Grape DeLight Salad

     Made this salad a couple of days ago . . . after Heidi Stohs told me about a salad that Amanda Collins had made. I changed it up a bit and we liked it so much that I entered the recipe in a contest that I found on Facebook — Grapes From California (Recipe Contest / View Entries / Meta, Abilene). Check out the recipes under that heading. 
     This is a lightened version of the popular grape salad with cream cheese and pecans.

   

Grape DeLight Salad

Delish, light and refreshing! The well-balanced combination of flavors—sweet, tart and tangy—is incredible. Amounts provided are variable so change it up to please your palate. Lemon flavored olive oil and balsamic vinegar really add to the flavor but if they are not available, use the regular “stuff” and squeeze fresh lemon juice over the salad.

2 to 2 ½ cups red California grapes (approx. 1 lb.) – leave whole or cut in half (I left the smaller ones whole and cut the larger ones in half)

1/3 cup crumbled bleu cheese

½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts

2 to 3 teaspoon honey

2 to 3 tablespoon lemon flavored olive oil 

1 to 2 tablespoons lemon flavored balsamic vinegar (we buy our speciality oil & vinegar @ The Tasteful Olive in Overland Park, Ks.)

Garnish: fresh mint

1. Place grapes in a serving dish.

2. Top with bleu cheese, walnuts, honey, oil and balsamic vinegar. Lightly toss.

3. Garnish with mint.

4. Chill until ready to serve.

Recipe without photos or description . . .

Grape DeLight Salad

2 to 2 ½ cups red California grapes (approx. 1 lb.) – leave whole or cut in half (I left the smaller ones whole and cut the larger ones in half)

1/3 cup crumbled bleu cheese

½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts

2 to 3 teaspoon honey

2 to 3 tablespoon lemon flavored olive oil

1 to 2 tablespoons lemon flavored balsamic vinegar (we buy our speciality oil & vinegar @ The Tasteful Olive in Overland Park, Ks.)

Garnish: fresh mint

1. Place grapes in a serving dish.

2. Top with bleu cheese, walnuts, honey, oil and balsamic vinegar. Lightly toss.

3. Garnish with mint.

4. Chill until ready to serve.

Tomato, Basil and Garbanzo Salad – a great way to utilize fresh herbs

Guess the title should really be Tomato, Basil, Garbanzo, Garlic and Parsley Salad but that seemed a little wordy! Those are the base ingredients for this summertime salad that is packed with garden herbs. It is dressed simply . . . with olive oil, balsamic vinegar (I used The Tasteful Olive’s lemon infused varieties) + some homemade basil pesto and salt and pepper to taste. Summer is here!

A section of our herb garden.

Tomato, Basil and Garbanzo Salad

1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved (I cut some of the larger ones into smaller pieces)

½ cup lightly packed basil leaves – measure and then chop

About 2 to 3 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

Kosher salt & coarsely ground pepper to taste (about 1 tsp. salt & ½ tsp. pepper

3 to 4 tablespoons basil pesto

About 2 teaspoons+  balsamic vinegar (I used lemon-infused vinegar)

About 2 tablespoons olive oil (I used lemon-infused EVOO)

Optional - Add grated Parmesan to the salad right before serving

Toss all ingredients together and chill for at least 30 minutes (several hours preferable), allowing flavors to mingle.

Spinach & Salmon Salad w/ Lemon-Dijon Vinaigrette . . . using last night’s leftover salmon

     Last night’s salmon was delish but the portion was way to big for me. The leftovers were just right for today’s luncheon salad. (Although Panko-Crusted Salmon worked well in this salad, any leftover baked or poached salmon would work.)

     And since salmon and lemon pair so well . . . I made a Lemon-Dijon Vinaigrette that featured The Tasteful Olive’s Lemon Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Lemon Balsamic Vinegar. It was the perfect topping for a yummy salad.

Lemon-Dijon Vinaigrette     Enough to liberally dress two luncheon salads

¼ cup  Lemon (flavored) Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tablespoons Lemon Balsamic Vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Whisk until thoroughly mixed.

Spinach & Salmon Salad Makes 2 luncheon salad

2 large handfuls of baby spinach leaves

2 hard cook eggs, cut into slices

1 tablespoon toasted sunflower seeds

4 oz.+ cooked salmon fillets

2 tablespoons+ freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Croutons – if desired

Layer salad ingredients, in order listed. Dress with Lemon-Dijon Vinaigrette right before serving.

Oven Roasted Cauliflower - tender, tasty florets

     Super easy to prepare, oven roasted cauliflower is tasty and nutritious as well.

     Since I was making this dish for just two, I opted for half of a cauliflower but for company I’ll just double the ingredients.

     However, I do add a caution. Many roasted cauliflower recipe call for temps of 450° or higher – we find this burns rather than caramelizes the florets, and also makes them tough as it removes most of the veggies moisture. In our small Breville® convection oven, 400° was high enough.

    We highly recommend procuring some specialty olive oil and vinegar mentioned below for this recipe – it really adds layers of flavor . . . but it’s good without it, too.

Oven Roasted Cauliflower    About 2 to 3 servings

½ medium head cauliflower (about 1 1/8 lb.), trimmed and cut into florets

2 medium cloves garlic, finely

2 to 3 tablespoons cup olive oil (or use lemon-flavored olive oil such as The Tasteful Olive’s Lemon EVOO)

1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (could omit if using lemon-flavored olive oil)

¼ to ½ teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 to 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Splash of lemon-flavored balsamic vinegar, such at that sold at The Tasteful Olive in Overland Park, Ks., optional

1.     Heat oven to 400° to 425°. Combine cauliflower and garlic in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

2.     Transfer, in a single layer, to a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for about 25 minutes, only until tender; stir once. Watch closely near the end of the cooking time.

Ready to go in the oven.

Cooked to perfection.

3.     Sprinkle with cheese and drizzle with lemon-flavored balsamic vinegar if desired.

Recipe without photos . . .

Oven Roasted Cauliflower    About 2 to 3 servings

½ medium head cauliflower (about 1 1/8 lb.), trimmed and cut into florets

2 medium cloves garlic, finely

2 to 3 tablespoons cup olive oil (or use lemon-flavored olive oil such as The Tasteful Olive’s Lemon EVOO)

1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (could omit if using lemon-flavored olive oil)

¼ to ½ teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 to 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Splash of lemon-flavored balsamic vinegar, such at that sold at The Tasteful Olive in Overland Park, Ks., optional

1.     Heat oven to 400° to 425°. Combine cauliflower and garlic in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

2.     Transfer, in a single layer, to a rimmed baking sheet.  Roast for about 25 minutes, only until tender; stir once. Watch closely near the end of the cooking time.

3.     Sprinkle with cheese and drizzle with lemon-flavored balsamic vinegar if desired.