Category: Salads
Cobb Salad
The Cobb salad was invented by the owner of the Brown Derby Restaurant in Hollywood back in the 30’s, so they say (who are they??)
A recipe born from necessity… what’s in the fridge to eat?
Some chicken, some bacon, hard cooked eggs, avocado, cheese… bam!
A little bit of salad trivia for you
This is a great meal to prep ahead and assemble when you’re ready to serve
I’m making the Cobb salad for four people as a main meal. I’ve cut up 2 heads of romaine lettuce, 2 cups of leftover chicken, 8 hard cooked eggs, one small onion, 2 avocados, 3 tomatoes, 1/2 pound of bacon, blue and cheddar cheeses
Just a note – I’m pretty sure blue cheese is the traditional cheese to use in Cobb salad, but our house is blue cheese divided. Two of us love it and two of us don’t 🙂
Another note – I’m using leftover chicken from Chicken Souvlaki that we made earlier in the week. A great use of leftovers!
Since I like the eggs to be cut uniformly, I use the egg slicer to cut lengthwise then across to make evenly sized pieces
I’ve arranged all of the ingredients on a platter for a nice presentation and let everyone dig in!
Thank you Mr. Cobb! We love your delicious salad idea!
Enjoy!
Simply Sundays! ~ Cobb Salad
Ingredients
2 heads of romaine lettuce
2 cups of leftover chicken, cubed
2 avocados, cubed
8 hard cooked eggs, sliced
one small onion, diced
3 tomatoes, diced
1/2 pound of cooked bacon
Blue cheese
Cheddar cheese, if desired
Favorite salad dressing
Directions
Cut 2 heads of romaine lettuce into bite sized pieces, cube chicken & avocado, slice hard cooked eggs, dice onion and tomatoes and crumble cooked bacon
Assemble ingredients on a platter
Serve with blue and/or cheddar cheese and your favorite dressing
Tools used to make this recipe
© Simply Sundays 2016
All rights reserved
Dilled Cucumber Salad
There are so many variations of cucumber salad but this one is our favorite
Easy prep, crisp cukes, the kick of fresh dill and the light sweetness of honey… it’s no wonder there are rarely any leftovers!
The most important step in this recipe is salting the cucumbers. Cucumbers naturally retain water, so salting them for about 20 minutes draws out the excess water that would otherwise dilute the vinaigrette you’ll be making
I’m using a large English cucumber which is mostly seedless
This is about 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, there’s really not a need to measure – you just need two healthy pinches of salt to sprinkle over the cucumber slices
Slice very thinly. I’ve used the large side of my box grater because I was too lazy to get my mandolin out. The skin on the English cucumbers is thin so there is no need to peel them
Place the cucumbers in a colander over the sink or a bowl and salt generously. Let sit for about 20 minutes, tossing once or twice to make sure all of the cukes are salted
Measure out 3 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of fresh dill, 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon each kosher salt and black pepper
Thinly slice half of a medium red onion, about 1/3 of a cup
A couple of notes here: you can use whatever vinegar you prefer. Apple cider or even red wine vinegar would work just as well. I happen to like the mild flavor of the white balsamic. It adds the acid without the harsh bite
And feel free to add more or less red onions. Some people LOVE raw onions in their salad. The good thing about the vinaigrette is that it will mellow the sharpness of the onions
In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard, kosher salt and black pepper
Toss in the sliced onion and chopped fresh dill
Thoroughly rinse the cucumber slices to remove all of the salt. I usually choose a random slice or two to taste test just to make sure they’re not salty
Pat dry and add to the bowl. Toss to combine and chill for about a half hour
This recipe is for 4 servings, feel free to double or triple depending upon the size of your crowd
Enjoy!
Simply Sundays! ~ Dilled Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
1 English cucumber
2 teaspoons of kosher salt
3 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon of fresh dill
2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon each kosher salt and black pepper
1/3 of a cup medium red onion
Directions
Thinly slice cucumber; place the slices in a colander over the sink or a bowl and salt generously Let sit for about 20 minutes, tossing once or twice to make sure all of the cukes are salted
Measure out 3 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of fresh dill, 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon each kosher salt and black pepper; thinly slice 1/3 of a cup medium red onion
In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard, kosher salt and black pepper; toss in the sliced onion and chopped fresh dill
Thoroughly rinse the cucumber slices to remove all of the salt; pat dry and add to the bowl. Toss to combine and chill for about a half hour
Tools used to make this recipe
© Simply Sundays 2017
All rights reserved
Macaroni Salad
Macaroni Salad makes me think of parties and BBQ’s and warm weather…
It hasn’t quite warmed up here in the Northeast, but our daughter Marin has been asking for her favorite Macaroni Salad for the past few weeks, so here it is!
Start with a pound of your favorite elbow macaroni cooked according to package instructions. Drain and set aside
While the macaroni cools, let’s get the dressing together
To a mixing bowl, add one cup of mayonnaise, 1/2 cup of sour cream, 2 tablespoons of ketchup and 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and stir well
For spices, I use one teaspoon each of kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and white sugar
Stir well to combine and pour over your cooled macaroni
Set aside to let the flavors start to meld while you cut some veggies
So let’s chop!
Dice 2 cups of carrots & red peppers, one cup of celery and one large shallot (or red onion) into small, uniform pieces
Yes, I know… the celery wasn’t there and now it is. Creative license
Put everybody in the bowl, stir well to combine and let the melding begin
This salad needs at least an hour in the fridge to chill and for the flavors to blend together
When it’s serving time, you’ll need to add in another dollop of mayo because the macaroni sucks it up (technical cooking term). Re-season with kosher salt and black pepper if necessary
Yum!
Enjoy!
Simply Sundays! ~ Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 cup of mayonnaise
1/2 cup of sour cream
2 tablespoons of ketchup
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 cups carrots
2 cups red peppers
1 cup of celery
1 large shallot (or red onion)
Directions
Cook 1 pound of your favorite elbow macaroni according to package instructions. Drain and set aside to cool
To a mixing bowl, add one cup of mayonnaise, 1/2 cup of sour cream, 2 tablespoons of ketchup and 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar; stir well and pour over your cooled macaroni
Dice 2 cups of carrots & red peppers, one cup of celery and one large shallot (or red onion) into small, uniform pieces
Put vegetables in the bowl, stir well to combine and let meld
This salad needs at least an hour in the fridge to chill and for the flavors to blend together
Add in an additional tablespoon or two of mayonnaise if necessary and kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Tools used to make this recipe
Anchor Hocking 8 Cup Glass Measuring Cup
Get It Right Premium Silicone Spatula
Pyrex Smart Essentials 4-Quart Glass Mixing Bowl
Simply BambooValencia Bamboo Cutting Board
© Simply Sundays 2016
All rights reserved
Simply Sunday’s Cole Slaw
There are SO many versions of cole slaw. Mayo based, vinegar based, sweet, tangy, spicy… the list goes on
After trying many variations, this is the one we like the best
The addition of greek yogurt gives it a tang and the agave nectar gives it a light sweetness
I choose red cabbage because we love the color and crunch & savoy cabbage because it has a great texture and the little ridges hold the dressing
This recipe calls for about a pound and a half of each cabbage and 2 cups of carrots
Let’s start with the savoy cabbage. Cut in half and then slice out the core in a “V”
I like to use a serrated knife and thinly slice or shred the cabbage
Same procedure for the red cabbage
Once both cabbages are shredded, mix in a large bowl
Depending upon how large your mixing bowl is, you may need to do this in 2 batches
Now let’s peel & shred our carrots. I used a box grater but you can use a food processor with the shredding blade as well
Toss carrots in with the cabbage
How pretty!
Time to make the dressing
You’ll need 1 & 1/2 tablespoons each of: Dijon mustard, cider vinegar, lemon juice & agave nectar
You can find agave in the baking aisle at the grocer near the sugars
You can substitute regular sugar for agave in this recipe, just make sure it dissolves when you mix the dressing ingredients
You’ll also need 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup greek yogurt and 2 tablespoons mayo
Mix dressing ingredients well and add in 1 small, finely chopped onion
Again, I find it easier to combine all of the ingredients if I work in batches
Stir the dressing into half of the cabbage mixture until coated, and add in more cabbage a little at a time until its all incorporated
Cover in plastic wrap and let the flavors meld at least 2-4 hours in the refrigerator
Honestly, slaw tastes best after it sits overnight. If you’re organized enough to make this salad the day before, go for it!
Before serving, mix well and season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste
We served this alongside our Pulled Pork for a great meal!
Enjoy!!
Simply Sundays ~ Cole Slaw
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds savoy cabbage
1 1/2 pounds red cabbage
2 cups of carrots
1 1/2 tablespoons of dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup greek yogurt
2 tablespoons mayo
1 small onion, finely chopped
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Directions
Halve and remove core from both heads of cabbage; thinly slice or shred
Peel & shred carrots; add all veggies to mixing bowl and toss
Mix all dressing ingredients well, add in one finely chopped onion; stir into veggies
Cover with plastic wrap and let sit 2-4 hours to overnight
Stir well before serving and season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Tools used to make this recipe
Simply Bamboo Maui Bamboo Cutting Board
© Simply Sundays 2018
All rights reserved