Artichoke and Prosciutto Salad

Artichokes, prosciutto, olives, basil...and OK, even tomatoes...what's not to love?  I am not a huge fan of tomatoes that are not made into a salsa or pasta sauce, but even threw some cherry tomatoes into this salad for myself.  Quartered of course, not whole. The beauty of this salad is that you could also skewer most of the ingredients and make an appetizer out of it.  I made something similar in my guest post for Popsiculture on Hosting a Tapas Party with the skewer of basil, avocado, Kalamata olive, and artichoke heart.

This is a super easy dish - perfect for lunch or even as a first course at a dinner party.  i was inspired by a recipe I found in a cookbook that I have owned for years called "Classic Italian Recipes" - I think it was one of those Costco finds, all I know is that I have used it for years!   I added a few pieces of burrata to the salad as well, I couldn't resist.

Artichoke and Prosciutto Salad
Serves 4
Recipe adapted from "Classic Italian Recipes"

12 oz marinated bottle of quartered artichokes, drained
10-12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup halved Kalamata olives
8 thin slices of prosciutto, cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves, julienned
4 oz burrata, cut into bite sized pieces
fresh basil sprigs, to garnish

Dressing
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 small garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons course ground Dijon mustard
salt & pepper, to taste

Combine the artichokes, tomatoes, olives, and prosciutto in a mixing bowl.  Toss gently to combine.

To make the dressing, put all of the ingredients into a screw-top jar and shake vigorously until the ingredients are thoroughly blended.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss together.

Transfer the salad to individual plates, sprinkle the torn basil on top, add the pieces of burrata to each plate, and garnish each with basil sprigs.  Serve immediately.

Goat's Cheese Salad

Recently, while cleaning out cabinets, I started looking through some of the older cookbooks I have.  One of them is a giant cookbook full of ideas for appetizers, buffets, and parties.  As I started to look through it, I wondered why I didn’t use it more often - it was full of great ideas! 

For lunch this week, I decided to make this Goat’s Cheese Salad – it was easy, delicious, and perfect for all of the fans of goat’s cheese out there. 

Goat’s Cheese Salad

Serves 4

Recipe adapted from the cookbook: Appetizers, Buffet, and Parties

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 slices of French bread, ½ inch thick

8 cups mixed salad leaves, torn into small pieces

4 firm goat’s cheese rounds, about 2 ounces each, rind removed

1 yellow or red (bell) pepper, seeded and finely diced

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (note: I did not include this)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (note: I did not include this)

1 cup diced green onions (note: this was my add- I used Italian Aglio green pitted olives)

For the dressing

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon whole grain mustard

5 tablespoons olive oil

Ground black pepper

To make the dressing, mix the vinegar and salt in a bowl, stirring with a fork until the salt has dissolved.  Stir in the mustard.  Gradually whisk in the olive oil until blended.  Season to taste with pepper and set aside until needed.

Preheat the broiler.  Heat the oil in a frying pan.  Add the bread slices and cook for about 1 minute, until the undersides are golden.  Turn and cook on the other side for about 30 seconds more.  Drain well on paper towels and set aside.

Place the salad leaves in a bowl.  Add 3 tablespoons of the dressing and toss to coat well.  Divide the dressed leaves among four salad plates.

Place the goat’s cheeses, cut sides up, on a baking sheet and broil for about 1-2 minutes, until bubbling and golden. 

Set a goat’s cheese on each slice of bread and place in the center of each plate.  Sprinkle the diced pepper, red onion, parsley, chives, and olives over the salad.  Drizzle with the remaining dressing and serve.  

Prosciutto and Arugula Salad

I sometimes travel to Minneapolis for work and while I am waiting in the airport for my return flight home I always stop at Surdyk’s Flights Wine Market & Bar to grab a bite to eat.  Their menu has just the right amount of choices – I have tried several of them now – and everything has always been delicious.  They also have an extensive wine list and offer flights of wine as well. 

During my last trip to Minneapolis, my menu choice was the Prosciutto Americano Salad – it is described as “la quercia prosciutto with wild arugula, parmigiano reggiano, red onion, and lemon-truffle vinaigrette”.  Each menu item also includes a suggested wine pairing – which I don’t typically follow, but good to know it is there!  This salad was simple and delicious.  I decided to try it at home – with just a few changes.  I opted against the parmigiano reggiano, added sliced artichoke hearts, and went with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some balsamic vinegar for my dressing.

With all of the prosciutto, this can easily serve two as a starter.  Or, cut down on the prosciutto and make it a meal for one. 

You can read more about Surdyk’s history and their shop/restaurant on their website here.  

Prosciutto and Arugula Salad

Serves 2 as a starter

Adapted from the Prosciutto Americano Salad at Surdyk’s Flights Wine Market & Bar

6-8 slices of prosciutto

A couple of good handfuls of arugula (2-3 cups)

¼ cup thinly sliced red onion

¼ cup quartered artichoke hearts that have been cut lengthwise

Pepper

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Aged Balsamic Vinegar

Lay the slices of prosciutto across the plate, overlapping slightly.

In a bowl, add the arugula, red onion, and artichoke hearts.   Sprinkle with pepper, to taste and drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar to coat.  With a pair of tongs, mix to combine. 

In the corner of the plate, pile the salad on top of the prosciutto.  Serve.  

Vegetable Salad with Grilled Corn and Asparagus

We were invited over to a friend's home for a BBQ last weekend and I wanted to bring a side dish that would be fresh, spring-like, and tasty - this one hit the mark.  It's easy to assemble and can be made ahead of time.  I would suggest chopping the avocados and adding to the salad just before serving.

Vegetable Salad with Grilled Corn and Asparagus
Serves 6-8

For the salad
6 ears of corn, shucked
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Lime Juice
Salt & Pepper, to taste
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed
1 cup chopped bell peppers
3 green onions, sliced on the diagonal
1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes
1  jalapeño, diced
2 avocados

For the dressing
1 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Salt & Pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Brush the corn with a mixture of olive oil and lime juice - then sprinkle each ear with salt & pepper. Place directly on a hot grill and cook for about 20 minutes, turning frequently.  Once done, remove from the grill and allow to cool.

At the same time, you can grill the asparagus.  Arrange on a plate and drizzle with olive oil and lime juice - then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  These will cook quickly - in 5-7 minutes.  Turn these frequently as well.

Once the corn has cooled, cut the kernels off into a large bowl.  Cut the asparagus into bite sized pieces and add to the bowl.  Continue to add the remaining ingredients to the large bowl - bell peppers, green onions, radishes, and jalapeño.  Hold off on cutting the avocados until just before serving.

To make the dressing, in a smaller bowl add all of the ingredients up to the olive oil.  Combine with a whisk.  While whisking, slowly pour in the olive oil and continue whisking until combined.  

Pour the dressing over the salad and gently stir.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Chop the avocados and add to the salad just before serving, gently stir to combine.  

Quinoa, Kale, and Chicken Salad with a Lemon Vinaigrette

With the temperatures heating up, I was craving a salad that would be filling, healthy, and "light" at the same time.  This salad hit the nail on the head for me.  You can certainly add more veggies, swap out ingredients - whatever makes you happy....enjoy!

Quinoa, Kale, and Chicken Salad with a Lemon Vinaigrette

Serves 2 as a main dish

For the salad:

2 cups cooked, diced chicken (I used the breasts from a store-bought rotisserie chicken)

1 package of seasoned quinoa (I used the Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil from Nature's Earthly Choice) - cooked, following package directions

2 cups of bite-sized pieces of kale

2 green onions, sliced

1/2 cup diced bell pepper

1 avocado, diced

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

For the dressing

1/4 cup coarse ground mustard

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Salt & pepper, to taste

1/2 cup olive oil

To prepare the salad, combine all of the ingredients into a large bowl.  

To prepare the dressing, combine the mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and whisk.  Slowly add the olive oil, whisking as you go.  If you add it too fast, your dressing will "break" and there isn't a really good way to recover from that.  When you stir quickly and pour slowly, you will achieve the success of a nicely combined vinaigrette.

Pour the dressing over the salad and gently stir to combine.  

Serve immediately.  

Steak and Spinach Salad with Pomegranate Dressing

My family LOVES steak.  I mean - really loves steak.  The boys get so excited when they hear it is on the menu, they start jumping up and down and chant...."steak......steak...".

What's even better?  They eat fresh spinach too!  I found this recipe in a relatively new book of mine: The Doctors Book Of Food Remedies and felt it was worthy of a blog post.

I added the blue cheese crumbles, I am a sucker for filet and blue cheese.  Any lean steak will work well for this dish, we had tenderloin in the freezer so that's what I used.  I modified the recipe slightly, which you can certainly do as well.  I think there is flexibility in what you can add to any salad.   Next time to this one I will include pomegranate seeds (recipe called for it but I didn't have any), sliced green onions, and another crunch - like sugar snap peas.

I hope you give this a try and let me know what you put in your version of this salad!

 

Steak and Spinach Salad with Pomegranate Dressing

Serves 4

Adapted from The Doctors Book Of Food Remedies

4 tablespoons 100% pomegranate juice

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 

4 teaspoons Dijon mustard

4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for steak

1 teaspoon honey 

12 cups loosely packed baby spinach leaves

1 cup juice packed mandarin oranges, drained

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (not shown in picture)

1/4 cup roasted almonds 

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and pepper

Blue cheese crumbles

12 ounces lean steak (I used filet)

Drizzle the steak with olive oil then rub with salt, pepper, and freshly minced garlic.  Repeat on the other side.  Let sit while your grill heats.  Grill until cooked to your preference.

While the steak is cooking, in a small bowl, whisk together juice, vinegar, mustard, oil, and honey. Whisk in the oil as you pour into the bowl.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a large serving bowl, combine the spinach, oranges, pomegranate seeds, and almonds.

Once the steak is done to your likeness, remove from grill and let rest for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, add all but about 3 tablespoons of the dressing to the salad, add salt and pepper to taste and toss well.  Slice the steak and add to the top of the salad.  Drizzle with remaining dressing and top with blue cheese crumbles.  Serve immediately.

Blood Orange Caprese

I saw this yummy dish posted on the Queen Creek Olive Mill Facebook page a couple of weeks back, it looked so good to me I couldn’t resist but taking a note of the ingredients to make it myself.  I would have made the trip to the Mill for lunch that day but had a conflict and wasn’t able to try it from the source.  I was quite sad. 

One of the ingredients I needed was a bottle of their Fig Balsamic Vinegar, fortunately, last weekend the hubby suggested we go to the Mill for breakfast – perfect timing, I was able to buy some while I was there.

This dish was super easy and very tasty!  If you can’t find fig balsamic vinegar, just use a good balsamic vinegar – it will be just as good!

 

Blood Orange Caprese
Serves 1

One blood orange, rind removed and sliced
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
Extra virgin olive oil, enough to drizzle
Fig Balsamic Vinegar, enough to drizzle
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

Layer the blood orange slices and the fresh mozzarella slices, alternating, across a large plate.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and fig balsamic vinegar.  Sprinkle with fresh mint.  Devour and enjoy. 

Purple Cauliflower Salad with a Lemon-Mustard Vinaigrette

I am not a huge fan of cauliflower - but I purchased a head of  purple cauliflower and thought it might taste better.  I know, strange theory.  Isn't it cool looking though?

It actually did turn out quite tasty!  After steaming it, I made it into a salad with a lemon-mustard vinaigrette.  It was delicious!  Cauliflower is super healthy - are you eating enough?

Purple Cauliflower Salad with a Lemon-Mustard Vinaigrette
Serves 2

1 head purple cauliflower, chopped into bite sized pieces
3 tablespoons course ground Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt, pepper
2/3 cup olive oil
crumbled goat cheese
sliced Kalamata olives
6 Romaine lettuce leaves

Steam your cauliflower until just fork tender.  I used a pan steamer - but this can also be done in the microwave. 

In a small bowl add the Dijon, lemon juice, vinegar, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.  Whisk until mixed well.  Slowly start to add the olive oil, whisking constantly.  You don't want the dressing to "break" - meaning, you want the vinegar and oil to mix together.  About half way through adding the oil, to a quick taste test - add more of anything! 

Place 3 lettuce leaves to each plate.  Add the drained broccoli on top of the lettuce leaves.  Top with goat cheese and olives.  Drizzle with the vinaigrette.  You may not need all of the dressing - just save the rest for your next salad!