Food

Salad #51 – Pizza Salad

August 28, 2014 by danawyyc 4 Comments

When I told one of my friends that I wanted to make a pizza salad, she thought it sounded like the grossest thing she had ever heard. I have no idea what she had been imagining because when I told her what I was thinking she actually thought it sounded pretty good. This salad in no way will make you feel like you are eating a pizza. It’s definitely a salad. But a good salad. It’s easy to put together and you can mix it up by trying different dressings on the salad (maybe salsa or pesto?) or adding in different ingredients like mushrooms or olives. It would make a great salad for a light lunch.

Salad #51 - Pizza Salad

Recipe type: Salad

Ingredients

Pizza Salad Ingredients
Leafy Greens, ripped into bite sized pieces
Tomatoes, diced
Pepperoni slices
Shredded Cheese
Green Pepper, diced
Croutons (optional)
Catalina Dressing
2 TBSP ketchup
1 tsp sugar
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
4 TBSP canola oil
a few drops of worchestershire sauce
sprinkle of paprika
sprinkle of onion power or a tbsp of minced onion
salt and pepper

Instructions

Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
Toss the salad ingredients with the dressing.

Did They Eat it?

Dana: I didn’t actually share this salad either. But I liked it. The catalina was my favorite, but I also tried it with thousand island and zesty Italian.

Salad #50 – Spinach, Tomato and Avocado Salad

August 21, 2014 by danawyyc 9 Comments

Some of the best salads are simple and just rely on a great combination of good foods. This salad could hardly be easier but I just can’t get enough. It’s a perfect dinner salad because it looks lovely but takes very little work. It’s also easy to make for 1 or for a large crowd.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Salad #50 - Spinach, Tomato and Avocado Salad

Author: Dana

Recipe type: Salad

Ingredients

Tomatoes
Avocado
Spinach
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar

Instructions

Cut the tomatoes and avocados into bite sized pieces.
Toss the tomatoes and avocados with the spinach and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Did They Eat It?

Dana: I love this salad. Actually I think I’m going to go make it for lunch again right now.
Nicky (2 years old): Loved the avocado.
Gordie (5 years old): “I like the tomatoes. But not with sauce.”

Salad #49 – Asian Lentil and Mango Salad

June 4, 2014 by danawyyc 1 Comment

I was looking over the salads I had written so far and I could hardly believe that that after 48 salads, none of them contain lentils! Lentils are great in salads so I couldn’t let that stand. This salad is fresh, delicious and unexpected. I love it and and I bet you will too.

Salad #49 - Asian Lentil and Mango Salad

Author: Dana

Recipe type: Salad

Ingredients

1 can of lentils rinsed and drained
2 ripe mangos
2 bell peppers (I used yellow and green)
2 large carrots
3 green onions (1 reserved for topping)
cashews chopped or whole
Spicy Citrus Vinaigrette:
Juice of 1 small orange
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp chili sauce (sambel oelek)
1 garlic clove minced fine
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Dice mangos, carrots, bell peppers and green onions.
Mix together with the lentils in a large bowl (reserve some of the green onion for garnish).
Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a bowl or shake in a small container with a lid. If you want a smoother dressing you could blend it together instead.
Toss the vegetables with the dressing.
Top each bowl with cashews and green onions.

Did They Eat it?

Anne: Oh, that’s good. Stephen: Good. Gordie (5 years old): uh, no thanks. Dana: Early to make, full of nutrition, fresh and delicious. This would be a great salad for lunches or to bring to a potluck.

Salad #48 – Rainbow Fruit Salad

May 29, 2014 by danawyyc 2 Comments

I decided to make a fruit salad for my daughter’s 2nd birthday. Her very favorite thing to eat is fruit so I thought it would be perfect. (I did make other things too). For some reason she likes berries and grapes, but not in her fruit salad. Who knew?

rainbow fruit salad

Salad #48 - Rainbow Fruit Salad

Author: Dana

Recipe type: Salad

Ingredients

1 tablespoon honey
juice of 1 lime (adding the zest would be nice too)
strawberries
cantaloupe
mango
green grapes
blueberries
purple grapes
yellow honeydew

Instructions

Cut the strawberries in half and cut the cantaloupe, honeydew and mango into chunks. Leave the grapes and blueberries whole.
Put them all into a large bowl.
Mix the honey and lie juice together and pour over the fruit.

Did They Eat It?

Gordie (5 years old): I liked all the strawberries and the grapes.

Nicky (2 years old):Loved everything but the strawberries and the grapes.

Stephen: Awesome. [I think he is making fun of me but I’m pretty sure he liked it].

Dana: Really pretty and easy to make.

Salad #47 – Buffalo Shrimp Salad

May 22, 2014 by danawyyc 1 Comment

This salad is filling, spicy and delicious. You can put it together in just a few minutes and you will be glad you did. Feel free to play around with it. Mix up the veggies, try different greens or a different kind of hot sauce.

Buffalo Shrimp Salad

Author: Dana

Recipe type: Salad

Ingredients

shrimp devained - take off the tails (fresh or defrosted)
greens - I used baby kale
yellow pepper, diced
baby cucumber, sliced
Frank's Red Hot Buffalo sauce
feta or blue cheese
Oil
Garlic (optional)

Instructions

Heat some olive oil in a large pan.
If you are using garlic, add it and saute until fragrant. Otherwise just add the shrimp. Saute until pink, it should only take a few minutes.
Add Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce to coat and cook for another couple minutes until heated through.
Remove from heat.
Put the greens, cucumber and bell pepper in a bowl. Add the shrimp and top with the cheese.

Notes

http://addapinch.com/cooking/2014/01/13/buffalo-shrimp-salad-recipe/

Did They Eat It?

Dana: I actually didn’t share this salad. Only I ate it. Ask my husband he will tell you all about it. It is totally delicious.

Buffalo Shrimp Salad

Salad #46 – Retro Cauliflower Salad with Easy Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

May 15, 2014 by danawyyc 2 Comments

I had some leftover cauliflower and wanted to make a salad but I wasn’t really sure what to make. I am not the biggest fan of raw cauliflower. A friend of mine suggested a salad that included cauliflower, cheese, thousand island dressing and Doritos. At first I wasn’t going to make it, but I couldn’t get it out of my head. I’ve always loved thousand island dressing – I used to order it all the time when I was a kid.

I recently discovered that it is shockingly easy to make your own thousand island dressing with ingredients that you might already have in your fridge. I like to say that I make it from scratch. When you make a condiment by mixing other condiments together, you totally made it from scratch, right? Anyway, I made the salad and it is pretty darn good. I would absolutely throw it together again if I found myself with some extra cauliflower. It would also make a great pot luck salad (as long as it is not sitting in the sun).

Retro Cauliflower Salad

Author: Dana

Recipe type: Salad

Ingredients

½-1 head of cauliflower
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
2 or more green onions
tortilla or dorito chips
shredded cheese (tex mex)
Thousand island dressing:
½ cup mayo or miracle whip
2 tablespoons ketchup
½ tablespoon rice wine vinegar (or cider)
1 tbsp relish (any kind)

Instructions

Cut cauliflower into florets. Cut green and red peppers into chunks. Put them all into a large bowl.
Mix thousand island ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour over the vegetables.
Top each bowl with shredded cheese, crushed chips and sliced green onions.

Notes

http://www.familycookbookproject.com/recipe/2454018/cauliflower-salad.html

Did They Eat It?

Nicky: liked the cauliflower. “flower”

Gordie: liked nibbling on the cauliflower and peppers while we made it.

Stephen: Tasty. Reminds me of crab dip.

Dana: I love thousand island dressing. Definitely worth making if you have some cauliflower lying around.

Retro Cauliflower Salad

Salad #45 – Salad on a Stick

May 6, 2014 by danawyyc 6 Comments

I first saw the idea of a salad on a stick in the Sweet Potatoes Chronicles Cookbook, How to Feed a Family. They used it as a cute lunch idea for kids. I thought the idea sounded potentially very cute (although maybe not so awesome in practice). I wanted to try out the idea as a party appetizer. I put together 5 different kinds and brought them to my book club. They went over really well and were definitely adorable. I did learn a few things about how to best make a salad on a stick. I also have 6 ‘recipes’ below. The watermelon one was the clear winner but they were all pretty good.

Tips for Making Salad on a Stick

Use short skewers. Toothpicks are too small. If you can’t find short skewers, thread the salad near the tip). Long skewers make it really hard to transport.
Only slide the ingredients along the skewer as much as you absolutely have to.
Put something that will stick at the base (eg cheddar cheese, cherry tomato).
Ideally, put the dressing on on a different plate from the one you plan to serve on. It’ll help with any potential pooling.
Make 1 or 2 different kinds. Making multiple kinds just complicates your life.
Feta falls apart and is really hard to skewer.

Watermelon Salad on a Stick

2 Watermelon cubes
1 mint leaf
1 bocconcini ball (fresh mozzarella)
drizzle of honey
drizzling of balsamic vinegar (balsamic glaze works even better – I found it here at costco).

Caesar Salad on a Stick

Romaine Lettuce
Bacon
Croutons (homemade is best because they are softer – cut up some pieces of artisan bread, coat in a little butter and bake)
Caesar dressing

Greek Salad on a Stick

My pictures show a piece of feta but in my experience it tends to crumble no matter how careful I tried to be. Instead, I recommend using a piece of bell pepper and putting feta in the dressing instead.

cherry tomatoes
slices of cucumber
olives
bell pepper chunks
drizzle feta or greek dressing (or mix up olive oil, red wine vinegar, feta cheese, salt and pepper).

Strawberry Spinach Salad on a Stick

spinach leaves
strawberries
almond spices
drizzle of balsamic vinegar
drizzle of olive oil

Chef Salad on a Stick

cheddar
slices of ham
bacon
cherry tomato
slices of cucumber

Caprese Salad on a Stick

I didn’t actually make this. But I really wanted to. I couldn’t find basil. Why is it so hard to find basil in Calgary grocery stores?

cherry tomato
basil leaf
1 bocconcini ball (fresh mozzarella)
drizzle with balsamic vinegar (balsamic glaze works perfectly)

Did They Eat It?

There were only a couple salad on a sticks left at the end of the night. The Chef salad seemed to be a little less popular than the others and the Watermelon salad was (I think) the most popular. I would absolutely make them again, but I wouldn’t travel with them unless I could find shorter skewers.

Salad #44 – Chicken Caesar Salad with Easy Homemade Dressing

May 1, 2014 by danawyyc 4 Comments

Even though I write about food a fair bit, I still find myself stuck with the “What should I make for dinner?” question a lot. The other day, I had a roasted chicken from the grocery store and so inspiration so I asked my friends for suggestions for what to do with it. I ended up making – wait for it – roasted chicken, with rice and steamed broccoli. And it was delicious. One of the other things my friends suggested was a Chicken Caesar Salad.

I’ve always been a little intimidated by Caesar dressing – raw eggs and anchovies? My friend Merry was raving about her Nana’s recipe for Caesar Dressing so I checked it out – no anchovies or raw eggs to be found. Instead, it uses mayo and worchestershire sauce. The deliciousness of the eggs is found in the mayo and did you know that worchestershire sauce is made with anchovies? I am not sure what I thought it was made of, but until recently I had no idea. With those two easy ingredients, you get the same flavors, but without the hassle. This recipe could not be easier. I toned the garlic down a little for my garlic sensitive family and added some red wine vinegar so it wouldn’t be missing any zip.

Chicken Caesar Salad

Author: Dana

Ingredients

1 or up to 3 garlic cloves minced
¾ cup mayo
2 Tbsp Grated Parmesan
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp mustard
1 TBSP red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon (about ½ a lemon squeezed)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Salad:
Leftover rotisserie chicken (or any kind of chicken breast pieces).
a couple slices of cooked bacon crumbled
a bowl full of romaine lettuce
a lemon
grated parmesan
croutons

Instructions

Mix dressing ingredients well.
Put the lettuce in a large bowl and add a tablespoon or so of the dressing. Toss the lettuce with the dressing with your fingers making sure you get it all over the leaves. Add more if necessary.
On top of the lettuce layer the chicken, croutons, bacon, parmesan and serve with a slice of lemon.

Notes

Adapted from http://merryabouttown.com/garlicky-caesar-salad-dressing/

Did They Eat It?

Anne: Really good. Really really good.

Stephen: It was good.

Dana: Everything you want in a caesar dressing.

Thai Fried Rice- Khao Phat – Around the World in 30 Dishes – Thailand

April 24, 2014 by danawyyc 7 Comments

Come along with me as I explore the world through my kitchen. For each region, I’ll be trying about 5 dishes, drawing inspiration from authentic dishes, ingredients or techniques from that region but adapting them for a North American home cook. All the ingredients in this series will be ones I can find in my local (Calgary, Alberta) grocery store and use cooking tools I already have at home.

I’ve always quite liked fried rice, but I’d never heard of Thai fried rice before. It’s not too different from the fried rice that you might get at a chinese food restaurant in many ways. The There are many variations on the dish and it is a perfect dish for using up whatever you have on hand – don’t be afraid to improvise. I really love this dish. I’ve is now my go-to recipe if I have leftover rice. If you would like to try out some Thai flavors but are a little nervous, this dish would be a perfect recipe to start with.

Ingredients and Substitutions:

- Fish Sauce – is a condiment made from anchovies. That may not sound awesome, but it actually is. You can usually substitute soy sauce with good results. You will probably lose a little of the uniqueness in this particular dish. If you are hesitant because it says ‘fish sauce’, give it a try anyway. It doesn’t seem fishy at all. Worchestershire sauce is also made from anchovies.

Thai Fried Rice

Author: Dana

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Thailand

Ingredients

2 cups cooked rice (I used brown basmati, jasmine would be traditional) - using cold rice from the day before is best
2 cups cooked rice (I used brown basmati, jasmine would be traditional) - using cold rice from the day before is best
2 eggs
2 eggs
1 teaspoons fish sauce
1 teaspoons fish sauce
1 cloves minced garlic
1 cloves minced garlic
2 green onions
2 green onions
pinch ground pepper
pinch ground pepper
1 lime
1 lime
1 chicken breast chopped
1 chicken breast chopped
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 thinly sliced tomato
1 thinly sliced tomato
3 tablespoon cooking oil

Instructions

Prep all your ingredients before you start.
Heat oil in a large pan or wok on high heat.
Add garlic and stir then add meat if uncooked and continue to stir.
When the meat is cooked, add the rice. Break up any clumps and coat with the oil. If you are using cooked meat, add it now.
Stir in the fish sauce and soy sauce.
Add the white parts of the green onion and the tomato slices.
Push the rice mixture to the side of the pan and turn down the heat.
Cook the scrambled eggs on the open side of the pan.
Once the eggs are dry, break them up and mix them in with the rice.
Remove the pan from heat. Top the rice or individual bowls of rice with fresh lime juice, pepper and green onions.
It is often served with cucumber slices, tomato slices, lime, chili fish sauce, and cilantro.

Notes

Adapted from Thai Table's Thai Fried Rice - http://www.thaitable.com/thai/recipe/fried-rice

Crockpot Chicken or Beef Massaman Curry – Around the World in 30 Dishes – Thailand

April 14, 2014 by danawyyc 6 Comments

Massaman Curry - Thai Food - Around the World in 30 Dishes - talkinginallcaps.com

My friend Amy lived in Thailand for a while and said that this dish was her favorite. After looking at the ingredient list, I found that even though many of the ingredients weren’t super familiar to me, I could find them all in my local grocery store. I made it as a crockpot recipe, but you could easily do it on the stove top instead. You can reduce the cooking time to about 1/3 of what I recommend for the crockpot on high. I thought this recipe was great. I ended up making both a beef and a chicken version and loved them both. It made great leftovers too.

Ingredients and Substitutions:

Tamarind – is a kind of sour fruit. I’ve found it whole in the produce section and as a paste or as a sauce in the asian section of our local grocery stores. If you use whole fruit, remove the outer layer and use the inner fruit. Tamarind may seem unfamiliar but is a primary ingredient in Worchestershire sauce. Nothing is really recommended as a substitute for Tamarind, but what you are looking for is something to add a sweet, sour taste.
Sambal Olek – This is a chili sauce that is meant to add heat without effecting the flavoring. Substitute for any chili or garlic chili sauce.
Lemongrass – is a grass that has a herby lemon flavor. It looks like a stalk and is found in the produce section. They may be long or cut into smaller chunks and put in a package. I’ve found the lemon grass in our grocery stores to be a bit dry, but you can re-hydrate it by letting it sit in some water. It will even continue to grow. Substitute with lemon zest.
Cardamon – Is an aromatic spice commonly used in Indian cooking . If you can’t find it, try substituting a mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg. The flavor won’t be quite the same but it should work well.
Fish Sauce – is a condiment made from anchovies. That may not sound awesome, but it actually is. You can substitute soy sauce with good results.

Crockpot Massaman Curry – Thai Food

Author: Dana

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Thai

Ingredients

2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp oil
one pound beef or chicken cut into chunks
one pound beef or chicken cut into chunks
one pound baby potatoes quartered (large potatoes cut into chunks is fine too)
one pound baby potatoes quartered (large potatoes cut into chunks is fine too)
1 onion, diced
1 onion, diced
one 2 inch long piece of ginger, grated
one 2 inch long piece of ginger, grated
4-5 cloves garlic, grated or minced
4-5 cloves garlic, grated or minced
2 or more teaspoons Sambal Olek or other chili paste
2 or more teaspoons Sambal Olek or other chili paste
one 14 oz can broth to match meat of choice
one 14 oz can broth to match meat of choice
one 14 oz can coconut milk
one 14 oz can coconut milk
1 stalk lemongrass, minced
1 stalk lemongrass, minced
3 bay leaves
3 bay leaves
1½ teaspoons turmeric
1½ teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon whole cumin seed
1 teaspoon whole cumin seed
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon cardamon
¼ teaspoon cardamon
1 teaspoon tamarind (paste, sauce or mashed up fruit - whatever you can find)
1 teaspoon tamarind (paste, sauce or mashed up fruit - whatever you can find)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
½ tablespoon brown sugar
½ tablespoon brown sugar
¼ cup chopped unsalted dry-roasted cashews or peanuts (+ handful more for garnish)
¼ cup chopped unsalted dry-roasted cashews or peanuts (+ handful more for garnish)
1 small red pepper, thinly sliced
1 small red pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium tomato, sliced

Instructions

Turn your crockpot onto high heat and add a couple tablespoons of oil.
After the oil is heated, add the onion, spices, cashews or peanuts and tamarind. Stir until fragrant.
Add the meat, chicken, broth, coconut milk, chili garlic paste, fish sauce and brown sugar. The potatoes can be added here, or later on depending on how long the crockpot will be running. Add the potatoes right away if they will be cooking on low for 3-4 hours. If you are cooking at a higher heat or for a longer time (eg if you want it to cook while you are out or are using a tough cut of beef) add the potatoes 2-3 hours before you plan on eating. Alternatively, you can boil the potatoes and add them at the last minute.
During the last hour of cooking add the peppers and tomatoes.
You can vary the cooking time for this dish a lot as long as you don't add the potatoes, tomatoes and peppers too early. Curries tend to only get better with additional cooking time. As long as your meat is cooked through and no longer tough you can eat it.
If you are using chicken breasts, you can probably cook it for as little as 2.5 - 3 hours on high. Beef will have a longer minimum cooking time (at least 5-6 hours) - you'll want to cook it long enough for the meat to get tender. If you have the time to cook it on low for 8-10 hours it will be even better.
Serve over rice (I like brown jasmine or brown basmati) Top with additional chopped cashews or peanuts.

Notes

(Adapted from <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/massaman-curry/">Instructable's Massaman Curry Recipe</a>

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Food

Did They Eat it?

Did They Eat It?

Did They Eat it?

Did They Eat It?

Did They Eat It?

Did They Eat It?

Tips for Making Salad on a Stick

Watermelon Salad on a Stick

Caesar Salad on a Stick

Greek Salad on a Stick

Strawberry Spinach Salad on a Stick

Chef Salad on a Stick

Caprese Salad on a Stick

Did They Eat It?

Did They Eat It?

Ingredients and Substitutions:

Ingredients and Substitutions:

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