Archive for the ‘Sides – Salads’ Category
Macaroni Salad II
This is an excellent macaroni salad, I made this on 11 Jan 2018. This is a very versatile recipe that you can make different each time.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups dry macaroni, or any small bite size pasta
- 1 cup mayo
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cups import celery, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 hard boiled eggs, chopped, chicken or duck
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Heat a pot of salted water to boiling, add and cook the macaroni until tender, drain and rinse under cold water, set aside to cool.
- While you are cooking the eggs and pasta, prep the vegetables.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayo, vinegar, and mustard until smooth.
- Add the garlic, onion, celery, bell pepper, eggs, and parsley. Mix to coat then add the pasta and mix to coat.
- Refrigerate for several hours before serving as a side dish.
Notes
Low cost.
Variants: 1. Add 100 grams or so of shredded or cubed Cheddar or Swiss cheese. 2. Use any color bell you like.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Mushroom & Egg Salad
The mushroom part intrigued me with this recipe. I have made several recipes from this friend and I have to say, they are all spot on, as well as this one! I made this on 29 Oct 2017 and this is really good. I used small Shiitake mushrooms which will result in a browner appearance than using white button mushrooms.
Ingredients
- 500 grams button mushrooms, or Shiitake, diced
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
- 4-5 hard boiled eggs, peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, or lime juice
- salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil, as needed
Instructions
- For the mushrooms, white button mushrooms or white Shimeji give the best appearance, Shiitake, brown Shimeji, or Cremini will result in a browner appearance to the salad. If you have seen what the Thais cook, appearance is not a show stopper here, just as long as it tastes good. I used Shiitake with the stems removed and just sliced, not diced.
- Heat a large non stick pan on medium heat and add a splash of olive oil, when the oil is hot, add the mushrooms and saute for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and no liquid is in the pan.
- Put the mushrooms in a large mixing bowl. Photo showing the browned mushrooms just before I took them out of the pan.
- Same pan, and another splash of olive oil, when the oil is hot, add the onion and saute for 10-12 minutes or until golden, then add in the garlic and cook for another minute and remove from heat.
- Add the onion, eggs, and dill to the mixing bowl and mix together to combine.
- In a small bowl, mix together the mayo, mustard, and lemon (lime) juice, stir the dressing into the salad until evenly coated, add more mayo if needed. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.
- Chill for several hours in the fridge before serving. Serve with a little bit of fresh dill sprinkled on top.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcut: Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs.
This recipe for Mushroom and Egg Salad is from Natasha's Kitchen.
Chicken Olivye (Chicken Potato Salad)
This is a potato salad that is very popular in Russia and Eastern Europe. This is a two for one recipe, you can make chicken broth you can save and use in another recipe. I made this on 26 Oct 2017, absolutely brilliant salad, highly recommended. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams chicken breasts, (1 lb)
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled or unpeeled
- 2 carrots, peeled or unpeeled
- 2 cups frozen peas, thawed
- 5 hard boiled eggs, peeled, diced
- 2 cups baby dill pickles, diced, Shortcut
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
- 1 cup mayo
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- Chicken can be prepared two ways:
- First way: In a medium pot, add the chicken, fill with water and a teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until cooked through, remove chicken and allow to cool and handle, then dice that and add to a large mixing bowl. Strain the broth and save (refrigerate) for use in another recipe.
- Second way: In a medium pot, add the chicken, fill with water and a teaspoon of salt, add trinity (1 carrot large pieces, 1 onion quartered, 1 stalk celery large pieces), and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the pot from heat and let sit until room temp with the chicken in the broth, this makes for juicier chicken. When cooled, remove the chicken and dice and add to a large mixing bowl.
- Strain the broth and save (refrigerate) for use in another recipe.
- Dice the potatoes and carrots to the same size and place in a medium sized pot (same pot used for the chicken would be ideal). add enough water to cover the vegetables by an inch, stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil uncovered and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process, drain well to remove any water. Add to the mixing bowl with the chicken.
- Add the peas, eggs pickles, onion, and dill to the mixing bowl, give it a quick stir to mix everything, then add the mayo, salt, and black pepper and mix that in. (I used 3 chicken eggs and a handful of quail eggs, plus I used diced celery in place of peas.)
- For the mayo start out with less than a cup and add as needed to fully coat everything.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving. Serve as a side dish, or in my case, this is a light main dish for me. I can see this being a main dish with a fresh cooked cob of corn on the side.
Notes
The chicken breasts will cost about 35 Baht/500 grams. For 8 servings (as a side), this is about 13 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Refrigerator Pickles.
Variants: 1. Substitute cooked diced ham or kielbasa for the chicken. 2. Add sliced red radish or diced daikon. 3. Use a combination of chicken and quail eggs. 4. Substitute diced celery for the peas.
Southern Fattoush
This is an Israeli bread salad, and sounds delicious! On my to cook list. This does call for the use of toasted pita bread, if in a pinch, regular sliced bread, toasted, should work ok. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- 4 teaspoons cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 3/8 teaspoon ground sumac
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
For the Salad
- 2 6 inch pitas, torn in bite size pieces, OR make from a shortcut
- 1 cup tomato, chopped
- 1 cup cucumber, sliced
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
- 1/4 cup arugala, chopped
- 1/4 cup onion, minced, Vidalia if you have that
- 1 can black-eyed peas, unsalted, or 1 /12 cups if making from dry
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200 C.
- To make the dressing, add the dressing ingredients except the olive oil to a medium sized bowl and whisk, gradually drizzle in the olive oil, whisking constantly.
- Toast the pita bread. Arrange the torn pita bread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 7 minutes in the preheated oven, stir them up at 4 minutes. Let the toasted pita cool completely and reserve 1/2 cup for garnish later.
- To make the salad, mix together the salad ingredients, tossing in the toasted pita and dressing last, top with the reserved toasted pita and serve.
Notes
Creamy Cucumber Salad
This is a German style cucumber salad and it is delicious. Greek yogurt can be used in place of the sour cream but when doing this, leave out the lemon juice. I made this on 20 Aug 2017 and it is delicious! Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 7-10 small cucumbers, sliced into thin rounds
- 1 small red onion, quartered, sliced thin
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
- ¾ cup sour cream, see Step 1
- 1½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, see Step 2
- pinch black pepper, or to taste
- ½ carrot, julienned, optional
Instructions
- For the sour cream, you can substitute Greek yogurt but omit the lemon juice.
- For the salt, you can make the dressing with the salt included but the salad will need to be consumed just after making or within just a few hours as the salt will cause the cucumbers to weep. An alternative is to salt the cucumber slices in a sieve and let them set for an hour, gently squeeze out remaining moisture, then proceed as directed, which will result in crispy cucumbers for 2-3 days with the dressing. This photo is of the cucumbers salted and draining.
- Using a small bowl, add the sour cream (or Greek yogurt), lemon juice only if using sour cream, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix and refrigerate until needed. Best results if you mix the dressing into the vegetables just before serving. If using the salted cucumber method, omit the salt in the dressing mixture.
- Place the cucumber and onion in a bowl, add the dressing and mix and serve then or within 2-3 hours, keeping the salad refrigerated until use.
- If using the salted cucumbers, mix in the dressing and refrigerate until use, store leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days. I used salted cucumbers so everything is mixed and goes into the fridge to chill. I also added the julienned carrot for a bit of color.
- Serve as a side as is or on a bed of lettuce for a nice presentation and a light meal.
Notes
Shortcut: Sour Cream.
Russian Style Crab Salad (Крабовый Салат)
This recipe uses imitation crab, aka crab sticks, but if you wish to use real crab, feel free. I personally like imitation crab so I will be using that. And this is the first recipe I have listed with the Russian text in the title as well, very cool I think. I prepared this on 30 Sep 2017, delicious! Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 750 grams imitation crab, chopped or chopped and shredded, (1½ lbs)
- 6-7 hard boiled eggs, diced, Shortcut
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 cup mayo
- 2 tablespoons horseradish sauce, or to taste
- 1 can corn, drained well
- 1 can sweet peas, drained well
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add everything except the peas and mix, add more mayo as needed to coat everything well.
- Add the peas and gently fold in, this keeps them from getting mushy. Store in the fridge for several hours before serving.
- Served along some Roast Red Pork, delicious! You can certainly serve this as a main dish as well.
Notes
Crab stick prices vary widely, from 90 to 270 Baht/500 grams, not sure of the taste or quality as I have only bought Tesco brand at 94 Baht/450 gram package and the taste is quite good, for 750 grams, figure about 150 Baht. For 8 servings, this is about 52 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs.
Crab Salad with Cucumber & Tomato
This recipe uses imitation crab, aka crab sticks, but if you wish to use real crab, feel free. I personally like imitation crab so I will be using this. This is a use what you have recipe, and I will say, wow, this is good! I made this on 8 August 2017. The amounts listed are approximate, use what you have, I used a bit more imitation crab, but probably less spring onion.
Ingredients
- 500 grams imitation crab
- 2 medium cucumbers, diced small
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced and drained
- 1/4 cup spring onions, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1/2 cup mayo, or as needed
Instructions
- Prepare the imitation crab by chopping and shredding. No kidding, use your hands like you would mix a meat loaf! Place in a bowl with all the remaining prepared vegetables and mix together.
- Add the mayo and mix to coat everything, use more mayo as needed. Store in the fridge for several hours to chill before serving.
Notes
Crab stick prices vary widely, from 90 to 270 Baht/500 grams, not sure of the taste or quality as I have only bought Tesco brand at 94 Baht/450 gram package and the taste is quite good. For 6 servings, this is about 46 cents per serving.
Inspired by the recipe Crab Salad with Cucumber and Tomato from Natasha's Kitchen.
Salmon Pasta Salad
This sounds really good, a must try for me. For those in Thailand, make use of your rice cooker and steam salmon instead of the high priced small cans of salmon. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 250 grams spiral pasta, cooked and drained
- 2 cups cooked salmon, canned OR make from a shortcut
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 medium cucumber, quartered and sliced
- 1 small red onion, sliced
- 1/2 cup canola oil, or rice bran, or corn oil
- 1/3 cup lemon juice, or lime juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dill
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and finely minced
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 head lettuce, torn
Instructions
- In a large bowl add the pasta, salmon, tomatoes, cucumber and onion.
- To make the dressing combine the canola, rice bran, or corn oil, lemon or lime juice, dill, garlic, salt and pepper and whisk well. Pour over pasta salad. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
- Serve over lettuce leaves.
Notes
Figure 3 salmon fillets, you need to skin these yourself, to make the 2 cups of cooked salmon. The salmon fillets I get are 69 Baht each. For 6 servings, this is about $1.02, good value overall.
Shortcut: Steamed Salmon.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Endless Summer Salad
This is a cucumber and onion based salad in a brine, you can add what ever vegetables you like, it does not have to be just cucumbers and onions. As the vegetables are used, just add more to the brine, this can last several weeks.
Ingredients
- 1 medium cucumber
- 1 small red onion
- 1/2 cup white vinegar, or rice or apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons sugar, or 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped, or 2 teaspoons dried
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
Instructions
- Peel and thinly slice the cucumber. Thinly slice the onion and separate the rings. Add these to a bowl that has a lid. Add the garlic.
- Whisk together the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved, Stir in the dill. Pour the brine over the cucumber and onion.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Enjoy, add more, refrigerate, repeat.
- Serve as a salad, on hamburgers, sandwiches, etc.
Notes
Low cost.
Variants: Add chopped bell pepper, any color you like. Add celery seed to the brine. Add tomatoes, long beans, carrots, okra, etc.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Club Salad
This is a Leftover meal, no serving sizes are stated, and is low cost for the chicken and there is even a shortcut to use for even more savings. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- lettuce, of your choice, torn
- cherry tomatoes, halved
- bacon, cooked crisp, crumbled
- avocado, chopped
- chicken, cooked, chopped or shredded
- mayo
- prepared yellow mustard
- white vinegar
- croutons, OR make from a shortcut
- hard boiled eggs, peeled, quartered
Instructions
- Toss together lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, avocado, and chicken.
- Whisk equal amounts of mayo and mustard with a splash of vinegar.
- Drizzle dressing over the salad, top with croutons and hard boiled eggs.
- Serve as a side or a large salad as a main for a lunch or light dinner.
Notes
Low cost as this is a leftover dish made with chicken from a previous recipe.
Shortcut: Croutons.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
