August 2006 Weddings
caden
member
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Foodies! got any good salad recipes?
I have to make a salad to feed 15-20. The main course is lasagna.
Any ideas of what I could do besides buying the nifty little prepackaged salads?
Re: Foodies! got any good salad recipes?
Not a foodie, but I eat a lot of salad.
For an italian meal, I imagine you'll want a basic salad with lettuce, onions, cucumber, tomato, cheese, crutons. I don't really have any fancy salad ingredients to offer, but as far as the preparation...
Chop the salad so all the stuff is in small, bite-sized pieces. There's nothing more awkward at a dinner party than trying to manuevre large pieces of lettuce. Also, toss it with the dressing already in. It doesn't present as well, but it tastes better (just be sure to add a little bit at a time so you don't overdo it). For italian, I like italian dressing. I know, so creative, right?
If you are feeling really ambitious, this caesar salad dressing is really easy and really good.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Caesar-Salad-11636
It uses mayo instead of raw egg, so there's not a risk of food poisoning. You'd need to work with anchovies, but they really do make it super yummy.
I have a recipe for the best ever raspberry vinaigrette, but dammit, I don't have it with me. It's not too tart and not too sweet. It actually tastes like a honey mustard meets balsamic vinaigrette.
I believe it is: 1.5 cups olive oil, 1/2 cup raspberry vinegar, 1/4 cup honey, a few tablespoons chopped red onions, 1 tablespoon Inglehoffer's stone ground mustard, and herbs/spices - basil, parsley, salt, pepper, and ??? does something else go in vinaigrette? If you look up a basic vinaigrette recipe, you could use that as a guide for proportions. Just taste it and adjust as necessary.
You process it all together in a food processor. Make sure the dressing is at room temperature when you want to serve.
Mix together field greens and romaine lettuce. Top with toasted slivered almonds and vinaigrette, toss, and serve. My mom says it's supposed to be topped with crumbled feta, but I hate feta. (I do, however, love goat chevre!) It's my favorite salad of all time.
My favorite salads are:
Goat cheese crumbles, toasted walnuts, chopped persimons on spinach with a light vinigrette.
And
Blue cheese crumbles, slivered almonds, strawberries with a raspberry vinigrette.
I have no idea if this is a common problem, but I know that some people (ie, me) cannot eat spinach. I can eat a leaf or two if it's in something, but if I eat it in any sizable amount, I will get sick. I did some research, and I can't remember for sure, but I believe it's a type of acid in the spinach that causes the problem and is supposedly exacerbated by eating it with dairy.
I'm guessing that nobody in your group has a spinach problem, but it's just a general FYI.
Huh, I've never heard of that. Thanks for the info, bridey!
Spinach and dairy are two of my favorite things to mix!
It was right around the time I started really liking spinach that I noticed this problem (probably 'cause I hadn't eaten much of it before). I love spinach and dairy, too, but it makes me so, so sick. I have no idea how common a problem this is.
It happens to me on a lesser scale. But - too much spinach in general makes me sick. I'm not sure if the dairy/spinach combo has anything to do with it.
wow...
my favorite salad is a spinach salad with boiled eggs, bacon, and a homemade vinegrette (I can post the recipe if desired)...
but I had no idea about the spinach thing... sad.
I am the 99%.
I'd be lost without spinach. ?And that's the salad I get consistent raves for, so I'll share it anyway.
I make my own croutons using the yummy multi grain bread that's slightly sweet. ?All you have to do is cut the bread in uniform sizes, and then lightly coat it with olive oil with spices mixed in (I use what I'm in the mood for. ?Really anything works. ?But I always at least have garlic powder, salt, and a little thyme plus maybe some ground up coriander or rosemary or something like that). ?Spread it on a cooking sheet, top with grated parmesan, bake at 375 for 15 minutes or so. ?I usually check every 5 minutes and move the croutons around or else they don't cook evenly.
Slices of roasted peppers.
Soynuts or almond slices
If I'm in the mood for sweet, I'll add some dried cherries.
If it's for dinner, I'll sautee some shrimp in a little sesame oil.?
And then the dressing. ?I don't have my recipe, but it's loosely based on America's Test Kitchen no-fat garlic recipe. ?Roast a whole head of garlic. ?Process it with chicken or veggie broth (a cup?), and some sundried tomatoes, a tbsp mustard, and then I add lemon juice and different vinegars until it tastes right. ?It's a real imprecise process, but it always turns out well.
Heat the dressing a bit, then pour it over the spinach to slightly wilt it. ?Toss with all the toppings and you're done.?
Thanks everyone!!
Spinach is my fav too. Good to know other people have issues with it. I had no idea.