Category Archives: Salad

Chilled Zoodle Salad with Herby Buttermilk Ranch

26 Monday Sep 2016

Posted by in Healthy, Main Dish, Meatless Monday, Salad, Vegetarian

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When I wasn’t making loaf after loaf of my new go-to zucchini bread, we were eating this salad. On a hot summer day, the last thing I wanted to do was make zucchini lasagna or stir frys…and this zoodle salad is so adaptable it solved all of our problems. Here we have the basic version with a homemade, herby buttermilk ranch, but we ate this salad many times with store bought dressing (don’t tell anyone) and it was still amazing. Add different toppings, throw on some grilled chicken, just about anything works!

I found the secret to this salad was chilling the zoodles for at least an hour. It made them extra crunchy and took out some of the moisture so you didn’t have a soggy zoodle salad. Move over, lettuce…zoodles make summer salads more fun.

Recipe
Chilled Zoodle Salad with Herby Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
By Baked Northwest
Serves 2

Ingredients

For the Salad:

  • 1 medium zucchini, spiralized into “zoodles”
  • 1/2 cup sliced black olives
  • 1/2 cup shredded carrots
  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/2 cup red onion, sliced
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper

For the Herby Buttermilk Ranch Dressing:

  • 1/2 cup of buttermilk, shaken
  • 3/4 cup mayo
  • 3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
  • juice from 1/2 lemon (about 2 tbsp)
  • 2 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 2 tsbp siracha (if you want to add some spice)!

Directions

Make your zoodles:
Using a spiralizer (I have the Paderno Spiralizer), make your zucchini noodles: I use the small spaghetti-sized blade for this salad, but the thicker noodle blade works great too! Lightly blot dry your zoodles with paper towels and place them in an airtight container, and refrigerate for at least an hour. I find refrigerating the zoodles takes some of the moisture out and ends up giving your salad a nice crisp crunch. You do not want a soggy salad! You can make your zoodles the night before and store in the fridge until you are ready to use them.

Make the herby buttermilk ranch:
Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer the dressing to a container, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour to let the flavors develop.

Assemble your zoodle bowl:
   Place the red onion in a small bowl and add the tablespoon of white wine vinegar. Add a little bit of salt and pepper and let stand while you assemble the rest of the salad.
Divide the zoodles in half and place on 2 bowls or plates. Add half of your toppings to each bowl; the carrots, olives, tomatoes, feta, and onions. Serve with the herby buttermilk ranch and enjoy!

 

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Asparagus, Orange, and Lentil Salad

21 Tuesday Apr 2015

Posted by in Entertaining, Events, Healthy, Holidays, Salad

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Asparagus, Orange, and Lentil Salad

Currently, I would guess I have well over a thousand recipes saved, just waiting for me to try them out. It’s a bit overwhelming when there are so many great recipes and so little time. I try to prioritize, plan ahead, and try what’s in season. Things get a little backlogged, and this recipe has been saved since I received the March 2013 issue of Southern Living. The combination of fennel, oranges, asparagus, and beautiful pink lentils was really intriguing to me. End result: I’ve made this salad twice since Easter and can’t get enough. It’s one of those salads that keeps well for lunches the next day, which is a rare occurrence in the world of Salads. Continue reading →

Broccoli Crunch Salad

05 Monday Jan 2015

Posted by in Easy, Entertaining, Salad, Side Dish

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Broccoli Crunch Salad

One of the things in life that I really excel at, seriously, I don’t even have to try – is making healthy things not so healthy anymore. But I am also dangerously good at convincing people (mostly myself) that the un-healthified meal in question is basically like eating plain lettuce.

Broccoli Salad

The real moral of the story here is that for this ridiculous dialog to be happening, there has to be a sliver of healthy goodness in there. I don’t scream out, “HEY, IT’S VEGGIE!” when I’m shoving my face at Burgerville eating my favorite Spicy Anasazi Bean Burger. I usually know when to shut up and just enjoy it. But at least I don’t get the double bacon cheeseburger….

Broccoli Salad

So anyways, this broccoli salad, yeah. It’s pretty good. No, we aren’t eating plain broccoli here, we are throwing on some creamy dressing and bacon. But broccoli is going to steal the show no matter how much we try to trash this up.

Broccoli Crunch Salad

This is a riff on those broccoli salads you have at Bridal Showers, Summer BBQ’s, and the stuff you pick up for lunch from the deli counter. Since first making this, it’s been requested by Jordan for his work lunches several times. However, if you are bringing it to work, you may want to leave out the garlic in the dressing and those red onions out of the salad…Broccoli + garlic + onions can be pretty potent, if you know what I mean. Your call though, it’s really tasty either way!

Recipe
Broccoli Crunch Salad
Serves 6 to 8
by Baked Northwest

Ingredients

for the dressing:
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 heaping tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 garlic clove, minced (optional)
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

for the salad:
2 heads broccoli, cut into bite sized florets (you can also trim and cube the stems for use in this salad)
8 ounces (about half of a regular sized package) bacon, cooked and chopped into bit size pieces
1/2 cup slivered almonds (can substitute peanuts or cashews)
1/3 cup Zante currants (can sub dried cranberries)
1/4 cup diced red onions (optional)
1 green onion, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Place all dressing ingredients into a small mixing bowl and whisk together. Base amounts on how thin you like your dressing. If you like a thicker dressing, add 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar. Like it thinner? Add about 2 tablespoons. If you want a sweeter dressing, add more honey, if you need a little zing, add some lemon juice! We eyeball ours and it comes out a little different each time, but it’s always delicious.

2. Place broccoli florets and all other salad ingredients into a large mixing bowl and top with dressing. Fold together until fully combined.

3. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.

4. Toss salad before serving. This salad is great to make ahead and save for work lunches, but it’s always a hit at parties too!

Quinoa Tabbouleh

02 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by in Entertaining, Healthy, Meatless Monday, Salad, Side Dish, Weeknight Meals

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Quinoa TabboulehHave you ever found yourself with an abundance of an herb, and you don’t quite know what to do with all of it? Have you ever decided to plant something, thinking you would probably kill it, when all of a sudden you have too much of one thing?Quinoa TabboulehI feel like this has happened to a lot of home gardeners with mint. You imagine you are going to have some mojitos, maybe throw it in some tea, and that’ll be it. However…many times you are left with so much mint you just don’t know how you will EVER use it all.

This Tabbouleh salad is a great solution to your mint problem. Here we use 3 cups (!!!) mint to make a refreshing and healthy summer salad. Of course, if you don’t quite have that much mint in your garden you can easily use only 1-2 cups and you are still going to have a GREAT tabbouleh. The quinoa and cabbage really mix things up too.Quinoa Tabbouleh

Recipe
Quinoa Tabbouleh
Adapted from Bon Appétit
serves 8 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 1/4 – 1/2 medium head green cabbage, cut into 1”-thick wedges, then very thinly sliced crosswise (about 2 cups)
  • 1/4 – 1/2 medium head purple cabbage, cut into 1”-thick wedges, then very thinly sliced crosswise (about 2 cups)*
  • 1 small sweet onion (such as Vidalia), finely chopped
  • 4 cups assorted small tomatoes, halved, quartered if large (we used red and yellow cherry tomatoes)
  • 3 cups coarsely chopped fresh mint
  • ¾ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • Kosher salt, to taste

*NOTE: you can use only green or only purple cabbage – just make sure you have about 4 cups chopped cabbage total.

Directions

  • Place rinsed, dried quinoa in a pot and add 2 cups water. Bring quinoa to a boil, then let simmer, covered, on the stove until quinoa has absorbed most of the water. Fluff quinoa with a fork and remove from heat.
  • Toss quinoa, cabbage, onion, tomatoes, mint, oil, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl to combine; season with salt.
  • DO AHEAD: Tabbouleh can be made 4 hours ahead. You can toss with oil and lemon juice just before serving, but I like adding it right away and letting the flavors develop. This salad is great the next day, straight out of the fridge!

Lemongrass Ginger Chicken in Lettuce Cups

18 Sunday May 2014

Posted by in Chicken, Healthy, Main Dish, Salad

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Lettuce CupsEveryone loves the lettuce wraps from a certain chain restaurant…Many have tried to recreate them, but I think there is no need after finding this recipe. It’s fast, easy, and better than any restaurant wrap! Maybe I am biased because we used beautiful lettuce from our garden. Regardless, what a healthy and fun at-home meal!Lemongrass ChickenLettuce Wraps

Recipe
Lemongrass Ginger Chicken in Lettuce Cups
adapted from Sunset
serves 4 (12-16 lettuce cups)

  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 tsp. Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 3 tablespoons minced ginger, divided
  • 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons peanut butter, chunky or smooth
  • 3 tablespoons grapeseed or vegetable oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, diced
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons minced lemongrass
  • 1 or 2 jalapeño chiles, chopped
  • 3/4 cup finely diced cucumber
  • 1/2 cup salted roasted peanuts, chopped
  • Salt
  • 12 lettuce-leaf “cups,” using iceberg or butter lettuce, or a mix

Directions

  1. Mix chicken with 1 tbsp. fish sauce, the sugar, and 2 tbsp. ginger in a small bowl; set aside. In another small bowl, stir hoisin sauce with lime juice, peanut butter, and remaining 1 tsp. fish sauce until smooth; set sauce aside.
  2. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Swirl in oil. Add garlic and remaining 1 tbsp. ginger and cook until fragrant. Add chicken and cook, stirring and breaking up chunks, until no longer pink, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Add carrot, lemongrass, and chiles and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute more. Add cucumber, green onions, and peanuts and stir to combine. Add salt to taste. I added a bit of the hoisin sauce mixture to the chicken to spice it up. Transfer to a serving bowl.
  3. To eat, spread some hoisin sauce on a lettuce cup. Top with chicken mixture, fold up, and eat with your hands.

Lettuce Wraps

Spicy Black Bean & Quinoa Salad with Mole Vinaigrette

19 Wednesday Mar 2014

Posted by in Easy, Healthy, Meatless Monday, Salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian, Weeknight Meals

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Black Bean Quinoa Salad

 

We threw this together on a whim last night for dinner. It came together super easy and quick. It’s super healthy and flavorful. It’s totally portable and I’m probably going to bring it to work for lunch everyday. What more could you ask for, really?!?

To top it off, this salad is VEGAN!!! I was a tad skeptical of the “mole” vinaigrette, I don’t usually go for the mole dishes because I like to eat my chocolate AFTER dinner, thank you very much. But overall, the cocoa undertones are subtle and the chipotle gives it a nice spicy kick. This is not your everyday salad, although you may find yourself wishing you could eat it on a daily basis…

Recipe
Spicy Black Bean & Quinoa Salad with Mole Vinaigrette
adapted from Cooking Light
makes about 6 servings

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

  • 1 teaspoon grated orange rind
  • 3/4 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Salad:

  • 1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 2-4 chopped mini peppers (or chopped bell peppers, fresno peppers, etc)
  • 1/4 cup pickled jalapenos, drained
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 4 cups baby spinach leaves

Directions

  1. Cook the quinoa: Rinse the quinoa well. Combine 1 cup quinoa and 1 cup water in a small pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes until you can fluff quinoa with a fork. Let cool.
  2. Make the dressing: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl except for the olive oil; gradually add oil, stirring well with a whisk.
  3. Combine cooled quinoa and all salad ingredients except for the spinach in a large bowl. Add vinaigrette; toss to coat. Add spinach; toss to combine.

Meatless Monday | Grilled Green Tomato Caprese

14 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by in Appetizers, Entertaining, Grilling, Healthy, Meatless Monday, Salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian

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Oh Hey. Sooo I know Green Tomatoes are kind of a “Summer” thing…But here in the Northwest…I still have tons of Green Tomatoes on my plants. I did get some ripe ones out of my summer…but some didn’t quite mature. But that’s okay…Because!!!Green Tomato CapreseFun times with Green Tomatoes! A recipe that is a bit healthier than Fried Green Tomatoes…These Grilled Green Tomatoes made into a Caprese Salad!Grilled Green TomatoesI like this recipe because it is waaay easier than Fried Green Tomatoes. Just marinade them in a little saucy sauce, throw em on the grill…and add mozzarella and basil! We took the extra step to melt the mozz under the broiler, but this recipe is great with fresh cold mozzarella as well!Grilled Green Tomato Caprese

Recipe
Grilled Green Tomato Caprese
serves 8 as an appetizer or side
adapted from Southern Living

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar (we used regular, it was still delish)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 4 medium-size green tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 2 lb.)
  • 1 (16-oz.) package fresh mozzarella cheese
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Directions

  1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl or baking dish, stir. Add tomatoes and cover, letting chill for at least 1 hour.
  2. Preheat grill to 350° to 400° (medium-high) heat. Remove tomatoes from marinade, reserving marinade. Grill tomatoes, covered with grill lid, 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until tender and grill marks appear.
  3. Arrange alternating slices of warm grilled tomatoes and mozzarella cheese on a large, shallow platter. We put our dish under the broiler for a minute to melt the cheese a little bit, it’s great both ways! Drizzle with reserved marinade; season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with basil.

Grilled Rib Eye with Orzo Salad

19 Thursday Sep 2013

Posted by in Easy, Grilling, Main Dish, Pasta, Salad, Steak, Weeknight Meals

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Grilled Rib Eye with Orzo Salad
I’m in a zone right now where I’m trying to use up all of the food in the house. I saw this recipe in Sunset Magazine and thought it would be the perfect use for the large amount of orzo I have laying around.
The ingredients don’t seem like anything too fancy, but I was pleasantly surprised with the delicious results. Bonus: this is the best leftover bring-to-work lunch salad ever!
Recipe note: I could not find halloumi at my local store, the guy looked at me like I was making sh*t up. I ended up finding Kasseri, which is not the best grilling cheese, but it worked ok. Feta would me a much easier option, just crumbled over the finished salad.
Recipe
Grilled Rib Eye with Orzo Salad
adapted from Sunset Magazine
Ingredients
  • 1 cup orzo pasta
  • 1 boneless rib-eye steak (about 1 lb.), about 1 in. thick
  • 1 pkg. (12 oz.) halloumi (if you are grilling the cheese), if not try feta, Kasseri, or myzithra
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup pitted and sliced kalamata olives
  • 1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped (not necessary, but a good addition)
  • 1/2 – 1 whole roughly chopped red bell pepper (depends on how much you like peppers – I went for it and added the whole thing).
  • 1/3 cup mint leaves, chopped
  • 1/3 cup oregano leaves, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice

Preparation

  1. Heat a grill to medium-high (400° to 450°). Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain, then set aside.
  2. Brush steak and cheese with 2 tbsp. oil and sprinkle steak with salt. Grill both, turning once, until grill marks appear on cheese, and steak is done the way you like, 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare. Let steak rest 10 minutes.
  3. Cut halloumi slices into quarters. Combine cheese, orzo, remaining 4 tbsp. oil, and remaining ingredients in a bowl; divide among 4 plates. Top with sliced steak.

Summer is Here: Greek Orzo Salad

08 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by in Easy, Entertaining, Healthy, Pasta, Salad, Side Dish

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You know Summer is in the Northwest when you see Ranier Cherries...And for me it becomes official when I make this Greek Orzo Salad.

You know Summer is in the Northwest when you see Ranier Cherries…And for me it becomes official when I make this Greek Orzo Salad.

This is my, “crap summer is here and my wedding is 70 days away” post. Well, not really…it’s actually more about one of the best summer salads you’ll ever make. I first made this salad years ago, and I can’t quite remember how I found it, or what even gave me the idea to try to find a Greek Orzo Salad. The only thing you need to know is every time I make it people love it! Plus, it’s relatively guilt-free when you compare it to other mayo-laden pasta salads out there.

Greek Orzo Salad

The other great thing about this Greek Orzo salad? It’s easily adaptable. Don’t like onions? Leave ’em out! Prefer black olives over Kalamatas? Go for it! This recipe is so easy, I probably make it a little different each time, but with the same end result: delish. Continue reading →

Ginger Steak Salad

31 Friday May 2013

Posted by in Bloggerific, Easy, Entertaining, Grilling, Main Dish, Salad, Steak

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Ginger Steak Salad

This is an excellent asian-inspired steak salad. If you aren’t that into salads but love steak, the marinade is great on its own! Feel free to get creative here, next time I think I want to add some homemade croutons or some of those fancy crunchies you see in some salads! This recipe makes me wonder why I don’t eat steak salad more often. Note to self… Continue reading →