Salads

shrimp wedge salad with old bay breadcrumbs & hot sauce dressing.

March 18, 2020 by Becky Spoon

Easily attainable iceberg lettuce makes this shrimp wedge salad with old bay breadcrumbs & hot sauce dressing a great meal choice. I always have frozen shrimp in my freezer, and always have lettuce, either iceberg or romaine. The hot sauce dressing is from mayonnaise and milk and your favorite hot sauce (I used Louisiana hot sauce) which we most have on hand and if you don’t have breadcrumbs, they are easily made.

This recipe was in the March, 2020 issue of Food and Wine and I just had to make it! So happy I did! It is beautiful! It is delicious! It is a keeper!

And you know, just because we can’t eat out doesn’t mean we can’t have restaurant style food. If the kids don’t like the shrimp, leave them off. The dressing spiciness is controlled by you. Make the kids a wedge salad with breaded chicken nuggets or a grilled chicken breast. Want a more substantial meal? Add a bowl of soup! This tomato soup would be a great accompaniment for this salad. Here’s the recipe that’s on my blog also: https://the2spoons.com/tomato-soup/

shrimp wedge salad with old bay breadcrumbs & hot sauce dressing.

I buy my shrimp fresh from my favorite HEB and I also buy the frozen shrimp from Sams Club. I usually buy the large to jumbo shrimp. Either are great. The frozen are flash frozen fresh so they are always great. I purchase the fresh from my HEB because they have these large shrimp with the heads on which I like because they make great stock fro making mostly gumbos and other Louisiana dishes. I always have shrimp in my freezer. Here’s a link for the Sam’s club shrimp I purchase: https://www.samsclub.com/p/raw-jumbo-shrimp-21-25-members-mark/prod21422506?xid=plp_product_1_1

The salad finishes with capers as a garnish. You can leave those off if you don’t have, but I keep them. Capers are delicious! Here’s a link if you aren’t familiar! https://www.amazon.com/Sanniti-Spanish-Pareil-Capers-Vinegar/dp/B07MLSQFNQ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1LPQ04NT5TJA&keywords=capers+non+pareil+32+oz&qid=1584403795&sprefix=capers%2Caps%2C683&sr=8-1

shrimp wedge salad with old bay breadcrumbs & hot sauce dressing.

Just posting this recipe makes me want it so bad because it was so delicious! Hope you enjoy it!

Shrimp Wedge Salad

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Servings: 4 servings

Course: dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Salad

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil
20 peeled and deveined raw large shrimp (about 1 pound)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 1/4 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp whole milk
4 tsp hot sauce
1 20 oz head iceberg lettuce, cut into 4 wedges
capers, for garnish

Method

Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add shrimp; cook until pink and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Remove from skillet; set aside.
Add breadcrumbs and Old Bay seasoning to skillet; cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.
Whisk together mayonnaise, milk, and hot sauce in a small bowl until smooth.
Arrange lettuce wedges on a platter. Top with shrimp, dressing, and breadcrumbs. Garnish with capers.

The Best! Beautiful Chicken Taco Salad

January 14, 2020 by Becky Spoon

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Still on that “healthyish” train, I made this Chicken Taco Salad and it is better than the taco salad I’ve been used to having. You know the one with loads of ground beef, Doritos, the Catalina dressing? Don’t get me wrong it is delicious! But you know January is a time we kind of want to cut back on a little fat.

Enter the ground chicken taco salad. No greasy residue, this salad is just loaded with flavors like the spicy ground chicken, black beans, power greens, cheese, avocado, just to name a few! This is beautiful, delicious and it is still what I was trying to achieve, a little healthyish, all at the same time!

And if you follow me, you know we eat a lot of tacos! And Mexican Food! We love it! The best thing ever. And those ground beef tacos loaded with salad, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, cheese are to die for! But why not lighten them up with spicy ground chicken or turkey and have them on a soft corn tortilla rather than a crispy taco or a flour tortilla. Well, that’s another post, but you get what I’m saying. you can still have those amazing flavors and favorite dishes if you just lighten them up a little and make them a little more “healthyish”.

When I make a dish that I have cut back on this or that or added more greens, chicken or turkey in place of ground beef, I am so worried my husband won’t like it. Well, not in this case at all. he loved this!

I used the same Avocado Ranch Dressing that I used on the Spicy Chicken Tacos with Broccoli Slaw from the post the other day. You need to try that recipe too! Here’s the link for both: https://the2spoons.com/spicy-chicken-tacos-with-broccoli-slaw/.

The black beans I used were some I had leftover. I just put them in a colander and rinsed them. You can use canned if you don’t want to make homemade. These are a good brand that you can get from HEB, Whole Foods or even Amazon: https://amzn.to/2tXnM8m.

The Best! Beautiful Chicken Taco Salad

I used chipotle chili powder in this. The local HEB I go to has bins of spices you can just get small amounts and that is where I found mine. The smoked paprika is the same, I got it from the bulk bins and it is a sweet paprika.

Here you go with the recipe! Let me know what you think after you make it! Delish!

Chicken Taco Salad

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Course: Appetizer, dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican, Texmex

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lb ground chicken (you could use turkey)
2 tsp chipotle chile powder
1 tbsp smoked sweet paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
6 cups mixed leafy greens or a mix of power greens
2-4 Roma tomatoes, quartered or diced
2-4 Radishes, sliced
1 Bunch Green onions, small sliced.
1 cup cooked black beans
1 sliced avocado
1 cup cubed cheddar cheese
1-2 cups tortilla strips homemade or store bought crushed (i made the strips)

For the Avocado Ranch Dressing

1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno, halved and seeded
juice from one lime
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper

Method

To make the tortilla strips, slice a couple of corn tortillas into very thin strips. Heat about an inch of oil in a skillet until hot. Add the tortilla strips, stirring to separate and cook until browned. Remove from the skillet and drain on a paper towel and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chipotle chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup of water and cook, stirring occasionally, until the water has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro.
Make the dressing by combining all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy, adding additional buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed to thin the sauce.
In a large salad bowl, combine the greens, black beans, avocado, mango, and cheese. Top the salad with the chicken taco meat and then drizzle with the dressing . Toss to combine and then top with tortilla strips. Enjoy!

Delicious! Zucchini Crudo Salad with Fresh Dill

September 3, 2019 by Becky Spoon

Zucchini Crudo Salad with Fresh Dill is one of my favorite salad’s. Zucchini and yellow squash or thinly sliced on a mandoline, placed in a colander, salted and left to hang out for about 15 minutes.

Delicious! Zucchini Crudo Salad with Fresh Dill

I found this recipe in Michael Symon’s cookbook “Live to Cook” https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Symons-Live-Cook-Techniques/dp/0307453650. This is what he says about the recipe: “This is a version of A salad Jonathan Waxman is known for that I fell in love with when I first tasted it. Who’d have thought, after decades of cooking, that zucchini could be an epiphany. But it was. I simply never thought of eating it raw. Seriously, it was a jaw-dropping surprise. I think he dressed it only with salt, lemon, and olive oil. I’ve added some garlic and shallots—building the dressing on top of these raw aromatics—along with dill, because I love dill, and with almonds for crunch and nuttiness.

It’s important to salt the zucchini ten to fifteen minutes before serving it; this will leach out the right amount of water but leave some crunch. Put the salt on too early and you can lose that texture. If you need to prepare the dish ahead, the vinaigrette can be made up to a few hours in advance and you can slice the zucchini up to an hour before salting it if you cover it with a damp towel and leave it at room temperature “.

I too love fresh dill and the dill combined with lemon juice in the vinaigrette is amazing! A similar salad with fresh dill on my blog is the Spinach and Berries Salad: https://the2spoons.com/colorful-spinach-and-berries-salad-with-dill/. It is a beautiful salad!

Delicious! Zucchini Crudo Salad with Fresh Dill

You have to make this recipe soon! Luckily Squash is available all year so this is great anytime of the year! Serve it with just some French bread or as a salad with a pasta dish! This would be a wonderful side with salmon. Substitute the salad in this salmon dish for the zucchini Crudo! It will be perfect! https://the2spoons.com/lemon-parmesan-salmon/.

Enjoy!

Zucchini Crudo

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Course: easy side dish, easy side dish, vegetable, Salad

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

2 Zucchini, thinly Sliced
2 yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. plus 1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1 shallot, finely sliced
grated zest and juice of 3 lemons, or to taste
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cups slivered or sliced almonds, toasted
1/3 cup chopped fresh dill.

Method

Combine the zucchini and yellow squash in a colander in the sink and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the salt over it. Toss to coat, and set aside for 10 to 15 minutes, no longer. In a large bowl, combine the garlic and shallot, sprinkle with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and whisk in the lemon zest and juice. Whisk in the olive oil in a steady stream, then the almonds and dill. Taste for seasoning and acidity (it should be nicely acidic). Add the zucchini and squash to the dressing, toss, and serve immediately.

Zucchini Crudo Salad with Fresh Dill
Lemon Parmesan Salmon with Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salad

Love, Love this Mediterranean-Style Dijon Mustard Potato Salad

May 29, 2019 by Becky Spoon

I love this Mediterranean-Style Dijon Mustard Potato Salad. I made this potato salad for a get-together Memorial Day and it was a big hit. Even the guys liked it which is an accomplishment in my book. Haha! I say that because, as I have mentioned before, my cowboy is a meat and potatoes man. I’m not talking about him liking any potatoes because he likes some better than others. When I decided to make this recipe I was worried some may not like it because it was not a traditional potato salad, but to my surprise, everyone loved them.

Instead of the typical Southern Potato salad with mayonnaise more than mustard, this recipe has a mustard vinaigrette. Don’t get me wrong, I still love my Southern potato salad, but this is delicious. And it’s a really light vinaigrette. It’s not too tart, really mild, it’s just right.

I mean, just look at it. Red potatoes, purple onion, fresh dill, lemon, olive oil, Dijon mustard, fresh parsley, how can you go wrong? Oh, and one of my favorite ingredients, capers.

Mediterranean-Style Dijon Mustard Potato Salad

My recipe calls for ground Sumac. Just 1/2 teaspoon. Ground sumac has a tangy lemony flavor, but more well balanced and less tart than lemon juice. So, if you don’t have sumac, a great substitute is lemon zest. Yes. Just the Zest. https://food52.com/hotline/16398.

This is an easy, delicious potato salad! You want to add the Vinaigrette while the potatoes are still hot to help the flavors absorb, then add the final ingredients right before serving.

This is a great side dish for BBQ! Try my Bbq Chicken recipe with this potato salad! https://the2spoons.com/crazy-good-bbq-chicken-vegetables-on-the-grill/

Mediterranean-Style Dijon Mustard Potato Salad

Here you go! Enjoy!

Mediterranean-Style Dijon Mustard Potato Salad

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Servings: 6 Servings

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

1 1/2 to 2 lbs baby potatoes, gold or red, unpeeled and sliced
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped red onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
2 tbsp capers

Dijon Vinaigrette

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp ground sumac ( substitute lemon zest if you can’t find)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground corriander

Method

Wash and dry the potatoes. Slice potatoes with a mandolin slicer if you have one.
Place potatoes in a pot and add water to cover by one inch. Bring to a boil and add salt. Simmer until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
In the meantime, add vinaigrette ingredients to a bowl and whisk well to combine.
When potatoes are done, remove from heat and drain. Place on a tray or baking sheet and immediately add the vinaigrette while potatoes are warm. Let them sit about 10 minutes or longer to absorb. Add the onions, fresh herbs and capers and toss gently. Transfer to a serving dish and serve at room temperature.

Notes

Make ahead instructions. You can make the potato salad ahead of time. Dress with the vinaigrette but hold the onions, fresh herbs and capers. Refrigerate up to 8 hours. Add the remaining ingredients before serving and bring to room temperature before serving

Delicious Steak and Rice Noodle Salad

April 27, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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I have been obsessed with making this salad ever since I saw Bon Appetit Magazine April 2019 cover for their Steak and Rice noodle Salad. Not only is it delicious, but it is visually satisfying. I didn’t have the exact ingredients that they used, so I improvised, but that’s what cooking from scratch is all about. Rice noodles, peanuts, fresh mint, a yummy dressing….these are just a few of the ingredients that make up this salad.

The recipe calls for rice noodles that you can get from your local grocery store. However, I haven’t been able to find a wide rice noodle which I prefer but you can purchase online. I found them on Amazon after I used the thinner noodle, but I’ll buy the larger ones for next time. Here’s the link for different varieties on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Thai-Noodles-16-Ounce-Boxes/dp/B004I5IC5I/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=wide+rice+noodles&qid=1556394362&s=grocery&sr=1-4

Delicious Steak and Rice Noodle Salad

I can’t wait for you to try this! I think you will love it. This is my version of the Bon Appetit recipe! Enjoy! If you want something crunchy with this salad my breaded zucchini would be perfect: https://the2spoons.com/oh-so-good-simple-fried-zucchini/

Steak and Rice Noodle Salad

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 8

Total Time 18

Servings: 2 servings

Course: dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Salad

Cuisine: Asian

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

3 small serrano chiles
1 garlic clove
kosher salt
1/4 cup plus 2 TBSP fresh lime juice
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
8 oz steak of your choice, I used Ribeye, you could use sirloin or skirt you could use chicken also
1 head of romaine lettuce, coarsley chopped
1/2 english cucumber, thinly sliced
3-4 radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup finely chopped mint, plus leaves for serving
1/2 cup shopped, salted, dry-roasted peanutws jplus more for serving
flaky sea salt

Method

Remove seeds from 2 chiles, then finely chop with remaining chile. Thinly slice the garlic. Sprinkle a pinch of kosher salt over the chiles and garlic. Smash chiles and garlic with the flat side of a chef’s knife, alternating chopping and mashing, until a coarse paste forms. Transfer mixture to a bowl and lime juice, fish sauce, honey, and 1 tbsp oil. Stir vigorously to dissolve honey. This is the dressing.
Place the steak in a medium bowl. Drizzle 3 tbsp dressing over, holding back the chiles with a spoon; set remaining dressing aside. let the steak sit, stirring occasionally at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour.
Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Remove from heat, add noodles, and cover pot. Let sit, stirring every minute or so to keep the noodles from sticking, until al dente, 5 -8 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water; set aside.
Toss the romaine, cucumbers, and radishes in a large bowl with a little salt. Pat the steak dry and season very lightly with salt. The fish sauce in the dressing is pretty salty. Heat remaining 1 tbsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Cook the steak until browned, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes, then thinly slice.
Add the steak, lettuce mixture, reserved noodles, 1/2 cup mint, and 1/2 cup peanuts to a large bowl with reserved dressing and toss well. Season with more salt if needed. Divide among bowls, top with remaining mint leaves and more peanuts.

Super Good, Southern Potato Salad

March 17, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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If you grew up in the South as I did, every picnic, family reunion, or Church potluck, there would be Fried Chicken, potato salad and baked beans. Oh yes, I forgot about the 4th of July!

There were mustardy potato salads, salads with just mayonnaise, salads with whipped potatoes or a little chunky like mine. I used russets, but sometimes I use red potatoes or Yukon golds and I don’t always remove the skins when using the red or gold.

I still make potato salad like I had growing up and I always have it with BBQ. It just seems mandatory! Every BBQ joint in Texas will serve potato salad as a side dish.

Super Good, Southern Potato Salad

Other than this recipe German Potato Salad is great! I don’t have a recipe on my blog yet for the German style but here is a link that sounds delicious: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/german-potato-salad

This recipe is crunchy from all the added vegetables, creamy from warm potatoes mixed with mayonnaise and a little mustardy from added yellow mustard, I love this recipe. It is sweet and sour from sweet and dill relish and a little spicy from Louisiana Hot Sauce. I love that part!

This is the perfect side dish for my Crockpot Pulled Pork: https://the2spoons.com/next-best-thing-to-smoked-crockpot-pulled-pork/

Hope you like this recipe as much as we do!

Southern Potato Salad

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

2 Large Baking Potatoes diced (I used the really big russet baking potatoes, if you don’t have use 4 medium)
3 hard boiled eggs
2-3 tbsps red wine vinegar for drizzling over the potatoes while still hot
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
3 green onions, tops and bottoms
1/2 cup celery, diced
2 3/4 oz jar pimento
2-3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup dill relish or dill pickles chopped
1/2 cup sweet relish
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp pepper
salt to tast
1 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tsp Louisiana hot sauce or other hot sauce of your choice
1/2 cup mayonaise
paprika for garnish

Method

Dice the potatoes and boil them in salted water until fork tender. While the potatoes are boiling, cook your eggs to a hard boil by placing them in cold water, bringing up to a boil, lowering the heat to medium-high and cooking for 10 minutes after they begin to boil. After 10 minutes, drain and place in ice cold water. Peel your eggs, dice or chop and set aside.
When your potatoes are fork tender, not mushy, drain and place in the bowl you will be mixing your ingredients. Douse with 2 or 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar while they are still hot and toss with a couple of spoons or your hands. This just adds to your flavor and you are starting with a flavorful potato before you add the other ingredients. You don’t want too much so 2-3 tablespoons just depend on your amount of potatoes.
Add all of your ingredients except for the mayonnaise. Toss and check for seasoning. Add a little salt and pepper if you need. I say salt to taste because you are adding celery salt, so you don’t want to add salt until ingredients are combined and you taste before adding more.
Now add your mayonnaise, starting with 1/2 cup. Add more as needed or until you reach your desired creaminess. Place in a serving bowl and garnish with a little paprika.