Cherry Tomato and Cucumber Salad

This salad is so simple.  Straight from my garden where cherry tomatoes are ripening and tiny pickling cucumbers are finally starting to take off.  It's a favorite of mine at this time of year.  If you're not growing your own then a trip to the farmers' market is always fun!  I love walking up and down the aisles for local produce this time of year. 

The dressing is made with a few things I keep on hand.

This small jar of dried herbs and coarse sea salt is something I always have handy for making seasoned olive oil for dipping crusty French bread.  My grandsons love dipping their bread and they recently discovered that a grilled cheese tastes great dipped into the seasoned olive oil :)  The herb blend is simply equal parts dried basil and oregano with a good pinch of dried red pepper flakes and an extra big pinch of coarse sea salt.  Shake it up, put in a shallow dish and add extra-virgin olive oil.  Dip away!

I found it also makes a great dressing for fresh tomatoes. I just add a couple shakes of the herb blend, drizzle the salad with olive oil and add a tiny splash of good red wine vinegar.  Today, I added a salsa pepper that I am also growing and snipped some fresh basil over the top.  A little grind of black pepper. Toss. Eat. Enjoy.

Add a slice of baguette dipped in the seasoned olive oil - lunch is served! Even better eaten outdoors enjoying the late summer view.

This is more of a method than an actual recipe - feel free to experiment!

Cherry Tomato and Cucumber Salad with Herb Dressing

Printable Recipe Seasoned Herb Blend (to use as a dressing for tomatoes and cucumbers or to mix with olive oil for bread dipping) 1/4 cup dried California basil 1/4 cup dried Turkish oregano 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes 1-1/2 tablespoons coarse sea salt Put everything into a small jar and shake until blended together. To make seasoned olive oil for bread dipping, for one person place about 1 teaspoon in a small, shallow dish and cover with olive oil. To make the Cherry Tomato and Cucumber Salad: Cherry Tomatoes, cut in halves or quarters Small cucumbers or pickling cucumbers, sliced Sweet peppers or salsa peppers, diced (optional) Add as many tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers as you would like to serve each person. Season with the herb blend (about 1-2 teaspoons per person). Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and add a small splash of red wine vinegar. Add freshly ground pepper to taste and toss. Add freshly chopped basil, if desired.

Rainbow Chopped Salad - A Salad for All Seasons

I first enjoyed this salad at a get together during the winter of 2010.  A good friend had brought it to share and I don't know what has taken me so long to make it myself!  I needed a salad that would work well with fish to bring to dinner at my daughter's home recently, so I went through the salad recipes I had saved on my computer and found it again.  The original recipe also calls for pomegranate seeds and blue cheese which would be wonderful during the winter or with a heavier meal also. That's why I called this a salad for all seasons. 

Rainbow Chopped Salad

Loosely Adapted from Epicurious
Printable Recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Dressing:

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (I found a delicious Blackberry-Ginger balsamic at a specialty store)
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1/2 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup walnut oil

Whisk vinegars, shallot, and honey in small bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Salad:

6 cups chopped organic romaine hearts
4 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
1 large, organic Fuji apple, halved, cored, diced
1-2 large, organic Bartlett pears, halved, cored, diced
1 mango, peeled, diced
3/4 cup Spicy Toasted Pecans (Recipe Below)

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (optional)
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (optional)

Combine romaine, cabbage, apple, pear, mango and pecans (and pomegranate seeds, if using) in a very large bowl; toss to blend. Add dressing and toss to coat. Divide salad among plates. Sprinkle with blue cheese, if desired, and serve.

Spicy Toasted Pecans
Gourmet | December 2004

Makes 2 1/2 cups

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco  (I used a little more)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
2 1/2 cups pecan halves (10 oz)

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.

Melt butter in a 2-quart saucepan over moderate heat, then stir in Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, pepper, and salt. Remove pan from heat and add pecans, tossing to coat well. Spread in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan and bake until fragrant and a shade darker, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Pecans can be baked 1 day ahead and stored at room temp.

Citrus Salad with Pom Vinaigrette and a Pom Cosmo~

This salad was the highlight of one of our gourmet group dinners early last winter.  I hadn't had the inspiration to recreate it at home until now...pomegranate season has begun again! This is a delicious winter season salad with fresh citrus.

The generous people at Pom Wonderful offered me a case of Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice recently. I eagerly accepted. I have loved pomegranates since I was a child when my mother would bring one home as an special treat.  Pomegranates are far from being local produce in the Midwest but they are being offered in our local grocery stores very reasonably this week.

There is something so exotic about cutting into a pomegranate and finding those plump, ruby arils.The original salad dressing from our gourmet group dinner called for lemon juice in the vinaigrette. I substituted pomegranate juice.  Pom Wonderful has a very similar vinaigrette recipe on their website.

This salad would make a delicious holiday salad recipe for Thanksgiving, Christmas or any fall or winter gathering! The savory combination of rosemary with the tang of the jalepeno pepper is wonderful with the sweet-tart flavor of the citrus and avocado and crunch of the toasted nuts and pomegranate seeds.

There is something so delicious about the combination of ingredients that makes this salad and dressing memorable! Please don't alter anything, including the jalapeno pepper.  If you don't like them, just add less but they are intrinsic to the recipe, in my opinion. I didn't have pine nuts, which the original recipe called for, so I substituted toasted, slivered almonds today.

Before dinner began tonight, I started with a cocktail. It is Saturday night, after all! I'm not normally a cocktail person but I do like a good Cosmopolitan or Scotch cocktail on occasion, wine being my preferred beverage with dinner. I tried the Pom Cosmo recipe on the Pom Wonderful website.  At first taste, I knew it was too bitter for me so I made some simple syrup which sweetened it perfectly. Simple syrup is so easy to make. You will find the recipe below.

Citrus Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Printable Recipe

6-8 servings

1/2 cup pomegranate juice (original recipe called for 2 T fresh lemon juice)
1 teaspoon  Dijon mustard
7 tablespoons olive oil
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, cored, seeded, and minced
2 teaspoons chopped, fresh rosemary
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 navel oranges
2 pink grapefruit
1 medium head red leaf lettuce, rinsed and torn into bite-sized pieces
3 avocados
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted (I substituted toasted, slivered almonds)
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
1 small red onion, peeled, thinly sliced and rings separated.

In a small bowl, combine pomegranate juice (or lemon juice) and mustard. Whisk in olive oil, minced jalapeño, and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let stand at room temp for at least 30 minutes. Peel and remove pith from oranges and grapefruit. Slice oranges in half and then into rounds. Cut grapefruit in half lengthwise and slice crosswise into half rounds. Slice avocado in half and remove pit. Scoop flesh from rind with a large spoon and slice.

In a salad bowl, combine greens and add a small amount of dressing and toss. Divide greens among serving plates. Arrange oranges, grapefruit and avocado on each serving. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds and pine nuts (or almonds) on each plate. Top with red onion slices, drizzle with additional dressing and serve.

Pom Cosmopolitan
Printable Recipe

1 oz POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
1 oz good quality vodka
1/2 oz. Cointreau or Triple Sec
1/2 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 oz simple syrup (Made by boiling equal parts sugar and water for 3 minutes and allow to cool. I use 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water. Refrigerate after cooling.
Twist of lime for garnish

Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into glass. Garnish with lime twist.