Salad for Supper Club

[hmerz]

For my next supper club meeting I am supposed to bring a salad. I would love to know if you all have any favorite salad recipes. I would like to bring something a little out of the ordinary. The other items on our menu are soup, dessert, and bread.

Thanks!!!

[MarciaTJ]

Two recipes I have tried lately have been the Hot and spicy Phillipine Salad found inthe CL mag from 9/2000 and the Peruvian Sarsa Salad from the same issue - both were different from the "typical" dinner salads and simply made- good luck and have fun!

[Britin]

Hmerz,

I had to make a side dish for our last supper club meeting. The theme was Mexican and I had no idea. I actually found a Jicama Salad recipe in the Cooking Light recipe search section. We all liked it. I have been eating some of what was left all week and left plenty with the hostess.

I was curious about the recipe because I had never tried Jicama. I am sure you will get a lot of different ideas. I love different types of salads, so I will keep watching.

Jicama Salad
Sometimes referred to as a Mexican potato, jicama (HEE-kah-mah) is a sweet, nutty-flavored root vegetable with white flesh and tan-colored skin. Similar in texture to water chestnuts, this crunchy vegetable can be eaten raw or cooked.

4 oranges
2 cups (1/2-inch) julienne-cut peeled jicama
1 cucumber (about 1/2 pound), peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
2 cups cubed peeled cantaloupe
1/2 cup vertically sliced red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon hot chili powder


Peel and section oranges over a bowl; squeeze membranes to extract juice. Set sections aside; reserve 1/4 cup orange juice. Discard membranes. Place the orange sections, jicama,and next 5 ingredients (jicama through mint) in a large bowl. Combine the reserved orange juice, fresh lime juice, salt, and chili powder. Pour juice mixture over jicama mixture, and toss gently. Cover and chill 2 hours.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup).

CALORIES 70 (4% from fat); FAT 0.3g (sat 0.1g, mono 0.1g, poly 0.1g); PROTEIN 1.6g; CARB 17g; FIBER 4.20g; CHOL 0mg; IRON .60mg; SODIUM 156mg; CALC 45mg

[Susan]

Here's one of my most favorite CL salads!

~~Susan~~

Artichoke & Pasta Salad from CL April '99

1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts (divided and drained)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups cooked radiatore (about 5 oz. uncooked short coiled pasta)
2 cups thinly sliced spinach
1 cup chopped seeded tomato
1/4 cup (1 oz) crumbled feta cheese

1. Combine 2 artichoke hearts, olive oil, and the next 6 ingredients (olive oil through garlic) in a blender or food processor, and process until mixture is smooth.
2. Chop the remaining artichoke hearts. Combine the chopped artichokes, pasta, spinach, and chopped tomato in a large bowl. Pour the pureed artichoke mixture over the pasta mixture, and toss well to coat. Cover and chill 2 hours. Sprinkle with feta cheese.

calories=153; fat=3.9 g; protein=5.9 g; carb.=24.9 g; fiber=1.8 g; chol.= 4mg; iron= 2.2 mg.; sodium=137 mg.; calcium=70 mg.
-------------------------------------------

[sneezles]

Here's a salad from WS cookbook that I love to serve:

Warm Mushroom Salad with Sallot Vinaigrette

Prep time: 20 min
Cooking time: 15 min

Ingredients

3 large shallots, chopped
3 tbs sherry vinegar
1/4 cup chicken broth
salt and ground pepper to taste
5 oz assorted baby salad greens
3/4 cup assorted fresh herb leaves such as tarragon, chive, basil and parsley, in any combination
2 tsp hazelnut oil (I have substituted walnut oil)
1 lb. assorted fresh mushrooms such as cremini, porcini, chanterelle, shitake and oyster, in any combination, brushed clean and quartered
1 package enoki mushrooms, trimmed

In a small saucepan over high heat, combine 1/4 cup of the shallots, the vinegar, and the broth. Bring to a boil and boil until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

In a bowl, toss together the salad greens, herb leaves, and hazelnut oil until all the leaves are evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper, set aside.

Heat a nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Coat the pan with non-stick cooking spray. Add the remaining shallots and saute until softened, about 1 minute. Add the heartier mushrooms and saute until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the more delicate mushrooms and coat them with the cooking spray. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the mushrooms are just tender, about 3 minutes. If using oyster mushroom, add them during the last minute or two of cooking. Pour the shallot-vinegar mixture and deglaze the pan, stirring with a wooden spoon to remove any browned bits from the pan bottom.

Divide the greens among 4 plates. Top the warm mushrooms and their juices. Garnish with enoki mushrooms, serve immediately.