Green Goddess Dressing!

Sorry it's been so very long since my last post! And I don't even have a photo to go with this as it was completely consumed pretty quickly the day it was made.

I had a church picnic that I had to bring a dish to...and not a lot left of the veggie share in the house.
What was left was a big bunch of spinach, so Spinach Salad, right? Yeah, well the other problem was that I didn't have any significant supply of bottled dressing and while I had plain yogurt and mixes to make ranch or dill dressing, there wasn't enough time to let it sit and "ripen" as mix dressings should.

I did have an avocado that really needed to be used, and plenty of olive oil and fresh lemons....and a very helpful 7yo son - and between he and I this recipe was born:

Green Goddess ala Evan
1 fully ripe avocado pitted, and scooped out of it's peel
mash thoroughly while adding
1/2 C Olive Oil (we used 1/2 garlic infused 1/2 not)
Juice of 1 Fresh Lemon
Several Tablespoons of good plain yogurt
Salt, Pepper, and Sugar to taste
dash of cumin
dash of ginger
1 tsp toasted sesame oil


It was a big hit, both with my helper and with folks at the picnic!

Salad Days

Over the past couple of weeks we had a brief glimps of what is a usual New Jersey Summer.

90-100 degrees, and humid with lots of thunder storms and attacking bugs.



On days like those, you appreciate air conditioning, swimming pools, a good book and a summer salad or two.



I am forever trying to meet my husband's expectations for "good" coleslaw.

A recent attempt had him admitting "you're almost there".

I have to say it WAS pretty good.



Basic Cole Slaw

1 Medium head of cabbage minced finely

1/2 Medium carrot minced

3-4 TBSP of good quality cider vinegar

1/4 C Sugar

1/2 C Good quality mayonaisse

1/2 C Sour cream

Salt & pepper to taste

Celery seed optional



Place the minced cabbage and carrot in a bowl and sprinke liberally with the vinegar and sugar.

Mix well, then add the mayo and sour cream and mix again.

Taste.

It should have a fairly vinegary bite...this will mellow out as the coleslaw sits.

Add salt/pepper and celery seed to taste and refridgerate at least an hour before eating.

Overnite would be better.

Cucumber Salad

1 large cucumber peeled and sliced as thinly as possible

1/4 green pepper sliced as thinly as possible

1/4 c sour cream

1/4 c mayonaise

1-2 tsp freshly chopped dill leaf

1/2 tsp fresh oregano minced

1/2 tsp celery seed

salt & pepper to taste

Mix together gently and refridgerate for at least one hour before serving.

Summer Stacked Salad

*pictures added 9/11/09

As I was eating my lunch with some friends the topic of summer veggies came up.

I started to describe one of my husband's favorite summer meals last year....I called it Stacked Salad. It all started with an abundance of vegetables....doesn't it always?

Summer Stacked Salad
1 C mixed salad per person
1 Portobello Mushroom Cap per person
1-2 Large Beefsteak style Tomatoes ( Cut so that each person gets a 1/2 to 3/4 inch Slice)
1-2 Large Vidalia Onions ( Cut so that each person gets a 1/2 inch Slice)
1/4-1/2 cup grated mozzerella per person
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt Pepper & Garlic Powder (or grill seasoning)
Chopped fresh parsley, thyme & oregano

Heat up a large skillet- cast iron if you have it.

As the pan is heating prepare your plates...
Put a cup of whatever salad greens or salad mix you are using on each person's plate.

Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil and put in one mushroom cap and one onion slice per person starting the mushroom open side down. Sprinkle with salt/pepper/garlic powder or grill seasoning.

(My skillet lets me cook this for 2 people at a time.)

Let these cook for a few minutes then turn the mushrooms over. Drizzle a little more olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and seasoning and let them cook.
Give the onions a couple extra minutes then turn and season them.

Remove the Mushroom caps when they are starting to soften.
Place one on each plate on top of the greens, open side up.
Sprinkle 1/4- 1/2 cup grated mozzerella on top of the mushroom.

When the onions start to caramelize, place one tomato slice per person in the pan with the onions
and turn off the heat. Turn the tomato over so that it is evenly warm
Remove the Onion slices and place on top of the mozzerella on each mushroom add the tomato and a bit more cheese and the chopped herbs.

Drizzle with Olive Oil and Balsamic or good quality red wine vinegar.
We use Eden red wine vinegar and it has a phenominal taste! I prefer it to balsamic vinegar for salads.

Serve and savor! Who needs meat?!