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Balsamic Salad Dressing

Posted in Salads, tagged , , on August 4, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Balsamic Salad Dressing

Homemade salad dressing is one of those things that is far better than store bought, and it hardly takes any effort to make. This recipe is especially easy, and can literally be made in less than 3 minutes. (Yes, I timed it!) I always have the ingredients for this dressing on hand, so even at the last minute I can mix up some of this homemade salad dressing.

I’ve been meaning to try other salad dressing recipes, but haven’t had much incentive to because we love this dressing so much (and again, it’s so easy and I don’t have to buy any special ingredients). I’m sure I will sometime soon, though, because we’re probably missing out on many other great salad dressing flavors!

I like to mix up my salad dressing in this special salad dressing mixer, which you can find at Williams-Sonoma or Crate and Barrel. It has measurement marks along the sides of the container, and then you just squeeze the trigger to mix your salad dressing. The container is especially handy for storing homemade salad dressing in the refrigerator. (Just be very careful when putting it in the dishwasher, as the green mixing part can detach from the lid and will melt if it falls to the bottom of the dishwasher. Not a good thing, and yes, I know from personal experience!)

 

One year ago:  Ginger-Apricot Pie

Balsamic Salad Dressing

Printable Recipe

Note: I never measure ingredients when I make this; just add approximate amounts and then do a taste test.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tbsp. honey
  • 1/8 tsp. Kosher salt
  • 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl or salad dressing mixer (if using a bowl, first mix together everything but the olive oil, then whisk in the olive oil). Whisk or mix to combine well. Store salad dressing in the refrigerator.

Recipe is a Kristine’s Kitchen original.

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Romaine Salad with Chicken, Cheddar, Apple, and Pecans

Posted in Chicken, Easy Weeknight Meals, Main Dish, Meat, Salads, tagged , , , , , , on May 26, 2010 | 3 Comments »

Romaine Salad with Chicken, Cheddar, Apple, and Pecans

It had been a while since I made this salad, but it stood out in my memory as a favorite recipe that I wanted to make again so that I could post it to my blog. It was as full of flavor as I remembered it! I really like how the apple, cheddar, cranberry, and pecan flavors complement each other. Sometimes I worry that I will be left hungry after eating a salad for dinner, but between the chicken, pecans, cheese, and apple, this is a very filling meal. We also enjoyed a slice of Honey Oatmeal Sandwich Bread alongside the salad.

This recipe comes from The Best 30-Minute Recipe, a cookbook from the editors of Cook’s Illustrated. This book includes great tips from the Cook’s Illustrated Test Kitchen. One of my favorites is this recipe’s method of cooking the chicken. Browning and then poaching chicken in a skillet is now my go-to method whenever I need cooked chicken breasts for salads, casseroles, and tacos.

I have to admit that I took a shortcut when preparing the salad this time. Since I didn’t have time to make the Dried Cranberry Vinaigrette (Julia has a kitchen floor playtime limit :) ), I used one of my favorite store-bought salad dressings, Brianna’s Blush Wine Vinaigrette. The dressing went really well with the salad, but I do think you should try the cranberry vinaigrette because it is really good!

This salad dressing was a great quick substitute when time was lacking.

Romaine Salad with Chicken, Cheddar, Apple, and Pecans

Salad Ingredients:

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • Salt and ground black pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 recipe Dried Cranberry Vinaigrette, see below
  • 1 large head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
  • 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 apple, cored and chopped
  • 1 cup pecans
  • 1/2 red onion, sliced thin
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

  1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Flip chicken over, and brown second side for 2-3 minutes. Add water and cover. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until thickest part of chicken registers 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer. Transfer to cutting board and cool slightly. (While the chicken cooks, make the vinaigrette)
  2. Arrange lettuce, cheddar, apple, pecans, red onions, and cranberries on plate. Slice chicken and arrange over salad. Drizzle salad with vinaigrette.

Serves 4

Dried Cranberry Vinaigrette

  • 1/4 cup cranberry juice
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup raspberry vinegar*
  • 1 shallot, peeled
  • 1 small garlic clove, peeled
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • Salt and ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

*Red wine vinegar may be substituted for the raspberry vinegar.

Directions:

  1. Combine cranberry juice and dried cranberries in microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high power 1 minute.
  2. Place hot cranberry mixture, vinegar, shallot, garlic, thyme, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in food processor. Process until shallot and garlic are finely chopped. With food processor running, add oil and continue to process until smooth and emulsified, about 15 seconds.

Makes about 1 cup of vinaigrette.

Salad and Vinaigrette recipes adapted from The Best 30-Minute Recipe.

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Cobb Salad

Posted in Chicken, Main Dish, Meat, Salads, tagged , , , on May 9, 2010 | 4 Comments »

Cobb Salad

This is such a simple meal to put together, but it has lots of flavor. Traditionally, Cobb Salad can be full of fat and calories, but in this version I use only a small amount of blue cheese, omit the bacon, and top it with a balsamic salad dressing that is much healthier than the blue cheese dressing that is often served with Cobb salads.

Salad can be a filling meal on its own, as long as you make sure yours has a protein and a little bit of fat to keep you full. In this salad, the protein comes from sliced chicken breast and hard boiled egg. Avocado and olive oil in the salad dressing provide a little bit of healthy fat.  If you are looking for other salads that work as a meal, try Strawberry Chicken Salad with Warm Citrus Dressing or Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad. I’m thinking that I should try to have a salad dinner once a week, since there are so many options!

If I am going to make a salad for dinner, I’ll often do it the night after cooking chicken. That way, I don’t have to go to the effort to cook chicken just for the salad. This time, I used leftover Honey-Dijon Grilled Chicken and the honey-Dijon flavor worked perfectly with the other salad flavors.

The balsamic salad dressing is my go-to recipe for homemade dressing. I always have the ingredients in my fridge and pantry, and it literally takes about 3 minutes to prepare.

Cobb Salad

Balsamic Salad Dressing Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Whisk together balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and honey. Whisk in olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

(Recipe can be doubled, etc. to make the amount of dressing you need.  This amount was enough to lightly dress at least 4 salads.)

Salad Ingredients:

(When I make this salad, I don’t measure the amounts of ingredients. Just use an amount appropriate for the number of salads you are making.)

  • Lettuce, chopped (I used a mix of romaine and red leaf lettuce)
  • Cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced
  • Avocado, sliced
  • Hard boiled egg, sliced
  • Tomato, chopped
  • Blue Cheese, crumbled

Salad Directions:

1. Place chopped lettuce on plate. Top with chicken, avocado, hard boiled egg, tomato, and blue cheese.

2. Drizzle salad with dressing.

This is the salad before it is topped with dressing.


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