Summer Salad - Healthy Cooking event

On a hot Summer day this refreshing salad works as a one-dish meal to me. My kids love to tease me about my salad bowls, they say that they look like a colorful garden. Children say funny things and whenever I can I write them down.

I have salad with almost every meal, and this works for me as an effective way to have a healthy diet and keep a slim figure.

Salads are low fat, depending on the dressing you choose... So, adding nuts, beans, tofu, yogurt or cheese power up the content of protein.

This is my entry to the Healthy Cooking - A Cookbook Givevaway Event. You can win a cookbook, so hurry! The deadline is July 21st!
For the salad:
(quantities may vary)

- Swiss chard, chopped
(source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, iron, vitamin E and dietary fiber)
- Romaine lettuce
(source of vitamin A, folic acid, vitamin C, manganese and chromium)
- Strawberries, sliced
(source of vitamin C and manganese, among others)
- Cashew nuts, crushed
(source of fiber and protein, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, copper and B vitamins)

In a large salad bowl, combine swiss chard, lettuce, strawberries and cashew nuts. Pour the orange dressing over the salad.

For the orange dressing
Recipe adapted from Lica's blog (in Portuguese)

1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped very fine
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine orange juice, olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix well and cook until thickened. Remove from heat, let cool. Use as salad dressing.

Nutrition source: The World's Healthiest Foods

Courgette Salsa - Grow Your Own #9

¡Viva Cinco de Mayo!

This tasty salsa can be used as an appetizer, spooned over a steak or as salad dressing.

I used organic zucchinis (or courgettes) from the family farm located about 150 miles (about 250 km) from where we live. We go there once a month and that's when I have plenty of time to experiment with home grown ingredients.

This is my entry for Grow Your Own event that promotes the use of ingredients we grow or raise ourselves and also the dishes we make using our homegrown products. To view other entries and participating blogs, please visit Andrea's blog!

Courgette Salsa
From Woman and Home magazine

2 ripe tomatoes, core removed, finely chopped
1 medium courgette, finely chopped
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
finely grated zest and juice 1 lime
handful fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
3 tsp sweet chilli sauce (optional) - I used 1 tsp chilli powder
1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1) Mix the chopped tomatoes and courgette with the rest of the ingredients, plus a pinch of sugar if not using the chilli sauce. Set the salsa aside at room temperature. Serve as appetizer.

Zucchini plants

Spinach Salad with Spicy Honey Dressing

This salad is to celebrate warmer days and the bounty of the season in the Southern hemisphere. Also, it is my entry for the Leftover Queen Forum that listed mushrooms, herbs and cheese for this month's foodie joust. I wanted something cool and refreshing, but a little spicy, and this dressing is exactly what I had in mind: sweet and spicy.

Spinach salad
4 cups torn fresh spinach
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 cup moyashi (bean sprouts), rinsed and drained if using canned
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or tofu cubed)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Spicy honey dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup honey (microwave for 20 seconds)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon chili sauce or pepper sauce
1 tablespoon shoyu (or worcestershire sauce)
1/4 teaspoon salt

1) In a large salad bowl, combine the spinach, mushrooms, almonds, tomatoes, celery, moyashi, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.

2) In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the dressing ingredients; shake well. Drizzle desired amount over salad and toss to coat or serve dressing on the side. Serve immediately. Refrigerate any leftover dressing.

Recipe adapted from a leaflet found inside magazine Taste of home, dated 2003.

Mixed Greens with Cashew Nut Dressing

Every month Jenn at the Leftover Queen will be hosting the Royal Foodie Joust challenging us with three ingredients to create recipes. For this month's joust, the ingredients are a dried fruit, nuts, and cheese. I picked a few ingredients that are common in Brazil, created this salad and named it Mixed Greens with Cashew Nut Dressing. The flavors blended so easily: cashew nuts and golden raisins for the dressing and grilled farmer's cheese with mixed greens for this Summer salad that was ready in a few minutes.

For the cashew nut dressing
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped cashew nuts
1 tablespoon raisins (I used golden raisins)
salt and pepper to taste

For the salad:
- Thick slices of farmer's cheese
- Mango slices
1 pound greens such as:
- Outer leaves of red cabbage
- Arugula
- Iceberg lettuce
- Cauliflower florets

Directions:
1) Start with the dressing: in a small bowl whisk all the ingredients until mixed.

2) Make a salad bowl with the outer leaves of the cabbage and add the arugula, the lettuce, the mango slices and the cauliflower florets. Add the cashew nut dressing and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. (Or, in a large bowl, place the mixed greens and add the cashew nut dressing, tossing gently until all the vegetables are evenly coated.)

3) Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes (I used my George Foreman grill). Put thick slices of cheese in the skillet and cook for 2 minutes or until the undersides are golden brown. Add the cheese to the salad. Serve immediately.

More ideas...
- Use crêpes or flour tortillas and make wraps! Just spread the salad dressing down the center of each tortilla. Layer arugula, cauliflower florets, lettuce, mango and chopped cabbage over the dressing. Roll the tortilla around the other ingredients.
- You can also vary the type of greens you use to change the character of the salad.

Radicchio Stuffed with Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

Radicchio or red chicory is a popular vegetable in Italy with slightly bitter flavor. It can be eaten raw, cooked, roasted or combined into other dishes such as salads, risottos, pizzas, etc.

This recipe was cortesy of Adriana, an old friend, who is an excellent cook and nutritionist. It can be served either raw or roasted. I prefer raw because it preserves the beautiful colors.

Radicchio with Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

2 large heads radicchio, washed (or 4 small ones)
1 cup goat cheese, feta cheese or ricotta
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper

Dressing
1 1/3 cup Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette (recipe below or use italian dressing)

Directions
1) In a small bowl, combine the cheese with olive oil, garlic, basil, salt and pepper.

2) Cut out the core of the radicchios and reserve. Spoon cheese mixture into center of radicchios. Place the cores back.

3) Drizzle with sun-dried tomato vinaigrette. I like to garnish the plate with endivia leaves. Serve immediately.

Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomato halves, drained and chopped
1/4 cup chopped green onion
2 tablespoons chopped onions
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, whisk all ingredientes together to blend.

For baked radicchios:

Pre-heat oven to 350°F/180°C.

Stuff each radicchio with the cheese mixture and place the cores on as caps. Arrange the radicchio in a pie plate, add about 1/4 cup water to the bottom of the plate, cover with aluminum foil and bake until tender, for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven.

To serve, spread the vinaigrette on bottom of dinner plates and top with the baked radicchio. Serve immediately.

Tomato and Grilled Bread Salad - Panzanella

I have been testing recipes from the book Everyday Food written by Martha Stewart. With nice photography, the recipes have enchanted me because they are simple, healthy, delicious and preparation takes only a few minutes. Over the years, Martha has presented us with handy hints for crafts, decor, sewing, and cooking, all with the help of her wonderful crew. Her shows, books and magazines increased my interest for the American cuisine. When I got the book "Everyday Food" from a friend I soon realized the recipes were a real treat to my family. Oh, sorry, this is not a review, I just happen to like the book.

The first recipe I am going to share with you is the Panzanella, a Tuscan rustic salad with a taste of Italy.

Panzanella

1/2 pound country/italian bread, cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 3/4-inch dice (about 4 cups)
1 cucumber, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch dice (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil, torn into bite-size pieces

For the dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

1) Heat grill to medium. Brush bread slices on both sides with 2 tablespoons oil. Grill until lightly charred on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Let cool slightly, then cut into large cubes.

2) In a large bowl, toss bread cubes with tomatoes, cucumber, and basil. Drizzle with the dressing. Toss to combine, and serve.

More ideas:
- You can improvise, adding onions, black olives or anchovies.
- I usually serve the dressing on the side. This time I also fixed some ginger vinaigrette.

Grilled Corn Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

This salad has a taste of tex-mex because of the ground cumin and cilantro.

Corn salad

No-Stick Cooking Spray
4 ears fresh corn, husked and silks removed or 2 cups frozen thawed corn
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 red bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed and finely chopped
3 scallions or green onions, trimmed and finely chopped, white and 2-inches of green tops
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley
1 teaspoon ground cumin or taco seasoning

For the lime dressing:
2 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1) Spray grill or broiler pan with no-stick cooking spray; heat grill or broiler. Rub corn with 2 tablespoons oil. Grill or broil corn for about 7 minutes or until ears are lightly brown. Turn with tongs to brown all sides. Remove from grill. Cool enough to handle, and stand corncobs upright on cutting board with fat end down. Cut straight down, slicing kernels off cobs with sharp knife.

Or, if you are using frozen/canned corn sauté with oil or butter over low to medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep corn from browning.

2) Place in mixing bowl. Add red bell pepper, scallions, cilantro and ground cumin.

3) In a small bowl combine oil with lime juice, maple syrup, salt and pepper. Toss with corn mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.

Notes:

- This salad can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered.

- Zest up your salad adding diced tomatos and olives.

Recipe adapted from: Crisco

Insalata Tricolore

Portuguese version: click here

Any italians around? I heard that all recipes with the word "tricolore" in the title denote the use of ingredients that make up the colors of the italian flag: red, green, and white. I used watercress, lettuce, beets, radish, tofu cheese, and as mangoes are found easily at this time of year, I added some slices. All organic! On the side, I had some sun-dried tomatoes and the salad was seasoned with olive oil, salt (fleur de sal) and black pepper.