Roasted Potato Salad With Blue Cheese

4 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into chunks

1 onion, cut in half and thinly sliced

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh or dried chives

Balsamic vinegar

1. Place potatoes and onions on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

2. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden. Spoon potato mixture into a bowl. Stir in blue cheese and chives. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar; toss to coat. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Serve immediately.

Grapefruit-Avocado Slaw

I needed a fresh side dish to serve with the salmon we were having for dinner. Because it’s the end of the month, there wasn’t much to chose from. So I used cabbage, avocado, and grapefruit to make a new variation of coleslaw. We really love this recipe, which served as my inspiration. The dressing couldn’t be simpler; I substituted grapefruit juice for the orange juice. If you don’t like the bitterness of grapefruit, orange sections would be a delicious.

Grapefruit-Avocado Slaw

1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced

1 grapefruit, peeled and sectioned

1 avocado, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

Orange Vinaigrette

1. Combine cabbage, grapefruit, and avocado in a bowl; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour dressing over cabbage mixture; toss to coat.

ME Feast: Tabbouleh

1/2 cup fine- or medium-grain bulgur wheat
Juice from 2 to 3 lemons
2 bunches flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 roma tomatoes, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
4 green onions, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh mint leaves
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1. Rinse bulgur wheat thoroughly, and drain. Place bulgur in a bowl, and stir in 1/4 cup lemon juice. Let stand until grains are tender and fluffy, about 20 minutes.
2. Stir in parsley and next 3 ingredients. Combine remaining 4 tsp. lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and cayenne. Pour into bulgur mixture, and toss to coat. Season with additional salt and cayenne to taste, if needed. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Roasted Pear Salad With Goat Cheese

This salad tastes like fall in a bowl! I paired sweet roasted pears with creamy goat cheese and spicy-and-sweet pecans. For the dressing, I used my favorite vinaigrette. (Cooked, crumbled bacon would be a great addition, and blue cheese would be a good substitution for the goat cheese.) Yummy!

Roasted Pear Salad With Goat Cheese
3 pears, cored and cut into thin slices

1 head green leaf lettuce, chopped

4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
Sweet-and-Spicy Pecans
Balsamic Vinaigrette

1. Bake pears on a aluminum foil-lined baking sheet at 400° for 10 minutes or until slightly softened and warm.
2. Toss together pears, lettuce, and next 2 ingredients. Drizzle with vinaigrette, tossing to coat. Serve immediately.

Spinach Salad

Tonight I decided to try my hand at The Pioneer Woman’s spinach salad recipe. I followed her instructions for cooking the onions and mushrooms and really liked the intense flavor that added. As a counterbalance, I added some sliced Granny Smith apples—this offered some crunch and tart-sweetness. The dressing is a super-simple red wine vinaigrette made with bacon drippings. Delicious! I paired the salad with Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks.

Spinach Salad
Crumbled blue cheese would be a delicious addition.
4 bacon slices, chopped
1 small red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
1 package sliced mushrooms

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 bag baby spinach

1 to 2 Granny Smith apples, cored and thinly sliced

1. Cook bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towel. Reserve 3 Tbsp. bacon drippings, and set aside.
2. In a separate pan, sauté onions and mushrooms in hot oil until tender; season with salt and pepper.

3. Add reserved bacon grease to a small pan, and stir in red wine vinegar and next 2 ingredients. Whisk until mixture is combined and thoroughly heated.

4. Combine spinach, onions, mushrooms, and apples in a bowl. Pour in dressing, and toss to coat. Top with crumbled bacon.

Caprese Salad

If you haven’t tried this simple salad, it’s a must for summer menus! No cooking is required and it showcases the best flavors of summer. Enjoy!

Caprese Salad
Fresh mozzarella, sliced
Fresh tomatoes, sliced
Fresh basil leaves

Balsamic vinegar
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Alternate mozzarella slices, tomato slices, and fresh basil leaves around the edge of a plate or platter. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Loaded-With-Veggies Salad

This recipe is the result of my need to clean out the fridge and the pantry. Don’t be grossed out—the combination is delicious! The salad features grilled eggplant, artichoke hearts, olives, tomatoes, chopped cucumbers, minced red onion, red bell pepper, and feta. The dressing is simply a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Fresh oregano rounded out the flavors. Enjoy!

Loaded-With-Veggies Salad
This would be delicious paired with pasta.
Grilled eggplant chunks
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
2 small cucumbers, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
1/4 cup kalamata olives
2 to 3 tomatoes, chopped
2 Tbsp. diced red onion
1/2 cup feta
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. fresh oregano
Salt and pepper

1. Combine eggplant and next 7 ingredients. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar; sprinkle with oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Peach-and-Goat Cheese Salad

This simple salad tastes like summer! I paired beautiful peaches from my farmers market basket with green-leaf lettuce, crumbled goat cheese, and crushed bagel chips. The dressing is my favorite vinaigrette. Just the thing for dinner when it’s too hot to cook!

Dill Potato Salad

Potato salad is a good choice for experimenting—it’s tasty with mayo or lightly dressed with oil and vinegar. Tonight I made a more traditional style potato salad that has a combination of mayo and sour cream. There is no bacon in this dish (shocking!), but it would be a great addition, if you have some on hand. Enjoy!

Dill Potato Salad
1 1/2 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into chunks
Salt
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 to 3/4 cup sour cream

2 Tbsp. coarse-ground mustard

1. Place potatoes in a large pot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil; add in some salt. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until done. Drain and place in a serving bowl. Add in shallot and dill. Stir together mayo, 1/2 cup sour cream, and mustard. Toss with potato mixture, adding more sour cream, if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad

Today we shared lunch with our house church. The menu theme was salads, and I made my version of cobb salad. Salad is not really a recipe—it’s about the components. Here are the ingredients in mine: green leaf lettuce, grilled chicken (sprinkled with Cajun seasoning), chopped tomatoes, chopped avocados, cooked and crumbled bacon, blue cheese, homemade ranch dressing (I use Penzey’s buttermilk ranch seasoning), and chopped boiled eggs. The trick for me was boiling the eggs. See, I don’t eat eggs. I want to like them, but I can’t get past the smell. For the salad, I followed a simple procedure for boiling the eggs, and they came out perfectly (no green around the yolk). Andy kindly peeled and chopped them for me. Sometimes a meal requires teamwork. Enjoy!

Boiled eggs: Place eggs in a saucepan, and cover with 1 inch of cold water. Bring water to a boil; remove from heat, cover, and let eggs stand 10 minutes. Place eggs in a bowl of ice water, and let stand 5 minutes. Peel and chop.

Grilled Steak Caesar Salad

Spring is in the air—and salad sounded like a fresh option for dinner. I made a basic Caesar salad—romaine lettuce, shaved Parmesan, homemade croutons, vinaigrette—and topped it with thinly sliced grilled steak. Very simple and delicious! This isn’t a classic Ceasar dressing (I forgot to buy anchovies), but it is tasty. Enjoy!

Caesar-Style Vinaigrette
Juice from 2 lemons
Dash of Worchestershire sauce
2 tsp. dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Whisk together lemon juice and next 5 ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with Caesar salad.

Orange Vinaigrette

Because I haven’t been to the grocery store yet, we were running low on salad toppings. So for dinner tonight, I improvised. We had a salad composed of green leaf lettuce and orange sections, paired with this simple vinaigrette.  (Blue cheese would have been a good addition.) Substitute lemon or lime for the orange, if you prefer.

Orange Vinaigrette
Juice from 1 orange
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Whisk together orange juice and next 3 ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Black Bean Salad

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 yellow or red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
2 avocados, cut into chunks
Zest and juice from 1 lime
Juice from half an orange
2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine beans and next 6 ingredients. Stir in lime zest, lime and orange juice, olive oil, and cilantro; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tip: Use the grape tomato container to
rinse and drain the beans instead
of getting a strainer dirty.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

This is my go-to salad dressing; it also works great as a marinade for chicken and pork. It so easy to make this in a mason jar.
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. country-style Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. honey
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

1. Combine vinegar and next 3 ingredients. Gradually add in olive oil, combining completely. Stir in salt and pepper.

Menu 27: Tomato Pie and Sweet Potato Salad

For some reason, I haven’t made this delicious pie all summer! It made me sad when I remembered the recipe because we love it so much. Tonight we had tomato pie and Sweet Potato Salad With Baby Spinach. The idea for this dish came from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters; of course, I made a few tweaks. This may be my new favorite. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Salad With Baby Spinach
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper
3 oz. baby spinach
Juice of 2 lemons
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
2 slices cooked and crumbled bacon (optional)

1. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet; drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Bake at 400° for 20 to 25 minutes or until tender.
3. Spoon sweet potatoes over baby spinach in a serving bowl. Combine lemon juice and next 4 ingredients. Toss with sweet potato mixture. Sprinkle with bacon, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Menu 26: Pizza and Salad

Tonight for dinner we had Bacon Pizza (I used sun-dried tomato pesto instead of the basil variety) and this simple salad. I made it with ingredients that were on hand: grape tomatoes, olives, and feta cheese. The dressing is a drizzle of red wine vinegar and olive oil; dried oregano finishes it off. The salad is salty, tangy, and little sweet—just the right accompaniment to the pizza. Enjoy!

Greek Tomato Salad
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
2 oz. crumbled feta cheese
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine tomatoes and next 2 ingredients. Drizzle with vinegar and oil; sprinkle with oregano. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Menu 18: Grilled Burgers

This recipe for potato salad was inspired by the baby new potatoes that came in my farmers market basket this week. The dressing features a combination of mayo and vinegar, which I really like. Fresh dill is terrific in this. I served this with grilled burgers and Watermelon-and-Tomato Salad. Enjoy!

Dill Potato Salad
1 lb. baby new potatoes, cut in half if necessary
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
Salt and pepper

1. Place potatoes in large pot; cover with water. Bring to a boil, add in a generous amount of salt, and cook until tender. Drain and rinse with cool water.
2. Combine mayonnaise and next 3 ingredients; toss with potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Menu 6: Fish Tacos

Andy has always been skeptical of fish tacos, but he agreed to try them for dinner tonight. I breaded pieces of tilapia with panko and then fried the fish (this takes no time). The fish was placed in warm flour tortillas and drizzled with homemade tartar sauce. The coleslaw is an old favorite updated with the addition of feta. Enjoy!

Bacon-Veggie Salad

My favorite salad in the whole world is this one because it seems to hit all the tastebuds. However, this new salad is probably my second favorite. The combo of fresh veggies, smoky bacon, creamy feta, and versatile balsamic vinaigrette works beautifully. It was delicious paired with Lemon Chicken Pasta tonight. Enjoy!

Bacon-Veggie Salad

4 bacon slices, chopped and cooked

1 head green leaf lettuce, cut into thin strips

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 cup toasted pecan halves

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Crumbled feta cheese

1. Place lettuce in a large bowl. Top with bacon and next 3 ingredients. Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette just before serving, and toss. Sprinkle with feta.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. country-style Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. honey
3/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine vinegar and next 2 ingredients. Gradually add in olive oil, combining completely. Stir in salt and pepper to taste.