Food thread! Now that it is really heating up -- what are your favorite salads?

[Flaxbee]

I have an ulterior motive: I need recipes for about 3-4 salads that are easy to make / transport for family member lunches.

Preferably light/low-calorie ones, which translates (unfortunately for my taste buds) into no pasta salads.

Anyone care to share recipes? :hi:

Edited to add what I made today:

1 package pre-made cole slaw
Chopped raw broccoli florets
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 can garbanzo beans
Tossed with a little coleslaw dressing mixed with a little creamy poppyseed dressing.

Took about 10 minutes to make and was really very good with a few crackers.

[Luciferous]

1. Tuna salad! But I don't really have a recipe for it, I just throw

stuff together.

[Flaxbee]

12. I unfortunately have some digestion issues with tuna - but I love it

in very small doses.

[sarge43]

26. Clean out the fridge Tuna salad

1 drained can tuna

1 drained 14oz can white kidney beans

Adjust to taste, I use

Tablespoon capers

Half cup chopped parsley

Two stalks chopped celery

One chopped sweet pepper

Half of a chopped cuke

Two bunches chopped green onion

Five large sliced radishes (more if small)

Mix with olive oil and lemon juice dressing (ratio to taste, I use fourth cup oil, three fourths cup juice)

[Brickbat]

2. I mix 2 T of olive oil with 1.5 T of red wine vinegar and a squeeze of lemon juice and some black

pepper. Then I pour that on 3/4 bag of greens. Some croutons and gorgonzola, and it's lunch.

[Flaxbee]

7. add a few walnuts to the gorgonzola = heaven

:)

I *love* walnuts and gorgonzola on salad....

[LoveMyCali]

3. This is a Weight Watchers recipe

but I brought it to a family picnic once and now everyone always asks for it.

Black Bean, Mango, Tomato Salad

Ingredients:
1 large mango(es), diced, divided* (about 1 3/4 cups)
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
3 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp table salt
15 oz canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup(s) tomato(es), diced
1/2 cup(s) onion(s), sweet, diced
1/4 cup(s) mint leaves, or cilantro, fresh, cut into thin slivers (I've never tried it with mint)
1 Tbsp canned jalapeٌo peppers, or fresh, minced (if using fresh, do not touch seeds with bare hands)

Instructions
In a large bowl, mash 1/4 cup of diced mango with a fork; whisk in lime juice, water, oil, cumin and salt.


Add remaining diced mango, beans, tomato, onion, mint and jalapeno to bowl; toss to mix and coat. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 1 day. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.

[Flaxbee]

8. sounds very good - will give it a try & pick up the ingredients

next time I go to the store. Thanks!

[blueamy66]

27. Awesome.

I needed a side dish for a Mexican potluck this weekend....this is it!!!!!

[elleng]

4. Been going to salad bar at grocery lately:

few pieces lettuce/baby spinach, peas, cauliflower, BEETS, shredded carrots. 'Dress' w fresh squeezed lemon juice.

NOT exciting, but good.

[Flaxbee]

9. Beets are yummy ... are they good with the cauliflower?

Will see what I can combine for good flavors. Thanks!

[elleng]

14. Fine w cauli.

[IcyPeas]

34. yes, and they turn the cauliflower a lovely pink color :-)

[nolabear]

5. I'm a fruit/nut/cheese girl.

Big old bunch of Spring Greens, a pear, Bleu Cheese, toasted walnuts and a good Balsamic/oil dressing. Y_U_M

[Flaxbee]

10. What is it about walnuts and cheese? Really

good flavor combination!

[applegrove]

6. The caterers next door used to make a mango salad that was mostly sliced mangos and sliced

tomatoes with a vinaigrette dressing. Yummy. The mangoes were the yellow ones not the orange ones.

[Flaxbee]

11. Hm. Sounds good. And there's always tomatoes with basil and mozzarella :)

Perfect.

[grasswire]

13. sugar snap peas, walnuts, peas, diced celery, bleu cheese...

...tiny dice red onion, and bleu cheese salad dressing. Garnish with crumbled bleu cheese. The peas can be frozen ones, defrosted under running water and drained.

Very crunchy, very fresh tasting, and nutritious!

[Amerigo Vespucci]

15. Tri-color rotini pasta salad with tomatoes, olives, and Italian cheese blend

If I'm feeling ambitious, I'll make an Italian Herb Vinaigrette dressing from scratch, but if I'm not, I'll just get the best bottled brand I can find.

Tri-color rotini pasta because we eat with our eyes as well as our stomachs, eh?

Safeway's "Lucerne" brand offers a nice shredded Mozzarella, Mild Cheddar, Provolone & Asiago mix. The Provolone gives it a bit of a smoky "kick."

I like the flavor of Roma tomatoes...I'll get a couple of ripe ones, quarter them, remove the seeds, and chop them into nice small pieces.

A small can of sliced black olives.

Since I cook all the time, I have gotten to the point where I hardly measure anything, so I put the cooked pasta in a bowl, add enough dressing to coat it but not drown it, and then add the remaining ingredients.

I try to use it within a couple of days. It's a nice salad to have in the fridge because the flavors keep getting better.

:toast:

[bigwillq]

16. Cobb

:bounce:

[snagglepuss]

17. Run don't walk and get thee a head a Napa (Chinese) cabbage! A thousand

times better than regular cabbage - more more jucy and tender with just as many amazing nutritional benefits. And way easier to chop up.It also tastes great mixed with romaine and stays very crisp



My recipe

Napa chapped in bite size pieces

Thinly sliced red onion

English cucumber or regular cukes

Thinly slced red cabbage

Ranch or any other fav dressing



snip

Cabbage is so healthy because it contains indole-3-carbinol, a fascinating anti-cancer compound.

Here's the story on that. Some cancers are estrogen-driven, which means that estrogen can be metabolized in the body into cancer causing compounds. The one that we worry about is called 16 hydroxyestrone. While estrogen is converted either to that or into a safe material called 2 hydroxyestrone. It turns out that indole-3-carbonol, the substance found in cabbage induces enzymes that take estrogen down the safe path as opposed to the dangerous path. Well, what evidence do we have that it is worthwhile playing around with levels of indole-3-carbinol? In a study where women were given supplements of this chemical, and their urine was monitored for the 2 hydroxy and the 16 hydroxyestrone levels, which reflect body concentrations, it turned out that the more indole-3-carbinol they ingested as a supplement, the less of the dangerous estrone metaboli they had in their body. That's for dietary supplements, but what about eating foods that are high in indole-3-carbonol?

Well, here an Israeli study gives us some meaningful results. A group of women agreed to eat large doses of cabbage, and cauliflower, broccoli and brusselsprouts. And they had their urine monitored. As levels of the indole-3-carbonol climbed levels of the problematic estrogen metaboli fell. Further more we know in laboratory studies when you take human breast cancer cells and bathe them in cabbage juice they multiply less frequently. So it certainly is worthwhile to increase the amount of cruciferous vegetable that we take in our diet. But how do we do it?




http://www.tvo.org/yourhealth/joe_schwarcz/cabbage.html

[Xipe Totec]

18. Apple Fennel Salad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvNp3x9Ag1Q&feature=related

[grasswire]

19. spicy peanut cabbage slaw w/ fresh plum

I made a great slaw from thin-sliced red cabbage, red wine vinegar, olive oil, a good shake of Lawry's season salt, some sliced fresh plum, and a good handful of Trader Joe's thai spiced peanuts.

[Flaxbee]

37. wow - that sounds very different and good...

closest Trader Joe's is about an hour away, but I'll look for thai spiced peanuts...

[csziggy]

20. Three bean salad - made with as many kinds of beans as you like

Essentially, it's cooked beans (canned are easiest) with a sweet and sour vinaigrette dressing. Best if you heat the dressing and pour it over the beans while still hot.

Here is one I have used as a base: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Three-Bean-Salad-5/Detail.aspx

I don't like garbanzos, so I left them out. Used green, wax, red, black, and navy beans, all drained and rinsed. I used one yellow onion because that's what I had and added minced garlic. Put the onion, garlic, and spices in with the liquids while heating, then poured over the mixture of beans. Best if you let it marinate for a few days. Can be served cold or at room temperature. It is really great for transporting in hot weather since it pretty much takes weeks to go bad.

[Xipe Totec]

22. Sorry, three is the limit

And the LORD spake, saying, "First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin, then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three.

[csziggy]

23. I shall call it Ziggy Five Bean Salad with Other Vegetables, then

And thereby get around that stricture!

[grasswire]

42. you had to start, eh?

Now I'll be running the script in the back of my mind for hours.

[Chellee]

43. 5 is right out.

:7

[Flaxbee]

38. I like three bean salad - or zillion bean salad, too....

Sounds like a very good recipe, thanks!

[geardaddy]

21. I have many favorites.

But the first one that came to mind was the brocoli, bacon, sunflower seed, scallion, craison salad.http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/bacon-broccoli-salad/Detail.aspx

[Flaxbee]

39. we're a no-pork or beef establishment, but I can try that with vegan bacon

and see how it comes out. :hi:

[geardaddy]

41. I think it would be just as good.

:hi:

[MadBadger]

24. egg

[surrealAmerican]

28. ... so good you could plotz?

I like celery leaves in my egg salad.

[jmowreader]

25. My favorite salad is the Meat Salad

Seriously.

Start with your favorite kind of non-iceberg lettuce because all iceberg does for you is make you think you're eating properly. (Rule of nutrition with lettuce: the greener the lettuce is, the more nutrition it has. Iceberg, of course, is white.)

Then put on top of it whatever kinds of veggies you like--bell pepper, fresh mushrooms, cucumbers, olives, raw peas (sugar snap is best), radishes, whatever you like.

Put this in the fridge once you've made it.

Next, you need thin-sliced beef. I just recently found out about unseasoned carne asado meat--pre-thinly-sliced meat! Cut into bite-size pieces, season and fry up. If you like chicken, pork, turkey, or seafood you can do that too.

Put meat on salad.

Make a balsamic vinaigrette (or buy a bottle of it) and serve alongside salads.

[Flaxbee]

40. I'll add iceberg into a salad for crunch, but don't have it as the dominant salad 'green' for the

reason you mention - very low nutritional value...

I'm steering (no pun intended) us away from meat - I so very strongly disapprove not of eating meat, but of the industry and how the animals are treated - but it does sound like a tasty dish. If I could be certain that the animals had been raised humanely and slaughtered painlessly, I'd return to being a carnivore.

[Tabasco_Dave]

29. Thai Beef Salad

Ingredients

2 green onions, chopped
1 lemon grass, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1 cup lime juice
1/3 cup fish sauce
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 pounds (1 inch thick) steak fillet
1 head leaf lettuce - rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
1/2 English cucumber, diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes

Directions

In a large bowl, stir together the green onions, lemon grass, cilantro, mint leaves, lime juice, fish sauce, chili sauce and sugar until well combined and the sugar is dissolved. Adjust the flavor, if desired, by adding more sugar and/or fish sauce. Set aside.
Cook the steak over high heat on a preheated grill for approximately 4-6 minutes on each side, until it is cooked medium. Do not overcook the meat! Remove from heat and slice into thin strips. Add the meat and its juices to the sauce and refrigerate, tightly covered, for at least 3 hours.
Tear the lettuce into bite size pieces and place in a salad bowl. Arrange the cucumber on top of the lettuce, and then pour the meat and sauce over. Top with the cherry tomatoes and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

:9

[HopeHoops]

30. Fresh baby spinach with other fresh veggies and crumbled gorgonzola - olive oil & vinegar dressing.

Simple but yummy.

[Zephie]

31. Theres really nothing I like more than a good caesar salad

Simple and tasty. I want one right now! :(

[Kali]

32. ones that include grilled MEAT

:rofl:

seriously, I love a regular tossed green salad with cold sliced steak or chicken this time of year

another good one is coarsely chopped tomato, cuke, onion and either bell pepper or some kind of chile pepper drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice (kind of a gazpacho or pico de gallo salad)

I swear my safeway has a really good pasta salad that may not be too high in fat (then again, it tastes so good it may be) the pasta is orzo and there are dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, garlic and probably basil and other fresh herbs. I would love the recipe for it as it is pretty much out of my budget unless I'm just sneaking a treat for myself - definitely not affordable for feeding huge working male appetites.

[IcyPeas]

33. I go to a nice salad bar often for lunch.. this is what I get

spinach
chopped cabbage
chick peas
carrots
peas
corn
beets
fusilli
cauliflower (which they don't always have)

then either just olive oil and vinegar or
squeezed lemon and olive oil (The lemon is SO good on the pasta)

(I am a veggie, so I put no meat/tuna etc. in it)

[KamaAina]

35. Chinese chicken

some overly PC places will label it as "Asian" or "Oriental", but it's the same thing.

In Hawai'i, where I discovered it, the senior citizen who first served it to me was amazed that I liked the Chinese parsley. She had no idea that mainland yuppies esteem the stuff under its fancier name, cilantro!

[livetohike]

36. One has to like pesto (or not), but this has become a favorite

and you can adjust the quantities or ingredients, of course.

Pesto (homemade or in a jar)
Hard boiled eggs (cut into wedges)
Steamed green beans (leave whole)
Red potatoes, boiled and cut into wedges
Tomatoes (cut into wedges)
Swiss or provolone cheese or mozzarella (cut into pieces)
Baguette, sliced

Artfully arrange all the ingredients around a small bowl of pesto. That's it.

[zen_bohemian]

44. chicken waldorf salad

apple, grapes, chicken breast, celery and walnuts

the dressing is yogurt, mayo, orange juice

oh man this stuff is good :)