salad Archives - Splash of Sherri

mini mozzarella caprese salad

Posted on July 8, 2020 by Sherri

When it comes to summer salads, I live fast and loose – especially when I don’t have a lot of time or ingredients. That’s when I throw something so utterly simple like this mini mozzarella caprese salad with tiny tomatoes and I think you’ll laugh at me if I post it so I often don’t. It’s a salad where I just throw things into a bowl and hope for the best.

Then I put it on the table and my husband says WOW what a great looking salad and asks if I’m going to put it on my website. That’s the game changer and dinner is delayed. The salad is swept off the table and onto my photo board ready for its close up.

This is one of the easiest and most impressive salads to put together so of course I have to share it with you. Five simple ingredients: my favorite sweet and juicy teardrop tomatoes, soft and creamy mini mozzarella balls (also called bocconcini), the addition of fresh crisp romaine, a sprinkle of pine nuts and a drizzle of sweet and tangy balsamic glaze. It’s what I like to call a 1-2-3 kind of salad because it takes about that long to assemble and has just about that many ingredients which I usually have on hand.

If you’ve never had balsamic glaze (also called a reduction) it’s a must. It’s sweet, tangy and great to have on hand to drizzle on everything from pizza and vegetables to salads, pasta, sandwiches, meats, cheese, fish, and even fruit. It just wakes things up and adds that extra something to take your dish over the top. You might become obsessed with it! You can make your own very easily (recipe at the end), but I always have a few different flavors on hand like classic, raspberry, and fig.

It serves two as a main, or four as a side dish that pairs perfectly with eggplant parmesan and pasta dishes. Some fun ways to shake it up a bit is by swapping in arugula instead of romaine, adding orzo, olives, artichokes, roasted red peppers, and sundried tomatoes for a whole new salad. The possibilities are endless – Enjoy!

ingredients
Two heads of romaine lettuce sliced into shreds (about 3 to 4 cups)
1 pint of teardrop tomatoes cut in half (or more if you like)
1 – 8 ounce container of mini mozzarella balls or mozzarella pearls
2 to 4 tablespoons toasted pine nuts (optional)
raspberry or fig balsamic glaze
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
recipe for the balsamic glaze follows below

directions for salad
Wash romaine lettuce very well and dry very well. Cut into small shreds and place in a large bowl. Drain mozzarella leave whole or cut in half and add to the top of the salad. Wash and dry tomatoes, cut in half and add to the salad. Drizzle salad with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic glaze.

I prefer to serve the salad at room temperature so the cheese is soft and the tomatoes are sweet and juicy.

balsamic glaze recipe
2 cups balsamic yields ½ cup glaze
½ tablespoon maple syrup (optional)

directions for balsamic glaze
Pour vinegar and maple syrup into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to medium and simmer stirring occasionally for about 20 to 25 minutes. You’ll see after about 15 minutes the vinegar will look like it’s starting to thicken.

Cook until it’s reduced by about ½, coats the back of a spoon and looks like warm honey. The glaze will thicken a little more as it cools. It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about 1 month (if it lasts that long!). I suggest storing it in a glass jar or a squeeze bottle.

Variations: you can use any fruit flavored balsamic or white balsamic. Some variations: add 1 tablespoon honey, date syrup or brown sugar

chopped salad

Posted on March 27, 2020 by Sherri

More than ever I need this beautiful chopped salad in my life. The weather in Ohio has been pretty gloomy the past couple of weeks. Even now, it’s raining as I type this, which sadly isn’t all that unusual. Don’t get me wrong, the sun has made an appearance, but like the rest of us, it seems to be social distancing – which it does often in Ohio!

It’s comforting to me at times of uncertainty and stress to cook and bake. That coupled with the grey and rainy days has me in the kitchen a lot. To take a break from making yet another banana bread, and make my life a little more colorful and definitely healthier, I made a big beautiful chopped salad. A really big salad, a layered chopped salad to help keep me on track and bring a smile to my face. A salad with big flavors that’s loaded with antioxidants, filled with vitamins and minerals, not to mention beautiful color and a variety of textures. The best part, you probably have many of these ingredients in your pantry and in the fridge. If you don’t, you can use what you have.

I like to think of this big beautiful chopped salad as “THE big salad” the one Elaine ordered from Tom’s diner. You know the one I mean right? The one from Seinfeld. I always loved that episode and like Elaine, you probably know by now how much I love a big salad! Remember the rainbow salad with citrus dressing of my dreams? This is a very different salad, but a rainbow nevertheless and everyone should eat the rainbow!

Is it a Jewish salad? No, not in the sense that my bubbie (jewish grandmother) made it, but I have adapted it from Susie Fishbein’s cookbook Kosher by Design. While this is pretty close to Susie’s original I changed it up using the things I like and had on hand, omitting those I don’t. I also used my favorite dressing. I don’t like cabbage so no purple in my salad. I’m not an iceberg fan so in goes the romaine. I love teardrop tomatoes so I used those but you can use whatever you like. No chickpeas, substitute another bean – no red pepper, use a jar of roasted. Just be mindful of your color combinations as you layer the ingredients into the bowl. Speaking of bowls, it looks really pretty in a trifle bowl or other straight glass bowl like I have used, but a regular glass bowl will work just fine.

I hope this salad brings a lot of color and joy to your table. It’s something you’ll want to share with family and friends – hopefully very soon. Until then, you can make 1/2 of it, or better yet, make the whole thing so you’ll have leftovers for lunch the next day, or two, or three! With everyone working from home, this is a nice thing to have in the fridge. Enjoy!

salad ingredients (makes 8 to 10 servings but can easily be cut in half)
1 head Romaine lettuce shredded
1 – 16 ounce bag petite frozen peas defrosted
1 English cucumber seeds removed and diced
1 – 15 ounce can chickpeas (or other bean)
1 – 15 ounce can of corn (I used no salt added)
2 large carrots shredded* (2 cups)
2 cups teardrop tomatoes
1 red pepper diced
1 bunch scallions
3 to 4 sliced radishes
optional but highly recommended: fried onions or toasted sunflower seeds
dressing
½ cup ketchup (I like Heinz)
1/3 cup Hellman’s mayonnaise (you could sub the light mayo)
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (or honey)
1 teaspoon no salt seasoning

directions
First make the dressing. Mix together the mayo, ketchup, cider vinegar, maple syrup and seasonings. Place in a container and put into the fridge.

For the salad you can use a trifle bowl, or any other glass bowl so you can see the layers. Prep all of your ingredients first. Defrost the peas, Open the can of corn and drain in a strainer. Do the same with the chickpeas.

On the bottom of your glass bowl pour the peas in an even layer. Next add a layer of the romaine. Then add a layer of the cucumber, followed by the chickpeas, corn, then carrots, the tomatoes, the red peppers and top with the sliced radishes and sprinkle with 3 of the scallions. Reserve the rest to put on the side.

Serve toasted sunflower seeds, fried onions, and the reserved sliced scallions on the side.

*I prefer to hand grate the carrots but you could definitely use a bag of shredded carrots.

Rainbow Salad with Citrus Dressing… It’s like a Party in a Bowl!

Posted on October 6, 2017 by Sherri

One thing I can promise you, if you make this rainbow salad with citrus dressing, it’s like a party in a bowl! I’ve never said this before about a salad, but it will make you feel like you are on vacation in the islands. How did I come up with a rainbow salad? While I do love creating new and interesting salads, I can’t really take full ownership. I first saw it at a restaurant and it’s the only time I can think of when I had salad envy – if that’s even possible!

Okay, here’s the whole story… I was visiting my friend Susie in Pittsburgh, and we went out to lunch. She took me to a Caribbean restaurant in the Strip District called Kaya. We hadn’t seen each other in a while and I was so happy to see her and catch up, the menu definitely took second place. I quickly ordered a salad with green apples, goat cheese, and candied walnuts with salmon on top – delish – right? I was quite happy with my choice… until our salads arrived!

Susie ordered the most glorious and colorful rainbow salad I had ever seen. I somehow felt my salad was inferior and I was a little jealous. While mine was very good, it certainly wasn’t a rainbow! For a few moments, I couldn’t concentrate on the conversation. I wondered how I could have let this happen. Did I miss reading all of those ingredients on the menu?

The salad was arranged like a color wheel and as an artist, I felt I let myself down. Facing me was the papaya, I LOVE papaya! There were tomatoes, plantains, pepita seeds (pumpkin), red pepper, avocado, you name it – a feast for the eyes! I love a salad that is not lettuce heavy, and contains a lot of different fruits and vegetables. This salad certainly did that. Susie offered we share both of our salads, but I decided to stick with mine and enjoy the rest of our visit.

That was a couple of months ago and in true Sherri form, I haven’t stopped thinking about it. My mission now was to recreate it. How do I begin? With any recipe I create, there are various ways I go about getting started. In this case, I made a list of ingredients from Kaya’s menu online. Next, in a Google search I checked to see if there were any images. I remembered how it was arranged, but needed a refresher. I found a couple of great photos and started from there. With this information, I made the first version and it was delicious! I knew I didn’t have all of the ingredients it called for, and probably not the right quantities, but it didn’t matter. Below is a photo of the first attempt. I prepared it in a large bowl and it was a great presentation.

This week I found myself in the mood to make the salad again. I went online again and this time, I found a recipe from the restaurant itself – jackpot! http://bigburrito.com/eatbig/15/06/fuller_kaya_rainbow_salad.pdf

About some of the ingredients… My first attempt wasn’t too far off from the original even quantity wise. One of the ingredients I subbed is the Malanga. It’s not an easy vegetable to find unless you are in the Strip District where the variety of fruits and vegetables are in abundance! The first time, I used jicama and it was delicious adding a nice juicy punch. This time I did a little more research and found out Malanga is a root vegetable from South America. It is likened to a potato so I tried a white sweet potato as to keep the color of the original salad. While very different from each other, both jicama and the sweet potato are delicious in the salad. If you can’t find either, you can also use a regular sweet potato.

I’m allergic to mango so I subbed nectarines which were a perfect exchange. Feel free to use 1 cup mango if you like it. I also omitted the jalapeno and red onion. I don’t care for either in a salad –personal preference. I did amp up the green onion, and added a pinch of cayenne in the dressing to compensate for their omission. The original salad also had toasted garlic. I made garlic chips for the first salad, but felt it overpowered the rest of the ingredients so omitted for this version.

Before you get started, don’t be afraid of the list. I know it seems like a lot of ingredients. One quick stop to Trader Joe’s should get you just about everything you need including a bag of already julienned carrots and the plantain chips! From start to finish, it only took about 40 minutes including grilling a protein. It’s really worth the time and truly is a vacation in a bowl. Who doesn’t need that every now and then?

It has so many different flavors and textures that make it really amazing. Of course you can alter it to how you like (as I did) and change things around a bit. One thing for sure, it’s a real showstopper. It’s great for lunch or dinner, would be perfect for a dinner party and at this time of year, a great salad to eat in the Sukkah! Enjoy!

For underneath the rainbow of vegetables:
1 head romaine lettuce for each salad, washed very well, dried well and chopped
about 2 cups in each bowl
Add to the lettuce:
1 handful parsley or cilantro, leaves only
1 handful basil cut in a ribbon (roll the leaves into a cigar and slice)
1 cup green onions (scallions) finely sliced
1 handful mint (optional)
make sure to wash these ingredients very well. If you want, you can reserve a little of each to sprinkle on top.

For the top of the salad:
1 cup julienne carrots (shredded would be fine too)
2 nectarines cut into chunks (or 1 cup mango)
1 cup cherry or heirloom tomatoes cut in half
1 cup fresh papaya peeled and diced
1 cup English cucumber diced (you can peel it if you don’t like the peel)
1 cup red pepper diced
2 cups white sweet potato
1 cup cooked chickpeas (canned are great too, rinse and drain)
1 cup plantain chips (left whole or crushed and sprinkled)
2 avocados sliced
¼ cup sesame seeds (I used black & white because I had it on hand)
1/2 cup pepita seeds (pumpkin seeds)
fried onions (optional)
2 limes cut in half to be served with each salad

Optional:
Grilled Chicken, Salmon, or Steak (I grilled the chicken and salmon while I prepped the vegetables)

Citrus Vinaigrette:
Zest and juice of 2 oranges (pineapple juice can be subbed here)
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lime
2 roasted garlic cloves (1 raw finely grated would work well)
1 to 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
¾ cup good extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste (I used 1 teaspoon of each)
pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

Add zest and juices with garlic into a blender or food processor. After the citrus is blended, while pureeing, drizzle in the oil to emulsify. Add salt and pepper to taste. I also added a pinch of cayenne pepper for a little kick.

To Begin:
There are a couple of ways you can cook the sweet potato. You can steam it, sauté or roast it like I did. Heat oven (I used a toaster oven) to 350 degrees. Peel and dice sweet potato, toss in a little olive oil and put it on a sheet pan. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until you can pierce it with a fork.

If adding a protein:
Get your grill or grill pan hot. Season the meat or fish with salt and pepper and grill until done.

While that is cooking, prep all of your other ingredients.

Toss the lettuce base with some of the vinaigrette, just to season. Place in the middle of 4 plates or large bowls. Arrange the other ingredients on top – around the bowl. Sprinkle the sesame seeds and plantains on top. Serve with ½ lime for each salad. I hid it under the pile of plantains! The restaurant link I have included actually gives a diagram on how to arrange the salad. I did my own thing. It was complicated enough with all of the ingredients. However you place the ingredients, it will be beautiful! I’m so excited for you to try it!

How about an Everything Bagel Salad to get you through the week?

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Sherri

For days when you are missing your weekend bagel, how about an everything bagel salad to get you through the week? It’s getting close to the weekend and you’re craving an everything bagel with cream cheese. What’s a girl to do? Turn it into a salad of course! Why an everything bagel salad? There are a few reasons: I love everything bagels, I love salads filled with everything but the kitchen sink, it gets me ready for the weekend without all the guilt of a bagel on a weekday and I happen to have a jar of everything bagel seasoning in my house impatiently waiting to be sprinkled on EVERYTHING!

Here is how it all started… I was in Trader Joe’s a couple of weeks ago scanning their new food section for a great new find. If you are a Trader Joe’s junkie like me, you totally get this. There on the shelf was a jar of Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend (try to say that 5 times fast!). First of all, the label was adorable and really caught my eye. Second, I don’t know why I got so excited, but I did; ideas were flooding through my head on what to use it on. I bought 2 jars and posted a photo on Instagram immediately proclaiming my excitement for this new and wonderful treasure I found. Since then, I have topped challah rolls with it, used it on salmon before grilling, sprinkled it on green beans and of course my husband added it as a booster to his already everything bagel with lox and cream cheese! Ooh, I just thought of how great it would be on avocado toast – I’m so going to have to try that!

Not familiar with the everything bagel (click here to find out more)? The only thing you need to know about an everything bagel is it is the quintessential NY bagel. Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, minced onion, minced garlic and coarse kosher salt – that’s it. Five simple ingredients become a game changer to the average bagel; in this case the average salad. There must be a lot of fans out there for type of bagel since it has its own jar of seasoning mix on the shelf. I found it at Trader Joe’s, but King Arthur also has a great mix you can buy online. I’ll also share my recipe at the end so you can make your own at home. Every now and then you will come across an everything bagel with caraway seeds – I’m not a fan and think it should stay in rye bread where it belongs!

Here’s my favorite way to eat a bagel… Unless it’s fresh and hot out of the oven (which only happens in NY) I lightly toast it and then scoop it so there is less bread and you can add more toppings. Then of course there is the cream cheese, but not just any kind of cream cheese, for me it has to be vegetable cream cheese (follow this link for my recipe). Lox is a perfect addition and a couple of thick slices of a crisp tomato. Is your mouth watering yet?

Now for the salad… I love a really good salad and I’m hooked on making salads fun and interesting. For me, a salad is at its best when there are a lot of goodies in them other than an overwhelming amount of lettuce. I like to think of the lettuce as the bread or bagel in this case, which holds a sandwich together. The lettuce will be the anchor here.

When I first set out to make the salad I thought of all the components from toppings to the base. I knew the calories and carbs would be a fraction of what you get from a bagel, plus I wanted to keep all of the satisfaction. The fun of it is you can customize it to what you like on your bagel i.e. salad! If you love whitefish, buy smoked whitefish or smoked trout and top your salad with that. If you like capers, hard-boiled eggs, and onions, throw them in too.

For this salad, I deconstructed the vegetable cream cheese and made the ingredients the toppings: radishes, carrots, and scallions. Of course, I had to include salmon in some way but didn’t think lox was the way to go, but if you try it, let me know how it is. I’m more of a baked smoked salmon girl anyway, which is difficult to find in Columbus. I decided on a piece of fresh salmon. I topped it with everything seasoning then seared it in a pan. Hard-boiled eggs also make an appearance in my salad for a few reasons: I love them, they are perfect on a bagel, and they go great in a salad!

It’s a very quick salad to put together as well. As the salmon was cooking, I assembled the other ingredients. I shredded some romaine lettuce, crushed up some everything bagel chips, added some goat cheese for that cream cheese texture and really good flavor. It was all coming together and I couldn’t be happier.

There you have it, a salad to get you ready for the weekend and for you diehards, a salad you can bring to work on Monday. Enjoy!

Ingredients for one salad
1 ½ cups shredded romaine lettuce
8 cherry tomatoes cut in half
1 carrot grated (½ cup)
1 to 2 perfect hard-boiled eggs cut into quarters
2 to 3 radishes sliced very thin
2 scallions sliced into thin rounds
1 ounce goat cheese
8 everything bagel chips broken into pieces
Dill (optional)
4 ounce salmon filet
everything bagel seasoning

Lowfat ranch dressing of your choice

Directions
In a medium bowl, combine the shredded romaine and next 8 ingredients. Arrange it nicely in the bowl by layering it, or placing the vegetables together.

For the salmon, rub it with about a teaspoon of olive oil, sprinkle the everything seasoning on both side then place it in a hot pan on medium heat. Cook about 4 to 5 minutes per side or until your desired doneness. Then add the cooked salmon on top of the salad.

For the salad dressing, I used a package of Concord Foods Ranch dip (which I find in the produce area of my grocery) mixed with a container of Breakstone’s reduced fat sour cream (nonfat plain Greek yogurt would work as well) plus one tablespoon of Hellman’s mayonnaise. Then I add water until is pour-able but not too thin. I am always on the lookout for a good ranch dressing in a bottle, but they all have msg in them. I like this brand because it does not contain monosodium glutamate (msg) and I can use a very low fat base. And yes, I do know this is a lot of dressing for one salad, but I think you’ll be making it again and again, so you might as well have dressing on hand! Of course, you can buy any kind of creamy dressing you like for this. Pour dressing over the salad and serve immediately.

How to make your own everything bagel seasoning (feel free to play around with this ratio)
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds*
2 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 tablespoon minced dried onion
1 tablespoon minced dried garlic
1 to 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt (this is optional if you don’t like salt, omit)

Mix it all together and store in a small jar until you are ready to use it.

*Use 2 tablespoons of white sesame seeds if you can’t find, or don’t want to use the black.