Corn Dressing

It's been raining for a good 3 days straight. Cloudy and dark clouds are constantly blowing across the sky, threatening to burst open at any moment. The poochie does not like this weather. It means no long walks, no laying on the grass, and no yummy smells coming from the grill.

Like I've said before, during the summer if we're not grilling it's because it's raining. So instead I've been doing a lot of salads. The lettuce out there is amazing right now. So many great varieties and veggies to throw in. Back in January I posted about some easy homemade dressings, it's a great time to use up all that grilled corn that ends up as leftovers.

Our CSA share has the most amazing cheeses with it also. Experimenting with cheeses and nuts on salads is our new favorite cuisine thing to do. It's a great way to use up all those packages of frozen nuts which we all have at the bottom of the freezer door. That and roasting in butter and honey for a chewing snack, but that's for the dessert pictures I have to upload....

Summer Cool Down

Hot summer days require many cool salads. And it's been h-o-t (hot!) here. I started making this salad for Indian dishes that called for more than 5 chili peppers (with seeds, cause in Indian cooking you never remove the seeds, that's just blasphemy) It goes really well with warm menus and after just a couple spice substitutions I've made, it can be worked into any cuisine.

There's nothing better than a cool, watery side dish to go with a 97+ degree Minnesota night. Well either that or ice cream. But I like grilled fruit or simmered berries on my ice cream and sometimes that's just too warm.


Speaking of berries.... the blueberry bushes are doing well. Despite all the efforts of the bunnies and Japanese beetles to destroy everything else in my yard, the new bushes are holding in there. I should be getting some additional bulbs to put in for Autumn and spring. I'm still walking around the neighborhood and looking at all the gardens, filled with constant flowers and growing hedges. Why did it take me over 3 years to finally plant something (besides those stupid blackberry lilies) that will come back each year? It baffles me. I baffle myself. Self-baffling, never a good thing.

Cabbage and Cucumber Salad

(bund gobhi kakadi nu salade - Raghavan Iyer)

1 small head of cabbage

1 cucumber

1/4 cup peanuts

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp crushed mustard seeds

2 tbsp shredded coconut

1/4 tsp cumin

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp lime juice

Wash cabbage head and slice into small ribbons. Set aside in a large bowl. Peel cucumber, halve, remove seeds with a spoon, and slice into small cresents.

In a pan on medium heat, toast peanuts until just brown. Let cool and crush up. Add to cabbage mixture.

Add salt, pepper, sugar, mustard seeds, and coconut to the cabbage, mixing well. Drizzle olive oil and lime juice on top, mix. Let cool in fridge until ready to serve.

Can add fennel fronds or black sesame seeds for detail.

Chix Salad

One of our most favorite things to grill in the summer is Greek Chicken. I tasty blend of lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper get mixed into a marinade for all types of chicken pieces.


While this in its self is an amazing dish, even better are the leftovers which get turned into the most amazing Chicken Salad you will ever whip up!

I will even write down the secret to this recipe…. Consistent sized pieces. The trick is to cut up the chicken, celery, and onions into very small sized bits. It blends together so much nicer and almost melts in your mouth. We also tend to eat ours a bit dry, ie not lathered in mayo. The longer it sits, the better it gets. Generally that’s not more than a day in our house though….


Chicken Salad
-Makes 4-6 servings-

2 cooked chicken breasts
3 stalks celery, washed
1/2 small onion
2 cloves garlic
3/4 cup mayo
1 tbsp mustard, Dijon
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup Almonds, sliced and crushed
Salt/pepper to taste

Chop up the chicken and celery into equal small sized pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Dice the onion and garlic up, add to chicken mixture. Add remaining ingredients, mixing well to taste. Store in refrigerator overnight for a blended flavor. Serve on salad or for sandwiches.

Happy and Healthy

So onto the healthy food! Bring on the salads, bring on the diets, bring on the gym! Right? Well even though this post is about salads it can still be yummy. One of the best ways to be healthy is to know what you are eating. It’s not about being pretentious or a scratch cook, but understanding what you are putting into your body will help you make good choices when you do choose to eat things.

And what better place to start than salad dressings! There are many savory and delicious dressings that can be made from the ingredients right out of the refrigerator in any home. I prefer Olive Oil based dressings; you can bring out a ton of different flavors with substituting only a few variations. Generally I follow the 3-to-1 rule when adding olive oil-to-vinegar, but if that’s too strong or too weak then just adjust to taste!

Vinegars come in so many flavors now that you may not even need to add much more than a Basic Dressing calls for. It’s best to let the mixture sit for at least 5 minutes before adding to your greens, the flavors may change a bit, so adjust to taste. We eat a lot of dark greens that come in a Spring Mixture, featuring Endive and Radicchio. These more flavorful greens stand up well to the dressings and are excellent with some crumbled cheese or strong olives.

Happy Healthy 2009 Eating!

Basic Dressing
3 tbsp EVOO
1 tbsp vinegar (white wine or regular)
1 tbsp stone ground mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Mix together well and serve with any salad greens. Add garlic, anchovies, and parmesan cheese to make into a Caesar Dressing.

Raspberry Honey Vinaigrette
2 tbsp Raspberry pie filling or freshly squashed
3 tbsp EVOO
1 tbsp vinegar (white wine or regular)
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp stone ground mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
3 tbsp water

Whisk all ingredients together till well blended. Adjust to taste.

Roasted Corn Vinaigrette
1 cup roasted corn kernels
3 tbsp EVOO
1 tbsp Apple Cider vinegar
1 tbsp Sherry
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Either grill a corn cob or roasting corn kernels in the oven till slightly caramelized. Mix with other ingredients in a food processor until blended. Let sit in refrigerator for at least 1 hr. Flavor will change with time, letting sit overnight yields best taste.