Watermelon Salad

The combination of onions and cheese is not appealing to me when it comes to watermelon salads. I’ve made my own salad using jicama root to make it lighter; raisins and watermelon for sweetness, mint for freshness, and Hawaiian vanilla for its subtle but sweet touch. Enjoy!

Watermelon Salad

1 small seedless watermelon
1 jicama root
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup pistachios
12 fresh mint leaves finely chopped
½ Hawaiian vanilla bean
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
4 Tbs olive oil
A pinch of salt

In a small-size bowl combine the vinegar, salt, chopped mint, and vanilla. Add the olive oil little by little while mixing with the whip to emulsify your dressing. Set aside.

Peel and dice the jicama root and the watermelon. Add the vinaigrette and toss. Add raisins and pistachios to garnish.

Roasted Beet Salad with Gorgonzola

Roasted Beet Salad with Gorgonzola

4 red beets
4 yellow beets
1 package mesclum
2 tbs Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled


Preheat the oven at 400 F. Make the vinaigrette recipe below…

Mustard vinaigrette

½ cup wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
½ tsp white pepper
1 tbs French or Dijon mustard
1 ½ cups salad oil

Mix together the vinegar, salt, mustard, and white pepper until salt is dissolved.
Using a whisk, mix in the oil slowly to emulsify it. Set it aside and mix it again before serving.

When the oven is ready, wrap the red beets in foil drizzled with oil and bake them for about 40 minutes to 1 hr.

Cool the beets slightly. Trim the root and stem ends and pull off the peels.

Cut the beets crosswise into thin slices and arrange them in circles on a cold plate.

Add some of the vinaigrette to the mesclum and toss and drizzle about a tablespoon of the remaining vinaigrette to the beets. Place mesclum on top of the beets, sprinkle the tops of the salad with the gorgonzola cheese.
Enjoy!

Citrus Strawberry Salad

Citrus Strawberry Salad

Simple ingredients make the most flavorful dishes.

Ingredients

1 small bag Spring Mix greens
1/3 cup sliced almonds
2 strawberries
1 navel orange

Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette

2 tbs Aged Balsamic vinegar
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp fresh orange zest
1/3 cup olive oil

Toast the sliced almonds in a small pan over low heat for about 20 minutes stirring constantly to avoid burning.

In a medium bowl mix the vinegar, sugar, and orange zest. Add the olive oil slowly while whisking to emulsify the vinaigrette. Set aside.

Cut strawberries in quarts; remove the skin of the orange and cut the wedges inside. Put them aside.

Add the mixed greens to the vinaigrette and toss. Top with strawberries, oranges, and almonds. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Vegetable Salad with Yogurt Dressing

Vegetable Salad with Yogurt Dressing

Ingredients

2 cups cauliflower
2 cups frozen peas
2 cups shredded carrots
4 cups water
Ice water
½ tsp salt

Dressing
1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
1/2 cup Romano cheese or ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
1 ½ cups plain yogurt
2 tbs buttermilk
Zest of a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring water to a boil, add the cauliflower and cook for about 5 minutes or until fork tender. Remove the cauliflower from the water and put them in iced water to stop the cooking process. Remove cauliflower and put them on towel paper to dry. Pat dry if necessary.

Use the same salted water to blanch the frozen peas for about two minutes and repeat the same process as the cauliflower.

In a medium size bowl, mix dressing ingredients. Season to taste. Add cauliflower, carrots, and peas. Toss them with the dressing and serve warm or chilled.

Enjoy!

Salmon Nicoise Salad

Salmon Nicoise Salad

2 red potatoes
2 oz green beans
4 oz mixed greens
1 lb salmon
2 hard boiled eggs
1 oz black olives
1 Roma tomato
Salt and pepper to taste

Italian vinaigrette
½ oz white wine vinegar
½ tsp mustard
1 ½ oz olive oil
1/8 clove garlic
½ tsp chopped parsley
½ tsp chopped oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook eggs till hard boiled; potatoes and green beans until fork tender. Set aside.

Season salmon with salt and pepper and gently simmer it in fish stock until flaky.

Cut tomato and egg in quarters.

In a large bowl, combine the white wine vinegar with mustard and whisk together. Add oil while whisking vigorously to emulsify the vinaigrette. Add garlic and herbs and season to taste.

Remove some of the vinaigrette and add mixed greens. In a plate, arrange eggs and tomatoes alternating them. Place greens in the center. Mix green beans with a little vinaigrette and put them on top of greens. Arrange potatoes and olives on the sides and top off the salad with the salmon. Garnish with an olive.

Enjoy!

Sensational Salad with All Natural Raspberry Vanilla Dressing!

With summer quickly approaching, and each day warming up more and more a crisp, cool salad sounds better each day! In this video you will learn to make your own Vanilla Raspberry Dressing. It’s great over your favorite lettuce to add a fresh, cool, clean flavor that will make your salad go from good to fabulous! The best type of bean to use in this recipe is the Indian Vanilla Bean.

Q: Why is Indian Vanilla Bean best for this?

A: With its candy sweet flavor and aroma it compliments acidic fruit such as raspberries, because it brings out the sweet flavor of the fruit and help cut the acidity.

Dressing Ingredients:
12 ounces washed raspberries
1 Indian Vanilla Bean
½ cup water
Pinch of salt
tsp Sugar (optional)
Blender

Serving Size: 2 Tbsp

Directions:

Add Raspberries, salt, water, sugar. Blend at medium speed for about a minute, when it’s all blended then use a strainer and strain the sauce into a bowl, leaving the seeds in the strainer. After the sauce has been strained set the bowl aside and take your vanilla bean, split and scrap it add the caviar or the scrapped vanilla to the sauce and mix with a spoon then cover and let it refridgrate for a couple of hours then serve with salad with the serving size of 2 Tbsp. per person. Don’t throw the vanilla pod away! You can put it in your sugar or salt to add a hint of vanilla to them.

Options for salad:
Your favorite lettuce
Romaine
Spring mix
Spinach
Try over raw chopped broccoli, zucchini, or even over fruit.

Ideas for toppings:
Grilled Chicken
Feta Cheese
Walnuts or Almonds
Tomatoes
Chopped broccoli
Cucumber

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