Cabbage Carrot Slaw With Sesame

Cabbage Slaw with Carrots

This is a colourful slaw recipe with purple cabbage and carrots. It has green grapes and sesame seeds as well. The dressing is not too heavy, which is what I like. 

Creamy Dill and Parsley Salad Dressing

Creamy Dill Salad Dressing

Creamy Dill Salad Dressing

This is truly a summer salad dressing – especially if you have fresh dill and parsley growing in your garden. 

1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill
1/2 cup sour cream 
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil

Directions: 

Combine all ingredients into a jar and whisk together. Spoon enough salad dressing onto lettuce to coat. Store in fridge and use within 3 days.

Other Dressings to try:

Green Goddess Dressing

Creamy Blue Cheese Salad Dressing

Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing

This is a fun salad dressing to make, and it also makes a good dip for raw veggies. I use this salad dressing on butter lettuce, with chopped green onions and avocado.

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions: 

Add all ingredients into a jar and whisk well. Spoon enough salad dressing onto lettuce to coat. Keep in the fridge and use within 3 days.

Other Dressings Recipes To Try:

Spinach salad with sweet balsamic vinaigrette

Thousand Island Dressing

Thousand Island Dressing

Thousand Island Dressing

This salad dressing was a favourite in my house growing up. It’s easy to make, with ingredients you probably already have in your fridge. It also makes a great dip for veggies.

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons sweet green relish (I use Bick’s)
1 teaspoon ballpark mustard, such as French’s

Directions: 

Add all the ingredients into a jar and whisk together. Spoon on enough dressing to coat your salad. Keep in the fridge and use within 3 to 4 days.

Spinach Salad with Mandarin Oranges

This is a delightful salad to add to your list of spinach salads. The buttermilk and mayonnaise dressing has fresh garlic and tarragon. 

You could use fresh strawberries if you wanted and perhaps sprinkle with some toasted slivered almonds.

Greek Pasta Salad with Fresh Oregano and Dill

Greek Pasta Salad Spiced with Fresh Oregano and Dill

This fun salad is served as a main meal. It's served warm, but it’s also tasty the next day served cold. It's a mix between a pasta and a Greek salad and is packed with fresh chopped dill and oregano.Greek 

Chopped Cobb Salad with Garbanzo Beans and Feta Cheese

Chopped Cobb Salad with Bacon, Chicken, Eggs and Garbanzo Beans

Carrot Coleslaw

Carrot Coleslaw

Everyone, I believe, should have a great coleslaw recipe in their arsenal. This one is super simple to make with apples, celery and sunflower seeds.

Spinach Salad With Strawberries, Pine Nuts, Mushrooms and Sweet Balsamic Vinaigrette

 

 Spinach Salad with Strawberries, Pine Nuts, Mushrooms and Sweet Balsamic Vinaigrette

My husband has an addiction to pine nuts. Whenever he cooks, you will find pine nuts in his dish. They are expensive, which is bothersome, so I decided to do a little research to understand why.

Cobb Salad With Grilled Balsamic Chicken

 Cobb Salad

This salad does involve a little bit of planning, but it’s worth the effort. Here's some suggestions on how to simplify the steps.

Spinach Salad with Strawberries, Grilled Balsamic Chicken, Feta and Almonds

Spinach Salad with  Strawberries, Grilled Balsamic Chicken, Feta and Almonds. An easy dish to make and serve for dinner.

Are Caesar Salads Healthy?

Caesar Salad

“Are Caesar salads healthy?” I was recently asked. Well, as my co-worker, dietitian friend always says, 'It depends.'

If we look at the ingredients of a typical Caesar salad recipe: Romaine lettuce, fresh Parmesan cheese, croutons, olive oil, mustard, garlic, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and sometimes eggs….then I’d say these ingredients are real foods and definitely healthy. 

If you don’t have any dietary health concerns, then yes, a traditional Caesar salad is healthy.

If you’re watching your weight, or have some dietary health concerns, then be aware that a traditional Caesar salad has more fat and calories than a typical green salad made with a simple homemade oil and vinegar salad dressing.

Green Goddess Dressing With Avocado

Many years ago I attended a friend’s wedding shower. Her mom was an excellent cook who made everything from scratch, even bread. I vividly remember enjoying this green dip and when I asked about the recipe, I was shocked to learn that it had anchovies. I now realize it was probably the Green Goddess Dressing, originating in San Francisco.

I learned about this dip while I was teaching a course this summer in Kamloops, B.C.  The whole class seemed to know about this infamous dip from the 70’s and 80’s, except me. I set out to recreate it myself. Because it was green and I was doing a Newsletter on avocados, I thought I’d add one to the recipe.  Here’s what I came up with! It works great as a salad dressing, a dip with raw veggies, a topping on roasted veggies or even with French fries.  

Roasted Veggie Salad With Farro

Roasted Veggie Salad With Farro

Kaleslaw

Kaleslaw

This is a colourful summer salad that’s great with many meals.  When you serve it to friends and family you’ll soon find you never can make enough!

Spinach Salad With Radish, Chickpeas, Blueberry and Farro

Ingredients for spinach salad with radish, chickpeas, blueberry and farro

Farro is an ancient grain with a similar texture to barley. It has a nutty taste which makes it interesting in a salad.

Spinach Salad With Feta Cheese

Spinach Salad With Feta Cheese

As a kid, I’d watch the cartoon character Popeye gobble down cans of spinach. Instantly, he transformed and became strong, flexing his mountainous bulging arms to prove it. Wow!  I was a believer…but it wasn’t enough to make me like spinach.  I never liked the flavour. It tasted metallic somehow.  

My mother would buy a frozen block of spinach, boil it forever and serve it to us. There it sat, like a sad lump of green moss with a blob of butter on top…thank goodness for butter! 

Today, I serve spinach but always fresh spinach.  It was a real game changer when stores started selling triple washed bags of spinach, because the bunched kind is often filled with dirt and needs to be thoroughly washed. Otherwise you end up with grit in your meals. 

If you do buy fresh spinach, look for leaves that are crisp, green and free of decay.  Unlike lettuce, washing spinach ahead of time is  not recommended  because the moisture causes it to spoil. Store fresh bunched spinach in a plastic bag in your refrigerator and it will last up to 3 days.

Spinach has a reputation for being good for your health because it’s rich in iron. But the iron is absorbed better when eaten with vitamin C.  Hence the reason spinach salads are often served with orange slices or strawberries.  

When cooking spinach be aware that it reduces in size by about 90%, so cook lots.  It’s good in soups, stews, in dips, and in egg dishes such as frittatas and of course, in salads.

Delightful Couscous, Garbanzo Bean Salad

A delightful couscous salad with garbanzo beans, cucumber, carrots, tomatoes, bell pepper, green onions loaded with parsley and cilantro and spiced with dried oregano and basil.  

Butter Lettuce with Pineapple Ginger Dressing

Butter Lettuce Salad

Butter Lettuce Salad with Pineapple Ginger Dressing

A perfect salad to serve that the family will love
Serves 6

6 cups torn butter lettuce, lightly packed
1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced
3 radishes, thinly sliced
¼ cup thinly sliced scallions
 

Dressing:

5 tablespoons pineapple juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons sesame seed oil
2 teaspoons lime juice
½ teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup small diced fresh or canned pineapple
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste.
 
In a small bowl, whisk the pineapple juice, soy sauce, canola oil, sesame oil, lime juice, honey, ginger, garlic and pepper flakes to blend. Stir in the pineapple and cilantro.

In a large bowl, toss the lettuce, cucumber and radishes with about half the dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Taste, add more dressing if needed.

Roasted Beet Salad With Feta Cheese

Fresh beets from the farmers market

Here is a beet recipe that's easy to try. Plan ahead and roast the beets then toss everything together with feta cheese and you have a delicious roasted beat salad.