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salads

Simple Wild Rice Salad from The Silver Palate

April 30, 2018 by sblades Leave a Comment

Wild Rice Salad
Aren’t there times you just want something different, but not bizarrely different? I saw this Wild Rice Salad from The Silver Palate and just knew the combination of wild rice, pecans, raisins, and mint, along with a fresh orange juice dressing would be amazing.

I was right! This is called a “salad,” but also could be a stuffing for a chicken or a great side to a steak.

Wild Rice Salad

This Wild Rice Salad is easy to throw together, but you need a little time to cook the rice.

Also, after all the ingredients including the dressing are mixed together, it needs to sit at room temperature for all those great flavors to develop. Don’t forget to let it sit awhile (at least 2 hours) – it really makes a difference.

Wild Rice Salad

This dish is nutty, sweet, a little salty, crunchy, and filling. The combination of ingredients blended with the orange/olive oil dressing are wonderful and it was hard to take photos of it without snitching a spoonful here and there (had to level out the ingredients, right?).

I forgot to mention the orange zest. It’s a real stand out and, along with the mint, gives the rice nice levels of flavor. I’ll be making this Wild Rice Salad very often, especially in the summer when I don’t want to crank up the oven.

Wild Rice Salad

I’ve heard of The Silver Palate for years and thought of it as more of an old-fashioned cookbook. After making the Pasta Sauce Raphael a few weeks ago and this Easy Wild Rice Salad, I’ve changed my mind.

The Silver Palate is going strong with a current website and new recipes, but these standards from their older cookbooks are hard to beat and worth your time to explore.

I adapted this recipe a little from the original according to our tastes, but you can see the original in the book if you’re interested.

Simple Wild Rice Salad

Simple Wild Rice Salad from The Silver Palate

Yield: 4 - 5
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Inactive Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Nutty, crunchy, sweet, a little salty with an orange/olive oil dressing.

Ingredients

  • 1 C Uncle Ben's Original Wild Rice (6 oz. box)
  • 3 C water
  • 3/4 C pecan halves
  • 1 C yellow raisins
  • Grated rind of one medium orange
  • 1/4 C fresh mint, chopped
  • 1 tbsp finely diced onion
  • 1/4 C olive oil
  • 1/3 C, plus 1 tbsp fresh orange juice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Pour wild rice into a medium non-stick sauce pan, along with the water and the flavor packet.  Bring to a rapid boil, then adjust the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered for 20-25 minutes.  Rice will still be moist, but with no standing liquid.
  2. While the rice is cooking, add the pecan halves, raisins, grated orange zest and mint to a medium bowl and stir. 
  3. In a small bowl, mix the onion, olive oil, orange juice, salt and pepper together, whisking  briskly to combine.
  4. Mix the rice into the bowl with the pecan/raisin mixture and stir.  Pour in the orange juice/olive oil dressing and toss gently until completely combined. 
  5. Set the bowl on the counter and let the salad stand for at least 2 hours to let the flavors develop.  Serve at room temperature.  Refrigerate leftovers.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

The rice should still be moist after cooked, but the liquid should be cooked completely out.  You can pat it with a paper towel if you think it's too wet.

Be sure and let it sit for at least two hours at room temperature.  The taste difference is significant!

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 349Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 477mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 4gSugar: 22gProtein: 4g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

© Adapted from The Silver Palate
Category: Soups, Stews, and Salads

Filed Under: All Recipes, Soups, Stews, and Salads, Vegetables/Side Dishes Tagged With: mint, orange dressing, rice, Rice salad, salads, The Silver Palate, wild rice, Wild Rice Salad

Fresh Tomato Vinaigrette

June 15, 2017 by sblades Leave a Comment

 
My sister, Glenda, grew a wonderful garden this year and I was the lucky recipient of huge, beautiful tomatoes fresh from the vine. You always hear there’s nothing like a fresh tomato and it’s true – there’s nothing like a fresh tomato!

I had a few that ripened at the same time and since Bret doesn’t eat fresh tomatoes (the acid in them kills him), and I’ve had about my fill of slicing and eating them, this recipe was a perfect way to use them.

This Fresh Tomato Vinaigrette is simple, but uses flavorful ingredients like garlic, onions, and basil.

It’s not a creamy or an oily dressing – the grated tomato is almost a puree that gives the dressing a hearty texture. Vinegar and olive oil is one of my favorites and adding it to these ingredients completes the dressing.

You could just about add any herb you like to it – my favorite happens to be basil, but I can see rosemary working well in it.

I would say this is definitely a successful use of fresh tomatoes and will make this again. Thanks, Sis!

Fresh Tomatoes

Fresh Tomato Vinaigrette

Yield: 1 cup

Thick, hearty dressing - perfect to use up those summer tomatoes. Adapted from FoodAndStyle.com

Ingredients

  • 2 medium ripe tomatoes, quartered and seeded
  • 1 tsp onion, minced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 to 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground pepper
  • dash of cayenne, (optional)

Instructions

  1. Place a box grater in a medium bowl.  Cut the vine end nub off of the quartered tomatoes and grate each tomato down to the skin.  Discard the skin.
  2. Remove the grater and add the onion, garlic, both vinegars, basil, salt, pepper and cayenne.
  3. Whisk together and adjust seasonings to taste.  Use immediately or refrigerate. Keeps up to 2 days, but best the same day.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

Adjust the seasonings to your tastes.  I prefer a full teaspoon of basil, but that may be overwhelming for some.  You may omit the cayenne if you'd like.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 27Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 38mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 0g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

© sblades
Category: Soups, Stews, and Salads

Filed Under: All Recipes, Lighter Recipes, Soups, Stews, and Salads Tagged With: dressing, fresh tomato salad dressing, fresh tomatoes, salad dressing, salads

Hearty Tuna Salad

March 22, 2014 by sblades Leave a Comment

 
There are friends who come in and out of your life throughout the years and one of those friends for me is Molly.   She helped me during a hard time in my life and we have been somehow attached ever since.

I lost touch with her for awhile, but in the last five years we have reconnected and our conversations started up as though we’d seen each other just yesterday instead of fifteen years ago!

Besides the friendship, one of the things she gave me is one of my now favorite recipes for this Hearty Tuna Salad.

Hearty Tuna Salad

It really does have tuna in it which, even though mentioned in the name of the salad, is actually not the most noticeable ingredient!

There are tons of crunchy little vegetables and stuff in it.  Onions, celery, chow mein noodles, water chestnuts and pecans (or almonds) and you can even count the frozen peas as part of that wonderful texture.

All that good stuff, plus tuna, is in a creamy mayonnaise/soy sauce/lemon juice dressing. The ingredients come together and make the perfect tuna salad.

Sometimes I change up the ingredients a little if I don’t have everything on hand, but the original recipe is the best. I could eat this Hearty Tuna Salad every day.

Hearty Tuna Salad 3

I’ll always think of Molly when I make this tuna salad. Unfortunately, we lost her in 2020, but she made a delightful impression on everyone she left behind.

Hearty Tuna Salad

Hearty Tuna Salad

Yield: 4 -6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Tasty tuna salad full of vegetables and crunchy stuff.

Ingredients

  • 2 (6 oz.) cans Tuna
  • 1 (10 oz.) package frozen peas, unthawed
  • 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 cup thinly sliced celery
  • 1/2 cup water chestnuts, sliced
  • 1 cup canned chow mein noodles
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 cup toasted, sliced almonds (or chopped pecans)
  • Iceberg Lettuce leaves

Instructions

  1. Drain tuna and break into pieces. Spoon into a medium bowl.
  2. Stir in frozen peas, onion, celery, and water chestnuts.
  3. Combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, and soy sauce in a separate bowl.
  4. Just before serving, add mayonnaise mixture and toss lightly.  Stir in the chow mein noodles and serve immediately so the noodles don't get soggy.
  5. Serve on lettuce cups or on a single plate with lettuce and sprinkle almonds on top.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

Make sure the peas are frozen - that gives it a nice extra crunch.

I use only about 1/4 of a chopped onion and that's enough, but if you like more feel free to use the entire onion.  Don't complain to me when you have onion breath.

Use canned whole water chestnuts and slice them yourself - it's way cheaper.

Best when the tuna mixture (without the noodles) is refrigerated a couple of hours before serving (then put in the noodles just before serving).

My photos show pecans instead of almonds and its good that way, too.  We still have a ton of pecans from the fall crop!  I think almonds are a little better on it, though.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 380Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 372mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 4gSugar: 3gProtein: 10g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

© sblades
Category: Soups, Stews, and Salads

Filed Under: All Recipes, Soups, Stews, and Salads Tagged With: best tuna salad, crunchy tuna salad, salads, tuna, tuna salad, vegetable salad, vegetables, water chestnuts

Roasted Garlic and Buttermilk Salad Dressing

March 15, 2014 by sblades Leave a Comment

There are so many great recipe and food groups on the internet!  I stumbled across The Daring Kitchen and am so excited to be participating in their monthly challenges, both baking and cooking.

For March’s Daring Cooks’ Challenge, Ruth, Shelley and Sawsan asked us to totally veg out!  We made salads and dressings, letting the sky be the limit as we created new flavors and combinations that reflect our own unique tastes. 

I scoured recipes looking for one we would enjoy and would be different from the vinaigrettes I usually make (because they’re so quick and easy).

I found this Roasted Garlic and Buttermilk Salad Dressing in my way-back files (2007) from Juenessa at Food.com.   When I saw it had roasted garlic, I decided that it was the one to try!

Heads of Garlic

OK, no secrets here . I had never roasted garlic before, although it always sounded like a good idea.  Luckily the recipe includes instructions to do so and it came out great – creamy and almost sweet.

After blended together and refrigerated for awhile, the dressing became a creamy, delicious addition to our little romaine and chopped pecan salad. 

The parmesan gives it almost a Caesar dressing texture and the fresh lemon juice makes it perfect.  It goes beautifully with thick, crunchy romaine lettuce.  Thanks to Ruth, Shelley and Sawsan for expanding my dressing-making horizons!

Roasted Garlic and Buttermilk Salad Dressing

Roasted Garlic and Buttermilk Salad Dressing should definitely be on your salad dressing radar!

Roasted Garlic

Roasted Garlic and Buttermilk Salad Dressing

Yield: 1 3/4 Cups
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Outstanding creamy and delicious dressing.

Ingredients

  • 2 heads garlic
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 C mayonnaise
  • 1/2 C buttermilk
  • 7 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • salt
  • pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Cut top 1/2" off heads of garlic, exposing cloves. Place each on square of foil. Drizzle with oil, then enclose in foil. Place on oven rack; bake until garlic is tender, about 45 minutes. Open the foil and cool garlic slightly.
  3. Hold 1 head of garlic, cut side down, over medium bowl and squeeze, releasing roasted garlic pulp into bowl. Repeat with remaining garlic. Mash until smooth. 
  4. Whisk in mayonnaise, buttermilk, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until ready to use, up to 2 days.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

If you don't have fresh lemon juice, don't make this until you do.  Trust me on this one.

I took the garlic out after 40 minutes and it was perfect.

Even though I'm the salt queen, no salt was needed for this dressing.

Personal preference - I would probably half the parmesan cheese.

Those glands in the back of my jaw are tingling when I think of this dressing........

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 26 Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 78Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 111mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 1g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

© sblades
Category: Soups, Stews, and Salads

Filed Under: All Recipes, Soups, Stews, and Salads Tagged With: buttermilk, buttermilk dressing, garlic, garlic salad dressing, homemade salad dressing, salad dressing, salads

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Welcome!  I’m Susan and I love finding wonderful new recipes.  I hope you’ll find a few new ones here that you and your family will love. Browse around and stay a while!Save

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