A Month of Salad

AOL Food lists 31 salads - from fruity or veggie salads to seafood or meaty salads. With so many delicious varieties you'll never get bored! It also features a video from Stephanie Izard, Top Chef Season 4 winner. Enjoy!

Simple Cucumber, Tomato, and Onion Salad

I wanted something lite to eat yesterday and had some things I needed to use up, so I made a simple cucumber, tomato, and red onion salad. Merely sliced the cucumbers, diced the tomatoes and onion and put into a bowl. Nothing special about that, but it was the dressing I made that kicked it up a notch.

Creamy & Tangy Lemon Dijon Dressing

Reduced Fat Trader Joe's mayonnaise
dijon mustard
olive oil
apple cider vinegar
fresh squeezed lemon juice
salt & pepper

Again, I don't measure, I add to taste!

Trust me, this is a dressing that will complement any salad!

Amazing Caesar Salad in NYC

Today I attended a social media conference at the Roger Smith Hotel in Manhattan. They provided lunch which included sandwiches and, much to my happiness, caesar salad. It was fresh, crisp romaine lettuce with real anchovies on top! WIN! It was accompanied by a perfect creamy caesar dressing. It was a seriously delicious ceasar salad. This picture doesn't do it justice! There was a long line of hungry people so I had to be quick. :-)

McDonald's Southwest Salad

While traveling to a client meeting in NJ yesterday, my colleagues and I decided to stop some where for a bite to eat since we were 45 minutes early. Someone suggested McDonald's. While I am not a fan of fast food, especially not McDonald's, I acquiesced. Prior to walking in the door, I had no idea what I was going to get.

At first glance of the menu, I noticed that they had some salads. Even though I know some fast food salads are worse than the burgers, I took my time making a choice. So I opted for the Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken. It was surprisingly very good and I didn't have to feel guilty about eating it, even with the low-fat balsamic dressing!

I still prefer making my own, but in a pinch this McDonald's salad is an okay choice!

Sumptuous Summer Salad

Now that it is summer again and there is a bevy of fresh fruits and vegetables to be found, I will be eating more and more salads. I don't think there is a vegetable I don't like. And I like most fruits, too.

So today, I concocted a salad that combined veggies and fruits for a delicious, colorful sumptuous summer salad with a homemade honey-lime vinaigrette. I don't really measure, I just try to add a nice balance of ingredients.

Sumptuous Summer Salad

Mixed greens (spinach, arugula, butter lettuce, escarole, etc.)
White mushrooms (sliced)
Roma tomato (diced)
Green bell pepper (slivered)
Orange bell pepper (slivered)
Purple onion (slivered)
Avocado (diced)
Strawberries (sliced)
Walnuts (handful)

Honey-Lime Vinaigrette

1/2 lime (squeezed)
teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1-2 tablespoons honey
couple squirts of dijon mustard
1-2 tablespoon olive oil

Wisk dressing ingredients together. If you wish the dressing to be more creamy, add more dijon. If you wish it more tart, add more lime juice.

I think the only thing I would have added to this salad is some fresh crumbled goat cheese. Maybe next time. :-)

FYI: Most of the ingredients were purchased at Reading Terminal Market or Lang's Fruit & Produce in South Philly.