Endless Summer Salad with Homemade Maple Vinaigrette

You just can't beat an entree salad as a weeknight meal.  This one is particularly special, with its crispy bacon pieces, feta cheese, and homemade maple dressing.  I've omitted measurements for the veg as people have their own preferences for salad proportions.

Oh, and my recent discovery that partially frozen chicken is WAY easier to slice than thawed has changed my world.  

Endless Summer Salad
An Ommy Noms original, shout-out to Oishii for helping me name it!
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
Spring mix
Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Sweet onion, several thin slices
2 granny smith apples, thinly sliced
1 cup walnuts (or you can go for almonds or sugared pecans if you'd like!)
2 oz feta cheese crumbles
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
6 slices bacon, thinly sliced
Maple vinaigrette, recipe below

DIRECTIONS
1.  Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Add bacon and cook until fat begins to render out.  Add chicken pieces and cook in rendered bacon fat until browned and cooked through, flipping occasionally.

2.  Remove cooked chicken with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.  Continue cooking bacon pieces until they reach desired level of crispness.  Remove to plate.

3.  Layer all ingredients in individual salad bowls and drizzle with maple vinaigrette.

Maple Vinaigrette
Adapted from Southern Living

INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup good olive oil

DIRECTIONS
1.  Whisk together first five ingredients.  Gradually whisk in oil until fully incorporated.  Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days.

*  I tend to taste and adjust my dressings to suit my preferences.  I wound up adding more maple syrup in the end.

Spinach Strawberry Salad with Homemade Raspberry Vinaigrette

I'm sorry I left y'all hanging with my other post!  This salad just screams summer.  From the fresh strawberries to the tangy vinaigrette, you won't be able to get enough!  I didn't include measurements for the salad- we just eyeballed it.

Summery Spinach Salad

INGREDIENTS
Baby spinach
Sliced fresh strawberries
Cooked, cubed chicken
Crispy bacon pieces
Sugared pecans
Homemade raspberry vinaigrette, recipe to follow

Raspberry Vinaigrette
Adapted from The Taste of Home Cookbook

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup raspberry vinegar
1 tbsp white sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp dijon

1 tbsp minced shallot
1 clove garlic, minced
 Dash pepper

DIRECTIONS
 1.  Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.  Whisk well to combine.  Refrigerate until serving.

Creamy Jalapeno Ranch

 
This year, we've been blessed with an overabundance of jalapenos from our potted plants.  (Read:  This year, I've remembered to water said jalapeno plants on a semi-regular basis.)

I recently harvested more jalapenos than I knew what to do with, so I consulted the Oracle Google.  This spicy ranch dressing was among the first results to pop up, and it was definitely love at first bite.  We ate salads everyday for a week while this was in the fridge.

True story.

From Confections of a Foodie Bride
Serves 12-16

* Gluten-free diners should double-check the sour cream and mayonnaise labels for gluten sources.  My favorite sour cream, Daisy brand, is gluten-free.  Hellman's and Kraft produce gluten-free mayonnaise.

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup mayo
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 small bunch of chives (equal to ~2 Tbsp chopped)
Small handful cilantro
1-2 jalapenos, seeds and stem removed
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 clove garlic
1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1.  Place all ingredients in a blender.
2.  Blend for 10 seconds. Check consistency and blend in buttermilk if desired. (Use less buttermilk for dipping, more for dressing).
3.  Store in an air-tight jar in the fridge.

Tomato, Cucumber, and Onion Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette

My husband is Mr. Fix-it.  Computers, lawn mowers, ancient video game systems- you name it, he can fix it.  (Case in point:  He bought an Ipod from Goodwill this week for four bucks and had it working in less than an hour!)

Anyway, he's become the go-to man in the neighborhood for computer and small-engine repair.  In return, our neighbors often bless us with goodies from their gardens.  It's not uncommon for us to come home to a bag of grapefruit or cucumbers on our front stoop.  One time, we even came home to find our ugly, overgrown aloe vera plant cleaned up and looking spiffy.  (Yessss!)

For lunch today, I made a salad with a cucumber and heirloom tomato from the neighbors, along with one of my deliciously sweet Noonday onions.  I topped it with a quick homemade vinaigrette.  It was light and refreshing.

An Ommy Noms Original
Serves 1-2

INGREDIENTS
1 medium tomato, diced
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp vinegar of your choice (I used white wine)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 fresh parsley leaf, finely chopped (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
1.  Layer cucumber, tomato, and onion pieces in a medium bowl.  Combine oil, vinegar, garlic, and parsley in a small prep dish.  Mix with a fork and add salt and pepper to taste.  Pour dressing over vegetables and enjoy!

Creamy Vinaigrette

I made a simple salad with spring mix, tomatoes, purple onions, mushrooms, avocado, and seared shrimp.  With a quick homemade dressing, it made for a great, filling weeknight meal.

I'd usually say that posting a salad recipe is a bit of a cop-out, but I had to share this Creamy Dijon Vinaigrette.  It is everything a good vinaigrette should be- tangy and unique.

Dressing adapted from Mark Bittman

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons or more good white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small shallot, minced
Dash garlic powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl.  Whisk until a creamy emulsion forms.  Taste and adjust for seasonings.