It’s that time of year!
Grilling, parties, friends and food
Burgers and dogs don’t have to be the highlight of your cookout… pair up with some of these classic sides that your guests will love!
Enjoy!
© Simply Sundays 2017
All rights reserved
Tag: Salads
Lentil – Chorizo Salad
I have a slight obsession with lentils. There. I’ve said it
I must say, if you try this lentil salad, you may feel the same
My husband treated us to a day long class at the Culinary Institute of America
It was ah-maze-ing. True story
We had such a great time working in a professional kitchen with a REAL chef instructing us!
This lentil salad was part of a delicious Sea Scallop meal, but we’re breaking it down in two parts because the lentils are so delicious they can stand on their own
Let’s start with one large yellow onion, 2 bay leaves, 6 fresh parsley sprigs, 5 garlic cloves, 2 cups of rinsed french lentils and some olive oil
Note ~ French lentils are a bit smaller and firmer than regular brown lentils. This makes them perfect for salads. I found them pretty easily at the grocery store but they are also available online or at a “trendy” store such as Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s
Here’s the part that I thought was pretty intuitive. Let’s add flavor to the lentils while they cook, but put the ingredients in cheesecloth so we can pluck it out super easy
Peel and cut the onion into eighths, then add to a square of cheesecloth along with the bay leaves, the parsley and garlic
Gather the edges of the cloth in and tie with butcher’s string
This is commonly referred to as a “Bouquet Garni” but our kids would call it a “flavor present”. So I’m going with it
Place the lentils and flavor present into a medium saucepan and cover with water by one inch. Bring to a boil over medium heat then reduce the heat to low and partially cover
Simmer for 20-30 minutes until cooked through. Drain, remove cheesecloth
Set the lentils aside to cool
We’ve diced 2 Spanish chorizo sausage links
Saute them over medium heat
After about 2-3 minutes, remove the chorizo from the pan and place in a fine sieve to drain
Let’s make the vinaigrette for the salad
Measure out 1/4 cup of sherry wine vinegar, 1/3 of a cup of red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of honey & 1 tablespoon of orange juice
Zest 2 tablespoons of orange and measure 2 teaspoons of thyme, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
Stir all ingredients together until well combined and set aside
A few fresh veggies add some welcome crunch to this delicious salad
Finely dice 3/4 cup each of fennel, celery and red bell pepper
Add the veggies to a large mixing bowl along with the vinaigrette
Add in the chorizo and lentils and stir until well combined
Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary
Serve the Lentil – Chorizo Salad as an accompaniment to most any meal or simply over a bed of arugula
Enjoy!
Simply Sundays! ~ Lentil - Chorizo Salad
Ingredients
1 large yellow onion
2 bay leaves
6 fresh parsley sprigs
5 garlic cloves
2 cups of rinsed french lentils
olive oil
2 Spanish chorizo sausage links
For the vinaigrette
1/4 cup of sherry wine vinegar
1/3 of a cup of red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of honey
1 tablespoon of orange juice
2 tablespoons of orange zest
2 teaspoons of thyme
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
Directions
Peel and cut the onion into eights then add to a square of cheesecloth along with the bay leaves, the parsley and garlic
Gather the edges of the cloth in and tie with butcher’s string
Place the lentils and cheesecloth packet into a medium saucepan and cover with water by one inch. Bring to a boil over medium heat then reduce the heat to low and partially cover
Simmer for 20-30 minutes until cooked through. Drain, remove cheesecloth
Set the lentils aside to cool
Dice 2 Spanish chorizo sausage links and saute over medium heat; after about 2-3 minutes, remove the chorizo from the pan and place in a fine sieve to drain
Combine sherry wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, honey & orange juice and place in a bowl
Whisk in 2 orange zest, thyme, kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder until all vinaigrette ingredients are thoroughly combined
Finely dice 3/4 cup each of fennel, celery and red bell pepper; add the veggies to a large mixing bowl along with the vinaigrette
Add in the chorizo and lentils and stir until well combined
Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary
Tools used to make this recipe
Pure Acres Farm 100% Unbleached Cheese Cloth, 18 Sq Feet
Simply Bamboo 13.5″ Valencia Bamboo Cutting Board
Winco Strainer with Double Fine Mesh, 8-Inch Diameter
Winco Strainer with Double Fine Mesh, 8-Inch Diameter
Greenbrier 1 X Mini Pinch Prep Bowls, Set of 4
Royal Classique 10 Piece Professional Grade Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons Set
Pyrex Prepware 4-Quart Rimmed Mixing Bowl
Source: Adapted from Spain and The World Table – Susan Walter
© Simply Sundays 2017
All rights reserved
Caesar Salad
No need to go to a restaurant to make a great Caesar salad right in your own kitchen!
The dressing is easily whipped up in a blender ahead of time while you toast up some croutons and cut your veggies
Measure out 2 tablespoons of mayo, 1 tablespoon each of sour cream and lemon juice, 1 teaspoon each of kosher salt, Dijon mustard and black pepper
I shredded 1/4 cup of fresh Parmesan, but you can use pre-shredded Parmesan if you’d like. You’ll also need 1/3 of a cup of olive oil, 1-2 garlic cloves and 4-6 anchovies. We LOVE anchovies so I always use 6 🙂
Note – I chose not to use raw egg yolks in the dressing so it would have a longer fridge life and so that everyone in my family could eat it. The taste is the same, but the dressing needs to be shaken right before use because the egg acts as a natural emulsifier
Put all of the ingredients except the olive oil in a small blender and whirl until completely blended
Drizzle the olive oil in while blending so it mixes evenly. Such a smooth and delicious dressing!
Now let’s make some toasty croutons. You can buy a bag of croutons but this is so easy to do in your own kitchen and they will love you for it!
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large bowl and add in 4 cups of cubed baguette
Toss to coat the bread cubes with the butter and sprinkle with kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder
Preheat a pan over medium heat and toast the bread cubes in a single layer
Toss them around in the pan to ensure they are evenly toasted. This should only take a few minutes
I like to put all of the ingredients out and let everyone assemble their own salad
Chopped romaine lettuce, sliced fresh Parmesan, grape tomatoes, croutons, anchovies and the Caesar dressing
Enjoy!
Simply Sundays! ~ Caesar Salad
Ingredients
For the dressing
2 tablespoons of mayo
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup of fresh Parmesan, shredded
1/3 of a cup of olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves
4-6 anchovies
For the croutons
2 tablespoons of butter
4 cups of cubed baguette
1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
For the salad
Chopped romaine lettuce
Grape tomatoes
Shaved Parmesan
Additional anchovies
Directions
Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small blender and whirl until completely blended
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large bowl and add in 4 cups of cubed baguette
Toss to coat the bread cubes with the butter and sprinkle with kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder
Chop the romaine lettuce & shave the fresh Parmesan; put the grape tomatoes, croutons, and anchovies in bowls and serve with the Caesar dressing
Ninja Mega Kitchen System (BL770)
KitchenAid Silicone Scraper Spatula, Tangerine
© Simply Sundays 2016
All rights reserved
Taco Salad
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