Salad Recipes

Use a good strong blue cheese, such as Roquefort, in this slaw. Mexican sour cream is richer and thicker than regular sour cream, but either will work fine.

Ingredients
1 head of green cabbage, sliced thinly
½ cup finely shredded carrot
¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
¾ cup crumbled Roquefort cheese, divided
½ cup Mexican sour cream or regular sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Dash of hot sauce

Instructions
1. Place cabbage, carrot and parsley in a large bowl and set aside.
2. In another bowl, whisk together 1?2 cup Roquefort cheese and remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour over cabbage and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour before serving.
3. Sprinkle with remaining Roquefort cheese before serving. Serves 10.

Ingredients
Dressing:
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 small garlic clove, pressed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Coarsely ground black pepper

Salad:
10 cups coarsely chopped lettuce (romaine and Boston)
2 medium tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped, cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 9 ounces)
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled Roquefort or blue cheese
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped

Instructions
1. To prepare the dressing, combine all ingredients in a jar, cover tightly and
shake vigorously.
2. To prepare the salad, arrange lettuces on a large serving platter, big enough to toss the salad. Arrange tomatoes in a strip down the center and arrange chicken, bacon, eggs, and cheese in strips on either side of tomatoes. Scatter avocado around edge.
3. Before serving, slide the salad into a large bowl; pour dressing over top and toss gently to combine. Serves 6.

Two old standbys, deviled eggs and potato salad, join forces to make a potato salad that’s a real crowd pleaser.

Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds (about 5 large) russet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch
chunks
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
3 celery stalks, diced
3 hard-cooked eggs, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus additional for garnish
Instructions
1. Place potatoes in large saucepan; add cold water to cover. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, 10 minutes or until tender. Drain, transfer to a large bowl and cool 5 minutes.
2. Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Combine potatoes, celery, eggs, parsley and mayonnaise mixture. Mix gently with a large rubber spatula. Garnish with additional parsley. Serves 10.

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons grainy Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 large Portobello mushroom caps
4 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
1 small bunch baby arugula, stems trimmed
16 grape tomatoes, halved
Instructions
1. Whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard and salt.
2. Place mushroom caps on a plate, and drizzle them with half of the vinaigrette. Broil mushrooms in a shallow ovenproof pan or grill on a rack for about 5 minutes (rounded side up).
3. Turn caps over and top with goat cheese. Return to the oven or grill to slightly melt cheese.
4. In a medium bowl, toss arugula with remaining vinaigrette and tomatoes. Spoon arugula mixture into four plates; top each with a warm, cheese-topped mushroom. Serves 4.

Sweet and juicy Bartlett pears are perfect for this salad. Ripen them on the counter until they have a delicious “pear” aroma, and then refrigerate until it’s time to make the salad.

Ingredients
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
1?4 teaspoon salt
1?4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
3 firm-ripe pears, such as Bartlett, cored and cut in bite-size chunks
2 cups shredded or thinly sliced cabbage
1?3 cup thinly sliced celery
1?3 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
1?3 cup dried cranberries

Instructions
1. Whisk oil and 3 tablespoons lemon juice together in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper.
2. Combine pears and remaining lemon juice in a large bowl. Add cabbage, celery, pecans, cranberries and oil mixture and mix gently. Serve on lettuce leaves. Serves 8.

The arugula, with its mustardy quality, is a piquant, leafy complement to the potatoes. If arugula is not available, spinach is a good alternative.

Ingredients
2 pounds potatoes, red-skin or fingerling
1 pound mixed baby summer squash
4 large shallots, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
5 ounces arugula

Instructions
1. Wash potatoes and baby squash and cut into bite-sized chunks.
2. Cook potatoes in boiling salted water 6 to 8 minutes or until tender. Drain.
3. Blanch baby squash in a large pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop cooking.
4. Whisk together shallots, garlic, mustard, salt, black pepper and vinegar. Whisk in olive oil.
5. Toss potatoes and squash with vinaigrette. Chill.
6. Fold the arugula into chilled potato mixture. Adjust seasonings and vinegar to taste before serving.

A small serrated knife works well for sectioning the fruit. Do this over a large bowl to catch the juices, and save some for the dressing.

Ingredients
3 seedless oranges
6 cups baby arugula
1 red apple, cored and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1?4 teaspoon kosher salt
1?8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1?2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta or blue cheese
Instructions
1. Grate rind from 1 orange into a small bowl and set aside.
2. Peel all oranges and section. Reserve juice, squeezing more for the dressing if needed. Combine arugula, orange sections and apple in a large bowl.
3. Whisk 3 tablespoons orange juice, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper with orange rind. Pour over salad and toss gently. Spoon onto serving plates and sprinkle with feta. Serves 8.