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Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad

Fresh, savory, crunchy, and crispy. Isn’t that just what you want in a salad?

I discovered this easy, no-cook brussels sprouts salad via Iowa Girl Eats and just had to try it. It took me 26 years before I took my first bite of brussels sprouts and since then I have been addicted ever since. My first time to try them was at the A&M vs. Arkansas game at Jerry World (The Dallas Cowboy’s AT&T Stadium in Arlington) last October 2014. The food at Jerry World was amazing, but so was the stadium, so I guess I shouldn’t be shocked. 🙂

Since then, I usually roast my brussels sprouts in a 400 degree F oven drizzled with garlic olive oil, salt and pepper for about 30 minutes.

So when I saw a salad where you didn’t have to cook the brussels sprouts, I was intrigued!

shredded brussels sprouts salad

I typically HATE with a capital “H” raw vegetables. Carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, you name it… I don’t like it raw. You take those same veggies and pop them in the oven and give them a little roast, or sauté them in a little olive oil, and you’d think they turned into candy. I love them!

I guess we all have our quirks, but this salad is the exception. The brussels sprouts are uncooked, washed, and shredded, and tossed together with feta, pecans, olive oil, shallots, craisins, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and a little bit of dijon mustard. The combination is just perfect.

I actually made this salad the day after Thanksgiving. Had I known it was this easy to make, I would have made it for everyone else to try. Well, there’s always Christmas dinner!

cousins — Cousin love at their great grandparent’s house for Thanksgiving.

Enjoy!

Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 4-6

Source: Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

Ingredients

FOR THE SALAD
12 oz brussels sprouts, tough outer leaves pulled away
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup feta cheese
1 pear, chopped
2 jumbo shallots, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
FOR THE MAPLE-BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. maple syrup (not pancake syrup)
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Instructions

Using a very sharp knife, thinly shred brussels sprouts while holding onto the core end then discarded cores and add shredded sprouts to a large bowl with dried cranberries, pecans, feta, and chopped pears. Set aside.
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the shallots then fry until light golden brown, 1-2 minutes. Scoop onto a paper towel-lined plate to drain then repeat with remaining shallots. Sprinkle with salt and let cool slightly.
Add ingredients for Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette together in a jar then shake to combine. Pour over salad then toss to coat. Add fried shallots then toss to combine, and then serve.

California Quinoa Greek Salad

Can you believe summer is halfway through? It has gone by waaaay to fast. Lucky for me, I don’t have to worry about going back to school, but I will miss going to the pool once the weather cools off and the pool is shut down until next summer.

Here’s another recipe adapted from Taking on Magazines for a delicious California Quinoa Greek Salad. Unlike most of my recipes, not all of the ingredients in this salad are exact. Instead, just use however much of vegetables of your choice: cherry tomatoes, avocado, red onion, cucumber and feta cheese. I actually like to make this salad and top it with arugula and a side of hummus.

If you don’t know much about quinoa, it’s one of the world’s healthiest grains. It’s very low in cholesterol and sodium, and is a good source of magnesium, phosphorous, and manganese. In addition, just one cup of cooked quinoa has 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber.

Even better news is that quinoa is gluten free. According to a 2013 survey, about a third of people in the U.S. are currently trying to avoid gluten!

Enjoy making this quinoa salad, and make it your own with your favorite ingredients.

California Quinoa Greek Salad

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: 4

Source: Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time

Ingredients

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup water
cherry tomatoes, quartered
red onion, chopped
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
avocado, chopped
1 cucumber, diced
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt to taste
feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions

In a small saucepan add the 1 cup of water and the 1/2 cup of quinoa. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the liquid has been absorbed (about 15 minutes). Set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl combine the cherry tomatoes, red onion, chickpeas, and avocado. Squeeze a wedge of lemon over the top and drizzle with olive oil. Salt to taste, but salting lightly if you will be using the crumbled feta. Stir gently to combine. Add the quinoa, stirring gently again to combine.
Spoon onto serving plates and top with crumbled feta.

Chili Cheese Frito Corn Salad and Houston

We were in Houston this past weekend visiting relatives on my side, and attending a wedding on Matt’s side. We stayed with my aunt Jolene, one of the best cooks I know, and someone in which you’ve heard me talk about a lot!

Jolene didn’t disappoint when it came to food. Her breakfasts are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G with a capital A. We had flaky buttermilk biscuits, sausage gravy, bacon, grits, scrambled eggs, and fresh fruit. Yum!

For lunch she had prepared homemade roast beef drip sandwiches sandwiched between a steak bun and melted provolone cheese. For dessert we had homemade strawberry shortcake and yes, homemade whipped cream!

Dinner was one of our favorites. Matt and I both love Mexican food, and Jolene prepared tacos with homemade taco seasoning, corn tortillas, homemade pico de gallo, and this delicious Chili Cheese Frito Corn Salad.

I’ve never had a chilled corn salad before, but I loved this one. Matt too. Matt loves just about anything with corn… corn bread, corn bread stuffing, summer bounty corn casserole, etc. His favorite chip is a Frito, so all his favorite foods were pretty much combined into this one salad.

The best part of the salad are the salty, crunchy, crushed Chili Cheese Flavored Fritos that go on top. I’m not a big chip person, but I remember getting the Chili Cheese flavored chips from the vending machine in middle school. 🙂

Next time I’m sitting down to some homemade tacos or enchiladas, I’ll be sure to whip this corn salad up as well. Enjoy!

chili cheese frito corn salad

Chili Cheese Frito Corn Salad

Prep time: 5 mins

Total time: 5 mins

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

2 cans (14.5 oz) corn, drained
1 can (14.5 oz) Fiesta or Mexicorn, drained
1/3 green bell pepper, chopped fine
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp. mayo
1/2 bag Chili Cheese Flavored Fritos, coarsely crushed

Instructions

Combine all ingredients except for the Fritos in a bowl. Refrigerate overnight.
Before serving, add about one half bag of coarsely crushed Chili Cheese flavored Fritos. (Note: we only added as much Fritos to the corn salad as we thought people would eat. Since we figured we would have leftover corn salad, we did not want soggy Fritos. The next day, we simply added more crushed Fritos just before serving).

Meatless Mondays: Chickpea and Edamame Salad

If you participate in Meatless Mondays (we don’t, but I like the concept), you’ll love this easy to make Chickpea and Edamame Salad.

Last summer my mom discovered an amazingly healthy and conveniently prepackaged Mediterranean Salad called Cedar’s Chickpea Salad at Central Market.

The great thing about this salad is not only is it healthy (it’s packed carrots that loaded with vitamin A, edamame which contains fiber, protein and vitamins, olive oil for healthy fats, and low-fat chickpeas for protein, energy-providing complex carbs and fiber), it’s also goes great with anything!

Serve it as a salad with leafy greens such as arugula, pile it in a pita with shredded chicken, lettuce and hummus, or eat it as a snack with Central Market’s all-natural hummus (Spicy Texas Hummus is my favorite), or with Baked Lentil Chips with sea salt. Yum!!!

Toast chickpeas with a little olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium-sized skillet.

Since the nearest Central Market is about 20 minutes away, in addition to have to pay a ridiculous amount of tolls, I was only able to get this chickpea salad when I visited my parent’s house on occasion. (Central Market is just 5 minutes from my parent’s house, and with no tolls).

Since I don’t have time to drive so far to a grocery store, I decided to made my own version of Cedar’s Chickpea Salad so I could have it anytime I wanted. Plus, I found out that the homemade version is waaaay cheaper and super simple to make!

Add the edamame. You can use frozen edamame beans if you wish.

Cedar’s Chickpea Salad is all natural, so it wasn’t very difficult to figure out the ingredients I needed to make this salad. “A fresh blend of chickpeas, edamame beans, red and green peppers, carrots, a sweet touch of dried cranberries, and dressed lightly with olive oil and spices”, was the description according to Cedar’s packaging. I could definitely make this!

While my recipe omits the green and red bell peppers, I have pretty much everything else that makes this salad so tasty. I went light on the dressing, only using 2 tablespoons of olive oil. If you want more oil, it’s easy to add and doesn’t involve cooking.

I also added Parmesan cheese, which gives the salad a slightly cheesy and subtle nutty taste that I love. Italian seasoning was also added, but you could substitute oregano and/or basil if you wish.

After chopping up the carrots, and combining all the ingredients, you are done. Enjoy!!!

Chickpea and Edamame Salad

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup edamame beans
1/2 cup finely diced carrots
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 tsp. Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Heat a medium-sized skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chickpeas and edamame. Season with salt and pepper and cook until slightly toasted and chickpeas are golden, about 5 minutes. (You may want to use a splatter screen because the chickpeas will start to pop).
In a large mixing bowl, add chickpea and edamame mixture, carrots, dried cranberries, remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and Parmesan cheese.
Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

Field Greens with Red Pears, Feta and Glazed Pecans

As mentioned, I write the resident recipe column in our monthly 60+ page, full-colored neighborhood magazine. If you haven’t seen it, remind me to show you because for a neighborhood magazine and free publication to residents, it’s pretty impressive!

For the month of October, I wrote about a wonderful field green salad with seasonal red Anjou pears, Feta cheese, and homemade glazed pecans.

Check out the great selection of seasonal pears at Central Market! Did I mention Central Market is my favorite? 🙂

One of my favorite things about writing the resident recipe column is that I get to try all the food! Lucky for me, the resident gave me the entire salad to take home. I ate it for lunch at work and it was OUTSTANDING!

The glazed pecans and fresh pears were the best part of the salad. The pears were extremely fresh, juicy and sweet, and the glazed pecans were crispy and had plenty of sugar on them. (I love sugar!!) The combination of ingredients and flavors were perfect in this autumn salad.

Below you’ll find an excerpt from the my column:

When it comes to fall fruit, crisp-tart apples usually steal the spotlight and sweet, delicious pears are often overlooked. Fortunately, Mary V has a perfect autumn salad using seasonal red Anjou pears and homemade glazed pecans.

“This is a recipe my family and extended family have made for many years. I took this salad to a dinner party and I had many requests for my recipe,” says Mary V. “Hope you enjoy this salad as much as we have!”

Note: Depending on the season, not all grocery stores will carry red Anjou pears. Central Market and Whole Foods usually have a great selection. They can also be found at Kroger.

Enjoy!

Field Greens with Red Pears, Feta and Glazed Pecans

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

Field greens
1 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. sugar, divided
8 oz. broken pecans
Cavenders Greek seasoning
Feta cheese
1 red anjou pear, sliced
1/2 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
squeeze of fresh lemon

Instructions

FOR THE PECANS: Mix 2 tablespoons of sugar and butter over medium heat. Toss in pecans and stir. Let bubble, stirring only occasionally and pour out on plate sprayed with Pam. Break apart when cool.
FOR THE DRESSING: Whisk together canola oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Salt and pepper to taste.
TO PREPARE THE SALAD: Sprinkle mixed greens with Cavenders Greek seasoning. Add Feta cheese to taste and the sliced a red anjou pear. Toss in dressing and top with glazed pecans.

Citrus Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

Summer’s not the only season for fresh produce-packed salads. There’s plenty of cold weather produce to enjoy in the winter. From tangy cranberries and citrus fruits to robust greens and hardy root vegetables, you’ll be surprised by how many foods truly are “in season” right now.

Cooking Light has a great seasonal produce guide that you can check out here:

If you love fruit, there’s not much you can complain about in this citrus salad.

Sliced pears, sectioned oranges and grapefruit, and plump seedless grapes make up all the wonderful fruits in this salad. Add a handful of walnuts or pecans for crunch, and a sweet, citrus orange vinaigrette, and you’ve got yourself the perfect salad.

I actually made this for Christmas dinner this year. Everyone loved it. Plus, it pairs well with just about any main course from juicy steaks to grilled chicken to pork chops and even ham.

Enjoy!

Citrus Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

Recipe Type: Side

Cuisine: American

Serves: 6

Ingredients

1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tsp. orange zest
3 Tbsp. fresh orange juice
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts or pecans
1 (5 oz.) bag mixed baby greens, thoroughly washed
2 navel oranges, peeled and sectioned
1 large grapefruit, peeled and sectioned
1 pear, peeled and sectioned
1 cup seedless red grapes

Instructions

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE: Whisk together first 6 ingredients (white wine, orange zest, orange juice, sugar, salt and pepper) in a small bowl; add oil in a slow steady stream, whisking until blended.
FOR THE SALAD: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake nuts in a single layer in a shallow pan 6-8 minutes or until toasted and fragrant.
Place greens in a large bowl. Add orange sections, grapefruit sections, sliced pear, and grapes. Drizzle with 1/4 cup Orange Vinaigrette, tossing gently to coat. Sprinkle toasted nuts over salad, and serve immediately with remaining vinaigrette.

Notes

Source: “Farmers Market Cookbook: A Fresh Look at Local Flavor” by Southern Living

Ocean Prime in Dallas

My boss LOVES this place! He cannot seem to get enough of the chicken sandwich, the warm sourdough bread, the scalloped potatoes au gratin, and the fact that he can eat at a fancy restaurant for $11.

There’s been many occasions as a team and department at work, we’ll head over to Ocean Prime in Uptown Dallas for a quick lunch. I have been very impressed each time I have been there, and would definitely recommend it to any one of my friends.

Deluxe Chicken Sandwich with lettuce, tomato, onion, cheddar, bread & butter pickles, 1,000 Island Dressing and a side of Lobster Bisque.

My boss may like the chicken sandwich, but I am a huge fan of the salads. Ocean Prime seafood is great, therefore the Blackened Salmon Salad was excellent. I love how the walnuts are crisp and spicy. The blackened salmon was perfectly cooked. Beware of the poppy seed dressing… it is sweet! (That said, I’ve never had poppy seed dressing before, so it was new to me.)

Blackened Salmon Salad with strawberries, red grapes, walnuts, and poppy seed dressing.

I’ve also tried the Chicken Chopped Salad, which is my all-time favorite! It is packed with many different ingredients, some of which you would never think of pairing together, but it all somehow works! The salad contains dates, goat cheese, corn, tomatoes, chicken and asparagus. The goat cheese makes the salad creamy, the dates add a touch of sweetness, the asparagus is good for you and the chicken provides protein!

Chicken Chopped Salad with roasted chicken, asparagus, goat cheese, dates, corn and sherry vinaigrette.

Hopefully you’ll enjoy Ocean Prime as much as and my boss and I do. Let me know what you think!

Ocean Prime: Uptown Dallas

Renee’s Pesto Pasta Salad

The summer is quickly winding down as Dallas area kids go back to school next week, but before the fall season gets underway, you’ve got to try this wonderful pesto pasta salad! It’s a perfect salad that’s easy to make and light & refreshing for the hot summer months.

I don’t know about you, but quite of few of my summer weekends were spent at the lake house jet-skiing, getting a tan, and just relaxing by the water. Between the in-laws and Matt’s aunt and uncle, we were blessed to have had the opportunity to enjoy two Texas lake houses at two Texas lakes!

Whenever we visit my in-laws (Tony and Paula’s) lake house, the staple of “lake house” food includes 4-layer dessert, banana pudding, Boog’s chocolate chip cake, handfuls of chocolate peanut butter M&Ms, Paula’s chicken salad, and burgers/hot dogs. Did you catch how many desserts that was!?! Haha….we LOVE sweets and anything Paula makes.

When we visited Matt’s aunt and uncle’s lake house, the theme was pasta salad! Aunt Renee is a great cook, and her type of cooking is right up my alley… simple yet elegant, healthy, and delicious! The night we arrived, she had made rosemary chicken, an Italian salad, roasted potatoes, and pesto pasta salad. She had actually made the pesto and pasta separately, and conveniently was able to serve very different meals using the same ingredients throughout the weekend. Here’s how:

On the second day at the lake, we took the huge pot of cooked tri-colored pasta and added chopped onions, bell peppers, scallions, celery and pesto to create a filling salad for lunch served with oven roasted turkey and sausage.

For dinner, we made salmon. What was neat about the Renee’s pesto was that she was able to create two types of sauces using the same base. One was a sweet pesto sauce that was served over the salmon and green salad. The other sauce was the traditional Italian-infused pesto with the nutty Parmesan, olive oil and pine nut flavorings that I just love. In addition, we also served leftover pesto pasta salad with the fish.

Salmon, pesto pasta salad, and a green salad with sliced red onions, chopped cherry tomatoes, blueberries, fresh mozzarella and sweet basil pesto sauce.

Breakfast the next morning was also a treat. Matt’s cousins made chocolate chip pancakes, while uncle Dale and aunt Renee made eggs benedict. In addition we had sliced tomatoes, provolone, Canadian bacon and more pesto sauce to create breakfast sandwiches. It was delicious!

As you can see, Renee’s homemade pesto and pasta salad lasted us a weekend for sure! If you can be creative with meals using the same ingredients, you’ll save money on grocery bills, not waste food, and enjoy gourmet food numerous days in a row!

Enjoy what’s left of your summer and be sure to try Renee’s homemade pesto and pesto pasta salad recipe. 🙂

Add chopped red onions, celery, scallions, and peppers to cooked pasta.

Combine all ingredients. Then add pesto sauce. Refrigerate until cold.

Serve salad cold, as an accompaniment to meat, fish, or poultry.

Renee’s Pesto Pasta Salad
Ingredients
*Ina Garten’s Pesto (or you could substitute store-bought pesto)
12 oz. tri-colored pasta
red bell pepper, diced
red or white onion, diced (I used red)
scallions, chopped

Directions
1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Let cool.
2. Fold in peppers, onion, scallions, and pesto.
3. Place pasta salad in the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours.

Yield: 6 servings

*Ina Garten’s Pesto
Ingredients
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pignolis (pine nuts)
3 Tbsp. chopped garlic (9 cloves)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions
1. Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds.
2. Add the basil leaves, salt and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed.
3. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

Yield: 4 cups

Note: Air is the enemy of pesto. For freezing, pack it in containers with a film of oil or plastic wrap directly on top of the air pressed out.

Frozen Cherry Salad

As mentioned, I write a resident recipe column for our monthly neighborhood magazine. For the month of August, we wanted to featured a cool and refreshing dish for us Texans to enjoy during the hottest month of the year! Here’s the article:

About ten years ago, neighborhood resident Marie was hosting the ladies luncheon from her investment group during the hot summer month of August and wanted to share something cold and delicious. After thumbing through dozens of cookbooks, she discovered this recipe, and it has become a summer regular. Since it is frozen, it keeps for several weeks in the freezer, covered. Enjoy!

Frozen Cherry Salad
Ingredients
2 (1 pound) cans royal ann cherries, drained
1 (8 1/2 oz.) can crushed pineapple
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup chopped pecans
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
Pinch of salt

Directions
1. Mix first five ingredients with mayonnaise. Whip whipping cream and fold it and the salt into the mixture.
2. Pour into a square serving dish and place in freezer.
3. When frozen, cut into squares and serve on pretty salad plates.

Fresh Fruit Salad with Honey Ginger Lime Dressing

Here’s a very colorful fruit salad, perfect as a side dish for all your summer grilling. The dressing has a perfect balance of sweet and tangy from the unique blend of honey, ginger and lime.

Matt didn’t “rave” about this fresh fruit salad, but he didn’t complain either. If you’re looking to really impress your guest with a colorful table setting, you’ve got to make this. I thought it was good, and perfect for summertime. My only complaint… after only a day, the peaches turned brown, like you would expect bananas to do. Therefore, make this fruit salad just prior to serving time.

Enjoy!

Fresh Fruit Salad with Honey Ginger Lime Dressing
Ingredients
1 1/2 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
2 cups sliced peeled peaches (about 2)
1 cup blueberries
1 cup seedless green grapes, halved

Directions
1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.
2. Combine peaches, blueberries, and grapes in a bowl. Drizzle juice mixture; toss gently to coat. Chill at least 1 hour.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup).
Recipe from: Cooking Light June 2007