Thayer in the Kitchen

We went to my son and daughter-in-law's for the July 4 weekend.  I was asked to bring potato salad, but my son doesn't like mayonnaise.  I found this recipe for French Potato Salad on the Food Network.  It was originally a Barefoot Contessa recipe.  I made a few adaptations. This is a great salad for picnics because you don't have to worrry about keeping it cold. It is good at room temperature. I love the variety of fresh herbs in this version.  I have an herb garden on my deck so at this time of the year fresh herbs are readily accessible. If I made this recipe again I would double the recipe. 2# white or red potatoes or a mixture (if organic, no need to peel) 2 tablespoons dry white wine 2 tablespoons chicken stock 3 tablespoons white wine or tarragon vinegar 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt 3/4 tsp. black pepper 1/2 cup good olive oil 1/4 cup green onions (white and green parts), chopped 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill...

According to the original recipe this is classic salad from Burgundy, France.  It can be served as a lunch dish since it includes eggs.  Its quite different but we liked it and I have made it twice.  These days with all the lettuce and greens from our CSA farm I continue to try recipes that turn them into meals rather than a little side salad.  Garlic Croutons 4 slices bread rubbed with olive oil on both sides.  Sprinkle with garlic salt or granulated garlic (from Penzey's).  Bake 10 minutes at 325 degrees.  Turn the bread over and bake for another 10 minutes.  Cut into squares.  You could also use purchased croutons. The original recipe called for making a mustard vinaigrette dressing with olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and parsley.  I didn't do this. I used some balsamic vinaigrette I happened to have in the frig.  You could also use a bottled dressing of your choice. Take several slices of bacon, dice and cook ...

This salad is delicious and super quick and easy if you're in a hurry to get dinner ready. It tastes as good as it looks! 1 2-1/4-pound purchased roasted chicken, chilled (Whole Foods-Madison has their roast chicken's on sale on Tuesdays) 5-ounces spring greens (about 8 cups) or a mixture of greens & lettuce 2 cups fresh sliced strawberries 2-3 ounces Gorgonzola or blue cheese, crumbled (1 cup) 1/2 cup roasted cashews Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing (I used Annie's) If you have time you could cook one of Jen Ehr's wonderful chickens to use in the salad. In case you don't though, Whole Foods already roasted chicken is quite tasty. This is pretty much a local foods production especially if you used a chicken from one of the local farms. My greens and strawberries were both from my Jen Ehr CSA box and the cheese from the Madison Westside farmers' market. Adapted from a Better Homes & Garden Recipe (bhg.com)

1# or however many beets you have, stems trimmed to 1# 1 tablespoon minced shallots 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice 1 teaspoon grated orange zest 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 bag of salad greens or torn lettuce Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap beets in foil and roast until tender. It will take 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool. Peel beets and cut in wedges. Whisk together dressing ingredients. Dress the salad greens with as much dressing as you like, top with the beets and drizzle with a bit more dressing.

This is a recipe for another one of our favorite green salads. The original recipe called for iceberg (yuck) and romaine lettuce. You can use salad greens. I used our Red Boston lettuce the we got in our CSA box. Arthur said its some of the best lettuce he's ever had; very tender and delicate. The original recipe called for you to caramelize the almonds which I didn't bother to do. 1/2 cup almonds bowl of salad greens or lettuce 1 can (11 oz.) mandarin orange sections, drained 2 stalks celery, sliced 2 green onions, sliced 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley Dressing: 3 tablespoons canola or sunflower oil 2 tablespoons vinegar (I used white wine vinegar) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon sugar Combine salad ingredients, sprinkle with the almonds just before serving. Prepare dressing by mixing or shaking all the ingredients together. Pour as much over the salad as you prefer.

Dressing: 1/4 cup frozen white grape juice concentrate 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar or cider vinegar 1 tablespoon canola oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon onion powder Salad Ingredients: 1/2 bag torn mixed salad greens 8 large fresh strawberries, quartered 1 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced 2 tablespoons sliced green onion 2 tablespoons chopped macadamia nuts, toasted In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the first five ingredients; shake well. Refrigerate until serving. Set aside 2 tablespoons of dressing. Place the greens in a salad bowl and drizzle with remaining dressing. Top with strawberries, kiwi and onion; drizzle with reserved dressing. Sprinkle with nuts. If you don't want to make your own dressing, a bottled raspberry or balsamic vinaigrette works well with this salad as well. From Allrecipes.com

This is a interesting and somewhat unusual salad to help use up our radish supply. The dish got one thumbs up (me) and one thumbs down (Arthur). He agreed it tasted good but you had to chew too much--please! Sugar Snap Pea Salad With Radishes, Mint and Ricotta Salata 1 1/2 cup sliced radishes 6-8 ounces sugar snap peas, sliced (about 2 1/2 cups) 6-8 ounces ricotta salata, crumbled (about 2 cups) 1/2 bunch mint leaves, torn (about 1/3 cup) (I didn't have enough mint, so I added a few other fresh herbs) 1 clove garlic, minced Pinch kosher salt, more to taste 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Freshly ground black pepper to taste String the peas and then lightly steam them or use raw if you prefer. Cool slightly. In a large bowl, toss together the radishes, peas, ricotta and mint. Finely chop the garlic. I used my little food processor and then added all the other dressing ingredients and blended. Pour dressing ...

This salad recipe is good because it is a way to incorporate salad greens or lettuce into your entree. Sicilian Grilled Swordfish Salad 1# swordfish steak (about 1# thick)* Marinade 1/3 cup orange juice 2 tablespoons chopped red onion (or whatever kind you have) 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (1 teaspoon dried) 2 teaspoons capers (they add a lot to this dish) 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes Large bowl or platter of salad greens. Arugula would be a good addition if available. You could also add radishes, celery or other raw vegetables to your salad. Whisk the marinade ingredients together. Add the fish and coat on all sides. Refrigerate. My fish was frozen so I let it defrost in the marinade overnight. Fresh fish could marinate up to 3 hours. Drain the fish and reserve the marinade. Grill or broil the fish. I used my George Foreman grill and it only took a few minutes. Be sure not to overcook the fish. Swordfish dries out easily. Bring the marinade to a ...

We got a gigantic head of Romaine lettuce in our CSA box on Saturday. I made this salad on Sunday night. Arthur said it was "delicious." Artichoke, Romaine and Tomato Salad Ingredients for dressing: 1 12 ounce jar marinated artichoke salad (or you could use all artichokes), drained (use 1/2 of the the artichokes or vegetables in the dressing--save the balance for the salad) 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or green onions 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons honey 1/3 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup or more of the marinade from the artichokes Blend the dressing ingredients in a food processor. Taste and add more oil if you think it needs it. Chill for 1/2 hour to let flavors develop or just eat it right away. Its still very good. A large bowl of torn Romaine lettuce 1/4 cup green onions 1 cup or more grape tomatoes (halved) 2 large red radishes, sliced thinly marinated artichoke hearts leftover fr...

In case you're wondering what to do with baby turnips and their greens, the following is a very good salad with interesting flavor contrasts. Baby White Turnip Salad With Toasted Pecans And Bacon 4 small white turnips with their greens attached (or 1 bunch of baby white turnips) 1/4 c. pecan halves or pieces 3 oz. bacon 1 green garlic stalk and 1 green onion, sliced on the bias (a garlic scape is also a nice addition if you happen to have them available) salt and pepper, to taste 1-2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil Toast pecan pieces. I usually do mine in the microwave. It take 1-2 minutes. Otherwise toast them in a 350 degree oven. Make sure they don't burn. Remove the greens from the turnips. Tear the leaves with your hands into medium to large pieces and set aside. Slice turnips as thin as possible. I used my food processor using the thin slicing disk. Put into a bowl of iced water. In a non-stick pan, saute the bacon until crisp. Remove from the pan and crumble, ...

Gorgonzola and Dried Cherry Summer Salad 1/2 cup toasted pecans 1/4 cup dried cherries 1/2 bag of Harmony Valley Farms salad mix (or a good sized bowl filled with greens) 1 granny smith apple, peeled and thinly sliced or any tart apple 3-4 green onions or 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced (I always use a lot of the green tops from the green or potato onions) 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and serve with a raspberry vinaigrette. Adapted from a Whole Foods Market recipe I served this with a Mediterranean Spinach Torte Recipe. The recipe is on care2. Its OK but not fabulous.

INGREDIENTS 3-4 oz package salad greens (about 1/2 bag of Harmony Valley Salad Mix) 1 medium apple, sliced (either peeled or not) 1/2 cup walnuts , toasted 1/2 cup dried cranberries 1/4 cup sliced green onions or chives Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing (I like Annie's Naturals brand--but use whatever you like) 1/4-1/2 cup feta cheese is a nice addition to this salad DIRECTIONS Toss greens, apples, walnuts, cranberries, onions and feta (if using) in large bowl. Add dressing; toss to coat. Serve immediately. Adapted from Allrecipes.com

You might ask what does this recipe have to do with using produce from my CSA box? Nothing at all, but it it very good. Plus if you ever need to bring "black" food to work or elsewhere, this kind of fills the bill. I needed to bring "black" food to work to celebrate our department head's 50th birthday. Why--who knows? Several people asked me for the revised recipe. Black Bean and Corn Salad 1 can, 14 ounces, black beans, rinsed and drained 2 cups frozen corn kernels 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped 1/4-1/2 cup finely chopped celery 1/2 red onion, chopped (any kind of onion is fine) 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (seeded if you want the salad to be mild) 1 lime, juiced (if it isn't tart enough use more lime juice or lemon juice is OK too) 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (or more if you like) Salt and pepper Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand at least 15 minutes for corn to fully defrost and flavors...

This very easy carrot salad is a recipe from a great cookbook, Six Spices, a simple concept of Indian cooking by a local Madison author, Neeta Saluja . 2 cups grated carrots 1 green chili, seeded and diced (if you prefer spicy leave the seeds in) 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste 1 teaspoon sugar 2-3 teaspoons canola or sunflower oil* 1/4 teaspoon black mustard seeds 1 dry red chili 4 to 5 fresh curry leaves** Place carrots, green chili, and lemon juice in a bowl. Mix well. Heat oil in a small frying pan. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds. Cover the pan and remove it from the heat. When mustard seeds stop popping, return the pan to the stove. Add red chili and curry leaves. Immediately pour the seasoned oil over the carrots and cover. After 1 minute, mix well and store in an airtight container. This can be done the night before you want to serve it. Just before serving, add the salt and sugar; mix it well. This will help to maintain the salad's cris...