salad

perfect grilled salmon salad with summer vegetables

June 24, 2020 by Becky Spoon

This grilled salmon salad is perfect to top fresh lettuce I just picked along with my vine ripened tomatoes, grilled summer squash, grilled corn on the cob, English cucumbers, sliced avocado and a few more delicious things! I love using these summer vegetables in a salad.

I added boiled eggs, capers and olives! I didn’t want a heavy dressing, i was trying to keep it fresh, so I dressed the salad in a couple of steps. First I placed my lettuce in a bowl and squeezed the juice of a lemon them tossed a little. Then I added about a half a cup of good extra virgin olive oil and added blue cheese chunks to it. I whisked that together and poured the desired amount over the salad when I was ready.

grilled salmon salad with blue cheese.

I used my lodge cast iron grill for the salmon, corn and squash. I love having this piece of equipment! Here’s a link for the grill/griddle: https://amzn.to/2B8J5YL.

I love this reversible grill/griddle. Perfect for making pancakes, grilling meats and vegetables and for making those famous smash burgers!

I used 1 pound of fresh salmon for two. I used wild salmon and it was absolutely delicious. We like our salmon medium rare. These salmon sides were pretty thin, my grill was pretty hot, so I cooked on the first side for about 4 minutes, flipped and cooked 2 more minutes. When you start seeing little white beads forming, you’ve overcooked. Overcooked salmon that is dry is not what you want.

Wild salmon is a little more expensive, but I really prefer this over the farm raised. Here’s a good tutorial on grilling salmon. https://cooking.nytimes.com/guides/19-how-to-cook-salmon.

perfect grilled salmon salad with summer vegetables

Need another salmon recipe? https://the2spoons.com/yes-crazy-good-salmon-rice-bowl/.

Wow! How good does this salmon rice bowl look! I absolutely love a rice bowl!

Ok, here’s the recipe for this delicious salmon and summer vegetables!

Grilled Salmon Salad with Summer Vegetables

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Servings: 2 Servings

Course: dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1 lb salmon, I used wild salmon and a side portion but you can use filets or steaks
lettuce of your choice (I used romaine from my garden) torn
1 ear corn that has been par cooked either in your microwave or in boiling water until tender.
2 small summer squash, sliced lengthwise
1/4 cup olives, chopped or sliced
1-2 tbsp capers (optional)
1/2 English cucumber sliced
1 avocado, sliced
1-2 hard boiled eggs
1 large or 2 small tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup blue cheese chunks, plus more if you want to finish with more on top
1 juice of one lemon, plus more for drizzling over the salmon when finished cooking
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil for cooking salmon and vegetables

Method

Prepare your grill or gridle and heat to medium high. While your grill is heating, brush your salmon, corn and squash with extra virgin olive oil. Salt and pepper each side.
When your grill is ready, add your corn, squash and salmon. Cook your salmon on the first side about 4 minutes. If you want crisscross grill marks, cook 2 minutes, do a quarter turn and continue to cook 2 more minutes. Flip the salmon. Continue to cook another 2 minutes, being careful not to overcook. These times are just a guideline. If your salmon is really thin and cooking too fast, flip and shorten your cooking time. You will regret cooking it until it is dry. When done, remove to a plate and set aside.
Cook your corn until you have some char and cook your squash, depending on how tick you cut it until you have some grill marks and you can tell it is done because it will become a little translucent. Remove from heat and when cool enough to handle, remove the kernels from the cob reserving for your salad and roll your squash slices up.
When ready to assemble your salad, place the lettuce in a bowl. Squeeze the lemon juice over and toss. Then arrange your other ingredients over your lettuce. I don't toss, I just place each ingredient on top of the lettuce.
Add the 1/2 cup EVOO to a small bowl along with your blue cheese chunks. Whisk slightly to combine and form a dressing. Drizzle a little over the first ingredients, without mixing, then place your salmon on top in each bowl and drizzle the remaining blue cheese dressing. Bon Appetite!

delicious 2 step potato salad with smoked paprika.

June 23, 2020 by Becky Spoon

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I call this 2 step potato salad because I literally make it in two steps. Wow, what a difference it makes too! You know how you eat potato salad sometimes and there are lots of ingredients but when you bite into a big potato there is no flavor in the potatoes!

Because I want my potatoes to be well seasoned and flavorful, I make it in 2 steps. While my potatoes are still hot I add my seasonings, white or red wine vinegar and a little mayonnaise. I roughly mash the potatoes just to break them up so that all the flavors will be in every single bite. I then store in the refrigerator for a while to allow the flavors to meld. If you don’t have one of these bean mashers to make refried beans, which was perfect for breaking up my potatoes slightly, you have to have one. https://amzn.to/3hScK91.

Another reason I do this is because in this case I used red potatoes which are waxy and the seasonings will not get into the potatoes. I have found that if you allow your potatoes to cool then add your vinegar and mayonnaise, you will have a watery salad. This way it is creamy and so flavorful! So good.

delicious 2 step potato salad with smoked paprika.

You know how your Mom always put paprika on the top of your potato salad? I still do this, but I use a smoked paprika. So much difference and depth of flavor because of the smokiness. https://amzn.to/2Nn2ZBW.

delicious 2 step potato salad with smoked paprika.

I made this over the weekend with my 3 ingredient fried chicken. I think potato salad is the perfect side dish for fried chicken especially in the summer time. Pack up a picnic lunch of fried chicken, along with this perfect side, some bread, cheeses, maybe some wine or beer, fresh summer fruit and you will have the perfect meal!

Here’s the link for my fried chicken:

Here’s the recipe for this 2 step potato salad!

Southern Potato salad

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Servings: 6 servings

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

7-8 whole Youkan Gold Potatoes
2 tbsp red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
4 hard boiled eggs, diced
1/4-1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1-2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2-3 tbsp dill relish (depends on your preference)
1 tsp sweet relish
1 tsp fresh dill, chopped or a pinch of dried dill
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp Old Bay (optional)
pinch of cayenne (optional)
pinch of smoked paprika
1/2 tsp yellow mustard
quality mayonnaise like Hellman's or Dukes
salt and pepper to taste

Method

Add the potatoes whole, skin on to a pot of salted water. Cook until fork tender. When done, drain and place the potatoes in a large bowl that you can easily mix your ingredients. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, yet still warm, remove the skin. If you leave some of the skin on that's fine.
Dice your eggs and add to your potatoes that you have allowed to sit with the vinegar and a little salt and pepper. Add your onions, bell peppers, celery and your dill and sweet relish. Add your seasonings, your mustard, and start with a little mayonnaise at a time until you reach the creaminess you desire. Check for salt and pepper.
Place your potato salad in a serving dish and sprinkle with a little smoked paprika. Chill until ready to serve.

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

March 18, 2020 by Becky Spoon

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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.

Vibrant Greek Bean Salad

January 20, 2020 by Becky Spoon

If you are looking for a hearty, protein packed meal without meat, this Greek Bean Salad is for you! Absolutely delish, this dish is loaded with white beans, red onion, avocado, fresh herbs and dressed with lemon and oil.

I get a little insert every now and then from Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street and this recipe was in it. Loving all of these ingredients and always up to a meatless meal, I made this and I couldn’t stop eating it! Milk Street described it as creamy, crunchy, savory, tangy, fresh and vibrant – all at once! I have to agree. Here’s a link to Milk Street: https://www.177milkstreet.com/.

Vibrant Greek Bean Salad

Milk Street’s recipe says to warm the beans for flavor and I agree! These are canned beans so warming them before adding the lemon juice and seasonings allow them to absorb all the flavors. This makes a huge difference. Just heat them in the microwave before adding the garlic, onion, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Toss and allow to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Want another healthy-ish salad? This Chicken Taco Salad is the best! https://the2spoons.com/the-best-beautiful-chicken-taco-salad/

Greek Bean Salad

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Course: Appetizer, dinner, easy side dish, Lunch, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Greek

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

4 15 1/2 oz cans Cannellini Beans, rinsed and drained
kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 medium garlic cloves, finely grated
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, torn if large
1/2 cup lightly packed fresh dill, chopped
1 tsp grated lemon zest, plus 1 tsp lemon juice

Method

In a large microwave-safe bowl, toss the beans with 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and microwave on high until hot, 3 to 3½ minutes, stirring once halfway through.
To the hot beans, add the garlic, onion, vinegar, oil, 2 teaspoons salt and ¾ teaspoon pepper; toss to combine. Let stand until cooled to room temperature, about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.
Stir the beans once again, then stir in the avocado, parsley, dill and lemon zest and juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and drizzle with additional oil.

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

Corn & Summer Tomato Salad with Grilled Chicken, Fresh & Delicious!

August 15, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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This Corn & Summer Tomato Salad with Grilled Chicken is loaded with fresh summer vegetables and the Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing is a little spicy from a little fresh jalapeno with some tartness from lime juice! Oh, and the cilantro in the dressing just makes it!

Fresh Corn & Summer Tomato Salad with Grilled Chicken, Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing

The dressing takes minutes to make. I make it in my food processor allowing it to emulsify. The base of the dressing is yogurt which gets you away from a mayonnaise-based dressing. I’m not knocking mayonnaise-based dressings, love them, but you know trying to cut a few calories, so this yogurt-based healthy–ish dressing was perfect. Even my husband loved it and yes, there was no mention of the yogurt! Lol!

Corn & Summer Tomato Salad with Grilled Chicken

I marinated the chicken strips in the dressing before grilling for about an hour in the refrigerator. I allowed the chicken to come to room temperature before placing on the grill. Honestly, the chicken makes the dish! It is so delicious, loaded with flavor from the marinade and the charring from grilling. I used a whole milk yogurt, but there are so many great yogurts, so choose your favorite! I used HEB Organics Whole Milk yogurt. Here’s the link: https://www.heb.com/product-detail/h-e-b-organics-whole-milk-plain-yogurt/2088234.

I used metal skewers for the chicken. I cut a large chicken breast into strips, then threaded it onto the skewers. Wood skewers are fine, just remember to soak them in water before you place them on the grill.

Summer is the perfect time of the year to use fresh corn. I posted a recipe yesterday “Summer Pasta with Fresh Corn, Roasted Red Peppers and Cherry Tomatoes” that was absolutely delicious! Here is the link for that recipe” Ihttps://the2spoons.com/summer-pasta-with-fresh-corn-roasted-red-peppers/

Corn & Summer Tomato Salad with Grilled Chicken

Hope you try this recipe!! Even though cutting calories is the idea for this recipe, the salad is absolutely so filling!!!

Corn & Summer Tomato Salad with Grilled Chicken

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Servings: 2 servings

Course: dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Salad

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1-2 heads Romaine Lettuce, washed and chopped
1/2 English Cucumber
2 Ears of Corn, grilled
1 large tomato, diced or 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes halved
4-5 Radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 15.5 oz can Chickpeas
Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
Grilled Chicken Skewers

For the Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing

1 large bunch of cilantro
1/2 cup plain yogurt of your choice
1 garlic clove
juice of two limes
1-2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and stem removed (optional)

For the Grilled Chicken

1-2 chicken breast, sliced into strips
Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing for Marinade
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Method

For the Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
Add the cilantro, yogurt, garlic, lime juice, honey, salt and jalapeno (if using) into a food processor or blender. Put the lid on and blend. With the motor running, slowly pour in the olive oil and blend until smooth. Stop and Taste, adjust with more salt or honey if desired.

For the Grilled Chicken

Place the chicken strips in a zip lock bag. Add a little extra virgin olive oil and coat with the dressing. Marinate for about an hour. Remove the chicken and alow to come to room temperature if you want. You don't have to do that, it just helps the chicken cook more eenly.
Before cooking, thread the chicken onto your skewers. Place on the grill and cook until cooked through. The chicken will cook fast since it is in strips.

To assemble the salad

Place the chopped lettuce and all other ingredients (except the chicken) in a large bowl. Add a little dressing at a time and toss. Layer a large platter with the salad and top with the Grilled Chicken Skewers. Serve Immediately!