ISO: OMG salad/side dish

[bluebells]

I'm in desperate need of help from all of you out there. My in-laws are having dinner on Friday night, and I'm requested to bring a salad. The in-laws are difficult to impress, and I really want to bring a knock your socks off type of salad. It can be any type of salad, including pasta etc. Thanks for all of your help!

[Kismet]

Do you know what the main dish will be? I find it easier to come up with suggestions when I'm trying to "pair" foods. :)

[jmw]

I never have real "recipes" for salad, but here is what I usually do ... with this standard "recipe", I am often delegated to bring salad to the family gatherings.

Recipe: spring green mix, red onion, fruit, strong cheese, nuts w/ oil & vinegar dressing.

You can change the fruit, cheese & nuts as you like ... well, the greens for that matter too! I usually make my own dressing with lemon juice, mustard, honey, oil & vinegar (adding basalmic most times) ... but there's some great store brands out now too if you want a short cut. Here are some fruit/nut/cheese ideas:

* Oranges (or blood oranges), toasted pecans and blue cheese
* Pear, feta & toasted walnuts
* Figs (diced & dried, soaked in port & OJ to soften), blue cheese & walnuts
* Strawberries, feta & almonds
* Grapes (you can roast in a dry non-stick pan & glaze with basalmic or just toss in cold), goat cheese & pistachios ... did this recently for a dinner party & was great success!!!

Just let your imagination run ... Good luck!

[memartha]

Bluebells,

My suggestion would be to use the highest quality, freshest ingredients you can find and compose a simple salad. Some greens, some julienned slices of a really fresh vegetable (could be peppers, snow peas, carrots...), maybe some shaved Parmesan cheese, and a nice, light dressing. It will definitely knock their socks off!

[Grace]

I'm not very good at "winging" my own recipes - here's a CL one that I have loved for years now, and it's always such a big hit everywhere I take it.

CookWare(tm) from Cooking Light(r)

Spring Tortellini Salad

SOURCE: Cooking Light YEAR: April 2001 PAGE: 128

INGREDIENTS FOR 6 SERVINGS:
Dressing:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 teaspoons spicy brown or Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
Salad:
1 (9-ounce) package fresh cheese tortellini, uncooked
2 cups frozen medium shrimp
3/4 cup thinly sliced carrot
2 cups finely chopped tomato
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

INSTRUCTIONS:
Any fresh vegetables can be used here. The flavor is best if you chill the salad for 30 minutes before serving.

1. To prepare dressing, combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl, and stir well with a whisk.

2. To prepare salad, cook tortellini in boiling water for 6 minutes. Add shrimp and carrot; cook 3 minutes. Drain well. Combine pasta mixture, tomato, peas, and onion in a large bowl; pour dressing over salad, tossing gently to coat. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1-1/3 cups).

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
CALORIES 277 (29% from fat); FAT 8.8g (sat 3.8g, mono 4.5g, poly 1g); PROTEIN 18.5g; CARB 30g; FIBER 2.3g; CHOL 91mg; IRON 2mg; SODIUM 504mg; CALC 123mg

[purplefishy]

My absolute favorite salad has mixed greens, dried cranberries, crumbled feta, and toasted pecans tossed with a homemade balsamic vinegrette. I always get lots of requests for the recipe whenever I make it. It has become known as "The Salad" among a group of friends. Unfortunately, I am at work and I don't have the dressing recipe with me, but I can look it up tonight if you are interested.

[Linda2]

purplefishy,
Please post your balsamic dressing recipe.

[Guest]

One of my favorite salads is similar to Purplefishy's with a few tweaks. I use baby spinach, chopped pecans, dried cranberries and crumbled blue cheese tossed with the salad dressing du jour. Most recently it has been equal parts olive oil, unseasoned rice wine vinegar, a good splash of balsamic vinegar, a crushed clove or two of garlic, a bit of dijon mustard and salt and pepper. This salad is easy to prepare and always a hit.

[PoppyJ]

This is one of my favorite salads to serve to guest. I usually roast some pears to throw in with it as well.

Spinach-Strawberry Salad with Goat-Cheese Bruschetta

1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons sherry or white wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced red onion
3/4 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/4 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 cups torn spinach (about 1 pound)
2 cups halved strawberries
2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
1 (3-ounce) log goat cheese, cut into 6 slices
6 (1-ounce) slices French bread, toasted

Combine the first 8 ingredients in a jar; cover dressing tightly, and shake vigorously.
Combine the spinach and strawberry halves in a large bowl, and toss gently. Pour the dressing over the spinach mixture, tossing gently to coat. Spoon 1 cup salad onto each of 6 plates; sprinkle each serving with 1 teaspoon toasted almonds. Spread cheese over toast slices; top each salad with 1 bruschetta.

Yield: 6 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 213 (28% from fat); FAT 6.7g (sat 2.7g, mono 2.6g, poly 1.1g); PROTEIN 7.1g; CARB 31g; FIBER 4.5g; CHOL 13mg; IRON 2.7mg; SODIUM 446mg; CALC 163mg;

Cooking Light, APRIL 1998

[emptyspool]

I would recommend purplefishy's salad! It is easy to assemble, looks beautiful on a large platter and tastes great. A definite salad to show off.

[funniegrrl]

I, too, make a salad similar to the ones posted above. It changes depending on what I have on hand and my tastes, but the basic components are:

Mixed greens (usually a mixture of lettuces and spinach)
Grated carrot and/or broccoli slaw
Dried fruit (usually cranberries or cherries)
Toasted nuts (usually pecans, but walnuts sometimes)
Crumbled goat cheese (or, in a pinch, grate parmesan)
A vinaigrette with a slightly sweet taste, such as a red wine vinaigrette or sundried tomato vinaigrette

Another variation on that theme is:

Mixed greens
Grated carrot
Small bite-size broccoli florets
Sliced green onion
Raisins
Ranch (or other creamy) dressing

[purplefishy]

Here is the recipe. I wish I could claim it, but I got it off another website. I prefer pecans instead of walnuts, but that's pretty much my only standard change. There is another version that uses mandarin orange sections and the juice from the can in the dressing which sounds good, but my DH doesn't like fruit in salads so I hardly every make it. It does look nice and its very adaptable. To make it more springy, try substituting sliced strawberries for the cranberries.

Cranberry, Feta and Roasted Walnut Salad

1 pkg. (10 oz.) mixed salad greens
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 pkg. (4 oz.) Athenos Crumbled Feta Cheese
1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted California walnuts
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil


Layer salad greens, cranberries, cheese and walnuts in shallow salad bowl or on large serving platter.

Whisk vinegar, honey, mustard and pepper in small bowl. Slowly add oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly until well blended. Pour over salad. Toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

[gaja]

The following recipe from Cooking for Mr. Latte has become my favorite spring salad. It is simple yet sophisticated.

Asparagus, Beans and Peppery Lettuces with Walnut Dressing
Cooking for Mr. Latte – Amanda Hesser
Serves 4

Sea salt
8 thin spears asparagus, woody ends snapped off or trimmed
1 handful haricots verts, stem ends trimmed off
2 teaspoon aged sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
Coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons walnut oil
2 handfuls mixed greens
1 handful watercress or baby arugula
¼ small bulb fennel, very thinly sliced
1½ tablespoons chopped tarragon

Fill a pot with water, season with plenty of salt and bring to a boil. Drop in the asparagus and cook until tender but still firm, about 2 or 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. When the water comes back to a boil, cook and chill the haricots verts the same way. Drain the asparagus and beans and lay out on a towel to dry. Slice the asparagus into 1½-inch-long pieces.
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegars and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in the olive oil and walnut oil, until smooth and emulsified. Combine the lettuces, fennel, asparagus, beans, and tarragon in a serving bowl. Pour over half the dressing and fold it into the vegetables until they are coated with a thin layer of dressing. Taste and add more dressing, or salt, if needed.

[granolagirl]

Like funniegrrl, I make a couple of salads depending on what I have on hand.

Italian salad mix
Mandarin oranges
Almonds
Oil & vinegar dressing

Mixed greens
Pears
Dried cranberries
Feta cheese
Vinaigrette

or some sort of Asian style salad
Napa cabbage
green onions
sunflower seeds
ramen noodles
asian style dressing

[bluebells]

Thanks so much for all of your suggestions!! I don't know what the main entree will be. There will, however, be a large number of people there, so serving the salad on plates individually is unrealistic. I think I will try the salad offered by purplefishy (thankyou). I was wondering if granolagirl could post her recipe for her asian style salad (or at least the drsg she uses). Thanks again!

[granolagirl]

bluebells, I would be happy to post it for you! I'll look for it tonight or tomorrow and post it for you. :)

[granolagirl]

I found my dressing recipe, but can not find the actual salad recipe. I use napa cabbage, green onions, ramen noodles, sunflower seeds, I think that might be it.

Asian Style Dressing
1 cup canola oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp pepper
6 Tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce

Wisk together and pour over salad.

[funniegrrl]

That sounds very much like a recipe that Paula Deen had on her show recently. It was the "going out on a boat" show with fried chicken. You might check FoodTV.com to see if they posted it.

[alisajean]

I've never served this salad without someone asking for the recipe!
I can guarantee they will love this!

SPINICH SALAD

1 bag spinach torn into pieces
4-5 eggs boiled and sliced
8-12 pieces of bacon cooked and crumbled
5-6 large mushrooms

Dressing

Blend together-

½ cup sugar
1 cup oil
1 med. onion chopped
1/3 cup vinegar
3 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon celery salt

[bluebells]

Well, I made the salad by purlplefishy and it was a huge success!! Thanks so much for the recipe! I used roasted pecans instead of walnuts, and I added more balsamic vinegar and honey, and less oil. (I was trying to lighten the recipe).

[kjl]

This is a great salad recipe from Gourmet magazine. I made it for Christmas dinner, and everyone raved about it. I've made it for dinner parties since then, and people have asked me for the dressing recipe. The dressing is just delicious!

http://www.epicurious.com/run/recipe/view?id=10815&kw=&action=filtersearch&QueryZip=%28%28romaine+%3CAND%3E+vinegar%29+%3CIN% 3E+%28CNContent%2Ctitle%29%29&Filter=recipe%2Dfilter%2Ehts&ResultTemplate=recipe%2Dresults%2Ehts&QueryText=%28%28romaine+%3CAND%3E+vinegar%29+%3CIN %3E+%28CNContent%2Ctitle%29%29&Collection=Recipes&ResultStart=16&ResultCount=15&BrowseLink=%3CA+HREF%3D%22%22%3EQuick+Search%3C%2F A%3E+%26gt%3B+keyword%3A+romaine+vinegar

[purplefishy]

Bluebells, I'm so glad you liked the salad! My sister brought a variation of it to Easter dinner; she added a bit of pesto and rasberry preserves to the dressing. It was quite yummy.

[lisas3575]

Thanks for posting this, Gaja! I brought this to Easter dinner at my brother's house and it got inhaled. It was a nice, more substantial, salad/veg. side. I meant to only use 1/2 of the dressing but forgot and dumped the whole lot in, so it was too oily for my tastes but that's easily doctored next time.

[ginny177]

I bookmarked all the wonderful suggestions offered in this thread. But when printing them out today, I realized none said how many servings (per bag of greens).
Can someone please clue me in? Thanks.
Purplefishy - especially loved the look of yours.

[purplefishy]

Thanks, ginny177, I hope you like it. As far as the number of servings, I am not completely sure. I usually bring the salad for get togethers of 10-15, but there's usually tons of other food so people usually don't have a ton of salad (though many do come back for seconds of this one :) ). I usually use a combo of bagged greens and head red leaf lettuce, adding it to the bowl until there is "enough" -- I don't really double the recipe, just make more of it. If you are going to make this for a bunch of people, I would double the dressing, put all the salad stuff in a bowl until it looks like you have enough for your taste (I love feta so I'm generous with it, my DH eats the cranberries but doesn't love them so I put a little less of thoes, etc.) and then toss it with enough dressing to coat everything. Its really flexible and even if you make more than necessary, it usually finds its way into someone's stomach before the night is over!