. Refrigerate for one hour. Serve.

Rainier Cherry Watermelon Salad

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Palatable Possibilities: Rainier Cherry Watermelon Salad! I’ve been in love with the taste of Rainier Cherries from my first bite. Truth be told, my love affair began long before it, though. I saw a beautiful blue French bowl overflowing with golden sunset cherries dipped in pink petal blush on the cover of a magazine. I was smitten, as with most things French, no matter the cost. I imagined the natural sweet allure as tempting as the charisma of dark chocolate. Once I grew past being spellbound, I knew I would treat myself to a pound of Rainier cherries once a year. Perhaps that is why this variety is known as the “Champagne of Cherries”.

RAINIER CHERRY WATERMELON SALAD

Ingredients:

2 cups watermelon, seeds removed, cut into chunks

1 cup Rainier cherries, halved with stems and pits removed

1-2 jalapeño peppers, sliced

2 tablespoons red onion, roughly chopped

3 tablespoons lime juice

Sea Salt, optional.

Instructions:

Combine watermelon chunks, Rainier cherry halves, jalapeño peppers, and red onions. Squeeze lime juice over all. Gently toss. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Sprinkle with sea salt. Serve.

Lettuce Cup Shrimp Salad

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Palatable Possibilities: Lettuce Cup Shrimp Salad! When you need a boost from the usual lunch menu, treat yourself to an outstanding salad that feels gourmet-worthy. As a shrimp-lover, I already had ideas about serving this to my husband. In my opinion, the bigger the shrimp you can find, the better. Because I saw for myself the seafood deli offered humongous jumbo shrimp (yeah, I know), I couldn’t resist getting a pound to take home. Here’s the secret: oftentimes the market gets specific seafood brought in frozen. Frozen shrimp is usually same-day fresh. They thaw it for the customers and sell it individually or by the pound. I asked the seafood specialist if I could buy a frozen quantity from him. He was more than happy to oblige. Now you know.

LETTUCE CUP SHRIMP SALAD

Ingredients:

1 pound jumbo shrimp, precooked and tails removed

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

1 stalk celery, sliced

2-3 lettuce leaves, washed and patted dry

Red onion, finely sliced, for garnish

Instructions:

In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, and fresh dill. Gently fold in the precooked shrimp and celery slices. Place a lettuce leaf onto a plate. Scoop shrimp salad on top. Garnish with red onion. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Serve.

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.

Hawaiian Mac Salad

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Bright Ideas: Hawaiian Mac Salad! Some things get a reputation for being “island food”. This is one of them. It was created out of economic necessity, just as SPAM® became a household staple. Both survived due to their lack of being perishable in a tropical climate as well as being tasty and affordable. The flavor of this Mac salad is so unique, it continues to remain a constant plate lunch for workers, surfers, schools, and just about anyone. Check out fish markets, food trucks, roadside stands, diners, and grocery store delis. Hawaiian Mac Salad pairs beautifully with fresh fish and a scoop of white rice. Now you can make it yourself without the cost of a plane ticket to the Hawaiian Islands.

HAWAIIAN MAC SALAD

Ingredients:

8 ounces macaroni pasta

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup milk

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 stalk celery, diced

1 large carrot, grated

1/4 cup sweet onion, diced

Green onion snips, for garnish

Instructions:

Boil the macaroni in lightly salted water. Cook al dente; one minute less than package directions. Drain the macaroni and rinse with cold water. Set aside. For the sauce, in a large bowl combine the mayonnaise, milk, apple cider vinegar, sugar, sea salt, and black pepper. Mix well. Add the cooked macaroni, diced celery, grated carrots, and diced onions. Gently stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Toss before serving. Garnish with green onion snips.

Esquites Mexican Corn Salad

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Bright Ideas: Esquites Mexican Corn Salad! Living so many years in the Corn Belt of the United States, is it any wonder I get nostalgic thinking about cornfields? Once asked, while I was dating, “Where would you like to retire?” My quick response was “On an acre of land overlooking cornfields at sunset.” Imagine the puzzled look I got as the guy shrugged his shoulders and walked away. Obviously he had no idea what I was talking about. It’s the rich smell of corn, its tingle of sweetness mixed with the earthy muskiness that saturates the senses. I don’t even mind shucking sweet corn. Gently pull back the luscious leaves. Inside are golden rows of plump kernels, dewy and sweet, with a crown of blond silky tendrils. Funny how the journey changes. Now I live in Florida, where cornfields have been replaced by orange groves. Sounds like it’s time to meander down the road to the citrus farm. Perhaps I can inhale the fresh tangy aroma of orange groves at sunset.

ESQUITES MEXICAN CORN SALAD

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 ears fresh corn, shucked, kernels removed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 ounces Cotija cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup scallions, chopped

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and stemmed, chopped

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions:

Warm vegetable oil over high heat until shimmering in an iron skillet. Add corn kernels. Season with kosher salt and garlic powder. Allow kernels to cook until charred on one side, approximately 2 minutes. Toss corn, stir, and repeat until charred on second side, approximately 2 minutes longer. Transfer charred corn kernels to a mixing bowl. Add crumbled Cotija cheese, chopped scallions, fresh cilantro, jalapeño pieces, mayonnaise, lime juice, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine. Serve immediately.