Once Upon a Tine

1/2 head of romaine
1/2 head of Boston lettuce
1 small bunch of frisée (curly endive)
1/2 bunch of watercress, coarse stems discardedAll lettuces should be rinsed, spun or patted dry, and coarsely chopped
6 slices of bacon
2 ripe avocados, seed removed, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 whole skinless boneless chicken breast (about 3/4 pound total), halved, cooked, and diced
1 tomato, seeded and chopped fine
2 hard-boiled large eggs, separated, the yolk finely chopped and the white finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1 In a large salad bowl, toss together well the various lettuces and watercress.

2 Cook the bacon in a skillet on medium heat until crisp on both sides. Remove from skillet and lay out on paper towels to absorb the excess fat. Allow the bacon to cool. Crumble the bacon and set aside.

3 Compose the salad. Arrange the chicken, the bacon, the tomato, and the avocado decoratively over the greens and garnish the salad with the grated egg and the chives.

DRESSING: 1/3 cup red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1-2 teaspoons sugar
Salt and pepper
2/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup finely grated Roquefort


4 In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, the mustard, and salt and pepper to taste, add the oil in a slow stream, whisking, and whisk the dressing until it is emulsified. Stir in the Roquefort. Add sugar to taste, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Whisk the dressing. Serve separately or toss in with the salad. 

A perfect, light, luncheon salad.
Olive oil1 large shallot, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tart green apple, thinly sliced
Baby arugula leaves - enough for a salad for four
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped1/4 cup
goat cheese - broken up into little pieces
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper

1 Heat stick-free frying pan to medium heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and lightly sauté the shallot slices until translucent. Remove from pan. Add another tablespoon of olive oil and cook the chicken breast pieces, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through - 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle some salt on the chicken while you are cooking it. Remove from pan and chill.

2 When chicken has cooled, toss together in a serving bowl the shallots, chicken, sliced green apple, arugula, walnuts and goat cheese. Dress with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

 

The basic structure of a black bean salad is black beans (canned or freshly made) with corn kernels (canned, frozen, or fresh). Parsley, basil or cilantro can add a bitter to the flavors. Tomatoes, lemon juice and or lime juice some acid. Jalapeno or cumin will give it a kick, and avocado and olive oil will smooth it down. I find adding a little bit of sugar almost always helps balance the acid from the citrus and tomatoes, and makes for a better tasting salad.

1 (15 ounce) can of black beans, thoroughly rinsed, and drained (or 1 1/2 cup of freshly cooked black beans)
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, defrosted (or fresh corn, parboiled, drained and cooled)1/2 cup chopped green onions or shallots
2 fresh jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced, or 1 whole pickled jalapeño pepper, minced (not seeded)
3 fresh plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 avocado, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
2 Tbsp lime juice (about the amount of juice from one lime)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sugar (to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

Make sure to rinse and drain the beans, if you are using canned beans.
In a large bowl, combine the beans, corn, onions, jalapeno chile peppers, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, basil, lime juice and olive oil. Add sugar and salt and pepper to taste. (The sugar will help balance the acidity from the tomatoes and lime juice.) Chill before serving.

 

 

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 (15oz) cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp lime juice

1/2 c good light olive oil

1-2 jalapenos, seeded and finely minced

3/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped

In a food processor or blender, puree garlic, beans, salt, and lime juice. Slowly stream in olive oil until well blended. Stir in jalapenos and cilantro. Allow a hour or so in the refrigerator for the flavors to meld. Serve with pita chips*, fresh veggies, tortilla chips, etc.