Sweetheart Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

If you’re hosting a Valentine’s Day dinner for a sizable group, or just for two, you are going to want to make it romantic from beginning to end. An excellent way to begin your dinner is with my pretty and delicious Sweetheart Salad. It’s a great starter, can be served in large portions as a meal, or accompanying a sandwich or bowl of soup for a romantic lunch.

Not only is it attractive and can’t-stop-eating-it delicious, but it packs quite a nutritious punch. From the leafy green lettuce, to the nutrient-rich walnuts, to the beets loaded with antioxidants, this salad has at all. Cutting the beets into little heart shapes with this darling set makes this salad extra special, and will bring an appreciative smile to the face of your diners.

Sweetheart Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

1 head of Romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and rough chopped
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup hearts of palm “coins”
1 8-oz. pkg. Melissa’s organic beets, cut into heart shapes 

Raspberry vinaigrette (see below)

Two types of hearts are used in the salad -- hearts of palm, and beets cut into heart shapes. Mix all the ingredients together and toss with your favorite vinaigrette or do as I did and serve it alongside in one of these darling heart-shaped sauce bowls. I held out my beet hearts and sprinkled them on top so that they didn’t get mixed in with the other ingredients. You might consider doing the same. Makes four servings.

Raspberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup raspberry balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons grated shallot

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon sugar

Pinch of salt

Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Place all ingredients EXCEPT the oil in a small mixing bowl. Whisk together until blended. Continue to whisk as you slowly pour in the oil. Whisk until emulsified.  Drizzle over salad.

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Beet Chutney

For the uninitiated, chutney, from the East Indian word chatni, is a spicy condiment, sometimes chunky, sometimes smooth, containing fruit, sometimes nuts, vinegar, sugar, and a wide variety of spices. It can be hot or mild, depending upon your tastes, and is an excellent accompaniment to curried dishes. But you don't have to be a fan of curry to enjoy this delicious relish. I like to serve it with ham, roast chicken or turkey, and pork. I have also been known to whir it in the food processor along with a healthy amount of Duke's and make a piquant chutney mayonnaise, a wonderful topping for a turkey sandwich, and when stirred into chicken salad can perk up even the weariest of chickens.

 This recipe is a snap to make, particularly if you buy Melissa's steamed beets. The worst (and messiest) part about dealing with beets is the cleaning and cooking. All of that is done away with here. What could be easier?

 

Beet Chutney

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped red onion
1 8-oz. pkg. Melissa's Steamed Baby Beets, cubed
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons raisins
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Melissa's organic ginger, chopped fine
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
Pinch of cumin seeds

Pinch of cinnamon

Heat olive oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped red onion and cook until onion is tender but not brown, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Stir in beet cubes and water. Increase heat to high and boil until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until chutney is thick, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use. Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.

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This post is linked to: Over the Moon, Dishing It & Digging It, Art of Homemaking, Amaze Me Monday, Busy Mondays, Inspiration Monday, Cooking & Crafting with J&J

How to Make a Seasonal Salad

There is no secret to putting together a tasty and elegant seasonal salad that will delight your family any night of the week, and impress your guests on weekends. It is, essentially, nothing more than a thoughtful layering of seasonal ingredients and topping with a dressing to complement.

Not a day goes by that I can't assemble a pretty salad. It helps, I think, that I always keep a variety of fresh greens on hand, as well as an assortment of nuts (stored in the freezer to maintain freshness), a package or two of Melissa's French Country-Style Red Beets In Balsamic Vinaigrette, and have, in my repertoire, a variety of dressings both savory and sweet. If you get into the habit of doing the same, assembling a salad will become second nature. If making your own fresh dressing doesn't fit into your busy schedule, feel free to purchase two or three good ones. Many bottled dressings are excellent, with long shelf lives when properly stored in a cool pantry before opening, or a fridge thereafter.

Here is my method of assembly, from bottom to top:

Fresh greens (spinach, spring mix/mesclun, romaine, Boston, or red leaf lettuce)

Vegetable (beets, cucumber, mushrooms, red onion, peas, sprouts)

Fruit (use whatever is in season - melon, berries, orange slices, mango, apple, pomegranate seeds)

Cheese (feta, bleu, Gorgonzola, Parmesan)

Nuts (toasted pecans, toasted walnuts, toasted hazelnuts, peanuts, pepitas, sunflower seeds)

Simply select one or more item from each category, layer from the bottom up, and top with the dressing of your choice. Poppy seed and vinaigrette dressings are my favorites for this type of salad, but a creamier type such as ranch, Caesar, or creamy Italian work well too.

The salad pictured contains romaine lettuce, cubes of Athena melon, cubed beets, crumbled blue cheese, toasted walnuts, and poppy seed dressing. I store my salad dressings in icing bottles so that I can squeeze it onto the top of the salad in delicate little stripes. It is so easy, and quite impressive.

When you use this little formula for making salad it is easy to make one or ten by just lining up chilled plates and layering ingredients. Try it yourself, and be bold in choosing your layers. It is as much about fun as it is about experimentation and taste. 

This post is linked to:

Home and Garden Thursday

Full Plate Thursday

Friday Finds

Show and Tell Friday 

Friday Unfolded

Friday Frenzy
Fridays Flash Blog
Simple and Sweet Fridays

Foodie Friday & Everything Else

What To Do Weekend 
The Weekend re-Treat

Cranberries for Thanksgiving

Do not tell me how close we are to Thanksgiving; my nerves are just too shot to take the truth. I like to ease into holidays when I can, but this year I seem to just run smack into them, every one. For the most part, my menu is planned; I vary little from year to year. It is, after all, Thanksgiving, and I am a traditionalist. One thing that I do anguish over, however, are the cranberries. Such a simple dish, but I have found that people have very strong feelings about them. My late mother was a huge fan of my bourbon cranberry sauce. Others enjoy the frozen layered cranberries, except for my aunt who cannot abide beets and prefers the cranberry orange relish. Mr. O-P, I am loathe to admit, likes the canned stuff, slid out onto a plate and sliced up like baloney; he is singular in this interest.

See what I mean?  Choosing the right recipe can be stressful. If you have the same problem, here is an assortment of delicious versions for your perusal (Click on the name below each picture to take you to the recipe.).  You'll have to decide which to serve on your own. This year, enamored as I was with the fresh taste and fragrant aroma that the Calamondin oranges added to the homemade marmalade, I am going to add them to my cranberries, along with the usual sugar, pinch of cinnamon, and generous shot of whiskey.  Will everyone like them? I'll let you know.

Spirited Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry-Pineapple Sauce

Gingered Cranberry and Kumquat Relish

Frosty Salad with Cranberry, Pineapple and Beets

This post is linked to:

Tasty Tuesday

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

Tasty Tuesdays

The Scoop

Wow Us Wednesday
Work It Wednesday

What’s It Wednesday

Full Plate Thursday

Foodie Friday

Beets in Vinaigrette

I grew up with a disdain for beets.  I suppose it’s because my mother only ever served them pickled, right from the jar.  My dad loved them; I held my nose and tried to choke them down.  That was my one and only experience with beets.  It left a scar.

Decades later, enter Melissa’s Produce and their Peeled and Steamed Baby Beets. I was wary of tasting them but, wow, what a revelation!  As Tony the Tiger would say, “They're great!”  With a fresh-from-the-garden taste, these French-grown beets have a slice-and-serve convenience that every busy cook will appreciate.  Serve them warm, toss them into salads, or whip up this very simple vinaigrette and leave them in the fridge until you're ready for them.  They add a splash of color and a touch of elegance to any meal.  Your guests will be amazed. 

Beets in Vinaigrette

Adapted from a recipe in Gourmet, January 2008

1 8-oz. package Melissa’s Peeled & Steamed Baby Beets

2-1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon Kosher salt

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Cut beets into ¼” slices and arrange on a plate (if serving immediately) on in a container (if storing in the fridge).  Set aside.

Whisk together vinegar, onion, sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.  Add oil in a slow stream, whisking constantly to emulsify.  Stir in parsley.  Pour over beets.  Garnish with kale sprouts and serve.