Tag Archives: blue cheese

Summer Garden Salad with Crabcakes

Summer Garden Salad with Crab Cakes

I’m a firm believer in working smart, not harder, in the kitchen. This salad requires minimum prep and I buy our favorite crab cakes from the market. We prefer Charleston-style crab cakes versus Maryland crab cakes, but both work with this entree salad. If you’re feeling it, make your own crab cakes. More power to ya! Bought or made, they are a perfect compliment to this dish.

There are several different tastes and textures layered in this meal. Sweet, savory and salty work cohesively to give this salad a big, flavorful personality. There is also plenty of crunch in the carrots, Brussels, pepper, sugar snap peas, walnuts and pepitas which contrast this salad’s softer side of tomatoes, pickled onion, cucumbers and blue cheese.

Added proteins of nuts, pepitas and blue cheese elevate this meal from filling to downright hearty.

The dressing is my bruschetta dressing. Super light and summery but full of flavor. Works great as a dip for veggies, or don’t blend it and voila! You have bruschetta ready for a sliced baguette.

Enjoy the fresh flavors of the season with this summer dish!

Ingredients:

Crab cakes –

8                             store bought or homemade crab cakes

2T                           grapeseed oil

1                              lemon; juiced

Salad –

5oz                         baby kale

5oz                         spring mix lettuce

½#                          Brussel sprouts; thinly sliced

1                             cucumber; quartered and chopped

8oz                        fresh sugar snap peas; chopped

1c                           pickled red onion; thinly sliced

1                             yellow female* pepper; diced

1pint                      grape or cherry tomatoes; halved

1c                           carrots; thinly sliced (I like rainbow carrots for color)

1c                           walnuts; pieces

1c                            pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

4oz                         blue cheese crumbles

1c                           cranberries (50% less sugar)

Dressing –

4 cloves garlic; minced

6 Roma tomatoes; diced

1 large bunch fresh basil; chopped

1/4c balsamic vinegar

1/4c extra virgin olive oil

1/2t salt

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Directions:

1. Prepare dressing by adding all dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until thoroughly combined. Chill until ready to use.

2. In a skillet on medium heat, heat grapeseed oil. Add crab cakes and pour lemon juice on top. Flip halfway through cooking (according to package directions or recipe). Or air fry at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.

3. While the crab cakes are cooking, plate salads by dividing prepped ingredients into fourths and layering them in order listed above.  

4. Drizzle dressing over salad. Top with crab cakes. Serve immediately.

*Note – use a female pepper because they are sweeter and better for eating raw. Male peppers are better for cooking. Female peppers have 4 bumps on the bottom. Male peppers have 3 bumps. You can taste the difference! 😊

Black & Blue Salad, Modern

Food pics edited for FB copy 3 - Page 438

I love the look of the classic wedge salad with tomatoes, bacon and blue cheese. Very swanky. Unfortunately, iceberg lettuce has practically zero nutrition. So I remade this salad into a much hearty, healthier version…and it’s addictive!

INGREDIENTS:  Makes 6 entree-sized salads

1 pkg                    Center-cut bacon; cooked

1                          Orange pepper; fresh (not frozen), sliced with seeds removed

1                          Yellow pepper; fresh (not frozen), sliced with seeds removed

1/2                       Red onion; peeled & sliced

4T                        Grapeseed (preferred), vegetable or Canola oil

1 + 1/2,                10oz boxes 50/50 lettuce & spinach

2                          Crowns of fresh broccoli (crown = without the stalk, if there is stalk just                                      cut it off); chopped

8oz                      Mushrooms; sliced

1c                        Frozen peas; thawed

2                          Cucumbers; sliced

1/2c                     Roasted pumpkin seeds

1 cup                   Pecan pieces or halves

2 pints                 Cherry or grape tomatoes

2 bunches           Green onions

1 1/2 – 2#           Beef sirloin; cubed (use “Pan Frying” or “Stir Fry” quality beef)

Salt & pepper to taste for beef

Red wine (optional)

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

2c                        Crumbled blue cheese

1/3c                     Mayonnaise

1/3c                     Sour cream

1/3c                     Buttermilk

1/3c                     Red wine vinegar

1/4c                     Onion; diced

3 cloves               Garlic; minced

1T                       Sugar or Agave syrup

1/4t                    Black pepper

Food pics edited for FB copy 3 - Page 437

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Cook bacon @ 325 degrees for about a half hour (flip bacon halfway through). Place cooked bacon on plate with paper towel so as to absorb extra grease. Set aside.
  2. While bacon is cooking, saute orange & yellow peppers and red onion in 2T oil on med-high heat on stove until they just start to blacken. Set aside.
  3. While bacon is still cooking, make the dressing – Combine dressing ingredients (except blue cheese) in a food processor or blender and blend thoroughly. Add blue cheese and mash together until well blended. Cover and refrigerate.
  4. Prepare remaining vegetables according to their descriptions above (chop, slice, etc).
  5. Using 6 large bowls, divide the lettuce into the bowls.
  6. Divide the remaining vegetables equally and layer on the lettuce beds.
  7. On med-high heat, cook the beef (salt and peppered) and 2T oil on stove until no longer raw or as you wish (it’s safest to cook meat completely through). It only takes a few minutes; do not overcook or the meat will be tough.
  8. Optional – add a few splashes of red wine to the beef and cook for another minute or two.
  9. Divide beef equally and add to salads.
  10. Drizzle dressing on top and serve immediately.

 

 

 

 

Sweet Fruit with Chicken Salad

I’m obsessed with salads! They are probably my favorite food because of their diversity. Unfortunately, they can get a boring wrap. Not so! Start with a green base and salads can take on any flavor and any culture. They can be served warm or cold, spicy or sweet – the possibilities are endless!

This week I made two different salads: Mexican and Sweet Fruit.

Sweet Fruit with Chicken Salad

50/50 mix of spring lettuce and baby spinach

Grilled chicken breast; chopped, seasoned with salt, pepper & garlic powder

Green onions; chopped

Grape or cherry tomatoes; halved

Canned mandarin orange slices in water, not syrup

Crumbled blue cheese

Pecans

Roasted pumpkin seeds

Seneca Granny Smith apple slices

Dried cranberries; 50% less sugar

Best paired with Panera’s Fuji Apple Vinaigrette Dressing or Brianna’s Blush Wine Vinaigrette

Splash of plain rice vinegar (My secret sauce to give salads, especially those on the sweeter side, a zesty kick as well as thin out thick dressings.)

Enjoy!!