Compound Salads

[pipoman]

Coleslaw and Potato Salad are staples on our salad bar. Other salads we make are cucumber slaw, pasta salads, three bean salad, kidney bean salad, broccoli salad, etc. I am always looking for new, delicious compound salads including variations of the salads I listed. We make all of our own salads, we don't buy any preprepared as many restaurants do. I look for salads which will hold for several days as we make a large batch for Sunday then serve it through Thursday on the salad bar. We prepare the components then mix it as needed.

Here is one I made up a few weeks ago. I tweaked it for today's (Easter Sunday) salad bar. It gets rave reviews. Sorry for the inexact measurements, this is how I cook, the amounts are my best guess for making a household size salad.

Balsamic Asparagus Pasta

2 cups pasta (I use mini shell pasta)
1-2 lb Asparagus
1 each small yellow and orange bell pepper
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
1/2 large red onion
8 oz goat cheese (feta would work too)
1/3 cup Balsamic vinegar
1 cup white vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 teaspoon fresh ginger
clear gel (or regular corn starch)

Cook pasta in salty water to al dente' then submerge in salty ice water. I cut the tops off of the asparagus then cut the tender part of the stalks into 1/2" pieces. Bring salt water to a boil then blanch the asparagus to desired tenderness, I like it bright green and pretty firm place in the ice water with the pasta. Small to medium dice the vegetables including the sun dried tomatoes. Combine the balsamic and white vinegar, evoo, sugar, granulated garlic, and ginger in a sauce pan. Bring to light boil then turn the heat off and add a slurry of cook type clear gel (or corn starch) to a consistency that coats the back of a spoon, allow to cool. Combine all ingredients except for the cheese then add the dressing coating the pasta. Finish with grated or shaved goat cheese. I freeze my goat cheese then shave it with a sharp knife.

That's it. You may need to tweek the amounts slightly. The first time I made this I didn't use a combination of white and balsamic vinegar, the result was delicious but too dark colored. Today's salad was much more attractive and resulted in many compliments.

Please post any tried favorite compound salad recipes.

Thanks

[grasswire]

1. two things I can think of....

....which may already be included in your repertoire are a southwestern style roasted corn and black bean salad (cilantro, diced bell pepper and scallion, lime juice, etc.), and a French style classic white bean salad.

Is your broccoli salad the one with sunflower seeds, red onion, bacon, and raisins? I really like that salad a lot. But I also like fresh broccoli and caulifower marinated in vinaigrette.

Oh, two salads that were favorites I saw in rural Montana -- cauliflower in sour cream, and also a mashed sweet potato salad.

[pipoman]

2. I have done

a roasted corn and black bean salad. I have not done a white bean.

Yes that is the broccoli salad we do, actually one of the pastry chefs makes that salad, she is 80 so I chop all of the ingredients and she makes the dressing and mixes it up, it is a favorite. We sometimes do fresh broccoli and cauliflower in a salted herb sour cream/buttermilk dressing. This may be close to your cauliflower in sour cream? I would like a recipe for the sweet potato salad, that sounds interesting. We serve a fair amount of smoked meats, this sounds like a good combination.

[grasswire]

3. well, I see a lot of sweet potato salads on google

....but this one is probably the closest to the ones I often saw on buffet tables in Montana.

SWEET POTATO SALAD - DEBBIE LARSON & RITA STARK

Recipe from Lydia's restaurant in Butte, Montana

1 can (2-1/2 cups) sweet potatoes
1 cup celery
6 green onions, diced
salt & pepper to taste
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
3 hard boiled eggs

Drain and heat potatoes. Mash with mayonnaise or salad dressing. Add salt to taste. Put in onions and chopped hard boiled eggs and let stand until cool. Add celery. This is better if let stand overnight.


Oh, and you know that old-fashioned sauerkraut salad? Some of your patrons might find that nostalgic and good.

[pipoman]

18. Thanks for that, I will try it. n/t

[grasswire]

4. a couple more thoughts

Here's a white bean salad recipe from Fine Living:

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

3 Tbs. chopped onions
2 fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt
3 cups cannellini beans (canned okay)
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:


Combine onions, sage, parsley, oil, vinegar and salt in food processor and process until smooth. This can be put in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to two days.

To serve, combine with beans and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. This should be made a few hours in advance of the dinner and left to serve at room temperature.
................

Also, what about a brown rice, cashew, dried apricot, orange zest kind of salad? It might be curried. It might be couscous instead of rice.

And I don't see tabbouli on your list. That's also full of flavor and nutrition.

[hippywife]

8. You're coming up with some

really good stuff! I'm going to have to try these. :hi:

[grasswire]

12. incidentally, about brown rice

This cooking method from Saveur magazine changed my thoughts about brown rice. It produces separate grains instead of the usual.

http://www.saveur.com/article/food/Perfect-Brown-Rice

[pipoman]

19. We have served tabbouli

with our light lunch specials a few times. I don't know if the palate is right here, I noticed a fair amount coming to the dish room uneaten. I may try it in a small crock sometime.

[Gormy Cuss]

24. A variation on that theme: white bean & tuna salad

This is from Pierre Franey's 60 Minute Gourmet cookbook:

Haricots Secs avec Thon (Cannelini with tuna)

1 20 oz can cannellini, drained (about 2 cups
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions or onions
1/2 teas finely minced garlic
1/2 teas crumbled dried oregano
2 Tbls finely chopped parsley
1 Tbls red wine vinegar
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 7-ounce cans tuna packed in oil
Tomato slices for garnish

Mix everything except the tuna together in a bowl until well mixed. Drain the tuna, flake it (not too finely). Add tuna to the bean mix and toss gently. Serve garnished with tomato slices.
****************

The above is how the recipe is presented, but I start with the dressing ingredients in the bowl, mix together thoroughly then add the white beans and toss.

I also use only one can of tuna for this amount but reserve the drained oil to substitute for some of the olive oil. I tend to use red onions rather than scallions because they hold up better, and I line the bowl with some lettuce leaves and garnish the salad with diced cukes and cherry tomato halves.

[pipoman]

26. I have some frozen raw yellow fin

I might try smoking some and using in this recipe, thanks.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

5. I really love this - black eyed pea, pineapple and red pepper salad

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Black-Eyed-Pea-Pineapple-and-Red-Pepper-Salad-1715

I made it for New Years Day the first time. It is really yummy. Once I did not have pineapple and I used oranges and I liked it even better.

Just a side note. I am one of those people who just don't care for mayonnaise. I find it overwhelming and tasteless. When I go to a salad bar I am always disheartened when I see the white gloppy potato salad, the gloppy white coleslaw, the gloppy white pasta salad, etc. etc. etc. I would jump for joy if I saw your beautiful Asparagus Pasta on a salad bar! Cudos to you for making interesting stuff that is not just run of the mill GLOP!

[pipoman]

20. My wife hates mayo too.

I always try to have at least one mayo free compound salad on the bar.

[Tesha]

6. when summer comes...

we have two big favorites - ripe for adding good things...
one is...

fresh tomatoes
sliced cukes
sliced garlic
capers
and low fat Caesar dressing
let it meld for a while to pick up all the tastes

the other is...

sliced cukes
fake sea-legs
lowfat Sesame Ginger dressing

we keep the Newman dressings handy - for when you rush in from the farmers market with still-warm tomatoes...
local summer veggies are still such a looooong way away

[hippywife]

7. I love to do this in the summer, too,

with tomatoes, cukes, and onion with just vinegar, olive oil, salt pepper and garlic. It's so easy to keep a bowl in the fridge and just keep replenshing it.

Very refreshing to have on hand. :hi:

[pipoman]

28. I have used similar

dressing with vinegar, a little Worcestershire sauce, a little asian dehydrated garlic, chipotle pepper, and a couple of bay leaves...a little different.

[pipoman]

27. We do different variations of this

never have tried it with crab or imi crab though. It is always a hit.

[hippywife]

9. Pips!

I love your salad! Sounds fabulous!

I'll have to send you a message later. We had a new food services manager start and he's a CI grad. We were talking this morning and we're gonna have lots to talk about later...about food, of course!! :bounce:

[The empressof all]

10. Chopped broccoli/cauliflower salad

I chop raw broccoli and cauliflower up in small bits, add some finely chopped green onion and dress with ranch dressing. My kid loved this when she was little and it was a terrific way to get fresh raw veggies in her.

[pipoman]

29. I like this one with very small pieces of broccoli and cauliflower

We make our own dressings. Different ranch type dressings. The base is sour cream, buttermilk, and quite a bit of salt. Then add ingredients like black pepper, roasted garlic, sun dried tomatoes, any finely chopped herbs, etc.

[grasswire]

11. I'm going to a deli today that has a big salad case.

I'll see if any ideas there might work for you.

[Warpy]

13. My fave will always be exquisitely fresh Waldorf salad

only I use half and half sour cream and mayo to cut the grease.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

14. "Waldorf Salad" always makes me think of Fawlty Towers!

One of the very best episodes where Basil cannot bring himself to admit to his American diner that he has no idea what goes into a Waldorf Salad. Zaniness ensues.

[grasswire]

15. I don't think I've ever eaten waldorf salad at a buffet

...although it is one of my favorites, too. I'm always suspicious that there might be something awful like marshmallows in it there.

[Warpy]

16. Sulfites are the worst

you'd find beyond an overuse of mayo. Buffet service has to keep the apples from turning brown, something not accomplished by even a mixture of lemon juice and mayo. I'm afraid that usually means sulfites. Even that isn't a problem unless you're sensitive to them, in which case everything else on the salad buffet would give you the trots and you'd avoid the whole thing.

[pipoman]

31. We have a lot of regular salad bar eaters who can't get over

how delicious our salads are. In this area almost every salad bar buys all prepared salads and dressings and we use none, no msg, and no preservatives..for perishable ingredient salads we simply make up small batches at a time and rarely have waste.

[japple]

22. I don't eat mayonaise (egg allergy) either, and have always

used poppy seed dressing on waldorf salad. It has always been well received by my family.

[pipoman]

32. We do waldorf occasionally

just small batches. No more than we will serve in one day. It is very delicious.

[grasswire]

38. check out this waldorf salad variation...

...I just found on a message board:

BLUE CHEESE WALDORF SALAD

Another comfortable stand by from the 1930’s is the Waldorf Salad. Great for a lunch, a light supper, or dessert.

1/2 cup pecans, halved
1 apple (red Delicious or Granny Smith), chopped
2-4 ribs of celery, chopped
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup Blue cheese

Toss the pecan halves, apple, and celery in the lemon juice, and crumble in loads of Blue cheese. That’s all the dressing you need. Serves 1—easily doubled, tripled, etc.

[blaze]

17. Carrot Souffle

Not really a souffle, but I get rave reviews anytime I take this to a potluck.

If you try it, be sure to cut the sugar amount is half, otherwise it'll be *way* too sweet!

Good hot or cold. :)

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=385174

[grasswire]

23. yeah, it kinda looks like a dessert

...the way it is.

[pipoman]

21. Keep them coming

I am on my way out the door and will respond to everyones post later today!

[troubleinwinter]

25. I am making a favorite right now for a luncheon tomorrow.

To be served with a Chicken Salsa Verde Tortilla casserole:

'Southwest Three Bean & Corn Salad'

2 cans black beans (drained)
2 cans kidney beans (")
2 cans pinto beans (")
2 1 lb. pkgs frozen corn
chopped celery
chopped red onion
chopped cilantro (lots)
A big jar salsa (drained)
lime juice (lots)
a little garlic powder

The trick here is to drain the salsa of excess liquid and replace it with fresh lime juice for 'zip'! Oooo.. cilantro!

Sometimes I use 'spiced' canned beans. They aren't heavily flavored, but have a little salt, garlic & onion, mainly, to make them less bland. Sometimes I don't.

This makes quite a big bowl. When my daughter was a teen, she wouldn't eat anything much. But if I had made a bowl of it, I'd arrive home to find she'd eaten half of it.

This is a for a luncheon hosted by my father. He is making fresh spinach/mandarin orange/red onion salad with his own citrus dressing and corn muffins.

[pipoman]

33. One of the pastry chefs makes a great citrus salad

I almost forgot that one. Very refreshing in the summer time.

[pengillian101]

37. Chicken Salsa Verde Tortilla casserole:

Now that sounds like a great casserole!

[grasswire]

30. French Barley Salad

French Barley Salad
(from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special)

1/2 cup raw barley*
2 cups water

Dressing
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1.5 lemons)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard**
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (1 1/2 tsp dried or 2 tsp freeze dried)
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 cup halved or quartered mushrooms***
1 cup peeled and diced carrots
1 cup cut green beans, trimmed and halved
1 cup thinly sliced red or yellow bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons butter
2/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Using a strainer, rinse the barley and drain. In a small heavy skillet on low heat, roast the barley until fragrant and beginning to brown. Place the barley and water in a small saucepan, cover, and bring to a simmer. Cook on low heat until most of the water has been absorbed and the barley is soft, about 40 minutes.

While the barley cooks, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. In a separated bowl, pour half of the dressing over th emushrooms and set aside. Blanch the carrots in boiling water for baout 1 minute. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large serving bowl. Blanch the green beans for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool. Stir the bell peppers and parsley and marinated mushrooms into the bowl of carrots.

In a skillet, heat the butter. When it sizzles, saute the walnuts until they are coated and the butter begins to brown. Remove from the heat.

When the barley is tender, drain it in a colander. Add the drained barley and the remaining dressing to the serving bowl and mix well. Allow the sald to sit for at least 30 minutes before serving. Just before serving, gently toss the green beans and walnuts into the salad.



Alton Brown also has a barley salad, with orange juice, pine nuts, etc.:

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 1/2 to 4 cups cooked and cooled barley
1 small head fennel, julienned
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon, approximately 4 slices
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice and a pinch of kosher salt. Add the olive oil and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Combine the barley, fennel, pine nuts, Parmesan, bacon and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Add the dressing and stir to combine. Season, to taste, with the salt and pepper. Serve immediately or allow to sit in the refrigerator for up to 1 hour.

[pipoman]

35. Very attractive...may try that

we sometimes make that shredded carrot and raisin salad...not a favorite of mine but people do eat it.

[grasswire]

34. Wheatberry Salad with Red Fruit

From Eating Well magazine:

Wheat Berry Salad with Red Fruit

Makes 6 servings, about 1 cup each

Ingredients

⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
⅓ cup dried cranberries
3 cups Cooked Wheat Berries (recipe follows)
1 large Fuji apple, unpeeled, diced
½ cup pecan halves, toasted (see Tip) and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper



Wheat Berry Salad with Red Fruit

Ingredients Cont.



Wheat Berry Salad with Red Fruit
Instructions

1. Combine orange juice and cranberries in a small bowl. Let stand for 15 minutes.
2. Combine wheat berries, apple and pecans in a large bowl; stir gently. Drain the cranberries, reserving the juice. Stir the cranberries into the wheat berry mixture.
3. Whisk the reserved orange juice, vinegar and oil in a small bowl until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over the salad and stir gently to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to combine. Serve cold or at room temperature.


Wheat Berry Salad with Red Fruit

Instructions Cont.



Wheat Berry Salad with Red Fruit
Tips

Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

Tip: To toast pecan halves, spread nuts on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F, stirring once, until fragrant, 7 to 9 minutes.


Wheat Berry Salad with Red Fruit

Tips Cont.



Wheat Berry Salad with Red Fruit
Nutrition Information

Per serving: 321 calories; 14 g fat (2 g sat, 9 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 42 g carbohydrate; 7 g protein; 6 g fiber; 365 mg sodium; 99 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (15% daily value)
2 Carbohydrate Servings
Exchanges: 2 Starch, 1 Fruit, 2 1/2 Fat

[hippywife]

39. The instructions for cooking the wheatberries

seems to be missing. Either that or I'm just missing it. This sounds like a lovely salad and I would love to try it.

[pengillian101]

36. Spinach salad

I can't imagine this on a buffet table, but it's my favorite.

Fresh baby spinach
Fresh sliced mushrooms
Cooked, flaked salmon
Sliced hard boiled eggs

Dressed with equal parts ground mustard and honey and a squirt of lemon juice.