Anything with Romaine rocks my boat!! My fav's:

Romaine
Dried Cranberries
Caesar dressing -OR- Raspberry vinaigrette

At the buffet

Romaine
Dried Cranberries
Chicken Breast strips
Parmesan cheese
Caesar dressing

Runner up is Maggiano's Spinach Salad.

DL

Gosh, I couldn't say I have a favorite! I love salads of all kinds. Probably my least favorite is your basic iceberg lettuce with a few carrot shreds, under ripe tomato slices and if you're lucky a ring of onion served with bottled dressing that you get at so many restaurants.

I love to experiment with different fruits (fresh and dried), vegetables, nuts, seeds and "crunchies" like croutons, fried onions, noodles and the like.

One very nice salad that folks always seem to enjoy is grapefruit segments (pith and membrane removed so they aren't bitter), avocado and lobster, crab or grilled shrimp or scallops on a bed of mixed lettuces/spinach with a citrus vinaigrette.

Here's one of my recipes I actually wrote out:

Orange Mint dressing

Juice of 2 oranges
1 t orange zest
1 T spearmint schnapps
t salt
½ t Szechwan pepper (ground)
Half as much vegetable oil as orange juice
1 t lemon juice
1 t Vietnamese orange essence, or ¼ t orange extract or to taste*
1 t cornstarch dissolved in 1 T water

Bring all ingredients except for cornstarch mixture to a simmer. Add half of the cornstarch mixture and simmer for a few minutes until the dressing thickens. Add the remaining cornstarch mixture as needed to gain desired consistency.

*Amount of orange flavoring really depends on the quality of the oranges being used. Sometimes no extra flavoring is needed, sometimes it is.

This is an excellent dressing for a spinach salad topped with pecans, onions & strawberries, though it is great with other salads as well.

I love all kinds of salads, too. Lately I have become very fond of those with fruit and nuts in them! This one in particular:

Party Pear Salad
(from cooking forum salad cookbook)

4 c. mixed greens
2 pears
1/2 c. craisins
1/2 c. toasted walnuts or pecans

Dressing:
2 T. white wine vinegar or Balsamic
2 T. Sugar
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

For dressing, combine vinegar and sugar; whisk oil into mixture and add salt and pepper. Set aside.

Wash and thinly slice pears, leaving skin on. Place into dressing mixture to retain color until ready to serve. Add craisins to soften. Place 1 cup of lettuce on each plate, top with dressing and fruit mixture, sprinkle with nuts.

Baby 'Ruby Reds' lettuce
black olives and/or avocado
tomatoes
cucumber
low-fat bleu cheese dressing
sprinkle of chopped nuts on top

Very rarely, I'll add some cubed Cheddar cheese, or kidney beans. Another excellent touch is leftover roasted veggies - they're great in salads!

We have so many salads and favourites that it's hard to pick just one, but I guess a Salade Niçoise would rate pretty high on the list. And I can't get enough of the Canary Island salads with their fresh, locally grown ingredients. But the Russian Salad (Ensaladilla Rusa) is a favourite also and is so popular that it is found in most tapas bars.

Salade Niçoise - Delia's

Serves 4-6 as a light lunch
Ingredients

12 oz (350 g) red ripe tomatoes
4 oz (110g) rocket, stalks removed
½ small young cucumber, cut into smallish chunks
1 lb (450 g) new potatoes, cooked and sliced
4 oz (110 g) French beans, cooked
4 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
2 x 200 g tins tuna fish in oil, well drained
2 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
2 oz (50 g) anchovy fillets
2 oz (50 g) black olives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

For the vinaigrette dressing:

1 level teaspoon Maldon sea salt
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 rounded teaspoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon wine or balsamic vinegar
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs (chives, tarragon, parsley, basil, chervil or mint, for example);
if using fresh oregano and thyme, use just ½ teaspoon each in the mix
freshly milled black pepper

To make the vinaigrette dressing, start off with a pestle and mortar. First of all crush the flakes of sea salt to a powder, then add the peeled clove of garlic and pound them together, which will immediately bring out the garlic's juices and turn it into a smooth paste. Next add the mustard powder, work that in, then add the vinegar and some freshly milled black pepper and mix thoroughly until the salt dissolves. Finally, add the olive oil. Now stir the herbs into the vinaigrette it will look rather thick but will spread itself out beautifully once you toss it into the salad. Just before you dress the salad, pour everything into a screw-top jar and shake vigorously so it's thoroughly blended.

For the salad, begin by preparing the tomatoes. Place them in a bowl, pour boiling water over them, then, after 1 minute, drain and slip off their skins, protecting your hands with a cloth if you need to. Now cut each tomato in half and hold each half in the palm of your hand (cut side up), then turn your hand over and squeeze gently until the seeds come out; it's best to do this over a plate or bowl to catch the seeds. Now cut each tomato into quarters. Then, in a large salad bowl, arrange the tomatoes, rocket leaves, cucumber, potatoes, beans and chopped shallots in layers, sprinkling a little of the dressing in as you go. Next arrange chunks of tuna and egg quarters on top, then arrange the anchovies in a criss-cross pattern, followed by a scattering of olives, the chopped parsley and a final sprinkling of dressing. Now you need to serve the salad fairly promptly, and needless to say it needs lots of warm, crusty baguette with Normandy butter to go with it.

This above recipe is taken from Delia Smiths Complete Cookery Course and Delia Smiths Complete Illustrated Cookery Course

******************************

Russian Salad
(Ensaladilla Rusa)

4 large red potatoes, boiled, peeled, and cubed
1/4 cup cooked carrots, diced
1/2 cup frozen peas, cooked and drained
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Mix the potatoes, carrots, and peas in a medium bowl. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper and pour over vegetable mixture, mixing gently. Let stand for at least two hours or overnight. At least one hour before serving, mix the mayonnaise and garlic, and then fold in the vegetable mixture. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

SharonCb

I don't eat as many saladas as I should, just not much of a salad person.

My favourite though would have to be, hands down, a good Ceasar salad.

Second, a Raspberry Balsamic vinagrette over baby greens tossed with roatsed almond and dried cranberries.

Third, a wedge of iceberg with a great blue cheese dressing.

Love cole salw too....especially Lindac's recipe.

MY DH's favourite salad is iceberg lettuce , tomato wedges, cuke slices and bottled Catalina dressing......at least it's easy!

I like a lot of salads, but really like apple salad.

Sue

Rachelellen, Jamie Oliver did an intro to one of his cooking shows that went something like "Get a bag of iceberg lettuce, some peeled cucumbers, and an underripe tomato. Doesn't taste as good, but it's easier to carve into a shape that way!" Made the salad and then went "JUST KIDDING" and fed it to his chickens.

The best salad I've made lately was butter lettuce with olive oil/ lemon juice dressing. The dressing had just salt and dried basil. Not packaged dried, just leaves that were left on the counter overnight to dry out and crumbled into the dressing. It was surprisingly good! I also like chicken salad with grapes. There are so many good ones!

I have three favorites:

Pear, walnut and blue cheese salad over mixed greens, including my favorite, frisee, with a lemon and olive oil dressing with a dash of oj or honey. I often add celery or endive to this.

Roasted baby beets, marinated in a balsamic or lemon juice and EVOO marinade with some dill weed, over mixed greens with feta or goat cheese. I'll top with walnuts sometimes but my favorite topping is sunflower seeds. I sometimes add a cuke to this if I can find a good one. And maybe one or two scallions.

What I call BLT salad, which is mixed greens, garden fresh tomatoes, and avocoado, sprinkles with fake bacon bits, with a dressing of balsamic and olive oil. Can add garbanzo beans and green or red peppers for a further Mexican touch.

I also like homeade coleslaw, with a sweet and sour dressing. I add lots of different veggies to it, celery, peppers, carrots, scallions, raisins, apples, sunflower seeds or toasted almonds. Coleslaw is what I most commonly eat in the salad department because it is inexpensive and it keeps.

For more substantial salads, I love potato in many varieties, and that Southwestern style black beans salad with corn, tomatoes, cilantro or parsely, etc.

I also like "chopped salad" which is whatever crunchy veggies are in season, mixed with a balsamic, EVOO dressing. Usually I make it with cherry toms out of season, homegrowns in season, cuke, celery, peppers, scallions, radishes. Good fresh herbs to add are dill, mint, basil, parsley, chives, even oregano. Can add some type of olives to this and feta too if you want something more substantial. Can be served over mixed greens.

I forgot one more salad I love but don't make except for special occasions due to fennel being a somewhat expensive item for me. I always get raves when I serve it to guests though.

Marinate thinly sliced fennel, red onion, sliced black olives (kalamatta are fab if you can afford them) and orange slices in an olive oil lemon juice marinade with a pinch of honey to counteract the lemon. Serve over lettuce. Garnish with chopped fennel fronds.

I've never met a salad I didn't like! LOL

Broccoli Salad: Broc, raisin, onion, bacon in a coleslaw type dressing
4 Bean Salad: green, wax, kidney & garbanzo beans in a sweet vinegar dressing
Romaine, avocado, GOOD tomato, bacon bits with Balsamic dressing
Coleslaw with whatever ripe, crunchy veggies available
Potato Salad
Macaroni Salad
Pizza salad: noodles, pepperoni, black olive, tomato, green pepper and onion with Italian dressing

You get the idea...........

Deanna

One of our favorite dinners is a big salad with thinly sliced bbq'd chicken or steak, or nice salmon.

We'll have a base of mixed greens and then I'll prepare a plate of toppings and everyone can pick their own toppings. Grilled peppers and onions, toasted walnuts, halved hard-boiled eggs, sliced cucumbers, thin-sliced carrots, crumbed feta or goats cheese, cherry tomatoes, quartered dills, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, whatever we have on hand.

Like Chase, I don't eat as many salads as I should because I'm not a huge salad fan either. They're OK, but I seldom have one that I like well enough to eat more than twice a year. My family loves Woodie's layered salad so I make it for Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving and it all gets eaten and I get my share. My stepmother and Amanda always want all the leftovers to take home, though.

I don't hate 'em, I'm just apathetic, I'd rather have all my vegetables roasted, fried, whatever. I don't care for vegetable trays and dips either. I guess I just like cooked vegetables. Not crisp tender either, LOL, I want 'em COOKED!

That said, I like coleslaw on pulled pork sandwiches, but not the mayo based ones, I like a sweet and sour version with celery seeds. I'll eat that broccoli/cauliflower salad with the raisins, sunflower seeds and bacon, but the girls will fight over the last serving. We have a salad sometimes at holidays with apples, Snicker's candy bars and whipped cream, but that's not really salad, no matter what you call it.

Annie

Checking back into this topic, I remembered that I'd written out this recipe the last time I'd made it, and can't remember if I've posted it to the forum before:

Lentil & Orzo Salad with fresh herbs

1 ½ c lentils (French green, "lentilles du Puy")
1 ½ c Orzo pasta
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow (crookneck) squash
4-half inch slices of butternut squashfrom stem end, 3-4" across, rind removed.
½ c frozen peas
1 pickling cuke, skin striped lengthwise with zester
½ red or yellow bell pepper
1 stalk celery
4 green onions, white part removed
1 c small mushrooms, finely sliced
1 ½ T lemon or lime thyme
2 T basil
2 T parsley
1 T marjoram
2 medium tomatoes, seeds removed.

Dressing:

One preserved Meyer lemon, rinsed of excess salt
2 T sugar
½ c extra virgin olive oil
½ c rice wine vinegar
½ t white pepper, or more to taste
2 cloves garlic
salt to taste

Boil lentils and orzo, separately and carefully so as not to overcook either one. They should be cooked through, but still firm.

Slice zucchini & yellow squash in half, lengthwise and brush them and butternut squash slices with olive oil. Heat the barbecue to hot so as to get grill marks on the vegetables without overcooking themthey should retain a bit of crispness when they cool. The butternut will take longer than the Summer squashes, but care must be taken to not let it get mushy as it goes from done to mushy in the blink of an eye.

Dice all the vegetables as evenly as possible to about a half inch dice. Finely slice the green onions. If the mushrooms are too big, half them before slicing.

Mince all the herbs and combine them with the lentils, orzo & vegetables in a bowl large enough to allow for tossing.

Mince the preserved lemon and put in a bowl with the extra virgin olive oil, sugar, rice wine vinegar and white pepper. Very finely grate the garlic into the bowl. Whisk together until the sugar is dissolved and the dressing emulsified. Toss the dressing with the salad before adding salt to taste as the lemons are salty. This salad is best if allowed to sit at least a half an hour in the refrigerator before serving, for the flavors to "moogle."

I like this salad to be as colorful as possible, so if I use a regular red tomato, Ill use yellow bell peppers. However, as I have an abundance of yellow tomatoes in my yard this summer, I made it with those and used red bell pepper instead. Likewise, if you dont care for, or cant get butternut squash, substitute something orange, like carrot or yam.

Annie, my mother-in-law sent me a church cookbook that had two versions of "Snickers Salad." When my daughter & I read the recipe, we had your exact thoughts. We couldn't figure out why it was in the salad section rather than the dessert section.

Thanks for posting that lentil recipe Rachelellen. So far I haven't been able to find a lentil salad recipe I like, but I haven't tried one with pasta and I generally like lentils with pasta when they are served warm, so I might like this. I have the lentils and the orzo!

I forgot another salad I love but hardly make anymore because it is really best with farm fresh cukes. It's a salad mom used to make all the time in the summer--2 cukes, sliced thin, a cup of sour cream (I use lowfat nowdays when I make this) and the juice of a lemon, which is about 3 TBLSP. Then add either three chopped scallions or about 3 TBLSP chopped fresh chives. Salt and lots of pepper to taste. Kind of like Greek (or is it Lebanese) tsatsiki, which is the same kind of thing but made with thick yogurt and also with mint and sometimes dill added. I love this as a combo plate with tabouleh (another salad fave of mine) and falafel in pita.

Here are two of my faves that don't seem to be like anything posted yet.

I thought I posted the kale salad already, but I guess it was on the Entertaining forum, so here it is again. I am so crazy about this I'm making it all the time lately, and I even planted kale.

Kale salad

For 4 servings

2 T olive oil
1 t lemon juice
2 t maple syrup
1 t Dijon mustard
½ t kosher salt
Very scant ½ t red pepper flakes
¼ t freshly ground black pepper
6-8 ounces kale (your favorite variety)
¼ cup golden raisins
¼ cup toasted pine nuts

Whisk together oil, lemon, syrup, mustard, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper in a non-reactive bowl. You can do this a day ahead and refrigerate; bring to room temperature before adding to salad.

Remove and discard the tough stems and center veins from the kale leaves (dont need to worry too much as you will be chopping it anyway). Cut the leaves crosswise into ½ inch wide strips.

Put the dressing in your salad bowl and whisk well. Add the kale and toss to coat. You can either add the nuts and raisins now and toss (I do) or put the salad on individual chilled plates and sprinkle the nuts and raisins on top.

Gellchom's Panzanella
1 lb day old bread (baguette, ciabatta, or focaccia)
3-4 large wonderful tomatoes plus one old ripe one
1 red onion
lots of basil leaves
½ c olive oil
¼ c red wine vinegar
a little dry mustard, salt, and pepper
some chopped parsley and thyme

Cut bread into 1" cubes. Bake at 170 1 hour. Let cool. Put in a big bowl. Squeeze the old tomato (cut in ½) over the bread, seeds and all. Toss around a bit. Cut tomato into cubes and slice onion thin. Save a few big basil leaves and cut or tear the rest coarsely. Mix the rest into a vinaigrette. Add the tomatoes, basil, and onion to the bread and toss. Add vinaigrette and toss. Garnish with basil leaves and maybe a few olives and/or cherry tomatoes.

This doesn't keep well at all, BUT! If you have any leftovers, remove any olives and stick the rest in the blender and make a thick gazpacho you can have for breakfast. Yum!

Here's a lovely little recipe which I made for one of our virtual dinners. I love this combination of ingredients as well as the dressing:

SHRIMP SALAD WITH PINK GRAPEFRUIT

Ingredients:
-------- ------------ ------------------------
1 lg French lettuce
16 lg Jumbo Shrimp
2 lg Pink Grapefruit
1/2 to 1 avocado sliced (I added this option)

For dressing:
1/4 c Orange juice
1/8 c Vinegar
1/4 c Olive oil
1/8 c Corn oil
1/4 c Green olives chopped
1/4 c Onion chopped
1/4 c Parsley chopped
1 t Cayenne pepper
1 t Paprika (Spanish pimenton)
Salt and pepper

Cook the shrimps as usual, peel them. Peel the
grapefruit and separate each piece, also peel the
white skin, being careful to get the complete pieces.
Prepare the dressing by mixing all the ingredients.

To serve: put the lettuce leaves on the dish, adorn with the grapefruit and shrimp.

Put the dressing on top and serve.

This salad will be better if the dressing can be prepared two hours before.

Exported from MasterCook
Patricia Wriedt.

SharonCb

Just another big salad.

dcarch

I found this thread with some interesting recipes from SharonCb and thought it deserved to be revived. Also, I had not added my own favorite salads; here's my number one fave:

Crab Louis

1 pound King Crab legs/claws, or 2/3 pound crab meat
several leaves of green leafy lettuce, such as Romaine, Butter, Green Leaf, or Red Leaf
1 large Haas avocado, fully ripe, peeled and halved, with seed removed
1-2 tomatoes, depending on size
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
3-4 white or brown button mushrooms, thinly sliced
8-12 black olives, sliced in half, optional
1-2 green onions, minced (one large or two small)
Louis salad dressing*

Remove all crabmeat from the legs and set aside.

Arrange two plates with leaves of lettuce, just enough to cover the plates.

Halve the avocado and thinly slice each half, keeping the slices in place. Transfer each half to a plate with the cavity side up in the center of the plate. If you can’t keep the slices in place, you can arrange the slices like the spokes of a wheel. Place the crab meat in a heap in the center of the plate.

Cut the tomatoes into wedges, approximately 8-12 wedges per tomato, depending on size. Arrange the tomatoes around the avocado halves in a spoke pattern. Arrange the hard-boiled egg and mushroom slices between the tomato wedges, and sprinkle with olive slices and green onion.

Pour about 2-3 tbsp Louis salad dressing on top of the crab.

Serve with garlic toast and Champagne or dry white wine, preferably sparkling.

Note: you can substitute chopped, cooked asparagus for the avocado.

*Crab Louis Dressing:

2/3 cup mayonnaise,
1/3 cup chili sauce,
1 Tbsp minced green onion,
2 tsp lemon or lime juice,
1 tsp prepared horseradish
dash of hot sauce or cayenne

Combine all ingredients and mix well.

This is my number two salad, which I found here:

Raw
Tuscan Kale Salad

1 bunch Tuscan kale (for ex: black or lacinato)
2 thin slices country bread, or two handfuls good, homemade coarse breadcrumbs
1 garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus a pinch
1/4 cup (or small handful) grated pecorino cheese, plus additional for garnish
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for garnish
Freshly squeezed juice of one lemon (scant 1/4 cup)
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Trim the bottom few inches off the kale stems and discard. Slice the kale into 3/4 inch ribbons. You should have 4 to 5 cups. Place the kale in a large bowl.

If using the bread, toast it until golden brown on both sides and dry throughout. Tear into small pieces and pulse in a food processor until the mixture forms coarse crumbs, or crumbs to your liking.

Using a mortar and pestle or a knife, pound or mince the garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of salt into a paste. Transfer the garlic to a small bowl. Add 1/4 cup cheese, 3 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, pinch of salt, pepper flakes, and black pepper and whisk to combine. Pour the
dressing over the kale and toss very well (the dressing will be thick and need lots of tossing to coat the leaves). Let the salad sit for 5 minutes, then serve topped with the bread crumbs, additional cheese, and a drizzle of oil.

Adapted from the Raw Tuscan Kale Salad with Chiles and Pecorino recipe in Melissa Clark's In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite.

I like a lot of different ones, potato, macaroni, pea, marinated vegetable salad, broccoli salad, cauliflower salad and several others. I do not like just an oil and vinegar dressing. I do not care at all for olive oil.

Sue

Simply cut up romaine with some plain croutons, or as one restaurant used to do, break up some Melba toast....and this dressing....gotta make some, been too long!

Donn's Delight

2 oz. Maytag blue cheese

1/2 cup of mayonaise ( I use Kraft)

3 T. milk or cream

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp dried parsley

2 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp vinegar

1 tsp grated fresh onion ( make that heaping!) not chopped grated

1/2 tsp worchestershire

1/2 tsp horseradish

1/4 tsp (or a little more) garlic salt.

Mix. ( I use an
electric mixer or a fork so as to leave lumps) and serve over salad of your
choice. Serves about 4.

Recipe may be doubled....or quadrupled.

Linda. that's my absolute favorite BC dressing. I think you every time I make it! Thank you again!