Casaburo Chop Chop Salad

I'm not sure if the restaurant this salad comes from in Indiana is still open or not, but I got this recipe from a friend of my mom's years ago and it is always a hit and perfect for those summer picnic crowds.

You make your own dressing and croutons, which are crunchy, yet chewy at the same time and just a tad bit sweet. The ingredient list may seem long, but certain components of the salad are suited perfectly to be prepared ahead, which makes the recipe a snap.

Ingredients:
1 Head ice burg lettuce chopped (But feel free to use any greens, baby spinach is yummy)
1 Head Romaine chopped
1 Red bell pepper diced
3 Green onions sliced
8-10 Slices bacon cooked & crumbled
1/2 C. Parmesan
3/4 C. Romano
1/2 C. Provolone cubed
1 C. Mozzarella shredded
Croutons

Preparation:
Salad can be chopped and mixed with other veggies one day in advance and stored in the refrigerator to keep crisp. Toss all ingredients and dressing just prior to serving. Cook bacon and crumble, store in a plastic baggy, refrigerated until ready to serve. I like to cook my bacon in the oven. Save the mess and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, place bacon strips on the foil lined pan and bake at 350 degrees 15-20 minutes until brown and crisp. Place on paper towel with tongs to remove grease.

Dressing:
6 Anchovies or equal paste, I use paste
1 1/3 tsp. Black pepper
1 T. Salt
1/4 C. Oregano, dried
1 1/2 tsp. Garlic powder
1 1/4 C. Granulated sugar
1/4 C. Cornstarch, I use a much (about half) less, too much corn starch gives a chalky feel.
8 oz. White wine vinegar
16 oz. Canola Oil, I mix canola & olive and use a little less

Preparation:
Blend first 8 ingredients in a blender to mix. While the blender is running slowly add oil.

Croutons:
6 English muffins, split & cubed
1/2 C. dressing
1/4 C. Parmesan, freshly grated

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss english muffins with the dressing to coat and mix in cheese. Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet, lined with foil and bake 20-30 minutes until golden, stirring every 5 minutes. Croutons can be prepared the day before and stored air tight.

Just before serving, toss all the components of the salad together and serve.

Veggie Slaw

Surprisingly, I came across this recipe on Facebook.  In line with other New Year posts, it boasted cleansing properties.  Cleanse or no cleanse it sounded good and it is!  A big plus is how easy it was to prepare, using the food processor.  I didn't measure exactly, nothing new there, and I did change a couple of ingredients. This is one that can go with the flow.

SALAD INGREDIENTS:
2 Broccoli crowns
1 Head cauliflower
2-3 Carrots peeled
1 Small bunch Kale, stems removed
1/2 C parsley
1/2 C Sunflower seeds salted
1/2 C Almonds, chopped
1 C Dried berries (cherries, cranberries or blueberries)
1/2 C Raisins

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup ***  I used local Honey
2-4 Tablespoons Olive Oil, the recipe doesn't call for this, but I added it
Salt & Pepper to taste

HOW TO PREPARE:
In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process: broccoli, cauliflower, kale, carrots and parsley.  Transfer into a large bowl.  Add the nuts, seeds and fruit to the bowl and stir to combine.  Season with salt and pepper.  Make the dressing:  Combine lemon juice, vinegar and honey or syrup.  Whisk in olive oil and season.  Pour dressing over salad, stir and refrigerate.

Crunchy, a little sweet and a little sour, this salad is a great balance of them all.

Howard Ahren's Pickles

One of Beep's favorites, his mom got this recipe from the head of the kitchen at Pine Crest, Howard Ahren, hence the name. This is the perfect use for all of the cukes I now have growing in my garden. This pickle is the basic ice box cucumber or bread and butter pickle. A balance of sweet and sour with a few simple seasonings. I don't do anything different than Kim. I do slice the cukes and onions on my mandoline to make things easy. I peel the cukes, but don't take quite all the green. If you finish the pickles and still want more, simply slice up some more cucumber and onion and add them to the marinade and keep refrigerated up to one week.

Roasted Beet Salad

Believe it or not, Beep found the original recipe for this salad, which has a much snappier title, Warm Tri Beet Salad with Hand-Torn Croutons, on a Discovery Health link. (I included the link to the original above.) And to think . . . Beep always despised beets, said, "They taste like dirt smells!" I don't go to all the trouble that the original recipe does, but I think mine is just as good and much less fuss.
This is a great basic that you can tailor to your specific tastes or maybe to whatever you happen to have in the pantry and fridge. I swap out the cheese, the greens, and the nuts depending how the mood strikes me or what I have on hand, so get creative and make it your own. May I also suggest that you make a few extra beets, serve them warm the night before as a side dish.

INGREDIENTS:
Roasted Beets:
3 golden beets
3 red beets
1-2 T olive oil
1/3 C hot water
1 chicken bouillon cube
S & P to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash the beets well and remove the greens. Dissolve the bouillon in the water. In a roasting pan just large enough to accommodate the beets, add the beets along with the remaining ingredients, drizzling the olive oil over the beets. Cover with foil and roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until the beets are fork tender. Remove from the oven when tender and allow beets to cool enough to handle. Wipe of the skins, throwing them away and cut off the stem and root. Cut the beets into the desired shape, keeping them in separate bowl so the colors won't bleed. I usually cut them into a large julienne, but you can slice them, dice them, whatever you like. Drizzle with a little lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Salad:
mixed greens to serve 4
8 oz. blue cheese
1 C pecans chopped & toasted

Clean greens, toss with cheese & nuts.

Dressing:
1 1/2 tsp. dijon style mustard ( I use, German Thomy Scharfer Senf)
1/2 C light vinegar, cider, white wine, whatever you have on hand
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 T orange juice
1/2 tsp. salt
12 grinds fresh black pepper
2 oz. olive oil
pinch of sugar to taste

Stir together first 6 ingredients, then slowly drizzle in olive oil while whisking to emulsify. Whisk in sugar, taste and add additional seasoning if needed.

ASSEMBLY:
Casual, toss all the ingredients and dress, serve. Formal, dress the greens and beets separately, arrange cheese, beets and pecans on top of greens, serve.