Grilled Watermelon, Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad

Who knew that grilled watermelon would be so tasty!!! This is a watermelon salad recipe that Alyssa wanted to try. It's from my John Besh MY NEW ORLEANS COOKBOOK.

You marinate the watermelon in a Pepper Jelly vinaigrette...
then you grill the watermelon pieces...
Put it all together and you have a beautiful salad!

GRILLED WATERMELON, TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD

_{Yields 6 servings}

• 6 slices seedless watermelon, rind removed
• 2 T Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette ** see below for recipe
• 1 T balsamic vinegar
• 3 T olive oil
• 1 clove garlic,minced
• 1 pinch sugar
• 1 sprig basil, chopped
• 2 C tomatoes, peeled (mixed colors of smaller varieties are best)
• 1/2 C fresh goats cheese
• 2 or 3 C young lettuces
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Fresh garden herbs such as chives, chive blossoms, chervil, parsley & dill

METHOD:

Marinate the watermelon in the Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette for several minutes before grilling over high heat. Grill each both sides of the watermelon for several minutes and remove.

In a small mixing bowl whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, garlic, sugar and basil together with enough salt and pepper to tasted.

Toss the small tomatoes with the vinaigrette in the bowl and place on individual plates or a platter along with the grilled watermelon.

Crumble the goat cheese over the top of the tomatoes and watermelon. Toss the lettuces in the vinaigrette remaining in the small bowl and serve over the top of the salad.

Garnish with what ever fresh garden herbs that you have available.

PEPPER JELLY VINAIGRETTE

• 1/2 cup(s) pepper jelly
• 1/2 cup(s) red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon(s) sambal chile paste
• 1 1/2 cup(s) canola oil
• Salt, to taste

---

Directions

1. Put all ingredients into a bowl and whisk until well mixed.

My picture of this salad is blurry so here's one straight from the Food Network.
I was a bit nervous about even attempting this recipe. Kale can be so bitter. I read the reviews and EVERYONE loved it! So how could I not try it? I have to admit that I did the order of ingredients wrong. Read before making this. In the end, all of the ingredients were in there in the correct amounts but Alyssa remembers there being more dressing when we saw it on Aarti's show. Honestly, I think the order of the ingredients wasn't the problem, I think it was the fact that i bought the biggest head of Kale that there was. I think i should have doubled all of the other ingredients. The parts of the salad that had the dressing coating it were delicious. Aartie said it's best the longer it sits. This salad goes with her Bombay Sloppy Joe's which you will find in the Main Dish category to the right.

Massaged Kale Salad

Recipe courtesy Aarti Sequeira, 2010

Serves:

4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale (black kale is especially good), stalks removed and discarded, leaves thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons honey
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 mango, diced small (about 1 cup)
• Small handful toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), about 2 rounded tablespoons

Directions

In large serving bowl, add the kale, half of lemon juice, a drizzle of oil and a little kosher salt. Massage until the kale starts to soften and wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside while you make the dressing.

In a small bowl, whisk remaining lemon juice with the honey and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stream in the 1/4 cup of oil while whisking until a dressing forms, and you like how it tastes.

Pour the dressing over the kale, and add the mango and pepitas. Toss and serve.

Joan's Broccoli Madness aka... Sweet Tomatoes Broccoli Salad

Joan’s Broccoli Madness

Whenever we visit Brooke, we always go to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner. We just love it! One of our favorites is the Broccoli Salad. I was so happy to find the recipe today. I made it as a side with dinner tonight and it was delicious.... just like I remember!

Serves 6-8.
1 bunch uncooked broccoli*
½ cup crumbled cooked bacon
½ cup cashews
1/3 cup raisins
¼ cup chopped red onions

Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Mix the first five ingredients in a large bowl.
In a second bowl, beat dressing ingredients together gently until smooth.
Toss the salad with the dressing approximately 10 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld. Serve on chilled salad dishes.

Salad with Vinaigrette Dressing and Fried Eggplant Croutons

I made this salad last night. It had gotten great reviews and my family agrees! I was a bit skeptical about the eggplant croutons but they 'make' the salad! DELICIOUS! There was enough dressing to use on additional salads. I keep it in the refrigerator in a canning jar.
Aaron never let's me down with his recipes!

Deep-Fried Eggplant Croutons

Recipe courtesy Aaron McCargo Jr.

Ingredients

• Canola oil, for frying
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs
• 1 eggplant, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
• Salt

Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 bag spring mix greens
• 1 heart romaine, chopped
• 10 basil leaves, torn
• 10 fresh oregano leaves
• 10 parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

Directions

Preheat a fryer to 375 degrees F.

In separate shallow dishes add flour, egg and bread crumbs. Coat the eggplant cubes in the flour, then the egg and finally through the bread crumbs. Carefully add the cubes to the fryer and fry until crisp and golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the fryer to a paper towel lined platter to drain. Sprinkle with salt and set aside.

Vinaigrette:

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, garlic and mustard. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to combine and emulsify. Add the herbs, salt and pepper. Set aside to dress salad.

In a large serving bowl, toss together the greens, herbs, cheese, tomatoes and onion.

Toss with the desired amount of dressing, top with eggplant croutons and serve.

BOK CHOY SALAD, RIBS & BBQ CORN YUM!

This is a really nice, summer salad. Kris made it for the shower. I had 2 helpings and would have gone back for more had I not wanted to look like a pig!

I decided to make it last night to go with our RIBS and BBQ SMOKED CORN (recipes at the bottom).

As with all of the recipes that I try, nothing ever goes without some sort of problem. The recipe is easy enough but you need to pay attention! I put the 'mixture' on the stove to saute until golden brown. I then ran outside to put the corn in the smoker. I was rinsing out the cooler that the corn was soaking in with the hose when Alyssa came running out to tell me that the stuff on the stove is BLACK! Yup! I forgot about it! So I had to start all over again! Then when I was making the dressing, I put it in a tupperware container that has holes in the top that the steam can come out of. Being that this was very hot, I thought it was a perfect choice. I poured it in and it came to the top. That was my problem! As I snapped the top on, the hot oil mixture shot out onto my shirt and across the kitchen! What a mess. This recipe is really easy, it's just my mistakes that make everything so difficult!

The salad came out delicious and everyone enjoyed it, so much so that Alyssa and Scott finished off the leftovers this morning for breakfast!

BOK CHOY SALAD

4 Bok Choy (or 4 bags of coleslaw)

3 bunches of scallions

4-6 pkgs Ramen Oriental noodles soup

6-8 oz slivered almonds

6-8 oz sunflower seeds (I bought dry roasted)

Garlic powder

Chop Bok Choy and Scallions (white and green parts) and put in a large ziploc bag with holes in it. Refrigerate.

While still in unopened packages, crunch up ramen noodles well with your hands. Disgard the seasoning packets. Pour noodles into a large bowl; add almonds and sunflower seeds to make a nice even mix. Add garlic powder (as much as you want. I added quite a lot!). Mix well.

Saute 1/2 of the dry mix in a large skillet in some vegetable oil. WATCH CAREFULLY and stir often sop it doesn't burn! When a little golden brown, remove the mixture from the pan and repeat with the rest of the mix. Allow to cool. You can do that in advance and store in a container at room temp.

DRESSING

1 cup olive oil

3-4 TBSP soy sauce (I used low sodium)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup sugar

Boil all dressing ingredients together, mixing constantly while cooking. Remove from heat IMMEDIATELY when mixture comes to a boil and keep stirring until it stops boiling. Let cool and pour into a container and refrigerate. (I forgot to let it cool. That's where I went wrong!)

Prepare salad by mixing all ingredients together RIGHT BEFORE EATING so it doesn't become soggy.

BBQ CORN

INGREDIENTS
10 ears fresh corn with husks
1 quart beer
1 (7 pound) bag of ice cubes

DIRECTIONS
Place whole ears of corn in an ice chest. Pour beer over top. Dump ice out over the ears of corn. Place the lid on the cooler, and let sit 8 hours, or overnight.
Preheat smoker** to 250 degrees F ( 120 degrees C).
Place corn in the smoker and close the lid. Cook for 1 to 2 hours, turning every 20 minutes or so. Kernels should give easily under pressure when done. To eat, just peel back the husks and use them for a handle.

**You can also cook these on a grill for about 30 minutes if you don't have a smoker.

PJ smoked the ribs the day before in the smoker. All I then had to do was brush on a BBQ sauce and grill them to warm them up for dinner. I chose to make my favorite BBQ sauce from my idol... Tyler Florence!

The Ultimate Barbecue Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 slice bacon , cut into 1/2 " pieces

1 bunch fresh thyme

Extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 cups ketchup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses

2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika if available

Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute bacon for a few minutes. Add the thyme and cook slowly 3 to 4 minutes to render the bacon fat and give the sauce a nice smoky taste. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly without coloring for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, give the sauce a stir, and turn the heat down to low. Cook slowly for 20 minutes to meld the flavors. Once the sauce is done cooking, remove about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce and reserve for serving along side the ribs at the table. The rest of the barbecue sauce will be used for basing the ribs.

SANTA FE CHICKEN SALAD

This salad is a lot like Chili's EXPLOSION SALAD without the quesadilla's. It's really good! It can be a little time consuming so I would suggest at least making the dressing and corn and bean salsa the day ahead of time. For those watching their weight, you can substitute fat free sour cream or fat free mayo in place of the regular mayo. Also, you may want to dip your forkfuls into the dressing instead of pouring it all over. You'd be surprised at how little dressing you actually use when you dip! ENJOY!!!

Santa Fe Chicken Salad


corn and black bean salsa

-Seed and dice two roma tomatoes. Put in a bowl.
-Finely dice half of a red onion. Put that in the bowl too.- Take a can of black beans. Drain and rinse well.
-use a cup or so of frozen corn. Put that in the bowl too.
-Seed and pith a jalapeno then dice. If you want it spicier, leave the seeds or add another pepper to the mix.

-Chop up some cilantro.-Squeeze in half a lime. Season the salsa with a little salt and pepper.
-Stir well then cover with saran and put in the fridge.-This can be made a day in advance.

southwest ranch dressing

-Take one package ranch dressing mix. Dump the dry mix into a bowl
-Add 1 cup mayonnaise. (Sour Cream can be substituted)
-Add 1 cup milk. Mix the dressing together.-Add 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce. If you want this spicier, add a little more.
-Add 1 tsp garlic powder.-Add 1 tsp chili powder.-Add 1 tsp cumin.-Squeeze in half of a lime.-Mix everything together. This dressing can be made days in advance. In fact, the longer it sits, the better the flavors will have a chance to marry and balance out.

Now to make tortilla strips!

-Take 4-5 fajita sized tortillas and cut in half.-Cut them into thin strips.-Heat some oil in a pot and fry the strips up. When they're nice and golden, pull from the oil and place on some paper towels.-As soon as you pull the tortilla strips from the oil, season lightly with salt. These *can* be made the day ahead. Put the strips in a ziploc or any airtight container so they don't get stale or soft.
Now it's time for the main body of the salad!

-Take a package of McCormicks Grill Mates Southwest marinade. Put 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a ziploc. Dump in the marinade (as prepared according to the directions on the package). The packaging says you only need to marinate for 15 minutes. Personally, I like it a little more seasoned, so I let them sit in that marinade all day, overnight if possible.-Grill, bake or cook the chicken on the stove until done.
-Using two forks, start pulling the meat apart. The shredded meat goes a long way vs. cutting into cubes.
-Put the chicken in a large bowl.-Chop up 1 head of iceberg lettuce and add to the bowl.
-Grate some cheese (1-2 cups). I used some cheddar and some monterey jack. Put all the cheese in the bowl too.
-Slice up one avocado. You can dice this and add directly to the lettuce bowl if you want. I leave them in slices and use on top.
-Toss everything in the bowl together. If your family likes olives, you can add some sliced black olives.
-Begin by putting some of the salad on the plate.
-Put a big handful of corn and black bean salsa on top in the middle.
-Put slices of avocado around the plate.-Put a small stack of tortilla strips on top like a haystack. These will be your "croutons" for the salad.
-Drizzle on some of the salad dressing and you're done! Time to eat up.

Asian Noodle Salad... A GREAT SALAD!

I made the Asian Noodle Salad from the Pioneer Woman Cooks blog. It was so good, especially the dressing! It made enough for an army yet after Scott and Alyssa's 10 pm second dinner, now it's almost all finished. It will make enough for probably 15 people as a side dish! The recipe is easy to cut in half or even into a 1/4. I wouldn't cut the dressing though. Use it over regular salad! And the jalapeno peppers didn't make it hot. Just be sure to get rid of the seeds without touching them! I think the key is all of the cilantro. I love cilantro! In all, I used 1 1/2 bunches... one in the salad and 1/2 for the dressing. Next time I will leave out the cashews, mostly because it gets too expensive. Speaking of which, the regular peppers were $5 per pound this week (for red) and I refuse to spend that on food! So I used whatever I had in the fridge. I also used romaine lettuce instead of the Napa Cabbage. Next time I will get rid of most of the EVOO to lighten it up a bit and add something else. Other than that... it's a keeper!
Asian Noodle Salad
SALAD INGREDIENTS:
1 package linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled
1/2 to 1 head sliced Napa cabbage
1/2 to 1 head sliced purple cabbage
1/2 to 1 bag baby spinach
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1 orange bell pepper, sliced thin (if available)
1 small bag bean sprouts
3 sliced scallions
3 peeled, sliced cucumbers
LOTS of chopped cilantro—up to one bunch
1 can whole cashews, lightly toasted in skillet
DRESSING:
Juice of 1 lime
8 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 hot peppers or jalapenos, chopped
More chopped cilantro—LOTS
Mix together salad ingredients. Whisk together dressing ingredients ( I put it in the blender) and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on platter.*Dressing keeps up to three days before serving, WITHOUT cilantro.