Category Archives: Salads

Alas, my maternity leave has come to an end.  I have gone back to work (my day job) so now I figure it is time for me to start blogging again.  I decided to make my return with the Kosher Link Up (see below).  This month the theme is croutons.  I would love to say that I have a really creative use for croutons in a recipe, but my recipe is for a traditional use for the little crouton – salad.  I have a FANTASTIC salad recipe with really delicious croutons.  I do not like most store bought croutons.  I find them to be overly salty and hard as rocks.  These have no sodium and you can make them as crisp as you like.  The reason I call the them “garlic bread croutons” is because this is actually how I  make garlic bread and just do not cook it as long.  I use both whole wheat and white bread only because I think it looks pretty. However, you can use any bread you would like.

My recipe is close to a traditional Caesar salad, but without the raw egg yolk.  Truthfully, I have made it with the egg and do not find there to be much of a difference.  Since that is the case I would rather leave it out and save on the calories and salmonella risk!  Yes, there are anchovies in it.  If you are really freaked out then you can leave them out, but I HIGHLY recommend that you try it!  It is not fishy at all!  Whenever someone sees me making the dressing they get nervous about the anchovies and I have to promise that they will never know they are there.  The trick is to really chop and work the anchovies into a paste with the fresh garlic and then incorporate the paste into the dressing.  They add a great flavor without the fishy taste.  Trust me, my husband and sister would not touch it if it were fishy at all and they are my biggest fans of this dish 🙂

I make this salad all the time because it is very easy and so, so good.  I am always getting requests for it so I am glad I will finally be able to share the recipe.  It is great as a starter salad or main course with a piece of grilled or blackened fish.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 10 – 15 Minutes

Yield: 4 – 6 servings

4 slices bread (I use 2 whole wheat and 2 regular, but you can use all the same)

butter

2 large heads of romaine lettuce washed and dried (or 3 packages pre-washed)

1 tablespoon garlic powder

Juice of one large lemon

3 anchovy fillets

1 large garlic clove

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus a little more for garnish

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Lay all four slices of bread on a large plate or cutting board.  Butter one side of each piece of bread.  Sprinkle that side with garlic powder.  Cut the crusts off the bread and then cut them into bite size squares to make the croutons.  Place the croutons on a foil lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray (quick clean up).  Cook in the oven for  5 minutes, then toss and cook another 5-10 minutes until the croutons are crunchy.

Juice the lemon into a large bowl.  If you are not getting a lot of juice from the lemon use another one.   Finely mince the garlic clove.  Once chopped add the anchovy fillets on top of the garlic.  Continue to mince and chop the garlic and anchovy together until the two are integrated into a paste.

Add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and whisk together until everything is combined.  Pour the olive oil in a stream into the mixture while whisking until there is a thick dressing consistency.

Chop the lettuce and add it to the bowl with the dressing.  Toss until the lettuce is covered with dressing.  Add the croutons to the top and sprinkle with some additional Parmesan cheese.

This salad is a mixture of so many tastes and textures it is like a party in your mouth! I love combining different types of flavors in my cookery as it makes every bite interesting.  In this recipe you have spicy arugula, salty feta, sweet cranberries, tart apple, and the sweet and sour dressing.  As for the textures you have the crisp apple, creamy feta, chewy dried cranberries and crunchy walnuts.    Eating is an experience for all of your senses and this recipe is a sensory delight.  For a salad you would be surprised by its depth of flavor.  It is also just really delicious!

Arugula is one of my all time favorite greens.  I use it often in salads even cook with it in my Arugula and Feta Omelet.  It is rich in vitamin C and low in calories.  I personally think the best part is its spicy flavor.  Nowadays it is easy to find pre-washed packages of arugula to make a quick, easy and tasty salads.  Of course you do not have to buy the arugula that is already washed.  I just think that it is a HUGE time saver to have that step already done for you.  One step I do not recommend skipping is toasting the walnuts.  It only takes a few minutes and trust me when I tell you, IT IS WELL WORTH IT.

This salad can be a lovely main meal or first course.  I have made this for guests and have always gotten rave reviews.  The dressing is one that I use for many salads and not just this one.  It is that good.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 0 Minutes
Yield: 4 – 8 servings

1 (5 ounce) bag of pre-washed baby arugula (preferably organic)
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 apple (whatever kind you like, I use Gala or McIntosh for this recipe), thinly sliced
¼ cup dried cranberries
¾ cup crumbled feta cheese

For the dressing:
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
2 – 3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over low heat until fragrant and lightly browned, about 5 to 7 minutes.

In a large bowl add the arugula, dried cranberries, feta, sliced apples and cooled walnuts.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Add the oil in a slow stream, whisking until well combined.

Toss the dressing with the salad right before serving.

There are a few things I like about this recipe.  First is that it takes about five minutes to make, second it tastes great and third leftovers taste even better (if you have any that is).  I never understood why people buy coleslaw from the supermarket when it is so easy to make.  The supermarket version is normally loaded with mayonnaise and has little flavor.

The big time saver on this recipe is the pre-shredded cabbage.  Of course you can shred your own.  However, I believe that time is money and I would rather spend a premium on the already shredded cabbage than take the time to shred it myself.  It is really not much more costly to buy it done for you already.  You can find a sack of cabbage for under two dollars.  The other time saver is that there are only a few ingredients.  I have seen several coleslaw recipes with a lot more ingredients than this.  When you taste this recipe you will know that they are not needed.

Whenever I make this, I get lots of compliments.  If I serve it to guests they are very impressed that I made it from scratch.  Little do they know how easy it is to make.  If you are making this for a crowd you can easily make it the day before you serve it which is nice.  My husband is a big fan of a New York style deli coleslaw and says mine is just as good as any deli he has ever been to.  That is a pretty big compliment coming from him.

This recipe is a flavorful side dish and does not have to just be made with burgers and hot dogs.  On a week night when I need to get dinner on the table quickly I can whip this up in no time.  I usually serve it as a side dish with different types of fish.  Whether it be fish sticks, grilled fish or pan fried it goes great!  It is also nice with grilled or barbeque chicken.  I do have other slaw recipes that I would love to share, but this one is a classic!

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time:  0 Minutes
Yield: 4 – 8 servings

16 oz package of pre-shredded cabbage

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

½ cup mayonnaise (I use low fat)

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon celery seed (optional)

Dissolve the sugar and salt into the vinegar in a large bowl.  Add the mayonnaise, pepper and celery seed.  Use either a whisk or fork to mix until there is a smooth dressing consistency.

Fold in shredded cabbage and mix well so that every piece is covered in dressing.

As with many of my recipes this one came about on the fly.  I was having people over for dinner one Friday night a few years ago.  Before having guests for a meal I often go into a last minute panic that I will not have enough food.   The funny thing is that I ALWAYS have more than enough.  I am constantly sending people home with packages of food.  More often than not, I have leftovers for the next two days.  I do not know why this happens!  I have been cooking for people my entire adult life. I have made countless Shabbat dinners.  Why do I always think that I will not have enough food at the last minute.  Does this happen to anyone else?

In my panic I decided that I must make another dish.  I searched through my pantry, found a bottle of olives and this recipe was born.  The good thing is that it can be put together in no time.  The great thing is that it really is delicious.  One of my friends who came over for dinner that night asked me for the recipe because she liked it so much.  This is also a nice recipe for Passover (right around the corner)!

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Yield: 4 – 6 servings

1 (9-10 ounce) bottle of Spanish olives stuffed with pimentos, drained
1 lemon
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
¼  teaspoon red pepper flakes (more or less depending on your heat tolerance – optional)
2 scallions, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, rinsed well
2 teaspoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees  F

Place the drained olives into an oven safe baking dish.  Zest half a lemon onto the olives and add fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon of olive oil and toss together.  Seal the dish with tin foil so that the olives can steam.  Bake for 10 minutes.

While the olives are in the oven chop the scallions and cut the grape tomatoes in half.  Place them in a medium sized bowl.  Add a pinch of kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

When the olives are ready add them along with all of their cooking juices to the bowl with the tomatoes.   Add the juice of half a lemon, 1 teaspoon of olive oil and mix well.