Category: Salads

Mom’s Every Night Cucumber Salad

This recipe comes from Gaby Dalkin’s What’s Gaby Cooking cookbook. I have really enjoyed this simple salad, out of her new book, this spring. Living on the same block, I grew up eating at my friend Lucky’s house quite a bit, and her Memaw would always have fresh cucumbers in vinegar, seasoned with Lawry’s salt. We loved those cucumbers, and when I typed the title of this recipe, all of those wonderful memories came flooding back. Not long after we were through with supper at Lucky’s, my dad would whistle down the alley and that was my cue to high-tail it back home! What fun we used to have!

3 T. olive oil
2 T. balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced
4 Persian cucumbers, sliced

In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, balsamic vinegar, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Add the avocado and cucumbers to the bowl and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

COOKING THE BOOKS YA’LL!

Broccoli, Grape, and Pasta Salad

I absolutely love the classic version of Broccoli Salad with the raisins and sunflower seeds. It just doesn’t get much better in my opinion. But…..this version has swapped out the raisins for the grapes, the sunflower seeds for the pecans, and added bow tie pasta and it is totally delicious! It’s fun for a change and pretty on the table. This recipe is in my Recipe Revival Cookbook by Southern Living.

1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 (16 oz.) package farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
1 pound fresh broccoli
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup diced red onion
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. table salt
2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
8 cooked bacon slices, crumbled

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toast the pecans on a baking sheet 7 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Prepare the pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, cut the broccoli florets from the stems, and separate the florets into small pieces.

Whisk together the mayonnaise and next 4 ingredients in a bowl. Add the broccoli, hot cooked pasta, and grapes; stir to coat. Cover and chill 3 hours. Stir the bacon and pecans into the salad just before serving.

Cooking the books, y’all!

Caramel Apple Salad

Mmmmm…..can this really be a salad?
Does it have some green? Yes.
Does it have fruit? Yes
…..ok then, it has to be a salad! I like this method of deciding whether it’s a salad or not, don’t you? This recipe is perfect for a Halloween themed meal or any fall table. I found this in my Recipe Hall of Fame’s Quick and Easy book.

4-6 Snickers candy bars, frozen
4-6 Granny Smith apples, chopped
1 (8 oz.) carton Cool Whip
1 (3 oz.) package dry instant vanilla pudding

Smash the frozen candy bars in wrappers with a hammer. (Or unwrap the candy, place in a ziplock, and hammer away.) Reserve some of the broken Snicker pieces for garnish.

Stir the Cool Whip and the pudding mix together. Add the apples and broken candy bars and combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Top with the remaining candy.
Serves 6-8


Cooking the books, ya’ll!

Indian Pork Burgers with Cucumber Yogurt and Tomato Salad

My niece, Jodi, lives in Austin and my daughter Fallon and I always jump at the chance to go visit her. She introduces us to the best restaurants there and the latest in food trends. Our favorite new discovery so far, is Indian food. We are positively addicted and are fans for life, no doubt! This recipe is a recipe that I discovered from the food delivery company called Martha and Marley Spoon. It has all the right flavors for bringing our Austin Indian food addiction home.

1 large red onion
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 large cucumber or 9 oz. Persian cucumbers
a handful of fresh cilantro or 3/4 oz
1 1/2 pounds ground pork
2 tsp garam masala (a spice blend common in India )
1 lime
4 potato buns
1 individual size container of greek yogurt or about a cup
2 tsp. course salt
1 tsp. sugar
fresh ground pepper
3 T. olive oil + 1 tsp., divided

Prep your ingredients to get started. Halve, peel, and finely chop 2/3 of the red onion. Thinly slice the rest of it. Halve the tomatoes; thinly slice half of the cucumbers and fine chop the rest. Chop the cilantro stems finely and give the leaves a rough chop.

Next is the burger part. Combine the ground pork, cilantro stems, fine chopped onion, garam masala, 2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. sugar, and several grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Gently mix with your hands and form into four (4-inch) patties. (overmixing meat for burgers can make them tough. Just sayin’.)

Time for the salad. Squeeze lime juice into a medium bowl. Add the tomatoes, sliced cucumber, sliced onion, chopped cilantro, and 3 T. olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss to combine the salad and then preheat your broiler to prepare for the burgers.

Broil the burgers and cook until well browned, 3-4 minutes per side. (These can totally be grilled outside or in a grill pan over medium-high. Grill until well browned and cooked through, 6-7 minutes per side. Flip them only once during the cooking process.)

Split the potato buns in half and add face down on the the grill or face up under the broiler and toast until golden, about 1 minute. Watch closely!

Now for the yogurt sauce. In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, chopped cucumber, and 1 tsp. olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the burgers topped with the yogurt sauce and tomato salad on the side. Yum!