¾ pound of chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
2 c. chicken or veggie broth
6 medium red potatoes (1½ pounds) sliced into wedges
½ pound green beans cut into 1 inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, diced
¼ c. diced red onion
2 tbsp. fresh dill, minced
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. white-wine vinegar
1 c. buttermilk
salt and pepper to taste
about 8 cups mixed greens
2 large tomatoes, diced

Heat broth, or water…add potatoes. Cover the pan, bring to a boil and boil gently until the potatoes are tender, about 8 minutes. Plunge into cold water to stop the cooking and drain well.

Blanch the green beans in boiling water to cover for 1 minutes. Plunge into cold water to stop the cooking, drain well.

In a large salad bowl, combine the chicken, potatoes, green beans, red bell pepper, onion and dill. Add the oil and vinegar and toss well. Add the buttermilk and toss. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding salt, plenty of pepper and more dill if needed. Chill.

Place a bed of lettuce or greens on individual plates or in a large serving bowl. Add the tomatoes to the chicken-potato salad and toss. Spoon the salad over the greens and serve.

4 Servings

Dressing:
Juice from ½ lemon
¼ cup olive oil
1/8 tsp. Cumin
1/8 tsp. Curry
drop of Tobasco
pinch garlic salt
salt and pepper

Salad:
1 ½ c. Chicken or veggie broth
1 c. instant couscous
Meat from ½ to 1 rotisserie chicken cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tomato diced
3 green onions, chopped
½ c. drained canned chickpeas
½ red bell pepper diced
1/3 c. raisins
1/3 c. pine nuts

Make the dressing: whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, curry, hot sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper, set aside.

Make the salad: Bring the broth to the boil, add couscous and stir. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with the chicken, tomato, green onions, chickpeas, pepper, raisins and the salad dressing. Mix well.

Refrigerate for an hour. Garnish with pine nuts.

4 Servings

2 1/2c. peeled and shredded carrots

Choose one of the following:

cilantro dressing:
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 small clove of garlic minced or pressed
1 tsp. minced cilantro
1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

horseradish vinaigrette:
3 tbsp. olive oil
4 tsp. prepared horseradish
4 tsp. cider vinegar
1 small garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried dill weed
2 tsp. small capers

Serves 4

Place the carrots in a serving bowl and set aside. With a wisk or in a blender, combine the ingredients for the dressing, the Horseradish vinaigrette will be smoother if pureed in a blender for 30 seconds. Pour the dressing over the carrots and toss well.

Serve lightly chilled for at room temp.

Frozen Shrimp, defrosted
mayonnaise or miracle whip
Dijon mustard
lemon juice and some grated rind
freshly ground black pepper
minced fresh dill is best of dried if fresh not available
minced red onion
minced celery
capers – optional

Place cooked Frozen shrimp, defrosted under running water, with tails off rough chop with a knife I prefer it this way, or chop in the food processor.

Add minced red onion, small diced of celery and optional capers mix all together. Place in bowl and add dijon mustard, chopped or dried dill, lemon juice and grated rind,salt and pepper, mayo or miracle whip and mix.

Placed a large heaping teaspoon or two on the end of a belgian endive leaf and arrange on a platter like petals of a flower. Or serve on crackers or sliced cocktail bread.

1 1/2 cups couscous
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup small-diced carrots
1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins
1/4 cup blanched, sliced almonds
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup small-diced red onion

Place the couscous in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in the boiling water and pour over the couscous. Cover tightly and allow the couscous to soak for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, curry, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Pour over the fluffed couscous, and mix well with a fork. Add the carrots, parsley, currants, almonds, scallions, and red onions, mix well, and season to taste. Serve at room temperature.

DMV’s Variations: add broccoli & cucumbers diced, omit raisins, omit parsley add cilantro in smaller amount. Add about 1/4 tsp curry paste along with the curry powder for more heat. Use less olive oil +/- 3 tbsp. Use finely julienned carrots already prepared.

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes – Easy

2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
6 cups red- or green- leaf lettuce
1 large red Bartlett pear
1/4 pound Stilton, crumbled (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup pecans, toasted lightly, cooled, and chopped

In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, the mustard, and salt and pepper to taste, add the oil in a stream, whisking, and whisk the dressing until it is emulsified. In a bowl toss the lettuce with half the dressing and divide the salad among 4 plates. Halve and core the pear and cut it lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Arrange one fourth of the pear slices decoratively on each plate, divide the Stilton and the pecans among the salads, and drizzle the remaining dressing on top.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
15 ounces drained and rinsed cannellini beans
7 ounce can drained and flaked tuna
3/4 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes
1 bunch minced scallions
1/2 cup minced basil
4 minced garlic cloves
8 cups washed and torn salad greens

Mix together the vinegars and oil in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the beans, tuna, tomatoes, scallions, basil, and garlic and mix well. Add the salad greens and toss well before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

3 ripe apples
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 c. coarsley chopped toasted walnuts
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoon tsp honey
1/4 crumbled blue cheese

Core and quarter apples, leave skin on, may chopped if preferred. Put in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice to coat. Add the celery
and walnuts. Mix the mayonnaise and honey until smooth, add to apple mixture along with blue cheese and toss gently.

1 C. lentils (green or black keep their shape better for salads)
1 clove garlic, whole
1 bay leaf
Simmer above in water for 20 min. Drain. Discard garlic and bay. Rinse lentils.

Add:
1 small red pepper, roasted, Skinned maybe?, and finely diced
2 large celery stalks, finely diced
1 small onion, finely diced (red onion looks pretty)
1 C. finely chopped flat leaf parsley
Fresh rosemary, finely chopped, 1 t. or more

Dress with:
1/3 C. fresh lemon juice
2 T. olive oil
pepper; salt only if feta isn’t salty enough!
4 oz. feta crumbled on top

Serve on lettuce surrounded by sliced cucumbers

a 16 ounce package of frozen peas, thawed
1 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup finely diced sweet onion
1/4 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds

Drain the thawed peas; I usually lay a paper towel in the bottom of a colander and let the peas rest on top of it so that the paper towel can absorb the excess water.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the peas, celery, onion and 1/4 cup of the mayonnaise. Stir to combine the ingredients evenly. Add more mayonnaise, up to 1/2 cup, to taste (or depending how health-conscious you want to be!)

Cover and place in the refrigerator until serving.

Just before serving, heat a small pan over medium heat. Add the almonds to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until well toasted and fragrant (about 10 minutes). Stir about half of the almonds into the salad and sprinkle the other half on top.

Makes 6 servings