The Brutus Salad – Watch Your Back, Caesar!

I don’t post a lot of salad videos, since, other than the dressing recipe, what am I going to teach you? Most people are pretty good when it comes to tossing things in a bowl, but I made an exception for what I’m calling a “Brutus.”

I discovered this salad at a great restaurant in Healdsburg, called Willis’s Seafood, where it was definitely not called a “Brutus,” but simply described as a, “Little Gem Salad, Dijon Vinaigrette, Fuji Apples, Aged White Cheddar, Fresh Herbs, Fried Pecans.” It sounded amazing, and tasted even better.

It was so good, I joked that it could replace the Caesar as America’s favorite tossed salad, and a few beers later, the idea to call it the “Brutus” was born. I’m explaining this not only to give credit, where credit’s due, but also to make clear it has nothing to do with politics. Yes, nothing to do with it. Nothing at all.

Normally, I would tell you to add whatever you want to this salad, but not this time. Please make it exactly as shown. Having said that, you’ll of course have to adjust the dressing to your taste, but you already knew that. I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

For the dressing:

1/4 cup real French Dijon mustard

1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

freshly ground black pepper

cayenne to taste

- the dressing should be sharp and acidic, but please adjust to your taste

For the salad:

4 hearts of romaine, cut or torn into bite-sized pieces

2 ounces extra-sharp aged cheddar

1 apple, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, chopped

2 tablespoons dill sprigs, chopped

3/4 cup pecan halves, toasted in 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, seasoned with salt and 1 teaspoon of white sugar

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Smashed Cucumber Salad – I Crushed This

Your cooking skills might not be the best, but the word on the street is that you’re pretty good at smashing things, sometimes even on purpose. If that’s the case, this refreshing, and very addictive smashed cucumber salad is going to be perfect for you. Above and beyond whisking up an extremely simple dressing, the success of this recipe comes down to you being able to flatten a cucumber with something heavy.

It really is as easy as it sounds, and by crushing our cucumber before we cut it, we produce flavors that un-smashed cucs can’t. When you crush the cells in a vegetable, as opposed to cutting cleanly through them, certain compounds get mixed together, which can result in a significantly different flavor. 

This is not always a good thing, and onions are the perfect example. Use a sharp knife, and they’re sweet and mild. Use a dull knife, or that thing you ordered after seeing the infomercial at 2 AM, and you’ll get something much harsher. In fact, it’s no joke that most people who don’t like onions, grew up in a kitchen with dull knives.

However, when it comes to cucumber, these ruptured cells produce a more desirable flavor, and texture. The only decision you’re going to have to make, is how long to let the cucumbers marinate in the dressing, if at all. Many chefs will toss and serve immediately, while others like to let the cucumbers chill in the dressing for a little while in the fridge, which is the method I prefer.

You’ll just have to do some tests to see what you prefer, but either way, this is one of my all-time favorite cold summer side dishes, and one I really hope you try very soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 6 portions:
2 English cucumbers (about 1 1/2 pounds total weight)

1 teaspoon granulated white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed

2 garlic cloves, finely crushed

2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

(or regular rice vinegar with an extra pinch of salt and sugar)

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

red pepper flakes, to taste

toasted sesame seeds to garnish

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"Norcal" Nicoise Salad – Layered for Your Pleasure

I know I’ve made fun of salads served in Mason jars before, but when I was asked to contribute a layered Nicoise to an Allrecipes Easter feature, I immediately thought of this tragically hip presentation. Also, I didn’t have a straight-sided, see-through glass bowl to do the layered salad in.

I love a good Nicoise, and it’s perfect for layering, especially if you slice/chop up the ingredients first. Not only will your layers be easier to keep straight, but chopped salads are always a pleasure to toss with dressing. Speaking of which, I really enjoyed this avocado spiked French-style vinaigrette, and it paired perfectly with the rich, fatty, olive oil-packed tuna. 

Look for something from Spain or Italy, and you will be impressed with how much nicer it is than the stuff Charlie and his buddies are pushing. So, whether you composed this on a plate, in the classic fashion, or follow my lead, and create the world’s trendiest Nicoise, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Nicoise (amounts are up to you)

3-4 ounces per person olive-oil packed tuna

tender green beans

Yukon gold potatoes

cherry tomatoes

hard boiled eggs

Nicoise olives, or other pitted olives

parsley and/or chives

anchovy fillets, optional

Ingredients for the dressing:

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

3 anchovy fillets

2 teaspoons minced shallots

1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/4 cup ripe avocado

1/3 cup olive oil, or more to taste

freshly ground black pepper

pinch cayenne

water as needed to adjust texture

salt to taste

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Apple Mango Ginger Salad

This salad tasted delicious and I finished it all. The tartness of the apples with the delightful aroma of the mango ginger along with the other ingredients kicked it up a notch. Mango ginger is a root vegetable like ginger with a slightly sour taste of unripe mango and a sharp spicy taste of ginger in a mild form. It has great health benefits. It is mostly used in pickles and can also be used as a flavouring to enhance the taste in meat, chicken or vegetable preparations. Here I used it in this salad with great success. 

Ingredients:

1 Tart apple

1 hot house Tomato

6 garlic stuffed big green olives

1 tbs pickled mango ginger

1/2 cup grated carrot

5-6 Red/green leaf lettuce

Sesame seeds for garnish

Dressing:

2 tbs Olive Oil

Juice of half a lemon

Pink salt

Black pepper

1/2 tsp Harissa paste 

Brown sugar

Method:

1. Cut the apple into small dices. Chop the stuffed olives with the garlic and chop the pickled mango ginger. 

2. Gently squeeze out the seeds from the tomato, remove its stem and cut into small dices. 

3. Clean, wash, drain and dry the lettuce leaves. 

4.  Mix together the diced apples, tomatoes, grated carrots, chopped olives and mango ginger. 

5. Prepare the dressing by whisking together all the dressing ingredients till it emulsifies and changes to a creamy texture. Add this dressing to the salad and quickly mix well. 

6. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a salad plate. Spoon all the salad on to the lettuce leaves. Sprinkle some brown(roasted) sesame seeds on top for garnish. Serve immediately. 

Notes: 

1. Add the dressing just before serving the salad or else it will turn runny. 

2. You can pickle the mango ginger by cutting it into dices and adding vinegar and salt and store in a clean glass bottle. You could also use it in many preparations. 

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Grilled Shrimp Louie – Dressing Up a Classic

I don’t do a lot of salad dressing videos, since it’s pretty much just adding things to a bowl, but when that dressing is going on a grilled shrimp Louie, I’ll make an exception. By the way, this is usually done with crab, but I think the smoky, grilled shrimp are a great summertime twist.

This is my take on a classic Louie dressing, and as with all such recipes, you’ll need to taste and adjust for acid, salt, and heat. Just be sure to wait until the dressing is nice and cold before tasting. You’ll get a more accurate reading, since that’s the temperature we’re going to be serving at.

If you do grill the shrimp, don’t toss it with the oil and lemon until right before you grill. This isn’t a marinade, and we don’t want the shrimp to start “cooking” in the acid. I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 1 3/4 cups:

1 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup ketchup

1/4 cup crème fraiche

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 packed teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons minced green onion

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

For the grilled shrimp:

2 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp

1 tablespoon olive oil

juice from 1/2 lemon

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon kosher salt

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Nutritious Kale Salad

Ingredients:

Kale - 1cup

Romain lettuce -  1 cup

Kalamata olives - 6

Red/green/yellow peppers - 1/2 cup diced

Tomatoes - 1/2 cup diced

Walnut pieces - 2 tbs

Sun flower seeds - 2 tsp

For the Salad Dressing:

Olive oil - 1 tbs

Balsamic vinegar- 1/2 tbs

Dijon mustard - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste 

Black pepper - just to sprinkle on top

Method:

1. Mix together kalamata olives, yellow peppers, tomatoes - all cut into dices along with chopped kale and lettuce. 

2. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and drizzle over the salad. Top with walnuts and sunflower seeds and serve with the baked salmon fish filets: saffron flavoured baked salmon fish filets . Enjoy!

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Zucchini Papaya Salad

Ingredients: 
1 Cup Light green zucchini
1 Cup Papaya (not so ripe)
4 Tbs Peanuts crushed
1 Tbs Sesame seeds

Lemon dressing:
1 Tbs Lemon juice
1 Tbs Olive oil
1/4 Tsp Sesame oil
1/2 Tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper as required

Method:
1. Peel the Zucchini and Papaya. Wash and towel dry. Grate into thin long strips or julienes.

2. Dry roast the peanuts and sesame seeds.

3. Mix all the dressing ingredients and whisk well till it emulsifies and thickens.

4. Pour the dressing over the grated zucchini and papaya.

5. Top with roasted peanuts and sesame seeds.

6. Enjoy.

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Spicy Carrot and Green Apple Salad

This recipe is adapted from a carrot salad recipe I found on one of the south indian blogs. It is a very refreshing salad and I like it very much. The sauteed mustard seeds add an extra flavour to the salad.

Ingredients: 

Carrots shredded - 2
Green Apple Shredded - 1
Fresh Cilantro - 1 tbs
Fresh lemon juice - 1 tbs
Ginger grated - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Sugar - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Fresh Curry leaves - a few
Green chillies - 1 small (optional)
Vegetable oil - 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Mix together the shredded carrots and apple. Add chopped cilantro.
2. Heat 1/2 tsp vegetable oil in a small sauce pan. Add the mustard seeds when the oil is just hot to make them splutter. Add the chopped curry leaves and remove immediately and pour it on the shredded salad mix.
3. Add lemon juice, salt and sugar, toss well and serve. Enjoy!

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Apple grape salad

A refreshing salad for lunch or dinner as a snack or a side dish in summer.  This is a very simple salad to make from the fruits you have at home, especially when you are pressed for time and your imagination has deserted you. Cut up an apple or pear, some grapes or berries and throw them in together with a handful of spring mix, garnish with some chopped walnuts, drizzle some dressing on top and voila your salad is ready in no time! You may any dressing of your choice. I also use lemon poppy seed dressing sometimes.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

Green apple - 1
Red grapes  -  1/2 cup
Spring mix -   1 cup
Walnuts      -   1tbs

For the lemon dijon dressing:

Lemon juice (fresh) - 1 tbs
Dijon mustard - 1tsp
Brown sugar   -  a pinch
Olive oil          - 1tbs
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Wash, peel and thinly slice the green apple. Deseed and cut in half the red grapes.
2. Layer the spring mix on a plate, then throw in the apple slices followed by the grapes on top.
3. Mix together all the dressing ingredients in a bottle and shake well to blend.
4. Sprinkle chopped walnuts and drizzle the dressing on top.
5. The salad is now ready to be served. Enjoy!

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Avocado Mango Salad

Ingredients:
Ripe Avocados - 2
Ripe Mangoes - 1
Hot pickled peppers - a few 

For the dressing:
Lemon juice = 2 tbs
Salt to taste 
Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Olive oil - 1 tbs
Dijon Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Method:  
1. Peel, remove the stone and cut the avocado into cubes.
2. Peel, wash and cut the mango into cubes too.
3. Add coarsely chopped pickled peppers.
4. Prepare the dressing by whisking together all the dressing ingredients. 
5. Sprinkle dressing on the avocado mango pieces.
6. Toss gently with two forks and serve. 

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Egg Salad

Ingredients:

Spring Mix - 1 cup

Boiled eggs - 2 sliced

Black and Green olives - 2 each crushed 

Tomatoes - 1 diced

Mushrooms sliced - 2 lightly fried in olive oil. 

For the Dressing:

Lemon juice - 2 tbs

Olive oil1 tbs

Salt to taste

Pepper - 1/2 tap

Dijon mustard - 1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Prepare the dressing by mixing together all the dressing ingredients and whisking them well. 

2. Add 3/4th of the dressing to the spring mix after adding sliced fried mushrooms, olives, and diced tomatoes. Toss and mix well.

3. Layer the salad mix on a serving plate. Top with sliced boiled eggs.

4. Drizzle the remaining dressing on the eggs and enjoy. 

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Yuba Noodle Salad – Do You Believe in Miracles?

So many things are touted as “miracle foods” these days, but invariably you find out the claims were false, the benefits exaggerated, and that Dr. Oz was full of crap again. I sure hope that doesn’t turn out to be the case with these grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb, low-cal, and quite delicious, yuba noodles.

You can use any dressings/garnishes you like, but I prefer these flavors, since texturally this closely resembles those wide, flat, Asian-style noodles we’ve all picked up from the neighborhood take-out place. Of course, those come loaded with massive amounts of bad carbs, a million calories, and enough MSG to choke a panda.

Occasionally, I have no problem with that, especially if I’ve been drinking, but generally this is a smarter option. Believe it or not, one giant portion of these noodles (not counting your dressing or sauce) only has 150 calories, just 7 grams of carbs, and almost no fat. So what’s the catch? It’s tofu.

But like pasta and noodles, tofu skin is very bland, so it’s really more about the texture, and being a “starchy” base for other ingredients, including non-vegan things like grilled chicken or shrimp. If you keep that in mind, I think you’ll really enjoy experimenting with this incredibly cool product. I hope you try this soon. Enjoy!

For 2 large portions Yuba Noodle Salad:

5 oz package yuba tofu skins, sliced into noodles

handful of carrot shavings

handful of thinly sliced cabbage

1/2 cup freshly torn cilantro leaves

1/4 sliced green onions

black sesame seeds

For the dressing (makes about 1 cup, about enough for 2 large salads):

2 tbsp smooth peanut butter

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp fresh, finely grated ginger

1 tsp sambal chili sauce (or any hot ground chili sauce)

1/3 cup warm rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil

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Green Goddess Dressing – Oh. My. God.

What's the difference between Green Goddess dressing and Green God dressing? Green Goddess dressing takes a lot longer to get ready. Sorry, but I couldn’t fit that joke into the voice over. Anyway, here’s my take on San Francisco’s very own, Green Goddess dressing.

This creamy, herby, addictively delicious sauce is not only my favorite salad dressing, but also one of my favorite dips as well. You can of course tweak the acidity with more or less lemon, as well as play with the salt and pepper, but please, do not change the trio of herbs. The way the parsley and chive play against the sweet tarragon makes this unlike any other herb dressing.

This is truly fit for a Goddess, and with Mother’s Day coming up Sunday, what better way to make your mom feel like one? That, and a complete spa package with extra long foot massage, and she should be set. I hope you give this Green Goddess dressing a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 cups of Green Goddess Dressing:

(all the following amounts should be adjusted to your tastes)

1 cup mayonnaise

3/4 cup sour cream

1 anchovy fillets

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

1/3 cup chopped tarragon leaves

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

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Spicy Coconut & Calamari Salad, Formerly Know As Failed Squid Ceviche

There’s nothing quite as satisfying in the kitchen as snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. I was playing around with some squid ceviche preparations, and while it did “cook” in the acidic marinade, I really didn’t enjoy the texture. I actually hated it. 

I’m not sure if it needed more time, or more acid, but it wasn’t good. Not wanting to toss it, I decided to fry it up, and maybe hide it in some pasta, or something. I went with “or something,” and this cold, coconut-spiked salad was the result. I haven’t been this happy about a failed recipe in a long time.

Not only did it make a fantastic, sort of Thai-like salad, I can see this being quite versatile as well. It was very tasty hot, and would be great over rice with some of the cooked-down marinade. It would also be amazing over a big bowl of crunchy greens. Just don’t skip the toasted coconut, as it really does make the dish. I hope you give this delicious accident a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 Portions Spicy Coconut & Calamari Salad:

1 pound calamari, cleaned, cut into thin rings

1 small green Serrano pepper, minced

1 red Fresno pepper, sliced thin

2 tablespoons green onion

1 teaspoon palm sugar (aka coconut)

1 generous tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup lime juice

2 tablespoons Coconut milk

2 tbsp vegetable oil to cook calamari

- After calamari is marinated and cooked:

1 tsp Lime juice, or to taste

1 tbsp chopped green onions

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes (unsweeted)

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Shaved Asparagus Salad with Fried Pastrami and Mustard Dressing – Keeping it Raw

This shaved asparagus salad actually started out as an asparagus wrapped with pastrami recipe, but when that didn’t work out, my wife Michele saved the day, and convinced me to go raw – and I do mean convince.

I really dislike under-cooked asparagus, and in virtually every video I’ve used it, I’ve pleaded with the audience to make sure the spears get to the sweet and tender stage. I’ve always felt that the main reason most people who don’t like asparagus, is that they grew up eating it crunchy, barely warm, and bitter.

However, when you shave it thin with a peeler, and give it a quick curing/pickling in the dressing, those harsh attributes mellow out substantially, and the sweet, grassy flavor comes through. In fact, it was so delicious that I contemplated serving it without the fried meat.  Happily, that passed.

Thanks to the pastrami’s aromatic spices, subtle smokiness, and peppery finish, it was a perfect match. Of course, you can substitute with bacon or ham; but the cured beef brisket was a nice change of pace to those much more common, pork-based choices.

Just be sure to not dress your raw asparagus until you’re ready to eat. The couple minutes it takes to fry the meat is all the marination time you’ll need. Anyway, peak asparagus season is almost upon us, and if you’re looking for a new way to enjoy it, I hope you give this shaved asparagus salad a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

24 large asparagus spears (save bottoms for soup)

salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

4 oz pastrami, sliced thin

For the dressing:

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar (or regular rice vinegar with a pinch of salt and sugar)

3-4 tbsp olive oil, or to taste

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Apple berry salad

This is a very nutritious and yummy salad that you can make with any kind of berries and apples at home. It is my own creation. Last time I used blue berries instead of strawberries and red baby romaine leaves and it was as good as this one. You may also add dried cranberries if you wish. As for the nuts I used almonds and I don't think any other nuts would go well with this salad. The almonds, sesame, sunflower and poppy seeds I feel is a good combination and should not be replaced with anything else in order to enjoy this salad. Also the apples have to be sweet and I used Fuji apples.

Well here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
Fuji apple - 1
Strawberries or blueberries - a few
Baby romaine lettuce - a few leaves
Almonds - 6
Blue poppy seeds - 1/2 tsp
Sesame seeds - 1/2 tsp
Sunflower seeds - 1/2 tsp

Dressing:
Lemon juice - 2 tsp
Frank's red hot - 1/2 tsp
Honey - 1 tsp
Olive oil - 1 tbs
Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt and Pepper 

Method:
1. Wash and thinly slice the apple and cut the slices into smaller bite size pieces.
2. Slice the strawberries as well. If you have blue berries, just throw them in.
3. Mix together the apple and strawberries. Sprinkle over, the sesame and poppy seeds. Chop the almonds and set everything aside.
4. Prepare the dressing by mixing together all the ingredients and whisking the mixture well.
5. First drizzle a little of the dressing on the romaine leaves and arrange them on a salad plate.
6. Then drizzle some more dressing on the apples and berry mixture. Mix well.
7. Put the apple and berry mixture on top of the arranged baby romaine leaves.
8. Throw in the sun flower seeds and chopped almonds on top, drizzle the rest of the dressing and enjoy.

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Pineapple Kachumbar Salad

"Kachumbar" is a medley of finely chopped fresh raw salad vegetables and is usually served as a side dish. It is made with finely chopped fresh onions, tomatoes, green chillies and cilantro with lemon juice and salt. It is a great condiment with kebabs, samosas, fried chicken, biryani etc.. I changed the traditional "Kachumbar" by adding pineapple and giving it a kick. It was so refreshing and everybody enjoyed it. 

Make this on a hot summer day for lunch as I did, it is so refreshing, that you would just love it!

Ingredients:

 Pineapple(fresh) - 3 or 4 slices

 Onions - 1 medium

 Tomatoes - 1 or 2

 Red bell pepper - 1/2

 Green chilly - 2

 Fresh Cilantro - 1 cup

Dressing:

Juice of half a lemon

Pomegranate syrup - 1 tbs

Chopped ginger - 1/2 a tsp

Salt and Pepper

Olive oil - 1 tbs

Method: 

1. Chop finely 3 or 4 slices of pineapple into very small bits. Peel, wash and finely chop the onions. Wash, deseed the tomatoes and finely chop them with a sharp knife. Finely chop the red bell pepper, 1 green chilly and fresh cilantro.

2. Take a salad platter. First layer the chopped pineapple, then the chopped tomatoes followed by onions chopped with one green chilly and finally the chopped red bell pepper as shown in the picture. Now arrange the chopped coriander on all the four sides like a border. 

3. Whisk together all the ingredients of the dressing. Pour the dressing all over the salad just before eating. Mix well and enjoy.



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“Steakage” – Changing the Shape of Your Steak Sandwich

Hot dogs and hamburgers are fine for the regular season, but when the playoffs and Super Bowl roll around, you need to upgrade the tailgate menu to something a little more special, like this “steakage” steak sandwich.

The name comes from the fact that the steak is being treated more like a sausage link. The problem with a traditional steak sandwich is it usually consists of a thin slice of beef, grilled and served on a thick sandwich roll. The steak to bread ratio is way off, and it’s very easy to overcook the meat.

Here, by cutting our steak into thick strips, we not only have a more geometrically appropriate piece of meat for our smaller bun, but we are able to get a nice sear on the outside without having to worry about the inside overcooking.

I used a gorgeous flat iron steak, and I really hope you can get one from your butcher, but if you can’t, this technique should work for other cuts of steak as well. NY strip, rib eye, top sirloin, and tenderloin could all be made to work. The key is something that can be cut into a large slab first, ideally about 1 1/2-inch thick, and then into strips about the same width, and as long as your bun.

I was very happy with these, and really enjoyed the little extra something the grilled mushrooms provided. The smoky salad added an earthy texture to the grilled beef, and it was all tied together nicely with the barbecue vinaigrette. To make this easy and versatile condiment, simply combine 3 parts barbecue sauce, with 2 parts vegetable oil, and 1 part cider vinegar.

So, if you were planning on splurging for your next backyard tailgate, and want to serve something a little out of the ordinary, then maybe give this whole “steakage” thing a try. By the way, it goes without saying that this would rock with cheese on it, but the American Kobe beef I was lucky enough to use was so exquisite that I didn’t want to cover it up. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 portions:

1 fully-trimmed flat iron steak

6 hot dog buns

1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes

mayonnaise and arugula leaves as needed

For the mushrooms salad:

8 oz brown clamshell mushrooms, grilled, separated

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp sherry vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

For the bbq vinaigrette:

3 tbsp barbecue sauce

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp cider vinegar

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New Year’s Day Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing – Good Luck with That!

This spinach salad with black-eyed peas is a twist on one of my favorite American culinary traditions; the custom of serving beans and greens on New Year's Day. Supposedly eating "poor" on New Year’s Day brings much wealth and good luck throughout the year.

The greens, usually braised with ham or sausage, represents paper money, and the beans, usually black-eyed peas, symbolize coins. Here, we’re presenting those ingredients in salad form, which is a great delivery system for our hot bacon dressing– the true star in this video.

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is, “Eat more bacon,” then here’s another delicious way to work it into your diet. This peppery, sweet and tangy sauce is fast to make, and shines on other things besides wealth-generating spinach salads.

Wouldn’t this be great in a warm potato and mushroom salad, as well as a sauce for a grilled chicken breast or pork chop? What about spooned over poached eggs, or slathered on sweet potato fries? Yes, yes, yes, and yes.

If making and eating this salad on January 1st doesn’t really bring you prosperity in 2012, it will certainly bring you some tasty memories, and other pleasures money can’t buy. Happy New Year, and enjoy!

Hot Bacon Dressing Ingredients: (makes about 1 1/3 cup – or 6 servings)

1/2 pound bacon, sliced and cooked in 1/4 cup vegetable oil (reserve bacon pieces and bacon fat drippings)

1/2 cup minced onions

2 cloves minced garlic

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar, or to taste
1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/3 cup of the bacon fat drippings

1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tsp cold water

salt and pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

For 6 Spinach Salads:

1 pound baby spinach, washed and dried

12 white button mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes

1 (15-oz) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

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Cranberry Mustard Salad Dressing – You’ll Be Tickled Some Kind of Pink

For whatever reason, pink sauces are considered somewhat visually offensive in the foodie universe, so when describing this cranberry mustard salad dressing to your friends and family, please use hipper alternatives like, “ballet slipper” or “rosy mauve.”

Whatever it’s called, I actually love the color of this vinaigrette, and think it’s especially gorgeous with the classic fall/winter salad palette. I served it over some endive garnished with persimmons, pistachios, and pomegranate seeds, and it tasted as bright and pretty as it looked.

One word of caution regarding the ingredient amounts listed below: I like my salad dressings on the acidic side, so be sure to taste and adjust the amount of oil you add. You want to be careful with the walnut oil, as too much can overpower the dressing, but you can add more vegetable or olive oil, until it’s perfectly balanced for your palate.

As I joke about in the video, this seasonal vinaigrette is perfect for the non-cook to bring to a family gathering. We’re talking about a minimal effort to get what could potentially be lots of loving praise, or at the very least, fewer disappointed glances. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 2 1/4 cups of dressing:

1/4 cup prepared fresh cranberry sauce

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1 small garlic clove

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

[note: you can use 1/2 cup of any vinegar(s) you like]

1/4 cup walnut oil

1 cup vegetable oil or light olive oil, or as much as needed to balance acidity to your taste

View the complete recipe

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