♥ Saladelicious

Two If By Sea

from: pinchofpage.com ♥

After a long weekend of indulging I thought it was time for a culinary change of pace. I knew that I wanted a light salad but I also knew that my husband wouldn’t want a meatless one. The compromise came out flavorful and filling and yet not heavy at all.

Spinach Salad with Seared Sea Scallops, Bacon, and Dijon-Balsamic Vinaigrette

I bought frozen sea scallops at our local grocery and defrosted them the day I cooked them (fresh would be spectacular, if you can find them). You could make this for a quick lunch or dinner, or you could omit the bacon for a meal without red meat. This made dinner for two but could easily be halved or doubled.

• 4 sea scallops, thawed
• 4 strips bacon (I buy low sodium bacon)
• Non-stick cooking spray if using non-stick pan OR 1 tablspoon butter for a stainless steel or copper pan
• 1 bag raw spinach leaves
• Fresh parmesan cheese
• Sea salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon rendered fat from bacon OR extra virgin olive oil for the dressing

The first thing to do to prepare for this meal is to remove the thawed scallops from the fridge and thoroughly but gently rinse them in cool water. Set them on a few sheets of paper towel and sprinkle them with salt to help bring out their moisture. Place another piece of paper towel on top and let them sit in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

In a medium skillet, cook the bacon strips until they are crisp but not burned. Place the bacon on paper towel and set them aside. Remove the scallops from the fridge and pat them dry with paper towel. The drier your scallops are, the better the sear you will get when you cook them. Sprinkle them with a touch more salt and a few grinds from the pepper shaker on both sides.

Spray a small skillet with a touch of non-stick cooking spray (or melt your butter if your pan isn’t non-stick) and heat the pan over medium. You can test the readiness of the skillet by flicking a drop or two of water into the pan – when the water sizzles upon contact, the pan is ready for your meat. Place the scallops in the pan and let them sit without moving them. After 2 minutes, carefully flip the scallops over. Allow them to cook for 1-2 minutes on the second side (depending on the size of your scallop) or until the meat is completely opaque. Be mindful that scallops should be just barely done, never overcooked.

Fill a plate or low bowl with your spinach leaves. Cut the bacon into small pieces and sprinkle them over the spinach. Place the scallops on the salad and top with parmesean cheese shavings and a few more grinds from your pepper mill.

For the dressing: In a small bowl whish together the dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar until smooth. Add either a tablespoon of the rendered bacon grease or a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and whish until combined. Drizzle over your salad. Enjoy…

from: pinchofpage.com

this is what you called SALAD! booyah! ♥ ♥ ♥

Greek Appetizer Salad

All Greek To Me

I got to spend last night with the lovely lady spouses of NAS Kingsville (no males yet!) and, once again, we all brought buffet-style appetizers. There are usually a lot of dessert options at these events – and one fabulous baker in particular - so I didn’t want to go down that route. I needed something that was zesty and an easy party finger food. With that in mind, I created an appetizer salad that incorporated some of my best-loved foods.

Greek Salad in Cucumber Cups

True Greek salad doesn’t include any lettuce, so the transition to a bite-sized cup was easy. And since cucumber is a main ingredient in Greek salads, and because they are strudy enough to carve, it made the perfect edible container for my appetizer. The dressing should be made a few hours in advance so that the flavors can truly marry.

For the dressing:

• 1/2 teaspoon jarred, finely minced garlic or 1 fresh garlic clove, finely minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1-1 1/2 lemons)
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
• 1/4 tespoons dried basil leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 8 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon crumbled feta cheese

For the dressing, in a food precessor or with a whisk, combine all of the ingredients except for the olive oil. Blend thoroughly to combine. Slowly pour in the olive oil while blending. Refrigerate for a few hours.

For the salad:

• 2 English (seedless) cucumbers
• 1/4 red onion, finely diced
• 1/4 green pepper, finely diced
• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives, finely diced
• 1/4 cup mild banana peppers, diced
• 4 ounces feta cheese block, crumbled
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

To make the cucumber cups, cut the narrow ends of the cucumbers off and discard. With a vegetable peeler, peel strips of the skin off all the way around the cucumber to create a stripe effect. Cut the cucumber into abnout 3/4 inch rounds. Spoon out the inside of each cup with a melon baller (or one of your small measuring spoons) and discard the inside of each cup. Be careful to not break through the bottom or sides of the cups.

For the salad, combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Pour enough dressing over the salad mixture to lightly coat all the vegetables and stir to mix. Spoon a bit of the dressed salad mixture into each cucumber cup. Serve cool or at room temperature.

This is a very simple salad but the cucumber cups really make an impressive presentation. The recipe above made about 20 cucumber cups but you could easily halve or double it, or omit any ingredient to accomodate your guests. The dressing is better-than-bottled without being overpowering, and the colors and textures of the salad are bright and varied. This is an hors d’oeuvre that I will absolutely be making again – and hope you try too! Enjoy…

from: pinchofpage.com

Im gonna make this one for our culinary subject (hope so!) it sounds really good and the presentation in the picture is so appetizing!!! yum! yum! cant wait to do that! =)