Red Leaf Salad with Blackberries and Blue Cheese

Sometimes the simplest salads are the best salads.

There is a whole new array of salads out there that feature fruit.  Fruit can lend a new texture and a little sweetness to a salad.  Using seasonal fruit allows you to change up your salad no matter the season.  The other bonus with fruit is that is can be added to your salad whole, raw, chopped, grilled, or pureed!

MGG never really liked fruit in his salad.  He typically sticks to the garden variety vegetables.  Me? I started out by putting raisins on my garden salad.  A little sweetness on top.  I loved it!  Now I've expanded to all kinds of fruits, and so has he.  The best part is he actually likes them!  Being the rabbit he is (he loves salads) it wasn't too hard of a sell to start getting him used to the fruity sweet taste.  A few cranberries here, a pear here, and before you know it he's craving them.

I particularly like to balance the sweetness or tartness of the fruit with a nice cheese.  And I really enjoy a regular ole vinaigrette rather than a fruit based one.  So this salad is just that.  Tart plump blackberries served on a bed of red leaf lettuce.  It is dressed with a balsamic homemade dressing and topped with some crumbled blue cheese to give it that edge.  YUMMY!

This is the perfect side salad, as it goes well with chicken and beef dishes.  You could also turn this into a wonderful main dish salad by adding some caramelized red onions and some sliced steak.  Hint Hint, this would be a wonderful Thanksgiving salad, simple to make and full of flavor!

So try this wonderfully "simple" salad.  The flavors are outstanding!

Red Leaf Salad with Blackberries and Blue Cheese

Serves 4-6

3 T extra virgin olive oil

2 T balsamic vinegar

Salt & pepper

6 c torn red leaf lettuce

½ lb blue cheese, crumbled

1 c fresh blackberries

In a small bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.

Place lettuce in a bowl.  Add the dressing and toss to coat evenly.  Add crumbled blue cheese.  Divide among serving plates, or platter and top with blackberries.  Serve.

Roasted Baby Gold Potatoes with Arugula

Simple sides...

That's what this post is about.  Need a new side dish?  Stuck on the usual ones?  Well, everyone loves potatoes so why not serve them in a new way.

This potato side is simple to make.  The oven does all the work, and with the addition of arugula you get some added greens.  Plus it tastes fabulous!

The nice little dressing give it a little zip, so make sure not to skip that part.  

One try of these potatoes and they may become your new "go-to" dish!

Roasted Baby Gold Potatoes with Arugula 


serves 4

1 lb baby gold potatoes, halved
1 T olive oil
1 T minced garlic
salt & pepper
1 - 1 1/2 c arugula, loosely packed
1 T lemon juice
1 T olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a bowl toss potatoes with oil, garlic, salt & pepper.  Spread out in a flat layer on the cookie sheet making sure they are cut side down.  Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and place back in the large bowl.  Immediately stir in the arugula and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow to steam 5 minutes to wilt the arugula.  Whisk together the lemon juice and the olive oil and toss with the potatoes.  Serve. 

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Need another quick weeknight dinner?

Today's recipe is perfect for that.  Done in under 30 minutes this dish will please the whole family.  MGG and I used to go to a lot of Chinese restaurants and I always loved getting the lettuce wraps.  Cool crisp lettuce against a hot spicy chicken.  YUM!  I would always order these and we would fight over the last piece of lettuce!  I've actually made a version of these lettuce cups with turkey that you may love.  You can find that recipe here.

Now we seem to be going to a lot of Thai restaurants.  They've been the new "in" thing.  They too have a version of lettuce wraps, but they are different.  Light...more citrusy, very fragrant with Thai flavors of mint and cilantro. They just burst with flavor!  I had to learn to make this version.  So when I was thumbing through a Cuisine at Home magazine I spotted a similar version.  So here's my adaptation of their Chicken Lettuce Wraps.  

So light, and the flavors will just rock in your mouth.  These are filling enough to have for dinner.  Serve with a nice fruit salad and you are set!  Quick to throw together for a weeknight meal, and make sure to save some for lunch the next day!  This will be a definite "go to" recipe!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Serves 4

1 T canola oil

1 T minced ginger

1 T minced garlic

1 lb. ground chicken

¼ c fresh lime juice

1 T soy sauce

2 t brown sugar

2 t chili garlic sauce

½ c red onion, minced

½ c cilantro, chopped

½ c mint, chopped

Lemon zest

Boston, Bibb or Romaine lettuce leaves

Toppings:

Cilantro and mint leaves (optional)

Dry roasted peanuts

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.   Add ginger and garlic and cook for 30 seconds.  Add chicken and cook, breaking up into small pieces, about 10 minutes or until cooked through. 

Meanwhile in a small bowl stir together lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, and chili garlic sauce.  Add to chicken and cook until liquid has evaporated approx 4 minutes.  

Stir in red onion.  Remove from heat and add cilantro and mint.  Stir to combine.  Sprinkle on lemon zest. 

Serve chicken in lettuce leaves, topping with cilantro and mint if desired, and peanuts. 

Adapted from Cuisine at Home July/August 2012