TACO SALAD

I hope you have enjoyed “salad week”.  Here is a recipe for a meal that everyone loves.  Those who don’t enjoy salad can just use flour tortillas for the seasoned beef or turkey.  Also consider this simple dish for your next casual party.  You can keep the beef mixture warm in a crock pot and then have all the “fixings” arranged around the serving table.  Use the colors of the ingredients to inspire your choice of table coverings, napkins, flowers etc.  Have fun!

2 pounds of ground beef or turkey

2 packages of “Old El Paso” taco seasoning mix (your choice of mild or hot)

2 cups water

Lettuce (I like to mix Romaine and Iceberg)

Chopped tomatoes

Red Kidney beans

Chopped Avacado

Sharp Cheese

Sour Cream

Kraft Catalina Dressing (or dressing of your choice)

Fritos or Doritos

Instructions:

Brown the beef or turkey in a large skillet.  Rinse in hot water and return to the skillet.  Add seasoning mix and water.  Simmer for approximately 10 minutes, stirring often.

While the meat is simmering prepare the salad ingredients of your choice.  When meat is ready, assemble salad as desired. I begin with the lettuce, tomatoes beans and avocado---then top with cheese, meat and sour cream.  You can finish it off with Catalina dressing (or dressing of your choice), Fritos or Doritos.    Often I leave off the dressing entirely---the meat sauce is good on its own.

*Store meat and topping leftovers separately.

BLACK-EYED PEA SALAD

             

Here’s a really tasty and nutritious salad to serve your family or to prepare for your next lovely picnic or potluck dinner.  An additional bonus is that it is absolutely beautiful—lots of colors and texture.  This is a good one!

Ingredients:

Two 15 ounce cans (more or less) black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed

One  14 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 large red bell pepper, diced

3 cups of diced fresh cucumber

2 large tomatoes, diced

½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

4 T. extra virgin olive oil

Zest of one lemon

Juice of one lemon

3 T. balsamic vinegar

Kosher salt

Black Pepper

1 T. sugar

Instructions:

*Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl.

*Whisk together last 7 ingredients and then add to vegetables.

*Stir to coat.

*Refrigerate overnight and serve cold.

TOMATO SALAD

Salad week continues with a fantastic way to take advantage of all of the fresh tomatoes we have this time of year from the farmer’s market or our own gardens.

I try to use a variety of tomatoes to make it an interesting mix of shape and color; vine-ripened, roma, grape, cherry, red, yellow, orange, heirloom.  I usually keep the peels on and the chunks, bite-sized.

This salad is so delicious when served as an accompaniment to a lunch of chicken salad or tuna salad---or as a topping for French or Italian bread.

Ingredients:

4 cups of tomato chunks (or whole if the grape and cherry tomatoes are bite-sized)

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

3-4 Tablespoons red wine vinegar (balsamic or white wine vinegar also works well).

¼ cup fresh parsley (or to taste)

¼ cup fresh basil (or to taste)

*(add or replace the herbs in this recipe with any herb you enjoy)

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)

1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions:

*Place tomatoes in a bowl.

 * In a separate small bowl, combine oil, vinegar, herbs and spices and whisk together.

* Pour over tomatoes.  Toss gently, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

CORN SALAD

This salad is fun to make because you can really add whatever colors and flavors of tomatoes and peppers that you enjoy to play on the yellow and red theme.

You can also add whatever herbs are your favorite (basil, parsley, cilantro (ewww), etc.)

Following is my favorite way to make it---but feel free to “make it your own-dawg”.

Corn Salad:  amounts are approximate—feel free to make more or less

4-6 ears of corn (boiled, cooled and kernals removed)

4-6 red and yellow tomatoes-chopped into bite-sized pieces

     *I usually just see what the store has to offer—including different sizes (grape          tomatoes, roma, vine, etc.) and colors (even orange or heirloom tomatoes-though they don’t taste as sweet)

2  bell peppers –chopped roughly

       *I use yellow and red (sometimes orange)—I don’t like green bell peppers    much anymore for some reason

1 medium sweet onion-chopped roughly or julienned

        (use red onion if you prefer)

2 avocados-roughly chopped and soaked in lemon juice

**Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix together.  Add dressing and herbs.  *Add secret ingredient    (( 2 +Tablespoons of sugar))   SHHHHHH

Dressing:  This recipe gives you the ratio you need but feel free to double or triple it based on how much salad you make.  ( I want to experiment using different vinegars such as white wine, red wine or balsamic in place of the lemon juice-so let me know if you try one of these).

6 Tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

3 Tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Herbs:

Freshly chopped parsley, basil to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Cilantro (if using)

Mix together and put in refrigerator until ready to serve.

The salad tastes best when it has at least an hour to sit in the fridge.  Because of the avocados, the salad only lasts up to 3 days in the fridge.

SALAD WEEK---CAULIFLOWER SALAD

This week is SALAD WEEK!  Today’s recipe is a favorite in our family for sure!  One of the great things about it is that you make it the night before you plan to serve it.  That really helps when you have a lot of cooking to do for a holiday or even a family weekend gathering.   The original version came from a beautiful lady and fabulous cook who went to our church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  Over the years I have changed the recipe to better suit my family.   I hope you enjoy it---and although it has the word “salad” in the title---that doesn’t mean it is healthy…oh well, enjoy it anyway! 

Ingredients:

*Lettuce-washed, dried and torn into bite size pieces (I use 1 head of iceberg or ½ head of iceberg and an equal amount of romaine).

*Cauliflower-1 small head, washed (I just use the flowery tips, cut into bite size pieces).

Sometimes I use broccoli instead of cauliflower.

*Bacon-approximately 10 pieces, cooked until very crispy and crumbled.

*Parmesan Cheese- 1 cup(or more), shredded (please don’t use the powdered kind of parmesan cheese)

*Mayonnaise-1 cup (or more) –I use the Hellman’s olive oil variety

*Sugar-1/3 cup sugar (ok, use less if you want to)

Instructions:

*Wash, dry and tear lettuce into pieces and place in a large serving bowl.

*Wash, dry and cut cauliflower into pieces and place in a layer on top of lettuce.

*Layer crumbled bacon on top of cauliflower.

*Sprinkle parmesan cheese over bacon.

*Spread thin layer of mayonnaise over bacon and seal salad around the edges.

*Sprinkle sugar on top of mayonnaise (this sentence just seems crazy doesn’t it).

*Cover salad with plastic wrap and chill for 12 to 24 hours.

*Toss before serving.