Salad!

A bunch of spring greens (baby beet leaves, arugula, etc) tossed in a dressing of grapeseed oil and red wine vinegar and grainy mustard, then topped with raspberries, small chunks of chevre and toasted slivered almonds.

Gods, Jen, that sounds good.

My favorite is: spinach and arugula with sliced strawberries, roasted almonds and feta, and a red wine vinaigrette spritzer.

If you can get your hands on some red rice, I highly recommend this salad:

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/camargue-red-rice-salad-with-feta-cheese,1375,RC.html

I just made Levantine Fattoush last week - it was awesome!

http://www.recipezaar.com/254171

Pasta Salad:

Orichette (little ears), looks like half a clam shell
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Black olives
Hazelnuts
Dressing of olive oil (try using the stuff that the sundried tomatoes come in!), white wine vinegar, finely minced red onion
Top with grated parmesan

There's a green bean+asparagus salad in Larousse Gastronomique under the name salade gourmande (IIRC) that I'm partial to. This one looks similar but not identical:

http://myrecipes.vox.com/library/post/asparagus-green-bean-and-hearts-of-palm-salad.html

I think the L.G. recipe called for pate of some sort, but I wouldn't swear to it.

Since you're cleaning off the barbie, you might try grilled Romaine. We had this at a local restaurant and make it at home now.

Take a half or a quarter of a head of romaine, sliced lengthwise, brush it with olive oil and place on grill for a minute(? - don't know, hubby does it) or at least until it starts to char. Serve with balsamic vinaigrette.

It's getting close to lunchtime and now I'm starving.

spacekadet said:

If you can get your hands on some red rice, I highly recommend this salad:

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/camargue-red-rice-salad-with-feta-cheese,1375,RC.html

Click to expand...

Red rice is basically whole grain rice, just a different variety from the browns. Red rice grows here in Sri Lanka, but brown does not, so I'm incredibly used to red rice. Red rice - at least the stuff we get here - tends to be short grain as well.

It doesn't taste any different to me than brown rice does, so I would see no problem substituting a short grain brown rice for it.

One of the salads I really enjoy in the summer is this. Baby spinach, cubes of mozzarella, chopped cucumber, shredded or chopped chicken breast (off the bbq is good) and sliced fresh strawberries. I like a Sundried Tomato & Oregano dressing on it. Soooo goood!

I like rice salad, and this one is great for a big group of people with about a cup of rice, pineapple pieces, grated cheese and carrot, diced onion, capsicum, chopped egg, sliced cuumber and quatered tomatoes, and a dash of vingegar and oil.

I garden, and it's not like I don't like lettuce. I grow it and use it, usually four or five different varieties of romaine and leaf types. But I'm always amazed at how many people have no idea what other greens are out there, and I make a lot of green salads using no lettuce at all. Some of the best greens include:

Swiss chard and beet greens
Arugula
Mustards, ranging from spicy to mild, and including "mustard spinach"
Regular spinach
Mache, or "corn salad"
Baby bok choi greens
Mizuna and mibuna greens (Japanese versions of turnip greens)
Radish greens (excellent way to use extra radish sprouts if you garden at all)
Bean sprouts
Lamb's quarters (a widely distributed wild green, common almost everywhere in the U.S.; learn to recognize it)
Snap peas, radishes, carrots, other fresh root vegetables
Cilantro, chervil, parsley
Chives, scallions

A little salt and pepper, you may find you don't even need a salad dressing.

But, alas, where I live, gardening is over until next May.

caw

cooeedownunder said:

I like rice salad, and this one is great for a big group of people with about a cup of rice, pineapple pieces, grated cheese and carrot, diced onion, capsicum, chopped egg, sliced cuumber and quatered tomatoes, and a dash of vingegar and oil.

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Cooee, when you say capsicum, do you mean what's known in the US and Canada as bell peppers, or do you mean hot peppers like Thai green chillies or jalapenos or habaneros, or do you mean those skinny pale green peppers that look like what Canadians and Americans think of as banana peppers?

Can you get wild rice there easily? If so I can post my favourite summer salad.

chevbrock said:

I can get hold of wild rice, Kikazaru. Yes, please post your recipe!

Click to expand...

Here it is.

1 1/2 cups wild rice (dry not canned)
4 cups chicken stock
1 large carrot peeled and grated
2 chopped green onions
1/2 to 1 cup of chopped parsley
1 rib celery chopped
1 red bell pepper diced
1/2 cup chopped cashews (or your fav)
1/2 cup of chopped dried cranberries (or raisins, or dried apricots)

Dressing
1/2 oil
4 T of red wine vinegar
1 tsp of Dijon mustard
2 tsp of sugar
2 sm cloves of garlic chopped fine
salt, pepper
1 T of lemon juice

Cook wild rice in chicken stock til just done (don't over cook - should still have a bit of a bite to it) aprox 45 minutes. Cooking won't absorb all the stock, so drain well and cool. Toss with the rest of the ingredients and then the dressing. Chill and enjoy.

This is wonderful and really beautiful in the bowl.

L M Ashton said:

Cooee, when you say capsicum, do you mean what's known in the US and Canada as bell peppers, or do you mean hot peppers like Thai green chillies or jalapenos or habaneros, or do you mean those skinny pale green peppers that look like what Canadians and Americans think of as banana peppers?

Click to expand...

Yes, bell peppers not hot peppers.

chevbrock to answer your question about vinegar I have used both white or black. When I posted the salad I just threw in a few things but I have posted a link to the actual page of the recipe that is given in Australian Flavour - its a salad my mother made when I was younger and includes the full way I make it. There is also a recipe for a Soy and Honey Marinade for chicken or pork - not that exciting but easy to make. If it loads up small, you should be able to click on it to make it larger. I think a cross might come up somewhere on the curser.

http://www.australianflavour.net/Australian_Barbeque-page6.jpeg

Macaroni and Cheese Salad

Adapted from Mrs Helen Wicken (1893)
1 cup macaroni
500g cheese
½ head celery
½ lettuce
1 teaspoon French mustard
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons vinegar
Red and green capsicums (bell peppers) to garnish

Yield 4 to 6 serves

Put the macaroni into boiling salted water, and boil until cooked; strain off the water, and cool.

Cut the cheese into very long thin slices, and cut the celery into very small pieces. Lay these alternately in a bowl with some shredded lettuce and the macaroni.

Mix mustard, oil, and vinegar, and pour it over.

Garnish with thinly sliced capsicums, and serve.

Here is a link to a picture of it. This one used red capsicums or bell peppers.

http://www.australianflavour.net/Australian_Vegetables_2-page3.jpeg

Hey chevbrock,

I just realised we must be neighbours. Where abouts do you live? I live at Port Stephens near Nelson Bay.

cooeedownunder said:

Yes, bell peppers not hot peppers.

Click to expand...

Thanks for clarifying. I can't keep track of what's called what where. Here, capsicum are the peppers that look like banana peppers that are usually sold pickled in North America and are considered by some to be hot. So, you know...

Salad is always delicious. I find the simplest salads without any dressing the most enjoyable. Tomato, lettuce and onion, and even some sweetcorn added on a rare note does it for me. I do like experimenting with various salads but find that I am most happiest when I eat the basics. Good for purifying my mind and body, without any added ingredients.

I made this one the other day and it was fabulous.

Baby Greens, Pear and Bleu Cheese Salad

Bag of mixed baby greens
2 large pears thinly sliced lengthwise
2 green onions
1/2 red pepper thinly sliced
1 cup of toasted pecans
bleu cheese

Dressing
3 T lemon juice
1 T Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp of honey
1 garlic clove finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp of fresh thyme chopped
1/2 cup of olive oil

Toss the greens, pepper, and onion in most of the dressing. Put salad into 6 bowls, top with thinly sliced pear, nuts, and cheese crumbles. Drizzle each with the rest of the dressing.