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Side Dishes

Salad #16 – Bacon, Grape and Broccoli Salad with a Grainy Mustard Dressing

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Broccoli Grape Salad

 

I had been looking to make a great tasting broccoli and grape salad. This salad is actually my second run. I made one earlier but without adding a little mayo (which most broccoli and grape salads have about a cup of) it just seemed to be missing something. This one definitely isn’t. I love this salad. It is my favorite one by far. I’ve already made it again for our Mother’s Day BBQ. You will not regret trying this one out.

Broccoli Grape Salad

Grape, Bacon and Broccoli Salad with a Grainy Mustard Dressing Recipe

(adapted from Jaimie Oliver‘s Broccoli Salad from Jaime’s America Cookbook)

 

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Salad #16 - Bacon, Grape and Broccoli Salad with a Grainy Mustard Dressing
 
Ingredients
  • Ingredients
  • 2 heads of broccoli
  • 8 slices of thick cut bacon cooked and cut into small pieces (I often have some in the freezer that I take out and cut up)
  • 1 large bunch of grapes
  • a bunch of fresh chives
  • Grainy Mustard Dressing Ingredients
  • ½ clove of garlic grated finely
  • 2 teaspoons grainy mustard
  • ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Cut the broccoli into small bit sized pieces. Cut the larger florets into 2 or 3 pieces. Blanch broccoli in boiling water for 1 minute. You want it to have just turned bright green. Drain the broccoli and let it cool and dry between some tea towels or paper towel. Transfer the broccoli to a serving dish or large bowl when it is completely cool.
  2. Slice the grapes in half and chop the chives into small pieces. Add the grapes, chives and bacon to the broccoli.
  3. Mix the dressing ingredients in a small container with a lid and shake well or in a small bowl and whisk. Add the dressing to the salad ingredients and toss to make sure it is well covered. Add about half to start. You want it well covered but there's no need to soak it.

Variations

  • swap the grapes for cherry tomatoes
  • Use green onions or chopped red onions instead of the chives
  • try dijon mustard instead of grainy mustard

Broccoli Grape Salad

Did They Eat it?

Gordie (4 years old): tried some of the bacon out of the salad after protesting a little

Nicky (14 months): Loved it.

Stephen: Weird but good.

Anne: Really good!

Bronwen: Ooh bacon. It was really good.

Richard: Liked it.

Erik: Unexpected. I liked it. I didn’t think the ingredients would go together so well. I would have it again.

Deb: So fun. Grapes and bacon in a salad.

Grandma Mary: Different. Really good.

Papa John: Excellent.

Broccoli Grape Salad

 

Salad #15 Rice Salad with Roasted Red Pepper and Herbs

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Rice Salad With Herbs and Roasted Peppers

This would be another great salad to make for a big group or a pot luck. It makes quite a bit. The first time I made it I accidentally used 1 1/4 cups of cooked rice. Which does not make a whole bunch, and kind of confused me until I figured out where I went wrong. This salad tastes best at room temperature so try to let it warm up a bit if you are serving it out of the fridge.

Rice Salad with Roasted Red Pepper and Herbs Recipe

(adapted from Jaimie Oliver‘s Rice Salad from Jaime’s Food Revolution Cookbook)

 

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Salad #15 Rice Salad with Roasted Red Pepper and Herbs
 
Ingredients
  • Salad Ingredients
  • 1¼ cups uncooked rice (I used a mix of wild rice and brown basmati rice)
  • 2-3 springs of fresh basil, mint and italian parsley
  • 4-6 large roasted red, orange or yellow peppers or more if they are small
  • a few squirts of siriacha
  • sea salt and fresh ground pepper
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • Lemon Dressing Ingredients
  • 6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • juice of 1 lemon (stick it in the microwave for a few seconds to get more juice out of it
  • sea salt and black pepper
  • Directions
Instructions
  1. Cook the rice and let cool. It's okay for the rice to be a little bit chewy.
  2. Finely chop the herbs and peppers
  3. Add the herbs and peppers to the rice and mix well.
  4. Mix the dressing ingredients in a small container and shake until well mixed.
  5. Add about ¼ cup of the dressing to the rice salad and a squirt of siriacha sauce.
  6. Mix everything well, add more salt and pepper if needed and top with lemon zest.

Variations

  • swap the roasted red peppers for sun-dried tomatoes
  • try out some different herbs
  • instead of rice try barley, farro or quinoa


 Rice Salad With Herbs and Roasted Peppers

Did They Eat It?

Gordie (4 years old) – refused to try it

Nicky (13 months) – thought it was interesting

Anne – really tasty!

Bronwen – it’s delicious!

Geoff: asked for more

Stephen: It’s good.

Dana: It was good and makes a lot for little effort

Rice Salad With Herbs and Roasted Peppers

Salad #11 Southwestern Bean Salad

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Southwestern Bean Salad

I’ve been planning on doing a bean salad for a while. It’s hard to beat the healthiness of a bean salad, but some can make you really really notice that you are eating something healthy. This salad on the other hand is really fantastic. I’ve used parsley in place of cilantro, because I’m not a big fan of cilantro, but it would be great in this salad if you are.

Southwestern Bean Salad with a Slightly Spicy Dressing

(Adapted from Southwestern Bean Salad with Black Beans, Black-Eyed Peas, Peppers, and Cilantro by Kalyn’s Kitchen) 

Southwestern Bean Salad

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Salad #11 Southwestern Bean Salad
 
Ingredients
  • 1 can black beans
  • 1 can white beans (navy beans or white kidney beans)
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped small
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped small
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • Dressing Ingredients
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. ground chipotle chile powder
  • Juice of 1 lime (stick it in the microwave for a few seconds to get more juice of it)
  • 2 T white wine vinegar
  • 6 T extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Rinse and drain beans and pour into a large bowl. Add parsley and peppers and mix.
  2. Pour dressing ingredients into a small container with a lid and shake until well mixed.
  3. Add the dressing slowly to the salad - you probably won't need it all. (I did find adding a bit of extra dressing the next day to be helpful)

 

Variations

  • Use black eyed peas instead of the white beans
  • swap the chipotle chili powder for regular chili powder or ancho chili powder
  • swap the white wine vinegar for white or regular balsamic vinegar
  • Use cilantro instead of parsley for a more authentic flavor

Southwestern Bean Salad

Did They Eat it?

 Gordie (4 years): Refused to eat it.

Nicole (12 months): Thought it was good. But not as good as blueberries.

Anne: Tasty even for people who don’t like spicy foods. It was just the right amount of tang.

Stephen: Way better when Dana put the extra dressing on. A little bland before. (Stephen had it the next day). Made bean salad like something you want to eat, rather than something your Grandma is making you eat.

Richard: Liked it.

Erik: I didn’t like it. But I don’t like bean salads as a rule.

Deb: I love a bean and corn salad.

Grandma Mary: I liked it. But I like beans anyway.

Dana: I love this salad. The dressing really makes it. It’s flavorful but not overwhelming.

Salad #10 Bacon Roasted Potato Salad with Kale and Tahini Dressing

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This is my absolute favorite potato salad of all time. It’s very unlike traditional potato salad. I tried it when I had some kale in the fridge and have made it again and again ever since.

Bacon Roasted Potato Salad with Kale and Tahini Dressing

(adapted from Dinner with Julie’s Garlicky Roasted Potato Salad with Wilted Kale and Tahini Dressing)

Bacon, Kale and Roasted Potato Salad with Tahini Dressing

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Salad #10 Bacon Roasted Potato Salad with Kale and Tahini Dressing
 
Ingredients
  • 4-6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled (save a little bacon grease)
  • 2 lbs of baby potatoes cut into quarters
  • 1 bunch of kale (remove the stems and cut the leaves into small pieces)
  • 2 cloves garlic, sliced
  • ¼ cup tahini
  • 2-4 tbsp of water (if needed)
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • couple pinches of salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 450F
  2. Toss the potatoes in the bacon fat. (You can use olive oil if you'd rather)
  3. Lay the potatoes out on a cookie tray lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  4. Cook the potatoes for 10 minutes, add half the garlic and cook for 15 more minutes, until potatoes are starting to get crispy and golden. Stir occasionally.
  5. While the potatoes cook, mix the water, lemon juice, tahini, half the garlic and the salt in a blender or small food processor until smooth.
  6. Put the potatoes into a large bowl, and add kale while the potatoes are still hot, tahini dressing and bacon.

Variations

  • Skip the bacon and the bacon fat and use olive oil instead for a lighter salad.
  • Add grated parmesan to the potatoes half way through cooking
  • Use spinach or swiss chard in place of the kale

Bacon, Kale and Roasted Potato Salad with Tahini Dressing

Did They Eat It?

Gordie (4 years) – enjoyed the potatoes and bacon before I put any dressing on it

Nicole (12 months) -loved it.

Stephen – Good. Tangy. Feels like I’m eating the top of a baked potato.

Dana – I cannot get enough of this salad. The leftovers are good right out of the fridge but it’s best served right away.

Salad #9 Fennel and Orange Salad

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Blood Orange Fennel Salad

 

 

Fennel has a licorice-like flavor which seems like an odd pairing with oranges, but it’s basically like tiger ice cream. Except in salad form, and without all the sugar and dairy. Okay, so very little like tiger ice cream. Regardless, it’s a great pairing and absolutely delicious.

Fennel and Orange Salad

(adapted from about.com’s Tuscan Orange and Fennel Country Salad)

Blood Orange Fennel Salad

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Salad #9 Fennel and Orange Salad
 
Ingredients
  • 6 oranges (way more if you are making with salad with mooching children) - we used a mixture of pink naval and blood oranges
  • 1 medium-sized fennel bulb
  • white wine vinegar
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Chop oranges into segments, slices or wedges are both fine.
  2. Cut off the top of the fennel and any the outer pieces if they look kind of rough. Chop or slice.
  3. Mix the vinegar and olive oil about 2:1.
  4. Add salt and pepper too (we left the pepper out).
  5. Mix everything together and serve.

Variations

  • Use balsamic vinegar instead of white wine vinegar
  • Add in some sliced red onion

Blood Orange Fennel Salad

 

Did they eat it?

Gordie (almost 4): Tried 2 pieces of fennel and 2 pieces of oranges. Ate tons and tons of oranges while we made the salad.

Nicky (12 months): loved the oranges (and also ate a ton while we were making it) but had trouble chewing the fennel

Stephen: Weird but tasty.

Anne: Interesting combination that goes together really well.

Bronwen: The fennel is really good. Thirst quenching.

Dana: This salad is easy to put together and doesn’t require a lot of ingredients. One of the things I really liked about it, is how fresh it is for a winter salad.

Blood Orange Fennel Salad

Salad #8 – Green Chopped Salad with Healthy Green Goddess Dressing

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Green Chopped Salad with Healthy Green Goddess Dressing

Green Chopped Salad with Healthy Green Goddess Dressing - St. Patrick's Day Salad

Although this salad would be great any time of year, it’s also perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. Pick all your families favorite green vegetables and chop them up to make the salad – lettuce and other leafy greens would also be great, as would broccoli or avocado. I found some fenugreek at  the grocery store which reminded me a little of clover so I sprinkled it on top for garnish.

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Salad #8 - Green Chopped Salad with Healthy Green Goddess Dressing
 
(adapted from Oh She Glow's Green Goddess Dressing)
Ingredients
  • Green Chopped Salad with Healthy Green Goddess Dressing
  • green pepper
  • cucumber
  • asparagus
  • celery
  • fenugreek (I used it only for decoration)
  • No oil, Non-dairy Green Goddess Dressing
  • ½ cup dill (packed)
  • ½ cup parsley (packed)
  • 1 cup hummus
  • 5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • salt
  • ¼ cup green onion
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • water if necessary
  • This dressing is pretty tart, so you may want to cut back on the lemon or vinegar.
Instructions
  1. Chop all veggies and mix together.
  2. Mix all dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until there are no more lumps.

 

Variations:

  • add or substitute any green vegetable 
  • add fresh herbs to the salad itself
  • substitute tahini or avocado for the hummus (if you do you may want to add garlic and additional lemon juice)
  • substitute other green herbs such as basil for the parsley or dill

 

Salad #7 Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

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I’m trying to make a different interesting, seasonal salad each week so I’m paying attention to ingredients that I normally wouldn’t. I saw the fenugreek by the herbs when I was picking up some parsley and bought it home to figure out how I could make a salad out of it. 

I thought it would replace parsley nicely in a Tabbouleh like Salad so this is what I came up with. But if you don’t have Fenugreek, just use the more traditional parsley.

Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

Quinoa Tabouleh Salad

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Salad #7 Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup Quinoa
  • 2 small or 1 large tomato
  • 1 bunch of fenugreek leaves (or parsley)
  • half a cucumber (or two baby cucumbers)
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Cook Quinoa according to package instructions and let cool.
  2. Mix with chopped tomato, cucumber and fenugreek.
  3. Mix the remaining ingredients together either in a small bowl and whisk or in a small container with a lid and then shake until the dressing looks uniform and creamy.
  4. Add the dressing to the Quinoa mixture.

Variations

  • Use rice, barley or bulger instead of the Quinoa
  • Use parsley or a mixture of green herbs (dill, basil etc) instead of the fenugreek

 Did they eat it?

Nicole (12 months): liked it but had a hard time picking it up

Gordie (3.5 years): I bribed him to try two pieces of Quinoa. Said it was good but wouldn’t try any more.

Deb: Nice and fresh.

Stephen: Good. The fenugreek flavor isn’t too over powering.

Dana: This salad felt nice and light. It was a nice break from some heavier winter salads. The fenugreek has a bit of a bitter taste but you can counteract that with a bit of salt.

 

Salad #6 Kohlrabi and Carrot Salad with Asian Dressing

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Our Winter CSA has finished but I found myself in possession of two very large kohlrabies. Kohlrabi wasn’t something I was very familiar with before, it has a kind of mild turnip-like flavor. I had asked around about what to do with them and the most popular answers were, slice it up and serve it with a little salt or to add it to stir fries. I tried it sliced with a bit of salt and it was surprisingly good. I figured that there must be someway to make a salad out of it and found an awesome looking recipe for kolhrabi salad by the Wednesday Chef.

Their original recipe called for matchsticks of carrots and kohlrabi. Which I tried to do, but I’m lacking a) a mandolin  b) a kitchen tool that creates matchsticks or c) good knife skills. So I ended up making something a little bit more like… too large, irregularly shaped, rectangular vegetables. So I tried it again and shredded it instead and found it to be much improved.

Kohlrabi and Carrot Salad with Asian Dressing

Shredded Carrot and Kohlrabi Salad with Asian Dressing

(adapted from Kohlrabi Salad by the Wednesday Chef)

Shredded Carrot and Kohlrabi Salad

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Salad #6 Kohlrabi and Carrot Salad with Asian Dressing
 
Ingredients
  • about 4 cups of peeled and shredded kohlrabi (2 medium, half a large cabbage sized one)
  • 2-3 large carrots shredded
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seed or ½ teaspoon ground fennel
  • 2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • salt (I like to grind sea salt) and fresh ground pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
  • squirt of Sriacha sauce
Instructions
  1. If you are using whole fennel seeds, I really recommend toasting them for a few minutes and then smooshing them up a bit. Putting them in a pile and using the back of a spoon will be fine if you don't have a mortar and pestle. I've tried doing it without and it really does make a difference.
  2. Mix the shredded carrots and kohlrabi together in a large bowl.
  3. Mix the remaining ingredients together either in a small bowl and whisk  or in a small container with a lid and then shake until the dressing looks uniform and creamy.
  4. Add the dressing to the vegetables and mix well.

Variations:

  • Add some honey for a bit of sweetness
  • Add some grated apple
  • Add some powdered or minced garlic to the dressing

Did they eat it?

Stephen: Good. Subtly spicy. Could maybe use a bit of sweetness.
Deb: Really good. I like the Asian flavor.
Nicky (12 months): Loved chewing on the irregularly shaped vegetables and eating the shredded ones.
Gordie (almost 4): tried a tiny bit – it’s a little bit sour
Geoff (my special needs brother): really liked it
Dana: I thought this salad was great. It was quick and easy to put together and makes great use of the kohlrabi.

Salad #5 Deviled Egg Potato Salad

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Another thing I’ve ended up having an abundance of through Eagle Creek Farm’s CSA is potatoes. This week I had a lovely mix of 3 or 4 different kinds of waxy potatoes, the kind that are perfect for potato salad (but not good for mashed potatoes). I figured that 52 weeks of salads wouldn’t be complete without an awesome potato salad so I took inspiration from a potato salad my aunt used to make as well as my deviled egg recipe to come up with this one.

Devilled Egg Potato Salad

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Salad #5 Deviled Egg Potato Salad
Recipe type: Salad
 
Ingredients
  • small bag of potatoes cubed (1-1.5 lbs)
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 TBSP vinegar
  • 1 TBSP mustard
  • 4-6 hard boiled eggs, peeled
  • 2 stalks celery
  • squirt of Sriracha (or other kind of hot sauce)
  • paprika
  • green onions (I didn't have any so I skipped them)
Instructions
  1. Cook potatoes until easily pierced by a fork
  2. Add remaining ingredients and mix to coat. (You can leave out the paprika and sprinkle it on top for a better presentation).

 

Devilled Egg Potato Salad

Did they eat it?

Stephen: Good.

Gordie (3 years old): Refused to try it but did think eggs would be a good idea for dinner. Different eggs.

Nicole (11 months): Loved it.

Dana: If you tend to like potato salad, you’ll like this one. I found it a bit bland without the dash of hot sauce, but I didn’t have any onions in the house so that would make a difference. But the extra eggs really make it feel gourmet. If you brought this to a BBQ you would not be turned away.

Salad #4 Brussels Sprouts Coleslaw with Candied Nuts

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I was browsing through my favorite food blog – Dinner with Julie for some salad inspiration when I came across her recipe for Brussels sprouts slaw.  I don’t have a bad relationship with Brussels sprouts. Both my parents hated them as kids, so the first time I had tried one was as an adult. I’m always trying to find ways to serve them that even Brussels Sprout skeptics will enjoy. Brussels Sprouts are readily available in the winter so it seemed like a perfect candidate for Salad #4.

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Salad #4 Brussels Sprouts Coleslaw with Candied Nuts
Recipe type: Salad
 
Ingredients
  • Coleslaw:
  • 1½ lbs of Brussels sprouts (it doesn't really matter how much - big bunch)

  • Dressing:
  • ¼ cup grainy mustard
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (or plain white, or white wine)
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • ¼ cup olive oil

  • Candied Almonds:
  • ½ cup chopped nuts (I used sliced almonds)
  • ⅓ cup sugar
Instructions
  1. Boil the Brussels sprouts in salted water for 5 minutes. (I was a little skeptical that these would be good, but they are really more blanched than boiled. Honestly they were great straight out of the pot. Be careful not too over cook them.)
  2. Drain the water and run the Brussels sprouts under cold water to stop them from cooking.
  3. If you have a food processor, you can use that to slice them up or you can cut them thinly by hand like I did. If they have a stalky bottom you may want to trim that off first.
  4. Whisk or shake the dressing ingredients together and toss over the slaw to coat. You only need a light coating, but you can use as much as you like.

  6. Candied Almonds Instructions:
  7. Heat frying pan to medium heat.
  8. Add nuts and sugar and stir for 3-7 minutes. You want to keep constantly stirring so your nuts don't burn. When the sugar caramelizes and your nuts are toasted you are done.
  9. Pour them onto tin foil to cool.
Notes
(adapted from http://dinnerwithjulie.com/2009/11/15/brussels-sprout-slaw-maple-pecans/)

Candied Sliced Almonds

Alternatives:

This salad would also be good topped with maple pecans like Julie did or bits of bacon.

Did they eat it?

Stephen – Surprising taste from Brussels sprouts.

Anne – This is delicious. I like them even better like this than cooked.

Deb – Not bad… for Brussels sprouts.

Gordie (3.5 years) – refused to try it

Dana – I thought this was great. I had used a Dijon mustard which I had in my fridge and I didn’t really like that in the dressing. But I don’t ever like Dijon mustard so that was no surprise. (but I used it anyway because?? and bought it in the first place because??) The slaw itself though was really good. I couldn’t believe how good the Brussels Sprouts were when they were blanched. I would definitely make this again, but I’d try it with bits of bacon instead.

Brussels Sprout Coleslaw with Candied Nuts