Chopped Creamy Dill Pickle Salad

Recipe from The First Mess

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

Makes 4 servings

Crunchy and crisp vegetables combined with a tangy, dairy-free dill pickle dressing makes for a perfect autumn dinner with friends. The toasted and seasoned breadcrumbs add extra flavor and crunch. 

Creamy Dill Pickle Dressing

⅓ cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours and drained*

⅓ cup chopped dill pickle (about 1 large pickle)

⅓ cup + 1 Tablespoon water

1 tablespoon pickle brine

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon maple syrup or agave nectar

Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

¼ teaspoon dried dill weed

Seasoned Breadcrumbs & Salad

1 tablespoon olive oil

1½ cups fresh breadcrumbs**

1 teaspoon nutritional yeast

½ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon dried dill weed

sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

2 cups finely chopped kale (lightly packed)

2 cups finely chopped red cabbage (I used a slaw mix.)

2 cups chopped romaine heart (I used greens mixture because that's what I had.)

2 cups finely chopped cauliflower (about ½ small head of cauliflower)

¼ cup chopped fresh dill (optional)

Instructions

Make the dressing. In an upright blender, combine the cashews, chopped dill pickle, water, pickle brine, white wine vinegar, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, agave nectar, salt, and pepper. Blend this mixture on high until smooth and creamy. Check the dressing for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Pour the dressing into a small bowl and stir in the dried dill weed. Set aside.

Make the toasted and seasoned breadcrumbs For topping the salad. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Pour in the olive oil and swirl it around. Add the breadcrumbs to the skillet. They should sizzle a bit. Give them a stir and then add the nutritional yeast, onion powder, dried dill weed, salt, and pepper. Once the breadcrumbs are starting to darken around the edges, lower the heat to medium-low. Keep stirring the breadcrumbs until they have dried out a bit and are evenly toasted, about 5 minutes. Remove the breadcrumbs from the heat and let them cool completely.

Assemble the salad. In a large bowl, combine kale, cabbage, romaine, and cauliflower. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Using tongs, give the salad a thorough toss until all vegetables are coated in the dressing.

Top the salad with the toasted breadcrumbs and fresh dill (if using). Serve immediately!

Recipe Notes

*For a quick soak, you can add boiling water to the cashews and let them soak for 30 minutes while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

**For fresh breadcrumbs, just pulse bits of bread in a blender or food processor until you have uniformly small pieces.

You can make the salad components in advance.

Greek Salad with Seasoned Flatbread

Serves 4

Recipe from Everyday Food Great Food Fast by Martha Stewart

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Cold crisp lettuce and cucumber lightly coated with a flavorful vinaigrette and tossed with salty olives and feta cheese. What’s not to like?  Serve this tasty salad with Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach and Couscous for a special dinner with friends.

3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 head of romaine lettuce, cut into bite-size pieces

½ medium red onion, sliced thinly

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1½ cups crumbled feta cheese (8 oz.)

1 large cucumber, peeled, halved and thinly sliced

½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted

Season Flatbread (recipe below)

In a large bowl, whisk the oil with the vinegar and garlic and season with salt and pepper.  Add the remaining ingredients and toss.  Serve the salad with Seasoned Flatbread.

Seasoned Flatbread

2 pieces lavash (or 2 large pita bread, split in half)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; place the lavash on top.  In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, zest, and garlic.  Brush the mixture evenly over the lavash; sprinkle with the oregano and season with salt and pepper.  Bake until golden and crisp, 5 to 10 minutes (It took about 12 minutes in my oven.)  Break into pieces and serve alongside the salad.

Nutritional Information: 389 calories; 31 grams fat; 12.2 grams protein; 18.2 grams carbs; 4.2 grams fiber

Tuna, Chickpea and Beet Salad

Recipe from Everyday Food Magazine

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Serves 4

My husband and I LOVED this salad.  It’s crunchy, filling, with a hint of saltiness from the tuna and sweetness from the beets.  As you can see, it’s pretty enough as a luncheon for company.  To make this especially simple to prep, roast and peel the beets in advance.  You can even rinse and drain the chickpeas ahead.  Make the dressing in advance and let the tuna hang out in it for a bit.  Because spinach and romaine are sturdy greens, this salad can be eaten the next day as lunchbox leftovers.

1/3 cup good quality balsamic vinegar (I had some fig-infused balsamic vinegar, which worked quite well.)

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 cans (5 oz. each) tuna packed in water, drained and flaked

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 head Romaine lettuce, trimmed and cut into 1-inch wedges or bite-sized pieces

3 cups fresh baby spinach

2 medium beets, cooked and peeled**, cut into bite-sized pieces or wedges

1 can (15.5 oz.) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, and oil.  Reserve ¼ cup dressing and stir the remaining dressing into the tuna; season with salt and pepper.

Toss together the romaine lettuce, spinach, beets and chickpeas.  Top with tuna and ¼ cup dressing.  Serve with a crusty loaf of bread.

Nutritional Information:

Per serving (without bread) 425 calories; 21 grams fat (3 grams saturated); 24 grams protein; 35 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams fiber

**How to Prep Beets:

To roast the beets, preheat the oven to 400.  Place a piece of foil on a baking sheet.  Place a piece of parchment paper on top of that.  Put the beets on the parchment paper.  Sprinkle with Kosher salt, and drizzle a bit of olive oil.  Toss the beets to coat.  Fold the foil/parchment in a loose-fitting but tightly sealed packet around the beets.  Roast the packet on the baking sheet until the beets are tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Let the beets cool completely in the foil/parchment.  When cool, use a paring knife to peel and slice he beets into wedges (beets can be roasted up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated.)  When peeling the beets, wear latex gloves so that your fingers don’t turn pink!

Asian Chopped Crunchy Salad

Serves 2 (This recipe can be doubled.)

Recipe from Rachel Meltzer Warren The Smart Girl’s Guide to Going Vegetarian via Meatless Monday

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

We found this colorful salad to be very refreshing and filling.  It was easy to make too.  To make preparation easier, I only measured the dressing ingredients.  I just “eyeballed” the salad ingredients. Make this salad for your next Meatless Monday lunch.  Use agave nectar instead of honey to make this dish vegan.

For the dressing:

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons honey or agave nectar

pinch of salt

For the salad:

3 cups chopped romaine lettuce

½ red bell pepper, sliced into strips

¼ cup chopped snow pea pods

½ cup shelled edamame, boiled or microwaved according to package directions

2 Tablespoons roasted salted cashew pieces (I used unsalted cashews.)

1 small orange, peeled, segmented, and cut into bite-sized pieces

1 Tablespoon chopped scallions

2 Tablespoons chopped water chestnuts

1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted

¼ cup crispy wonton noodles (optional)

In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.

In a medium bowl, toss together the lettuce, red pepper, pea pods, edamame, cashews, orange slices, scallions, and water chestnuts.

Distribute into serving bowl and drizzle with dressing to taste.

Garnish with sesame seeds and wonton noodles.

Nutrition Information per Serving

Calories:  324; Calories from Fat:  141; Total Fat:  16g; Saturated Fat:  2g; Cholesterol:  0mg; Sodium:  386mg; Dietary Fiber:  7g; Protein:  9g; Sugars:  13g; Vitamin A:  34%; Vitamin C:  119%; Calcium:  10%; Iron:  14%

Grilled Hearts of Romaine with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette and Pickled Onions

Bon Appétit | January 2011 by Kate and Mike Higgins

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Serves 8

Kim, our new farmers market manager called me to say that her husband had just delivered fresh picked beauties of romaine lettuce to Lost River Market & Deli, our community-owned grocery store.  I made a beeline over to buy some because I wanted to try grilling it, which I’d never done before.  My mother was visiting and we were having friends over for dinner that evening on our just-cleaned porch.  I made Flank Steak with Lime Marinade, Indian Yellow Rice and Roasted Cauliflower, and they were all delicious, but this salad was the big hit of the evening.  I made the dressing and the pickled onions earlier in the day and then as everyone was being seated around the table, I placed the romaine on the grill.  They turn out perfectly wilted with little grill marks.  Place them on a pretty platter, drizzle with the dressing and serve the pickled onions on the side.  Zowee!  This recipe makes a lot of dressing and pickled onions, so use what’s left as additions to a delicious salad the next day for lunch.

Pickled Onions Ingredients

1 ½ cups white wine vinegar

½ cup sugar

½ cup water

3 bay leaves

½ teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Coarse kosher salt

1 to 1 ¼ pounds red onions, thinly sliced (I used sweet onions because that’s what I had on hand.)

Salad Ingredients

¼ cup white wine vinegar

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ cup olive oil

½ cup crumbled blue cheese

4 hearts of romaine, each quartered lengthwise Crumbled blue cheese (for garnish)

For Pickled Onions:

Combine first 5 ingredients and ¼ teaspoon coarse salt in medium saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Add onions and stir to blend; return to simmer and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Season with freshly ground black pepper and more salt, if desired. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.

For Salad:

Prepare barbecue (medium- high heat). Combine vinegar and mustard in bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season with coarse salt and pepper. Mix in ½ cup cheese.

Brush cut sides of romaine with olive oil, then sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Grill until cut sides are lightly charred, about 2 minutes per side.

Divide grilled romaine among plates. Top with vinaigrette, pickled onions, and blue cheese.