Salad & Salsa

I’m getting better at doing these short posts but haven’t abandoned crafting more thoughtful ones. It just so happens that I’ve had several in a row.

There are a few recipes that I keep meaning to post here and since I got emails asking for both this morning I finally decided to do it. I’m not good at measuring so they are more like ingredient lists than recipes.

Every Salad (Choose one from each: a green, a fruit, a cheese, an onion, a crunch & a dressing)

1. Leafy Greens (spinach, arugula, mixed greens and Oak or Bib Lettuce are my favorites…romaine works ok for Mexican & Asian)

2. Fruit (tomatoes, apples, pears, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, mangos or oranges)

3. Onion (any kind works but I prefer thinly sliced red or chopped green)

4. Cheese (goat is good with everything but oranges, gorgonzola is good with tomatoes, apples & pears, parmesan is best with tomatoes and cheddar or Monterrey jack is good for a mexican salad…Asian salads don’t need cheese)

5. Crunch (pecans, walnuts, almonds, croutons, tortilla chips or crushed and toasted ramen noodles…I like to candy the nuts with butter & brown sugar…also peanuts are good for Asian if you use a peanut or ginger dressing)

6. Other (avocados, cucumbers, raisins, Craisins, dried apricots, cilantro, bacon, chopped egg, olives)

Some of my favorite salad combinations:

Spinach, berries, goat, purple onion, avocado, walnuts & balsamic vinaigrette

Spinach, granny smith apples, gorgonzola, green onion, candied pecans & apple cider vinaigrette

Oak lettuce, pear, gorgonzola, purple onion, cucumbers, avocado, candied pecans & apple cider vinaigrette

7. Dressing (put in a magic bullet, blender or food processor and blend until emulsified)

Vinaigrette: 2 parts Olive oil, 1 part Balsamic or apple cider vinegar, 1 garlic clove, salt, pepper, italian seasoning, a spoonful of brown sugar or honey, a squirt of mustard…any kind works

Asian: 2 parts Sesame oil, 1 part soy sauce or rice vinegar, 1 garlic clove, salt, pepper, a spoonful of peanut butter or tahini, ginger

Salsa (Put all ingredients in a magic bullet, blender or food processor and blend well)

1. Can of diced or whole tomatoes

2. thick slice of onion

3. several garlic cloves

4. 1 whole chili or jalapeno pepper

5. handful of cilantro

6. juice from half a lime or lemon

7. salt, pepper & oregano (I like a lot of salt)