# Last night's salad - tonight's salad



## blissful (May 30, 2011)

Last night's salad was:
Green lettuce from the garden
steamed and cooled asparagus in 1 inch pieces
small slices of tomato
3 T cottage cheese (set to the side)
salted roasted sunflower seeds

dressing: in a blender until smooth
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup oil
1 yellow onion
2 T sweet paprika
1/2 cup sugar
1 T salt

Any ideas for tomorrow?


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## blissful (May 30, 2011)

Tonight's salad:
Greens from the garden
Iceburg lettuce
bite sized tomatoes
peas
croutons
Vinegar/oil dressing

Croutons:
Hearty rye bread, cubed, drizzed with a little oil, sprinkle of salt baked to crispy

Vinegar/oil dressing:
1/3 cup vinegar
1 cup oil
1 T basil
2 garlic bulbs chopped fine
1 T salt
1/4 t fresh pepper


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## blissful (May 30, 2011)

Tomorrow's salad will have corn (grilled leftover).

Ideas?


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## JMediger (May 30, 2011)

Lettuce (whatever yumminess you have growing), your corn, red & green peppers diced along with some sweet onion tossed with a Santa Fe style dressing topped with grilled chicken and strips of baked tortilla shells?  I wonder how a little mayo, buttermilk, salsa OR pico, and chopped cilantro work for a dressing?


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## blissful (May 31, 2011)

JMediger said:


> Lettuce (whatever yumminess you have growing), your corn, red & green peppers diced along with some sweet onion tossed with a Santa Fe style dressing topped with grilled chicken and strips of baked tortilla shells? I wonder how a little mayo, buttermilk, salsa OR pico, and chopped cilantro work for a dressing?


 
JMediger, how did you know I had leftover chicken in the fridge from the other night? You been snooping around?  I have some sweet onions and colorful peppers to add to the mix.
I agree, some kind of creamy dressing this time, for variety. Then, I'll have, vin/oil dressing, a french (western) type of dressing and a creamy dressing.


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## blissful (May 31, 2011)

The vin/oil dressing was lacking something.
Vinegar/oil dressing:
1/3 cup vinegar
1 cup oil
1 T basil
2 garlic bulbs chopped fine
1 T salt
1/4 t fresh pepper
I added 4 T brown mustard.
It was a little harsh still.
I added 1 and 1/2 T sugar. 
Much better!


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## JMediger (May 31, 2011)

All your dressings sound good!  What did you do for the creamy one?

Lucky guess on the chicken  ... Hope it turned out good!


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## blissful (Jun 1, 2011)

JMediger said:


> All your dressings sound good! What did you do for the creamy one?
> 
> Lucky guess on the chicken  ... Hope it turned out good!


 
It did turn out good. You can look in my refrigerator anytime.

Creamy Dressing (using what I had in the house)
1 cup mayo
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cream
Salt, pepper, celery seed ground, sage, margoram (sp?), garlic. (didn't measure my spices)

They like the French-red dressing best.
We had lentil/pea soup w/ham with salad last night, mmmmmmm. We'll have more tonight and then freeze the rest to warm up when we aren't cooking.

I have a little more chicken left, I'll make a little chicken salad and put a scoop to the side of the lettuce/tomato/corn salad tonight. Bought some feta cheese and we might try that on the salad too.


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## JMediger (Jun 1, 2011)

They all look wonderful!  I would have never thought to add the sage - yum!  I think I'm going to try the red one this weekend with some blue cheese crumbles.  

I think we should just swap fridges .


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## blissful (Jun 5, 2011)

JMediger, blue cheese....mmmmm one of my favorites!

Here are the goodies we have growing today. Now y'all know why we have salad pretty often. I just can't let it go to waste.


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## JMediger (Jun 5, 2011)

Yum!  Looks like your assortment would compliment my pesto tonight .  I have been tempted so often to grow lettuce but honestly, I don't know how to cut it!
Thanks for sharing!


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## CWS4322 (Jun 5, 2011)

JMediger said:


> They all look wonderful! I would have never thought to add the sage - yum! I think I'm going to try the red one this weekend with some blue cheese crumbles.
> 
> I think we should just swap fridges .


 
Oh--we could start a virtual swap fridge thread and see what others would do with the ingredients we have in the fridge!


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## blissful (Jun 5, 2011)

JMediger said:


> Yum! Looks like your assortment would compliment my pesto tonight . I have been tempted so often to grow lettuce but honestly, I don't know how to cut it!
> Thanks for sharing!


 
I love how the lettuce reseeded from last year. It's easy to 'cut'. I just break them off (not pull) and leave the roots and they keep growing. Just cut them off with your fingernail or a scissors, the largest leaves. Within 24 hours they recover and the smaller leaves get bigger and the plant sends up new leaves.
Pesto sounds great, I'll have to think on what I could pesto tomorrow (basil/and oil ready in the freezer). Thank you for the idea!


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## blissful (Jun 5, 2011)

CWS4322 said:


> Oh--we could start a virtual swap fridge thread and see what others would do with the ingredients we have in the fridge!


 
Great idea. My fridge is almost cleaned out--shopping day is Monday!!! I've minimized my condiments this past year, maybe time to stock up again. Ask me tomorrow, I'll join in a virtual swap fridge thread.


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## sparrowgrass (Jun 6, 2011)

I am disappointed with my lettuce crop this year.  My first planting failed to germinate.  (Note to self--lettuce seed may germinate the second year after opening the pack, but not the third.) Second got washed out by torrential rains.  Third grew, but the temp has gone up into the 90's and it is bolting almost before it is big enough to pick.

I make my Mama's wilted lettuce salad--I think I could live on that.


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## blissful (Jun 9, 2011)

Lettuce Wraps (last night)

Baked a chicken and took 1/2 the meat off the bone, and diced it.
Added:
Shredded: 4 carrots, onion, 4 broccoli stems, and celery tops tossed with a little oil and baked 45 minutes to tender (about 2 and 1/2 cups)
2 cups of cooked rice
1 and 1/2 cups chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup chicken juices

I rolled up the filling in lettuce leaves. I found the romaine leaf the only ones big enough but the stems would break and tear--so, I crushed/creased the stem with my thumbnail every 1/4 to 1/8th inch along it's length and then it worked beautifully for rolling.

Two sauces:

Orange sauce: cornstarch, fresh orange juice (2 oranges), orange zest, lemon juice, water-and heated on the stove until thickened.

Soy/garlic/ginger sauce: Soy, garlic, ginger, oil, cornstarch-heated on the stove until it thickened.

They liked them, especially with the orange sauce (or the orange sauce with just a touch of the soy based sauce). We froze the remaining filling in small containers to make these again, or use it with egg roll wrappers in the future.

It was a cool light (salady) meal on a hot day. I just went into the kitchen with the camera thinking I'd make a nice plate with a few dabs of the sauces to show you all........and my son must have eaten the leftovers already last night!

Tonight we'll have a regular lettuce salad with all three lettuces with stuffed tomatoes--not sure what I'll be stuffing them with though. Ricotta something?


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