What's your favorite salad?

[GirlinContempt]

A salad that you, or someone you know makes? Please share your recipes!

These 2 of mine seem to go over well with everyone, and they're very easy.

Chop-chop Salad
Chop a head of iceberg lettuce into fine strips. Finely chop fresh cilantro and sprinkle on top (in the winter, I use fresh-frozen, and mix it in to the dressing as it is very sticky when de-thawed). Dried cilantro just does not work. Add a handful of pine nuts and some home made or store bought crispy wonton chips. Add fine chopped red chilies. For the dressing, mix 4 parts vegetable oil to one part lime juice. Top with crumbled feta. For people who don't like spice, it's still amazingly good without the chilies.
Very quick and easy, but with amazing results. I've been known to eat this salad for dinner with nothing else, I love it so much.

Lemon Pecan Salad.
Use fresh, washed baby spinach. Add pecans, a half handful of dried cranberries and some sliced red onion. Top with crumbled feta. Sometimes we add hard boiled egg. For dressing, my favorite is Brianna's brand Lively Lemon Tarragon http://www.briannassaladdressing.com/products.htm, or a home made lemon tarragon like one of these:
http://www.eeecooks.com/recipes/2002/05/15/lemon_tarragon
http://basic-recipes.com/salads/lemontar.htm

I know they aren't very precise recipes, but they're salads. You just sort of... do it.

So, what are yours? You better share, or I'll have to post more, I love salads! :D

[Fire Walk With Me]

1. I once had a salmon and pear salad that was heavenly. Little else compares to it.

I'll take a Thai salad any day. Larb, squid with lettuce, etc.

[GirlinContempt]

2. Sometimes I wish that I liked fish

So many recipes people recommend have salmon or some other swimming thing in them :)

[begin_within]

3. Salat eh Olovieh

Persian chicken salad with potatoes, eggs, limes, peas, carrots - it's rich but heavenly. Originated at a fancy Moscow hotel but then became a very popular dish in Iran. Served at all good Persian restaurants, or you can make your own but it's a lot of work.

Recipe is at: http://personal.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Personal/F.Mokhtarian/recipes/salad-olovieh.html

[GirlinContempt]

4. Wow, sounds good

:)

[Flaxbee]

34. and excellent, too, if you get it in Russia --

was there a few months ago, and had this salad many times.. It's my husband's favorite. YUM!

[begin_within]

37. I wonder if they make it differently in Russia. Did it include beets?

[bicentennial_baby]

5. I don't have the recipe on hand, but

Steak and Spinach salad. It's got red potatoes, red peppers, red onion, garlic, steak and spinach. With a dressing of kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, dijon, and red wine vinegar. :9

[GirlinContempt]

6. That sounds interesting

I bet my dad would love it :D

[bicentennial_baby]

9. Once I get the cookbook back,

I'll send it along. :hi:

[GirlinContempt]

15. Cool, thanks

[CGowen]

7. I can't find an exact recipe, it was (Radicchio with candied walnuts and pear, parmesan and curd)

Something in this direction but I used Parmesan(it was included as an alternative to Bavaria Blue cheese)

Here is something with Gorgonzola (I hate gorgonzola)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/saladofbitterleavesw_7475.shtml



The basic thing about the recipe is the contrast between the bitter salad and the sweet stuff.

[GirlinContempt]

16. Neat!

[flvegan]

8. Spinach with a pesto tofu and "honey" mustard dressing.

All the usual fixings, except I use this kick-ass bakery bread that I turn into croutons.

I eat this at least 5 times a week.

[GirlinContempt]

17. Hmmm

What do you use in place of honey?

[flvegan]

24. Spicy brown mustard with some maple syrup

It's a well-worked combo. Took time to get this one.

[GirlinContempt]

25. Neat

I wouldn't have thought of that

[Roon]

10. Caeser Salad eom

[TexasBushwhacker]

14. Me too - never tire of them n/t

[GirlinContempt]

18. Ceaser can be really good

or really awful. Theres this great place around here that does the BEST dressing, it's super super thick and garlicky, I think it might have mustard in it.

[Darth_Kitten]

11. Go to the Line-Up in Winnipeg......

order the Oriental Salad.......I get cravings for that salad, the dressing is great. :)

[GirlinContempt]

20. Is that in the exchange?

[Darth_Kitten]

26. Yup.....

it's got cabbage and chow mein noodles and peanuts and it's such a tasty little salad.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

12. One I had in London two years ago and figured out how to make at home:

Grilled chicken on a bed of mixed greens with sliced scallions, pine nuts, and golden raisins, served with an oil and lemon juice dressing. :7

[GirlinContempt]

21. Sounds pretty yummy

[GreenPartyVoter]

13. Baby spinach, pear slices, craisins, and walnut pieces. May or may not

have citrus vinaigrette dressing, but absolutely must be accompanied by French bread with brie or camembert.

[GirlinContempt]

22. Sounds nice

I love nuts in salad

[GreenPartyVoter]

31. I do too :^)

[femmocrat]

19. Smokey Bones' Oregon Pear Salad. nt

[GirlinContempt]

23. What is this?

[femmocrat]

33. It is divine!

* Grilled Oregon Pear and Spinach Salad: A blend of fresh leaf spinach,
grilled pears, seedless grapes and mandarin oranges with roasted pecans,
crumbled bleu cheese, red onions and tomatoes tossed in light berry
vinaigrette.

[lightningandsnow]

27. My lemon-pesto white bean salad!

It's not extremely precise, seeing as I made it up from stuff I had on hand at the moment.

White kidney beans work well for this. Add crumbled feta cheese, and pitted kalamata olives. Make the dressing with standard basil pesto, a bit of olive oil, and some white vinegar, as well as a bit of lemon juice and grated lemon zest.

There you have it! It makes a really good lunch, as well as a side dish.

[GirlinContempt]

28. Cool, sounds interesting

:)

[EstimatedProphet]

29. Prawn salad!?!

[GirlinContempt]

30. zomg

[Frosty1]

36. What does zomg mean?

n/t

[GirlinContempt]

41. er

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=zomg

[opiate69]

32. Very simple, classic Italian...

Sliced tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil, olive oil and black pepper.

[Flaxbee]

35. "Mixed field greens" (baby spinach, arugula, radicchio, etc.),

walnuts, gorgonzola and red wine vinaigrette. Or any other vinaigrette, actually (I use a raspberry walnut one these days). Absolutely wonderful. I didn't really like gorgonzola until I had it with walnuts, and then separately as the sauce for gnocchi. YUM!

[Kool Kitty]

38. My favorite lately is one of the seasonal salads

you can get at Panera. It's called Harvest salad. It is chopped pears, romaine lettuce, dried cherries, pecans and gorgonzola cheese with a cherry vinaigrette dressing. It is yummy.

[ellisonz]

39. Caesar.

[applegrove]

40. The one with tangerine pieces and oven roasted almond slivers. Yummy.

You buy dark greens. Get a good Oil and Vinegar dressing...and roast the almond slivers in sugar. Get a can of tangerine slices and drain and pat dry. And off you go - the best salad evah!