Making Friends In the Salad Bowl

No matter if it's in the sandbox, at the workplace or in the salad bowl, people and ingredients need to make friends with each other and sometimes it's the unlikely combinations that can get along best. Who knew that it would be the parmesan cheese and cumin who were responsible for pumping this salad bowl party into gear? And that when avocados and almonds get together and chit chat that you lose inches from your waist line? Like any good hostess knows, mixing makes for interesting, so I send out the invites to a few different bins in the fridge and the guests turned out to be perfectly matched.

Waist Slimmer Fall Party Salad

Slice in half 1 butternut squash - dribble with olive oil, dash of salt, chopped basil and a healthy dusting of nutmeg - bake in the oven until soft. When finished chop half into bite size cubes.

Add it to the mix:

Chopped romaine lettuce, a handful of rocket lettuce, 1/2 avocado diced, parmesan chunks and about a handful of chopped almonds.

Dressing

Olive oil, lemon, splash of soy sauce and a generous sprinkling of cumin powder.

Aspara-chard-agus

O.K - well this salad might not be the most innovative but it sure is yummy and it's incredibly good for you to boot.

Aspara-chard-agus salad

2 cups cooked quinoa, 5-7 asparagus spears lightly steamed, handful of swiss chard lightly steamed.

Dressing

You guessed it! Olive Oil, Lemon, Salt.

The Great Butternut Taste Test

Ahhh...working from home. Working from home sometimes means organizing lunch into an event, which is really just a very clever cover for severe procrastination. And sometimes my dreamy boyfriend works from home too, which means that he involuntarily becomes my culinary guinea pig. On one of these fine afternoons I decided to conduct a butternut squash taste off - one with a summery feel and one more focused on fall.

When the big taste test was going down I asked my subject, "Which one do you like better Mr. Fraser?" to which he dutifully replied while engrossed in his rugby game, "Oh, there is a difference?" - He liked the fall squash salad and I chose summer but in the end they just got mixed together on the plate anyway and we concluded that that was actually our favorite. It was paired with a rotisserie chicken and in the end it afforded me nearly an hour of work avoidance - Bellissimo!

Preparation of butternut squash -

Sliced and sprinkled with some olive oil, a dash of butter, a dusting of allspice and some basil leaves - place in the oven for about 45 minutes or until soft-ish (think of all that procrastination time!)

Summer Squash Salad

Half the baked squash chopped into cubes, 1 can cannelli beans, a handful of Kalamata olives, a sprinkling of feta cheese and chopped basil leaves.

Dressing -

Olive oil, lemon, salt

Fall Squash Salad

Chop into small pieces about alf a leek and 4-6 mushroom caps - then saute in a little itsy bitsy dollop of butter, a dash of soy and a pinch of salt. Cover for about five minutes to let the leek and mushrooms get nice and soft.

Chop into cubes half the baked squash, 1 can cannelli beans then add in the leek and mushroom.

Dressing -

Lemon, salt and some Truffle infused Olive Oil - this one is a new addition in our cupboard after the tip off from the lovely Miss Andrea Fraser and honestly, it is deeeelish!

Keep it Simple Silly

My absolute favorite salad as a kid was always the classic house salad served in American-Italian restaurants. There was always a handful of iceburg lettuce, a few thinly cut cucumber slices, tomato wedges, strings of red onion, some carrot shavings, a sprinkle of parmesan and a really tangy olive oil/red wine vinegar dressing. Now that i'm grown up and can make my own salads, I created my own version of this simple classic - removing the ingredients I didn't love (tomato) and replacing them with ones that I did (heart of palm). This can be whipped up in literally two minutes, goes with most everything and always tastes just as good as the salads in my childhood memories.

Simple Salad

Chopped romaine, handful of chopped red onion, 1 can of heart of palm - chopped, shavings of 1 carrot and grated parmesan.

Dressing

Olive oil, lemon, red wine vinegar, salt , pepper and lots of dried oregano

Greek Salad + Kitchen SInk

This tasty and super nutritious salad started with a greek base and ended up with me getting carried away after a big shop at the farmer market. Packed with mouthfuls of vitamins and protein, this baby can keep you nice and full for the entire day.

Greek + Kitchen Sink

Chopped romaine lettuce, handful of chopped red onion, 1 tomato, 1 cucumber, 1 avocado, 2 hard boiled eggs, 2 cups quinoa and a handful of kalamata/green olive mix

Dressing

Olive Oil, lemon, dash of red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and dried oregano.

Opa!

It took me almost as long to post this Greek salad as it did to get my Greek passport! (that would be a long time) For how much I love a good Greek salad it should have been one of my first posts. But alas, here it is along with my full disclosure of a secret little ingredient that just pops the dressing into a whole new stratosphere of delicious - fennel seeds.

Greek Salad

Chopped cucumber, chopped tomato, pink onion, fresh basil, Kalamata olives, Feta cheese.

For the Dressing:

Olive Oil, Lemon, Red Wine Vinegar, Crushed Fennel Seeds (a dusting on top of the salad), Oregano and Salt to taste.

Kali Oreksi!

Turn Up the Temp!

Salads don't always have to be cold. Looking for a compliment with a rotisserie chicken, I decided to use the vegetables I would normally throw into a chicken pie - and just minus the pie....a perfect and healthy combination.

Three Bean, Potato, Baby Carrot, Corn, Green Bean and Leek Salad
To make this salad I lightly steamed the potato, carrot and green beans. In a saucepan, I then sauteed the steamed veggies along with a chopped leek in some olive oil. I added a teaspoon of mustard, a dash of white wine, a few sprigs of fresh thyme and fresh oregano, as well as salt and pepper. I did not steam or saute for very long so that the vegetables would still have a slight crunch to them. When this was finished I mixed, in a salad bowl, the vegetables along with a can of three bean mix and a can of corn kernels. My local grocery sells a great can of three bean mix which includes chick peas, pinto and white bean.

Most of the dressing has been done in the saute but I like to add just a little more olive oil and the juice of one lemon.

Don't Hate Me because I Am Beautiful...

....and tasty! This simple salad can really spruce up a plate - with the orange of the carrot, green of the lettuce and beige of the beans all working together in a perfect palette for Fall.

Rocket, Carrot, Butter Bean, Parmesan Salad

First I lightly steam the sliced carrots. Then I saute them in a little olive oil and salt and spice them with either a dash of cumin or a dash of allspice - depending on my mood. Cumin if I am feeling particularly bubbly and energized and allspice if I want to put on an air of mystery.

The i'll mix that in with the rocket base lettuce, 1 can of butter beans and some sliced parmesan.

For the Dressing:

Olive Oil, Juice of 1 Lemon and Salt and Pepper to taste.

Let's talk....Burglar's Thighs!

What!? Burglar's Thighs!? Yup, that's right -these burglar's thighs never tasted so good! Burglar's thighs, otherwise known as Heart of Palm, is a heavenly little surprise that lives at the center of certain palm trees. Once harvested and canned, they become a flavorful, if not addictive, addition to salads and casseroles or they can be eaten directly from the can as a low calorie snack. But not every can is filled with instant magic - finding the right brand is much like finding the perfect wine with dinner.

Luckily for you I have had years in the field - conducting very extensive research on which brand delivers a nice, soft in texture, bursting with flavor palm and which brand delivers a hard, rotten, spotten and stained palm.

And the Winner is....

Season Brand Heart of Palm

Weather in the can or glass jar, these burglar's thighs really pack a punch. They have the perfect texture of not too hard, not too soft and always score high in flavor. In London my palm option is Green Giant (pictured above) and I would have to say these come in a close second - like nipping at the heels second - like almost a straight up tie second.

And the Loser is....

Sorry Roland Brand - I've tried hard to make these work but I consistently just get a hard, flavorless, brown stained palm - now that is just one burglar thigh you don't want to eat!

Got Protein?

Feeling a little sluggish on your amino acids? Hair not glistening in the sun like usual? skin a bit crackled and dry? Fear not! This Protein Buster salad is to the rescue! Packed with hearty beans and egg for energy and silky avocado and olive oil for strong hair and smooth skin - a great pick me up for the long winter months (and good for all the other seasons too!)

Chick Pea, Egg, Avocado and Heart of Palm Salad

The magic one's again - 1 can chick peas, 1 avocado, 1 can heart of palm - and the odd man out - 2 boiled eggs.

For the dressing:

I keep this one simple with just Olive Oil and juice of 1 Lemon and salt to taste.

Experimenting is not always a disaster....

Experimenting with an untested hair dye or a big karate chop kick in the air that could potentially throw out your back is usually not recommended, but when it comes to bean, lettuce and veggie combos I say let the culinary games begin! I was surprised at how much I liked this salad and my better half was surprised at how much of it I could eat - I made myself a little science project using whatever I had in the cupboard and the fridge and viola - a new fav was born!

Romain, Rocket, Spinach, Black Eyed Peas, Steamed Cauliflower, Steamed Green Beans, Carrot, Red Onion and Quinoa Salad

Depending on the serving size, try to get an equal mix of the base lettuce, 1 can of BEP, a handful of steamed cauliflower and green beans, 1 carrot, 1/4 red onion and 1 cup quinoa.

For the Dressing:

Olive Oil, Juice of 1 Lemon, 1 tablespoon of Pesto, 1 tablespoon of Olive Tepenade, and Salt to taste.

Quick, Easy, Healthy and Filling....

...really - what more could you ask for? I think I can get this one out on the table in under five.

White Cannelli Beans, Avocado, Tomato, White Onion and Basil (Regular - not Greek)

The magic measurements usually work for me - one, one, one and well...a quarter of one.

1 can cannelli, 1 avocado, 1 ripe tomato and 1/4 white onion - oh and a few springs of basil.

For the dressing:

Olive Oil, Juice of 1 Lemon, Salt and Peppa.

Tried and True Fav - An Unexpected Crowd Pleaser

This salad is my absolute favorite and my trusty stand by. It's the one I bring to a potluck, it's the one I try to impress new friends with, it's the one I crave most often. And who would have guessed that grandma's cabbage could taste so darn good! It's crispy, it's minty and the combo of toasted sesame oil and cumin are sure to be a crowd pleaser (well, if I am in the crowd anyway).

Cabbage, Chick Peas (Garbnazo Beans), Heart of Palm and Mint

Chop the green leaf cabbage into small edible bites. Throw in a can of chick peas and chop the heart of palm into bite size pieces as well. Then add a healthy dose of chopped up mint.

(The photos above are without the chick peas because I didn't have any in the cupboard)

For the Dressing:

Toasted Sesame Oil, Juice of 1 Lemon, Apple Cider Vinegar, a very healthy dusting of powdered cumin and salt to taste.

I Yam What I Yam

I am not a fan of sweet foods, but I had read somewhere that yams were a great source of energy for sports players and since my better half is an all star tennis phenomenon with important matches coming up, I had to figure a way to incorporate them into our diet in a way that would make us both happy - him sweet, me savory.

Romaine, Spinach, Baked Yam, Mushroom, and Pink Onion Salad

Everything here is self explanatory except for the mushroom which I lightly sauteed in some olive oil and of all things - a little sherry wine - go figure - but it's tasty.

For the Dressing:

Olive Oil, Lemon, a dash of curry powder and salt and pepper to taste.

Let's Talk Lettuce - Romaine, Rocket and Spinach - A Winning Combo

Romaine and rocket lettuce along with that other leafy green thing we call spinach I think makes for a truly winning combination.

I am fairly new to rocket. I think it's much more common in Europe than in the States. It's peppery flavor has me captivated for the time being - but sometimes the taste can be overpowering on it's own, especially if there are a lot of other ingredients included in the salad. My taste buds had a bit of a eureka moment when I decided to try the three prong leafy green approach and added it in with the romaine and spinach. And the trophy goes to.....me (for thinking of it).

For lack of a better title - Salad #3

This salad makes use of my new favorite combination of rocket lettuce and hand cut parmesan cheese (i,e. not grated). The linseeds also add an extra daily dose of omega 3 - which comes in handy. I think you are supposed to ground up the linseeds - but I tried this and I soon had linseeds all over my floor - so I opted to just sprinkle them on and hope that I possessed an internal grinder that would do the hard work for me and keep my kitchen a bit tidier.

Rocket, Spinach, Parmesan Cheese, Bean Sprout and Linseed Salad.

For the dressing:

Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar and Salt.

Rocket, Spinach, Parmesan, Bean Sprouts, and Linseed Salad

And the secret ingredient is....

This was a little number I whipped up for myself one afternoon for lunch. Yes it is a big salad. No, there were no leftovers. Yes, I was very full but because the ingredients are light and healthy, I felt fine again shortly after.

Romaine, Spinach, Steamed Cauliflower, Three Bean Sprout and Mint Salad

Depending on the serving size, I try to make a pretty even mix of the romaine and spinach. The bean sprouts give it a nice, earthy flavor and well the mint is just a super secret, surprise kicker of an ingredient - tying the whole ensemble together.

For the dressing:

Olive Oil, juice of 1 lemon, dash of mustard, dash of soy, healthy sprinkling of cumin, salt and pepper.

Mmmm, Mmmm good!

Do You Know What I Am?

I didn't. And that's embarrassing because I actually have a Greek passport. I am Greek Basil (that was the plant speaking by the way).

My new summer favorite over regular basil. It's has a bit of a spicier flavor and because of it's sturdy leaf texture it doesn't stick together after washing - perfect for blending in nicely with a base lettuce.

Sweet Corn Kernels are so 2011...

...and so is Quinoa. Both these ingredients have been staging a major comeback in the kitchen arena of the Frazzimatis residence. Well actually not really a comeback, more of a debut. In an effort to cut back on our wheat intake, I have been adding quinoa fast and furious to many our dishes. It's super healthy, easy to dress and looks pretty to boot!

Romaine, Quinoa, Corn, Edamame, Pink Onion and Greek Basil Salad

Yup, just like it says - chop everything up and throw everything in a bowl. I eyeball my serving sizes but for two people usually these measurements work:

1 head of romaine, 1 cup of quinoa, 1 small can of corn, 1 cup edamame, 1/4 red onion and 1 handful of chopped Greek Basil. (Do you notice a measurement theme here?)

For the dressing - I dress directly on the salad instead of mixing separately and then pouring.

Now for precision at it's finest:

Healthy dose of Olive Oil, juice of 1 lemon, dash of dijon mustard, splash of soy, splash of apple juice, a not so shy sprinkling of powdered cumin, salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

This blog is most definitely dedicated to my sister-in-law!

Many moons ago (exactly one year and seven months) my sister-in-law Jessica and I became unexpected roommates. I had just been kicked out of Portugal (visa) and was behaving like a stray cat and well, the clever Miss Jessica knows that the key to a thriving marriage is taking little snippets of time apart from your other half. So in the blustery cold of January, we convened in her pied-a-terre in Manhattan and started to really get to know one another. Over the weeks and months our comfort level grew and soon - over coffee, lunches, walks in the park - we bared our struggles, our hopes, our aspirations, and our lives out to one another. Didn't that sentence sound civilized and dramatic? I thought so too. Actually let me paint the real picture - we were like two school girls at summer camp - playing dress up with outdated disco outfits, donning wigs instead of winter hats, which we thought was just hilarious, and then snorting, chortling and gasping for air when the laughter became too much.

Oh and I also thought of a new career everyday. "Jess, I know! I am going to write a book!" "Great," she would reply.

Then for the next week I would tell her exactly how I was going to do that and she would give me 110% of her support. Then the next week would arrive. "Jess, I know! I want to make wall tiles! Really pretty wall tiles!"

"Great," she would reply.

Then for the next week I would tell her exactly how I was going to do that and she would give me 110% of her support. Then the next week would arrive. "Jess, I know! I want to be a funeral home director!"

"Great," she would reply.

Then for the next week I would tell her exactly how I was going to do that and she would give me 110% of her support. Then the next week would arrive. "Jess, I know! I want to make iphone applications!"

It was a Fall day like any other in New York when I exclaimed, "Jess, I know! I want to make a salad blog! Yes! That's it! A blog all about....all about....Salad!"

As I stood there in front of her without my book, without my tiles, without my new funeral director job and without my iphone application, I knew that the salad blog might have been the straw that finally broke the camel's back. "You can't do this to me anymore!' she bellowed. "I can't go down this road with you again! You get me all excited and then....and then... nothing!"

She was right. I couldn't lay down another idea until I had checked one off the list. So I decided to go ahead and tackle the most difficult one first - the salad blog. Conceived almost one year ago and born today - this salad blog Jessica is for you!