Need salad recommendations

[Grace]

Believe me I've done a search.....

I'm putting my Xmas menu together, and I usually make the Three Kings Salad (which I love). But this year, my own family won't be here for Xmas, and I will be hosting DH's family instead. They are incredibly picky eaters and won't want beets :rolleyes: .

I want a lovely, festive holiday green salad, and I can't come up with anything that doesn't call for blue cheese or feta (which they also won't eat :rolleyes: ).

Any great ideas??

[Leonard]

I'm also having DH's family who are picky eaters! BUT, I've decided to make a salad I have been wanting to try. I got it from epicurious. Title is "MIXED GREENS WITH PECANS, GOAT CHEESE AND DRIED CRANBERRIES. It got fabulous reviews. Let me know if you want the recipe.

[erinsue]

Originally posted by Grace

I can't come up with anything that doesn't call for blue cheese or feta (which they also won't eat :rolleyes: ).


How about making one of the salads that DO have blue or feta (since it sounds like you found a few of those that you like), and serve the cheese on the side?

[sneezles]

Well, I don't know what else is on your menu so not sure if this will fit the bill but it is a very pretty and tasty salad!

Southwestern Christmas Salad

Variations of this salad are often served on Christmas Eve in both old and New Mexico.

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
7 tablespoons olive oil
1 jalapeño chili, seeded, minced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled

4 navel oranges
2 pink grapefruit


1 head red leaf lettuce or Boston lettuce
3 avocados, peeled, pitted, sliced
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
Pomegranate seeds (optional)
1 small red onion, thinly sliced, rings separated

Combine lemon juice and mustard in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Mix in chili and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)

Cut all peel and white pith from oranges and grapefruit. Slice oranges into rounds. Cut grapefruit in half lengthwise, then slice crosswise into half rounds.

Line platter with lettuce. Arrange orange slices in center of platter, overlapping slices. Arrange grapefruit slices around oranges, overlapping slices. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.) Arrange avocado slices around grapefruit, overlapping slices. Top with nuts and pomegranate seeds, if desired. Arrange onions over all. Drizzle dressing over.

Serves 6.
Bon Appétit
December 1992

[MISSINDI]

The Red Leaf Lettuce Salad with Marinated Red Onions is excellent, and the gorgonzola can easily be put on the side. I've posted the recipe a few times, but if it doesn't come up, I'm happy to post it. Hope this helps!

[Grace]

Thanks for the great ideas, guys. I guess I should have been a tad more specific. They hate any kind of sort of "soft", earthy cheese. So goat is out too. And I guess I could make one of the other salads and leave the cheese off (I'd be the absolute only one who would eat it :rolleyes: ), but I always feel like the cheese is a key ingredient to those salads, and they'd be boring without. I might just be stressing a tad too much about this though....

In any case that salad you posted Sneezles looks really great. But my menu is Beef Tenderloin and mashed potatoes, so I think I'll save that one for the summertime when I have these picky people over again. It really does look wonderful though.

And Missindi, I will go now and look up your salad (I know how to search pretty well, so I'm sure I won't have any trouble finding it). Thanks so much for the suggestion - I haven't seen it yet, but it just might fit the bill.

And I did find a salad called "Holiday Salad" that Giada DiLaurentiis made on one of her shows that looks really good that might be great. So that's a possibility too.

Thanks again everyone for giving me all your great ideas.

[kima]

Grace- I have been scouring cookbooks and I found this one in Hayday Country Market Cookbook
It's called Spinach and Citrus Salad in Cranberry Vinaigrette

I will type it up if you think it sounds like a possibility. The ingredients are:
fennel, spinach, pine nuts and a choice of clementines, oranges or grapefruit. The vinaigrette looks good- if you like cranberries.


It's amazing how many nice salads call for cheese!!!
:p

[ElaineW2]

I usually make the Three Kings Salad (which I love). But this year, my own family won't be here for Xmas, and I will be hosting DH's family instead. They are incredibly picky eaters and won't want beets .

Are you willing to share the Three Kings Salad recipe. I did a search but came up with zip. The beets (the picky eaters won't eat) sound good to me.

Thanks, Elaine

[Chris415]

The spinach salad from the November issue was delicious and really easy. Not sure how they'd feel about a balsamic dressing or parmesan, but thought I'd throw the suggestion out there.
Chris

[Grace]

Originally posted by kima
Grace- I have been scouring cookbooks

{{{{{{{{MO!}}}}}}}}}

Thanks so much for going to all the effort! Have you forgotten that I HAVE that book?!! On YOUR recommendation?!!! You twisted my arm in the bookstore that day, remember??!! :D :D :D

So no need to type anything out - I'll go get the book off the shelf and look for it myself...

XXOO

Chris415 - I missed that spinach salad - I will look at that one too. Thanks for pointing it out. Funny how many great ideas are out there that I completely missed.... :rolleyes:

Elaine, I will find the link to the recipe for you - it's been posted lots of times and is absolutely delicious. I will miss not having this salad this year. :(

[erinsue]

Elaine - Not sure if this is the exact recipe Grace uses. It was in the recipe finder.

Erin

Three Kings Salad

The colorful trio of beets, oranges, and red onion represents the three wise men from the nativity story. Section the oranges, cut the beets and onions, and make the vinaigrette ahead of time (store them in separate containers so the colors don't bleed). Assemble up to an hour before serving. This recipe originally called for pomegranate juice (obtained by meticulously smashing pomegranate seeds and straining the juice) and fresh beets. We found most any fruit juice will work, however, and canned beets are fine, too.

4 navel oranges
1 (15-ounce) can whole beets, drained
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons walnut oil or olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup slivered red onion
Pomegranate seeds (optional)

Peel and section oranges over a bowl; squeeze membranes to extract juice. Set sections aside; reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons juice. Discard membranes.
Cut beets into wedges.

Combine reserved 1 1/2 tablespoons juice, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl; stir well with a whisk.

Divide beet wedges and orange sections evenly among 6 salad plates. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons onion slices. Drizzle with vinaigrette, and garnish with pomegranate seeds, if desired.

Note: To obtain pomegranate seeds, put on gloves and cut the pomegranate into quarters. Coax seeds out from the base with thumbs, being careful not to break seeds. Remove and discard white membrane. Reserve 1/3 cup seeds for garnish.

Yield: 6 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 116(37% from fat); FAT 4.8g(sat 0.4g,mono 3.2g,poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 1.7g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 53mg; SODIUM 363mg; FIBER 4.8g; IRON 0.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 18.6g

Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2000

[Grace]

Yes, that's it! It's a wonderful and beautiful salad, and I love the holiday-ish-ness of it.

[kima]

Oh geez I did forget....I recommend so many books to so many people! :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

:)

[AnnaSue]

I made this one for Thanksgiving, and it was really good! I also made another salad that I found somewhere on this board for Christmas last year that was a huge hit. I can't remember what it was called right now (or even what was in it...:o), but I'll see if I can do a search and figure out what it was.

Here is the one from Thanksgiving..

Green Salad Vinaigrette (SL 30 years of best recipes)

6 cups mixed salad greens
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 small purple onion, thinly sliced
Roasted Pecans
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp raspberry vinegar
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl, and toss well. Combine olive oil and remaining 4 ingredients in a jar. Cover tightly, and shake vigorously. Pour dressing over salad, tossing to coat. Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings.

Roasted Pecans
1 tbsp butter or margarine
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp orange juice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 cup pecan halves

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; stir in sugar and next 3 ingredients. Add pecans to skillet, stirring to coat. Spread pecans on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 1 cup.

[Linda in MO]

Here are 3 of my favorite green salads...

* Exported from MasterCook *

Apple Lettuce Salad

Recipe By :Taste of Home, Nov/Dec 2003, pg. 37
Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Salad

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
Dressing:
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. cider vinegar
2 T. olive or canola oil
4 1/2 t. packed light brown sugar
1 t. dijon mustard
1/4 t. pepper
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. ground cinnamon
1 dash ground nutmeg
Salad:
1 medium red apple -- unpeeled, cored and diced
1 medium green apple -- unpeeled, cored and diced
dried cherries or craisins, to taste -- optional but highly recommended
6 cups torn green leaf lettuce
6 cups torn red leaf lettuce

In a large salad bowl, whisk the first 10 ingredients until blended. Add apples; toss to coat. Pour dried cherries or cranberries over apples. Place lettuce over dried fruit (do NOT toss). Refrigerate, toss just before serving.

12 servings
1 cup (without dried cherries or craisins) equals 50 calories, 2 g. fat, 2 g. fiber

NOTES : I used spinach, dried cherries, part Cortland apple and part Gala apple. I used Mussleman's "natural" apple juice and think apple cider would also work great. And I used a tiny bit more brown sugar.

*******************************************

I think this one's really pretty (delicious, too). You don't need to use the packaged green. I usually cut up my own lettuce...

* Exported from MasterCook *

Holiday Tossed Salad

Recipe By :Quick Cooking, Nov/Dec '01
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Salad

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 pkg. Italian-blend salad greens -- (10 oz.)
1 pkg. spring mix salad greens -- (5 oz.)
2 cans mandarin oranges -- (11 oz. each)
drained
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 medium red apple -- cored and chopped
1 cup chopped walnuts (I use less and caramelize them in sugar)
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 bottle raspberry vinaigrette -- (8 oz.)

In a large salad bowl, toss the greens, oranges, cranberries, apple, walnuts, and cheese. Drizzle with vinaigrette just before serving; toss to coat.

Yield: 12 servings

NOTES :
I use Ken's light Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette. And I don't always use those exact salad blends.

*******************************************

I've made this countless times...

* Exported from MasterCook *

Mandarin Orange Tossed Salad

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Salad

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 cans mandarin oranges -- save juice
Dressing:
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup or so of reserved mandarin juice
1 t. or so of sugar
1/4 t. salt
pepper to taste
Salad:
8 cups torn leaf and/or romaine lettuce
3 to 4 green onions -- sliced
3 celery stalks -- sliced
Topping:
1/2 cup sliced almonds
3 T. or so of sugar

Drain oranges and reserve 1/4 cup of juice. Combine with oil, vinegar, sugar and spices in a jar with tight fitting lid. Refrigerate.

Combine salad ingredients in large bowl.

Combine almonds and sugar in skillet and toast over med. or med-low heat . Stir frequently until sugar melts and coats almonds. Cool on wax paper.

Serve dressing and almonds over salad.


Serving Ideas : This could easily be turned into a main dish salad by adding grilled or broiled chicken or turkey.

NOTES : Can add shredded carrot, if desired. Also, cucumber and a little red onion.

[Grace]

Oh Andrea, that's IT!! You found it! The elusive "picky-eater pleaser but still really festive" recipe!! :D :D

The Green Salad Vinaigrette is it. It's one I will love and they should like too (they love bacon).

Thanks everyone so, so much for taking the time to help me out.

[AnnaSue]

Glad that recipe will work for you!:) I found the one that I made for Christmas last year, but it has Feta cheese in it. I don't think it would be quite the same without it!

[kima]

So AnnaSue, are you Andrea???:confused:

[Grace]

Yes, she is! (Hope that wasn't a secret??! :o )

[Lisa W]

At our office party one of the ladies brings this salad every year by request. I just love it!

Spinach Salad

Baby spinach
bacon (fried crisp)
chopped red onion
grated cheddar cheese
diced red and yellow peppers
sliced mushrooms

dressing:

1/2 cup ranch dressing (any type)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
can add a crushed garlic for extra flavour

[Safari Girl]

I made this salad last Christmas for dinner with my inlaws and everyone loved it! Easy to make and very yummy. SG


MIXED GREEN SALAD WITH ORANGES, DRIED CRANBERRIES AND PECANS
Bright, fresh flavors star in this holiday salad.

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons orange juice
6 tablespoons dried cranberries
3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon grated orange peel

6 cups mixed baby greens
3 oranges, peel and white pith removed, segmented
3/4 cup pecans, toasted

Bring 1 cup orange juice to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Mix in dried cranberries. Let stand until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain well; discard soaking juice.

Whisk oil, vinegar, orange peel and remaining 3 tablespoons orange juice in small bowl to blend. Mix in cranberries. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

Place greens in large bowl. Toss with 2/3 of dressing. Divide greens among 6 plates. Add orange segments to bowl; toss with remaining dressing. Top salads with orange segments and pecans.

Serves 6.
Bon Appétit
November 1998

[wallycat]

I posted this one a while back...and I've also got the CL celery salad in the fridge as we speak...I can post that if you need it.

his comes from the book
RELAX, Company's Coming! by Kathy Gunst.

I have never been a huge fan of carrot salads, but for some reason, this one caught my eye.

Here it is:

(author says this is a nice colorful winter salad, but heck, I think summer is just fine too ).

Grated Carrot and sun-dried Cranberry Salad

3 cups grated carrots, about 2 large carrots
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
3 TBS chopped sun-dried cranberries, cherries, or raisins (I used cranberries)
salt and pepper to taste
3 TBS wine vinegar
6 TBS olive oil
In a bowl, mix the carrots, parsley, and cranberries. Add salt and pepper. Mix in the vinegar and oil, and stir well. Taste for seasoning. The salad can be made about 2 hours ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serves 6.

Optional ingredients (Which I used some of)
1/3 cup thinly sliced water chestnuts (I skipped)
2 TBS finely chopped scallions or chives (I used chives)
1/2 cup finely chopped toasted walnuts, pecans or almonds (I used almonds)
Thin slivers of duck or chicken to make this a main course salad (I skipped).

[cherylopal]

what about a spinach strawberry (green andred) witha poppyseed dressing?? even my berytraditional nonadventurous inlaws lovedthis. i can post if you would like.

[Jazzmatazz49]

Spinach Salad

Baby spinach
bacon (fried crisp)
chopped red onion
grated cheddar cheese
diced red and yellow peppers
sliced mushrooms

dressing:

1/2 cup ranch dressing (any type)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
can add a crushed garlic for extra flavour


I made Lisa's salad tonight for dinner and we loved it. Simple but different.

[AnnaSue]

Originally posted by kima
So AnnaSue, are you Andrea???:confused:

Yes, that is me! It is not a secret now, although it was at one time. I went into a bit of a panic one day when I saw my mom was logged in here. I didn't know she even knew about this board. I was trying to get pregnant at the time and wanted to be able to post on the pregnancy and ttc-like threads without my mom (or anyone else I know IRL) finding out about personal stuff through the CL BB. :o I wanted to have fun surprising my mom with the good news. Not much of a disguise though. Sue is my real middle name, but I figured the Anna part would be just enough to throw people off.

[Middydd]

I love this salad, I often add some coarsely grated parmesan.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/4377

[kwormann]

Originally posted by kima
It's amazing how many nice salads call for cheese!!!
:p

Not really....ALL nice things call for cheese:D ;)

[Lauren]

I love this salad! It's definately better with the cheese, but I think you could omit it. Or maybe sub a mild cheese. The dressing is fab!


* Exported from MasterCook *

Pecan Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : salads

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
lettuce (red and green leaf or field
greens)
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese or gorganzola
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon dried mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper (just a pinch)
1 tablespoon sugar

Combine dressing ingredients in food processer or blender. I use a Tupperware shake container. Chill several hours.

Place torn lettuce leaves in bowl. Toss with blue cheese, onions and pecans. Add dressing.

[emptyspool]

I love this salad posted by "Capres".....we make the dressing which is more than enough for just two of us. It keeps well in the fridge and we spoon it over broken bibb lettuce. It is simple, has nothing unusual, just good ole swiss. To be honest, sometimes we just snack on the marinated cheese and put it on cracker. It is easy to make and to make ahead. Simplify your life! (I used all the olive oil.)

Salade de Gruyere
As requested, here is the recipe for the Gruyere Salad from Food to Die For by Patricia Cornwell.

Serves 6

Dressing:

4 oz. sliced Gruyere or Swiss Cheese
1/3 c. olive oil (I used about 2 - 3 tbls.)
1/3 c. white wine vinegar
2 tbls minced fresh parsley
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 c finly chopped Vidalia or yellow onion


Salad:

6 c. torn mixed salad greens (I used butter lettuce)

1. For the dressing: Cut the Gruyere cheese into strips that are 2 inches long and 1/4 inch wide. Arrange the cheese in a shallow bowl. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the olive oil, vinegar, parsley, mustard, salt and pepper. Shake well to combine. Add the onion to the dressing and pour over the cheese. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to several hours.

2. To serve the salad, arrange the salad greens on salad plates. Using a slotted spoon, arrange the marinated cheese strips over the salads. Stir the dressing remaining from the cheese and drizzle it over each salad. Serve immediately.

This was very good. Very simple, but the dijon vinaigrette with the onions was just delicious.


Again, thanks for the warm welcome.

Carol