Haricots Verts with Feta

Ingredients


Salad
1 1/2 pounds Haricots Verts (green beans-buy the very thin beans)
1 small red onion, minced
4 ounces feta cheese crumbled (1 cup)

Summer is here!

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Lemon Vinaigrette
3 TBS fresh lemon juice
3 TBS white wine vinegar
1 TBS Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper


Preparation


Lemon Vinaigrette:  Whisk lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, and sugar until combined.  Add olive oil in a thin stream, whisking continuously until blended.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Boil 3 quarts water.  Plunge green beans into boiling salted water.  Cook 3 minutes.  Drain and rinse with ice water.  Pat dry.  Cover and chill thoroughly.

Transfer beans to a shallow serving bowl, add onion, and toss with 1/2 cup vinaigrette, adding more if desired.  Sprinkle with feta and almonds on top  Serve chilled.

Christmas Salad

Ingredients

2 red onions

Christmas Cheer

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup blue cheese

1/2 cup dried cranberries or

1/2 cup Sugared Cranberries (see Desserts)

3 cups endive

3 cups baby arugula

Preparation

1 or two days ahead:  Chop two red onions and add 1 cup vinegar. Let sit at room temperature for at least 24 hours.

Put ½ cup olive oil in plastic container with tight fitting lid.  Add 1 cup blue cheese crumbled.  Seal and leave at room temperature for 24 hours.

Hydrate dried  ½ cup dried cranberries with ½ cup boiling water or use Sugared Cranberries (see Desserts)

Mix 3 cups torn endive pieces with 3 cups baby arugula.

Before serving, Mix cranberries and greens with drained onions and blue cheese/olive oil.  Serve all at room temperature.

Serves 8 -10

Notes from Liz

Most of this salad can be made ahead and tossed just before serving.  The red onions and endive with arugula makes a pretty Christmas dish and delicious too.

Sweet and Sour Salad

Ingredients

1 16 oz can or bag of Sauerkraut 

Winter Ocean in Wellfleet

1/2 chopped green pepper

1/2 chopped yellow or red pepper

1 1/2 cups carrots, grated

4 stalks celery, chopped

1 small jar chopped pimiento, drained

1 medium onion, chopped

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

1TBS celery seed

Preparation

Drain sauerkraut and wash thoroughly.  Put in salad spinner and spin to remove excess water.  You may use a electric food chopper for the sweet peppers, celery, and onions.  The carrots should be grated either by hand or in food processor.  Put all vegetables in medium size bowl.  Add brown sugar, olive oil , celery seed, and black pepper.  Mix well.  Refrigerate overnight before serving to make sure the flavors blend well.

Serves 6-8

Notes from Liz

This salad is good to make anytime, but I usually make it in winter when other salad ingredients are not  available.  This is also good for a picnic or outdoor event because it does not spoil easily.  I usually serve it with pork tenderloin or pork shops but it is also very good with hamburgers and hot dogs or sausages. 

Spinach Salad

Ingredients

October on the River Cam, Cambridge England

Salad
2 bags baby spinach
4 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1 can, drained, water chestnuts
1 cup, bean sprouts
10 slices bacon, cooked crisp
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 navel orange, peeled and segmented

Dressing

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup ketchup
3/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 medium onion, minced
1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp salt

Preparation

Hard boil eggs, plunge into cold water and peel.  After cooling, slice eggs into thin slices.  Drain water chestnuts and slice thin.  Cook 10 slices bacon until crisp, drain, cool and crumble into bits.  Peel navel orange and cut into segments, remove membrane and cut each segment into three or four pieces.  Assemble salad by putting spinach into boil, add water chestnuts and bean sprouts.  Arrange oranges and eggs on top.  Sprinkle with slivered almonds and bacon.  Add dressing to single servings, do not toss.

Prepare dressing in sauce pan.  Add sugar, ketchup, olive oil, cider vinegar, minced onion, Worcestershire Sauce and salt.  Heat until all ingredients are heated through and sugar is dissolved.  Serve warm with salad.

Notes from Liz


It is easy to make 1/2 this recipe to serve 4 or 5.  The full recipe serves 10