Archive for the ‘Sides – Salads’ Category
Red Potato Salad
Sounds like a great tasting potato salad, on my to make and taste list real soon.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 kilos red potatoes, scrubbed, cubed, (2 1/2 lbs)
- 1/2 cup celery, finely diced
- 1/3 cup spring onion, sliced, white and green parts
- 1/3 cup chives, sliced
- salt and pepper, as desired
For the Dressing
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Add the cubed potatoes to a pot and add water to cover by an inch. Put on medium high heat. Cook the potatoes until fork tender.
- Drain the potatoes and leave in the strainer for a few minutes to let them cool just a bit.
- While the potatoes are cooling, add the Dressing ingredients to a small mixing bowl and whisk until nice smooth. Dice and slice the celery, spring onion, and chives as well.
- Place the slightly cooled potatoes into a large mixing bowl, add the dressing and toss well to evenly coat all the potatoes.
- Add the celery, spring onion, and chives and mix to evenly distribute throughout the salad.
- Serve warm or chill to serve cold. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Sausage & Pasta Salad
Sounds like a great pasta salad, on my to make and taste list.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry macaroni
- 3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
- 500 grams ring smoked sausage, cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices, (ready to eat type, 1 lb)
- 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained well, (15 oz / 425 g)
- 3/4 cup green bell pepper, diced
- 3/4 cup red onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil, and as needed
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar, start at little less and adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Heat a pot of salted water to boiling, then add the macaroni and cook until tender. Drain, rinse under cold water, drain thoroughly. Place macaroni in a large mixing bowl.
- While the pasta is cooking, prep the other ingredients, placing all in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the oil and vinegar to the mixing bowl and toss to mix in.
- Add the cooled and drained macaroni to the mixing bowl, toss with the other ingredients to coat well.
- Serve as is or on lettuce leaves. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Adapted from a pasta makers recipe booklet from the 1980's.
Pinto Bean Salsa Salad
Sounds like a tasty bean salad. On my to make and taste list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained, (15 oz can) or 2 cups, Shortcut
- 1 1/3 cups frozen corn, or canned
- 1 yellow bell pepper, or orange, diced
- 1/2 red onion, finely diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 small Hass avocado, diced
- 1/4 cup fresh asparagus, chopped
- salt and pepper, as desired
For the Dressing
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and finely minced
- 2 tablespoons lime juice, and to taste as desired
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together all the Dressing ingredients.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the beans, corn, bell pepper, and onion, and toss together.
- Add the Dressing and toss to coat. Gently fold in the avocado, tomato, and cilantro. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Serve as a side with any main dish.
Notes
Pinto Bean Salad
This sounds like a good bean salad, on my to make and taste list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 can Pinto beans, rinsed and drained, or 2 cups, (15 oz can), Shortcut
- 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
- Add everything to a large mixing bowl.
- Toss to mix everything together. Chill for at least an hour to let the flavors blend.
- Serve as a side with any dish, enjoy.
Notes
Cucumber Radish Salad
This is an excellent use of radishes and is a tasty side dish. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
- 20 red radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
- ½ cup spring onion, or chives, thinly sliced
- ¾ cup sour cream, Shortcut
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Prep the cucumber, radishes, and spring onion and add to a mixing bowl.
- Mix together the veggies, cover, and place in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
- Right before you serve, mix in the sour cream and season with sea salt as desired. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Shortcut: Sour Cream.
Variants: 1. Use Greek yogurt in place of sour cream. 2. Use mayo (Kewpie mayo preferred) in place of sour cream.
Salmon & Three Bean Salad
This sounds good, on my to make and taste list. Feel free to use canned beans or cooked from dry. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Notes section.
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 can salmon, (425 g / 15 oz), Shortcut
- 250 grams long beans, or green beans, (8 oz), Shortcut
- 1 cup cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup pinto beans, rinsed and drained, Shortcut
- ½ cucumber, diced
- 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 6 spring onions, sliced
- handful young fresh spinach leaves
For the Dressing
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons grainy mustard
- salt and pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Drain and chunk the salmon, remove any skin and bones, then set aside. If using steamed salmon, use about 2 cups flaked and drained.
- Cook the green beans in a pot of water until just tender, about 4 minutes, then drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking, drain well.
- In a large salad bowl, add all the Salad ingredients except the salmon. Toss together.
- Add the salmon and gently toss together. Cover and chill the salad until ready to serve.
- In a small bowl, mix together the Dressing ingredients. When ready to serve, drizzle dressing over salad and gently toss.
- Enjoy as a side or a light main dish.
Notes
High cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Steamed Salmon (Rice Cooker), Fresh Long Beans (Pressure Cooker), Pinto Beans (Pressure Cooker).
Shrimp & Crab Salad
This is a basic salad I put together on a whim and it is delicious. I use imitation crab because I like it and it is economical.
Ingredients
- 250 grams imitation crab, aka crab sticks, (8 oz)
- 250 grams medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed, (8 oz)
- 1 onion, diced
- ½ teaspoon lemon pepper
- ½ cup Kewpie mayo, or mayo of your choice, and as needed
- handful fresh dill, chopped
- lettuce, for serving
Instructions
- First thing to do is cook the shrimp, you can boil them or saute them, either way, when they are pink they are done, don't overcook the shrimp. I sauteed them, simply heat a non stick pan with a tablespoon or two of extra light olive oil, when hot, add all the shrimp at one time, stir fry, the shrimp release water as well, stir fry until all the shrimp are pink then dump them in a strainer to remove the water and any oil, run under cold water to cool them, and allow them to drain while you continue.
- For the crab, feel free to use lump crab meat if you prefer. To prepare the imitation crab, simply remove the wrappers and slice into ½ inch pieces and place in a mixing bowl.
- To the bowl, add the shrimp, onion, lemon pepper, mayo, and most of the dill, keep some for garnish when serving.
- Mix everything together, if the salad is too dry, mix in a few more tablespoons of mayo until you get the consistency you like. Cover and place in the fridge 2-3 hours before serving.
- To serve, tear up some lettuce leaves, scoop some salad on top of the leaves, garnish with some dill. Serve as a main dish or as a side. Enjoy.
Notes
The package of imitation crab was 52 Baht, the shrimp cost me 140 Baht. For 6 servings, this is about $1 per serving.
Kani Salad
Kani in Japanese is crab, and this salad is an American take on a salad and uses the Japanese word for crab to make it sound, you know, Japanese. This is the lighter version of the American 'Seafood' salad which is primarily imitation crab and mayo. I will clarify some of the measurements to cups after I prepare this.
Ingredients
- 100 grams cucumber, (3½ oz)
- 20 grams dried glass noodles, aka bean thread noodles, (¾ oz)
- 145 grams imitation crab, or lump crab meat, (5 oz)
- 3 tablespoons Kewpie mayo
- ½ lime, zest only
- white pepper powder, as desired, to taste
- lettuce, chopped, as desired, optional for serving
Instructions
- Heat a saucepan with water to a boil, when boiling, add the glass noodles and cook according to the directions, it takes just a few minutes. Drain the noodles and run under cold running water to cool them.
- Place the noodles on a cutting board in a pile, cut the pile in half one way, then in half crosswise to the first cut. Place the noodles in a mixing bowl and gently toss them.
- Peel and cut the cucumber into larger than normal matchsticks, and to the mixing bowl and gently toss with the noodles.
- Unwrap the crab sticks and pull them apart into thin strips, add to the mixing bowl and gently toss.
- Add the Kewpie mayo and zest, gently toss with the other ingredients. Taste and season as desired with white pepper.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. If desired, serve over a bed of lettuce as a side salad with any main dish.
Tomato & Onion Salad II
Basic healthy salad.
Ingredients
- 1 cup onion, halved then thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup tomato, halved then sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1-3 teaspoons lemon or lime juice, depending on taste
Instructions
- Toss everything together in a mixing bowl, serve as a side and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
German Meat Salad II
This is a Thai version of what is called Fleischsalat but I am not using German Bologna, just regular bologna from Tesco, and adding some items that my Thai step daughter would like. There is two dressings listed as well, a Thai dressing and mayo, use either one per your preference.
Ingredients
- 115 grams bologna, (~4 oz), German Bologna if you have it
- 85 grams Swiss cheese, (~3 oz)
- 85 grams Vietnamese sausage, cha lua (plain) or cha hue (pepper and garlic), (~3 oz)
- 85 grams smoked ham, (~3 oz)
- 85 grams imitation crab sticks, (~3 oz)
For the Thai Dressing
- light soy sauce, as needed
- lime juice, as needed
For the Mayo Dressing
- mayo, as needed
Instructions
- Stack the bologna and ham, slice into 1/4 inch wide strips. Slice the cheese into long thin slices, then stack and slice those into 1/4 inch wide strips. Slice the pickles, you guessed it, into 1/4 inch wide pieces. Remove the casings on the crab sticks and Vietnamese sausage, slice into 1/4 inch strips.
- Place the sliced items into a mixing bowl, add 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of lime juice, toss to mix together, adjust the soy sauce and lime juice as needed to fully coat everything.
- Or place the sliced items into a mixing bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons mayo, toss to coat, adding more as needed, goal is coated, not dripping in mayo.
- Cover and place in the fridge to chill for 2-3 hours.
- Serve as is or on a bed of lettuce. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Inspired from an internet recipe.
