Green salad & dressing

 

Image credit: zimbokitchen

Company salad

• Equal parts 3-color cabbage from Trader Joe's Romaine lettuce
• Sunflower seeds
• Cranberries
• Corn (defrosted from frozen)
• Cherry tomatoes
• Crispy fried onion (TJ)
• Green goddess spices
• Olive oil

Dinner salad or side salad

For a side salad, pick two or more topping options, and dressing. For a dinner salad, pick three or more topping options (one from each group is good), a dressing, and a bread option. There is a list of plug and play favorites below for ideas.

Greens options

• Arugula
• Iceberg lettuce
• Romaine lettuce
• Spinach
• Baby kale or other baby lettuce
• Butter lettuce

Topping options

• Crispy lentils (boil 10 mins, olive oil sautee 10 mins),
• Beans
• Cheese (cubed cheddar, pepper jack, or Gouda; goat cheese rounds)
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Quorn nuggets or breaded chik’n
• Walnuts, slivered almonds, or pecans
• Sunflower seeds (roasted and salted) or pumpkin seeds (shelled, roasted, and salted)
• Tomatoes (grape, cherry, or sliced)
• Sliced olives (green or black)
• Frozen sweet corn
• Avocado
• Baby carrots
• Sliced cucumber
• Celery chunks
• Dried cranberries
• Cut apple or pear
• Mandarin orange slices
• Beets (John prefers on the side)

Bread options

• Cornbread
• Crescent rolls (store ones have dairy)
• Sourdough rolls

Crispy lentils

Cook the lentils (brown or green) as usual but not mushy. Coat with olive oil and spread on baking tray. Bake the lentils at 375 for 30-35 minutes, until they're nice and crispy. Remove the tray from the oven at about the 20 minute mark and shake the lentils, so that they cook evenly.

Once the lentils are crispy, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Inspired by https://plantbasedrdblog.com/2024/06/crispy-lentil-salad-with-cilantro-chive-dressing/#tasty-recipes-13338-jump-target and https://kalejunkie.com/crispy-lentil-salad-with-lemon-tahini-dressing/#wprm-recipe-container-30480

Dressings

Basic vinegarette recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (237g) olive oil
• 6 tablespoons (80g) vinegar of choice (balsamic, red wine, white wine, apple cider)
• 2 tablespoons (37g) Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons (37g) maple syrup (or honey)
• 2 medium cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon (7g) fine sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Add all ingredients to immersion blender container or wide mouth mason jar. Blend until well-mixed and garlic chopped completely. If not using garlic (or if chopping ahead of time), you can forgo the immersion blender and just shake by hand with lid on mason jar.

From https://cookieandkate.com/2018/how-to-make-vinaigrette-plus-variations/

Creamy tahini dressing

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 3 tablespoons (40g) red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon (18g) Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon (18g) maple syrup
• 2 medium cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon (3g) fine sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Hemp ranch (not yet to desired state)

• 1/2 cup hulled hemp seeds
• 1/4 cup water (original recipe was a third, but it’s a bit runny)
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill, (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Inspired by https://www.makingthymeforhealth.com/hemp-ranch-dressing/, but needed alterations

French dressing (no tomato)

• 1 large clove garlic
• ⅔ cup light vegetable oil
• ¼ cup white vinegar
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons honey, more or less to taste
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ¾ teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Taken from https://www.fivehearthome.com/homemade-french-catalina-salad-dressing-recipe/

Catalina dressing (tomato)

• 1 large clove garlic
• ⅔ cup canola oil
• ½ cup all-natural ketchup
• ¼ cup white vinegar
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup honey (more or less, to taste)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon salt (plus additional to taste)
• Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Taken from https://www.fivehearthome.com/homemade-french-catalina-salad-dressing-recipe/

Plug and play favorites

• beet and arugula salad w/goat cheese and fresh pepper
• Arugula or iceberg lettuce with grape tomatoes, sunflower seeds, and red wine vinegarette

To try:

• Mason jar salad. https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/food/story/5-easy-make-anytime-recipes-plated-day-115357213
• Dressing: https://www.kitchentreaty.com/how-to-make-a-simple-vinaigrette-salad-dressing/
• Dressing: https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-a-basic-vinaigrette-226699
• Dressing: http://archive.jsonline.com/features/food/dress-your-summer-salads-with-simple-homemade-dressings-b99744549z1-384178711.html