Marie,

Summer salads based on grains usually hit the spot. Here's one sample:

Quinoa Fruit Salad

1 cup quinoa
1 cup or so dried fruits, chopped
pinch cardamom
1 cup seedless grapes
2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp black pepepr
1 1/2 tsp ginger
1 large scallion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/3 cup olve oil
1/4 cup lime juice

Cook quinoa.

Soak fried fruits in boiling water.

In a large bowl, combine qunoa, drained fruit and other ingredients. Mix well. Chill several hours and serve on a bed of crisp lettuce.

I have others based, in addition to quinoa, on millet, rice, bulgar, etc. Let me know if you want others.

This is a favorite of ours in the summertime:
Cold Noodle Salad
12 oz linguine
2c snow peas, cut in thirds
1 carrot, julienned
1/2c chopped green onion
Dressing:
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3T Rice vinegar
2 1/2 T sesame oil
2 1 /2 T soy sauce
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes`
Cook pasta and add carrots and snowpeas during the last 3 minutes. Drain well. Combine all dressing ingredients stirring til sugar and salt dissolve. Mix all together and serve at room temperature.
Hope you will try it and enjoy it.
RL`

Here's a mexican style salad we enjoy.

Chicken-rice, and black-bean salad

1 cup brown (or white) rice
1 cooked chicken (about 2 lbs.), shredded (about 4 cups)
1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
6 plum tomatoes, sliced
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno chili, minced (seeds and ribs removed for less heat, if desired)
¼ c white-wine vinegar
3 T olive oil
½ t ground cumin
salt and pepper

1. Cook rice according to package instructions. Spread on a baking sheet; refrigerate until cool.
2. Place cooled rice in a large bowl; add chicken, beans, tomatoes, scallions, jalapeno, vinegar, oil, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper; toss to combine. Serve immediately, or refrigerate covered, up to 1 day.

Source: Everyday Food Magazine

****My notes: I cooked the rice in chicken broth. I boiled my own chicken instead of using a rotisserie chicken. I used jarred jalapenos. I mixed the vinegar, oil, and cumin together before adding it to the salad. I added about ½ c shredded cheese

gardenlad ~ wow! thats sound great :) Thank you

RL' ~ Sounds yummy! but...1 carrot, julienned
what does 'julienned' mean?
I am a 'meat & pototoes' type of cook and that is a phrase I haven't came upon, yet.

thanks

Julienned means to cut in small matchstick pieces.

Here is one for a Greek Pasta salad that we really like also:
Dressing:
2/3 c olive oil (I use Lite)
3T vinegar
1 clove garlic, pressed
2 tsp basil
2T chopped green onion
2T Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
Combine all ingredients in blender.
Salad:
1 pk tricolor twists pasta
1 small green pepper, cut in strips
1 small red pepper, cut in strips
1 medium tomato, diced`
1/2c sliced black olives
6 oz feta cheese
Cook and drain pasta. Combine all dressing and salad ingredients except tomato. Chill for 1 hour for flavors to blend. Add tomato just before serving.
RL`

Posted by: MQmoi (My Page) on Sat, Aug 17, 02 at 10:12
SPINACH, FRUIT AND FETA SALAD

Dressing
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2. tsp. honey
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Salad
5 cups torn spinach
1 cup each cantaloupe chunks and halved strawberries
1 cup (6 oz.) crumbled feta Cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion, separated into rings
1/4 cup pitted ripe olives

MIX oil, juice, honey and pepper for dressing in small bowl. TOSS spinach, fruit, cheese, onion and olives for salad in large bowl. Spoon dressing over spinach mixture. Makes 6 servings

Wynative, you may check out this food tv network website for some knife tips.

Wynative, don't feel bad. During the last "Search For The Next Food Network Star," more than half the finalists lacked basic knife skills. Among the things that were not known were julienning veggies and fileting fish.

Hmmmph. And those people wanted their own cooking shows!

CRUNCHY RICE SALAD (serves 10)
1 cup white rice
1 1/2 cups drained mandarin oranges
1 cup chopped green onions
1 cup diagonally sliced celery
1 cup water chestnuts
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup soy sauce

Cook the rice using pkg directions omitting the salt. Let stand until cool. Combine the rice, mandarin oranges, green onions, celery, water chestnuts & mushrooms in a bowl, tossing to mix. Pour over the rice mixture & mix gently. chill, covered until serving time.~~Texas Ties

Roselin ~ Your Greek Pasta is wonderful! Yes, we had it with supper last night :)

I plan to try each of them in the next week. My husband voted for the Black-Bean salad by Tracey ~ no surprize there, he would eat beans 7 days a week.

Woodie ~ thanks for the knife site. Who knew there was names for all those was to cut up a veggie? Okay, probably alot but then I never professed to be a 'chef' and if the Food Network Star's didn't know, I don't feel so silly.

I have 8 different types of squash in my garden this year -any salads for those?

Happy Wednesday!
Marie

You can just slice them up and mix them into a tossed salad, for a quick solution. If you use a corrugated cutter the dressing will stick to them better.

For something more complex, particularly with those larger squash that have gotten away from you, try:

Zucchini Pappardelle with Tomatoes & Feta

3 tbls EVOO
2 tbls fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp honey'
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
Salt and pepper to taste
Four 1/2 lb zucchini and 2 yellow squash
1 garlic clove, minched
1 tsp coarsely chopped thyme
1/2 tsp coarsely chopped rosemary
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
20 cherry tomatoes, halved
6 ozes feta, cut into small dice
3 oz pitted Kalamata olvies, chopped

Preheat the broiler. In a small bowl mix 2 tbls of the olive oil with the lemon juice, mustard, honey and zest and season the dressing with salt & pepper.

Slice the zucchini and yellow squashes into 1/8" thick "pappardelle."*

In a small bowl combine the garlic with the thyme, rosemary, crushed red pepper and remaining olive oil. Spread the squash slices on a large baking sheet and brush with the garlic & herb oil. Broil for about 3 minutes or until the squash is browned on top.

Spread the halved cherry tomatoes on another baking sheet and broil for about 1 minute, or until they are lightly browned on top.

Add the tomatoes to the zucchini and drizzle with the mustard dressing. Toss well and tranfer to a platter. Top with the feta and olives.

Can be served hot, room temperature, or cold. Room temperature is best, IMO.

*Best way of doing this is with a mandoline. But a sharp knife works almost as well. You want to cut the slices lengthwise, Turning and cutting from all four sides until reaching the seedy core, which you should discard.

Marie, am glad you enjoyed it. I need to make it again soon too. (I could eat pasta 7 nights a week!)
RL`

oooh everything sounds so good. Here is one that I like.

Toasted Pecan Salad

Ingredients:

1 large head of romaine or assorted greens
½ cup seedless red grapes
1 apple cubed
½ cup sharp cheddar cubed
½ cup pecans toasted

Dressing

1 tablespoon Dijon or wholegrain mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove - chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Mix all dressing ingredients together. Wash and dry greens. In a large bowl combine greens, grapes, apple, cheese, pecans. To toast pecans in a dry fry pan add pecans shake the pecans in the pan often because to will burn very quickly. Toss with dressing serves 6

And here is one I recently copied but haven't tried yet - posted by wizardnm.

ORIENTAL NOODLE SALAD
1 Lg (2lb) pkg cole slaw mix
1 bunch green onions (5-6), chopped, include some greentops)
½ C sunflower seed
½ C slivered almonds
1 pkg Beef Raman Noodles, crushed
1 pkg Chicken Ramen Noodles, crushed
Dressing
seasoning mix from Ramen Noodles (optional,but it does add flavor)
1 C canola oil
½ to ¾ C sugar (to taste)
½ C vinegar
¼ C soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
Blend the dressing ingredients together well, to disolve sugar.
In a large bowl combine slaw mix, green onions, sunflower seeds and almonds.
Pour dressing over the slaw and refrigerate until serving, add crushed noodles and toss just before serving. The noodles will soften and soak up the dressing once they are added. While many like the crunch of the noodles, I like it just as well after it has set, even the next day. Will keep 5 days at 40°.
6-8 servings (very generous)
Nancy

Here are a couple of our favorites:

White Corn Salad

2c frozen shoepeg white corn
3/4c chopped roma tomato
1/2 c chopped cucumber
2T chopped green bell pepper
3T white wine vinegar
1-1/2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced

Combine vegetables in bowl, toss. Combine remaining ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously. Pour over corn mixture and toss well.
Serves 4

From Cooking Light magazine, date unknown

Here's one that is so very good. You must use freshly squeezed orange juice:

baby spinach & ruby-edged lettuce for 4 servings*

For 1 1/2 cups dressing, enough for 4 salad servings:

3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
2 TBS balsamic vinegar
1 TBS red wine vinegar
3 TBS grated orange peel
2 teasp brown sugar
1 teasp ground cumin
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

garnish:

2 TBS sultana raisins
2 TBS pinenuts
3 strips of bacon, diced

1. Fry bacon bits until crisp. Drain on paper and put aside.
2. Put into a blender the orange juice and zest, the two vinegars, brown sugar and cumin and blend for a few moments.
3. Slowly add the olive oil while blending, then salt & pepper to taste
4. Put half the dressing into your salad bowl and add all the greens, mixing and turning with two large spoons until greens are well coated
5. Mix in the pine nuts, raisins and bacon bits
6. Pile onto serving plates and drizzle a little more dressing on top.

* Also good is spinach with red onion rings and mandarin orange slices. In the photo I also topped it with a few small leaves of arugula.

SharonCb

canarybird,

My Mom use to make one like this but without the OJ and she called it Wilted Spinach or Lettuce, depending on what was fresh from the garden that day :) She heated the oil and vinegar and dribbled it on just before she served -thats the Wilted part.

I have a Father Day picnic that I plan to take this to on Sunday. I am sure it will be a big hit, the orange juice will be the 'mystery' ingredent. I can't give all my secrets away. (grin)

The Black-Bean salad by Tracey was a huge success (minus the chicken in Husbands) He doesn't care for chicken but I loved it!

I need to put the rest of these on cards so that I don't loose them :)

Thanks EVERYONE ~ meals at my house are interesting again!
Marie

Marie, isn't is fun to try recipes you wouldn't have thought of making before? Sometimes they're a hit and sometimes not but it sure spices up the menu. LOL

CORN AND SHRIMP SALAD

4 large or 6 small ears of fresh corn
1/ 2 cup salad oil
1/ 4 cup cider vinegar
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. sugar
1 1/ 2 tsp. minced fresh basil or 1/ 2 tsp dried
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
1 small red pepper, chopped
1 small green pepper chopped
1/ 2 cup chopped green onions (scallions)
1/ 2 lb. small cooked shrimp, shelled and cleaned

Remove husks from corn. Cook in boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove pot from heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Drain: plunge corn into a large bowl of ice water for 1 minute; then remove and set aside. Combine all ingredients except corn, in a large bowl. Cut corn off cobs and add to salad mixture. Mix well. Cover and chill.

Note: This is the original way I made this but now I just cut the corn off the cobs and microwave it, covered, for 3 or 4 minutes, and let it cool a bit before mixing it in with the salad ingredients. If I dont have shrimp on hand, I sometimes add small cubes of zucchini and some sliced black olives. You can also substitute dill for the basil.

No fruit and nuts in this, but very summery and refreshing.

Shrimp and pasta salad

10 oz pasta(any style but long)
1-1/2 pound shrimp cooked
1 cup celery
1/2 c red onion
1/2 cup red pepper
1 small can black olives sliced
4 roma tomatoes chopped

citrus vinegrette
1/4 c grapefruit juice
2T lime juice
1/2 cup oil
2T honey
salt and pepper

Shrimp (yummmmm) IMO, one can not go wrong with them in anything :)

Everything that I have tried so far, is EASY, very tasty & fun! That is a big plus in my life with work, veggy garden, flowers, yard and family.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone and keep track of all the great salads at our Father's Day picnic's, so that we can share our favorites :)
Happy Fathers Day to all you guys!
Marie

{{gwi:2048109}}

Place in a bowl:

4 cups fresh, sweet tomatoes cut into bite size chunks
1/2 small red or Vidalia onion; large dice
1 sweet yellow bell pepper; large dice
Hand full of fresh basil or mint leaves; torn or chopped

Combine and add:

1 clove minced garlic
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra light olive oil or canola oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Leave at room temperature for about 30 minutes, stir occasionally.

Serve with optional toppings:

1/4 cup Kalamata or black olives cut in half
1 or 2 teaspoon of capers
Feta or Goat cheese

{{gwi:2048113}}

1 each red, yellow and orange bell pepper
1 small fresh onion; thinly sliced
10 grape tomatoes; sliced
2 tablespoons Fresh Herb Dressing
hand full fresh parsley; chopped
kosher salt to taste

Seed and thinly slice peppers. Combine ingredients in a pretty bowl. {{gwi:2048115}}.

Fresh Herb Dressing

1/2 cup extra-light olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon salt
fresh basil; chopped
fresh oregano; chopped
fresh chive; chopped (or garlic)

Combine ingredients in glass jar and shake well. Serve with salad: lettuce, fresh spinach, cucumber slices, sliced radish, grape tomatoes and shredded carrots.

***Store in refrigerator if using fresh herbs. Also good using dried herbs and garlic. This dressing is good on pasta salad.

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2 cups penne pasta; cook with oil & drain
1/2 cup grape tomatoes; seeded & sliced
1/2 cup Vidalia or red onion; sliced
1/2 cup julienne cut carrots
6 slices bacon; cooked and crumbled (optional)
1 recipe Fresh Herb or Italian Dressing
1/2 cup red, green or yellow bell pepper; sliced
1/2 cup fresh shaved Parmesan cheese

Rinse pasta in cold water and drain well. Combine pasta, vegetables and meat. Right before serving toss in dressing and sprinkle with Parmesan. (Also good with cooked chicken or shrimp, fresh torn basil, toasted pine nuts, capers, feta cheese. Or make a basil pesto and add a splash of vinegar. Bow-tie pasta is nice in this.)

{{gwi:2048121}}

3 ears of fresh corn
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Juice from 1/2 of lime
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove; finely minced
1 (15 oz.) can Bushs black beans; rinse & drain
1/2 cup minced onion (Vidalia or Red)
1 cup diced, seeded tomato (3 Roma)
1 sweet bell pepper; diced

Roast or grill corn until tender crisp; remove from ears and cool completely. In a medium bowl, whisk olive oil, lime juice, salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne, cilantro and garlic. Add beans to dressing along with corn, onion, tomato and bell pepper; toss well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Eat freshly made or the next day.

If desired, kick it up more by adding one jalapeno pepper; seeded and diced.

*To roast corn, remove from husk, wash and dry well and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet in a 425° oven for about 20 minutes. Turn after half the cooking time.

{{gwi:2048124}}

2 ears of fresh sweet corn (2 cups)
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
1/2 Vidalia or red onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic; finely minced and mashed
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pint grape tomatoes; cut in half
a hand-full of fresh basil leaves; chopped

Sprinkle corn with salt and pepper, drizzle with a little olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Roast corn in a 425° oven for 10 to 15 minutes until just tender. Remove corn to rack to cool then cut corn from cob.

Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and simmer until beans are just tender but not too soft (4 to 5 minutes). If they are overcooked they will loose their vibrant color. Remove beans from hot water directly to ice water to stop the cooking and cool the beans. Remove to paper towels to dry completely.

Place garlic in the bottom of a large bowl along with vinegar and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. While whisking, slowly pour in olive oil until all is well combined. When ready to serve, add corn, beans, onion, tomatoes and basil; toss and taste adding more salt and pepper if necessary. {{gwi:2048127}}. Inspired by recipe from Fine Cooking magazine.

*To mellow the flavor of red onion, place slices in a bowl of ice water for 10 or 15 minutes, dry on paper towels before adding to salad.

{{gwi:2048131}}

Layer in a bowl:
1 pint grape tomatoes cut in half, cut side down (optional)
1 head iceberg lettuce (or Romaine hearts), cut into pieces.
1 small onion finely chopped (Vidalia, red or scallions)
8 slices bacon; fried, drained, crumbled
1 box frozen, peas (uncooked)
Miracle Whip salad dressing to cover peas completely (thin layer)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Refrigerate overnight.
Toss just before serving.

Or, make your own Thousand Island dressing and serve over a wedge of Iceburg lettuce along with sweet grape tomatoes and cold shrimp.

Thousand Island Dressing

1 cup Hellmanns mayonnaise
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
2 tablespoons finely minced sweet onion
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
a few grinds of fresh ground pepper
1 hard-boiled egg; finely chopped

Combine all ingredients and serve over ice burg lettuce salad. Refrigerate. Will only keep as long as expiration date of eggs or do not stir eggs into dressing, sprinkle on top of salad instead.

*This is also awesome on cabbage salads.

Cabbage Salad

Combine:

1 head cabbage; shredded
5 or 6 radishes; thinly sliced
2 carrots; shredded
1 onion; chopped
1 tomato; diced
Thousand Island dressing

Coat a cold, stainless steel bowl with garlic powder. Add combined vegetables and tomato to bowl and toss well. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
Serve with Thousand Island dressing.

Marilyn

This has become one of my favorite summer salads:

1-1/2 pounds large shrimp (about 32 to 36 per pound)
2 cups snap peas (about 1/2 pound), trimmed
3 scallions, trimmed and minced

Ginger-Soy Vinaigrette
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
3 - 5 dashes hot sauce

1/2 cup diced mango for garnish
1/2 cup chopped peanuts or cashews for garnish
Lime wedges for garnish

1.Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain, run under cold water, peel and devein.

2. Meanwhile, bring another pot of salted water to a boil, drop in the snap peas and boil, uncovered, until just tender and still bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and rinse immediately with cold water to stop the cooking.

3. To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, lime juice, ginger, and hot sauce in a small bowl until well-combined.

4. Put the shrimp, snap peas, and the scallions in a large bowl, add the vinaigrette, and toss well. Divide the mixture among 4 plates and garnish each serving with some of the diced mango, chopped nuts, and lime wedges.

Source: The Beach House Cookbook, copyright 2005

Lori

Another salad I eat quite a bit during the summer is

Lori

Marilyn, I made your Thousand Island dressing for lunch and it is very good.
It is definately a "keeper."
Thanks for the recipe.

Ruthanna, that corn and shrimp salad sounds amazingly good, it will be fresh sweet corn season here in a month or so and I'm going to copy this. If it's half as good as your fish with tomato basil butter, it's a winner!

Marilyn, I'm also keeping the green bean salad recipe. I have 6 rows of Royal Burgundy beans about 4 inches tall right now, another month or less and I'll have all I can eat. The salad sounds, well, "flipping awesome". LOL

Here are a few of my favorites. The first two came to me in a Chef's newsletter that I receive daily, a remnant of the days when I owned a bar and grille. I don't like blue (or bleu) cheese, so I leave it off. The nuts are good enough to eat by the handful.

Pear and Blue Cheese Salad with Spiced Candied Pecans and Raspberry Vinaigrette

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
6 ounces fresh spring mix salad blend
Raspberry Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
2 ripe pears, sliced
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
3/4 cup Candied Pecans (recipe follows)
Preparation:

In a large bowl, toss together the spring mix and the Raspberry Vinaigrette. Dress the top of the salad with the sliced pear, blue cheese and candied pecans. Serve at once.

Raspberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
1/3 cup canola oil
Preparation:

Blend the vinegar and the jam in a covered blender for 10 to 15 seconds, then add the oil in a slow, steady stream. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator if not using right away.

Spiced Candied Pecans

Ingredients:
1/8 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
pinch cayenne
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cups pecan halves
cooking spray
Preparation:

Mix the sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, pepper and cayenne together in bowl.

Melt the butter in small skillet over medium heat and add the sugar mixture and pecans. Stir constantly, until the sugar has melted and nuts are coated.

Cool on a piece of aluminum foil lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

Another recipe "throw back" from the days as a restaurant owner, but this can easily be halved or more easily, divided into thirds. I leave out the olives. (Yeah, I know, I'm picky) I also sub local smoked whitefish for the salmon a lot of the time and sunflower seeds or almonds usually take the place of the pinenuts because they are extremely expensive and difficult to find here in the boonies.

Smoked Salmon, Olive and Wild Rice Salad

Makes 24 (8 ounce) servings

Ingredients:
3/4 cup white wine vinegar
3/4 cup chopped tarragon
1/2 cup (3 ounces) chopped shallots
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup chopped chives, 1/4-inch
1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
4 1/2 quarts (4 1/2 pounds) cooked long grained white rice
1 1/2 quarts (2 1/4 pounds) cooked wild rice
3 pounds hot smoked salmon, flaked into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 quarts (1 3/4 pounds) blanched green peas
4 1/2 cups California Ripe Olives, halved
1 1/2 cups toasted pine nuts
Preparation:

Whisk together vinegar, tarragon, shallots, lemon juice, olive oil, chives and black pepper in a large mixing bowl.

Add white rice, wild rice, smoked salmon, green peas, California Ripe Olives and pine nuts. Toss to evenly combine. Serve at room temperature.

I love pears and have access to lots of them here in the fall. I leave the cheese out of this entirely and like to add chicken to make it a meal instead of a side dish. I usually go with the candied pecans for the nuts. My apologies, I have no idea where I got this recipe.

SAUTEED PEAR SALAD

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 firm-ripe pears, cored, peeled and cut into slices
1 - 2 tablespoon honey
8 - 12 cups of salad greens and/or baby spinach leaves, rinsed and chilled
1/2 -3/4 cup each thinly sliced cucumber, carrots, and red bell peppers (optional)
4 ounces Bleu, Gorgonzola or goat cheese
1 cup chopped roasted macadamia nuts or glazed pecan pieces

1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Heat large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and allow to warm. Add pear slices and sauté in oil for 2 minutes on each side. Turn off heat and drizzle honey over pear slices, and gently turn pears so that it coats them on both sides.

While pears are cooking, put greens and vegetables into a large salad bowl and mix well. Add warm pears, cheese, nuts and gently mix.

Mix salad dressing ingredients, add juices from pan and pour over salad. Serve right away.

Note: This is a great salad to prepare as a composed salad. First lay greens on plates. Add vegetables, then pear slices, then top with nuts and cheese. Drizzle salad dressing over each salad.

Another fish recipe, fresh trout is easily available here through a co-worker who is also a guide fisherman. He swaps me fish for my homegrown beef, a perfect swap for both of us!

Roasted Rainbow Trout and Black Bean Salad with Chipotle Vinaigrette

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoons ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
6 (4 ounces each) Rainbow Trout Fillets
3 cups corn kernels, steamed
2 cups chopped fresh tomato
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans
3/4 cups diced cucumber
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onion
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 1/2 cups Chipotle Vinaigrette, (recipe follows)
4 1/2 cups mixed salad greens
avocado slices, for garnish
Preparation:

Mix first 4 ingredients, reserve. Place trout fillets skin-side down on a lightly oiled sheet pan, sprinkle reserved seasoning mixture on top of fillets. Bake at 450 degrees F until just done, about 5 minutes, cool slightly. Remove and discard skin, reserve. Mix corn with next 5 ingredients. Stir in vinaigrette, reserve.

Line plates with salad greens. Scatter corn mixture over salad greens. Arrange cooked trout on top, whole or broken into bite size pieces. Garnish with avocado slices.

Chipotle Vinaigrette
Makes 1 1/2 cups

Blend until smooth: 1 peeled shallot, 2 whole canned chipotle peppers, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, 1/2 cup chopped green onion, 1/4 cup each balsamic and rice wine vinegar, 2 tsp grated lime zest and salt and pepper to taste. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in 3/4 cups olive oil.

Source: Clear Springs Foods

Finally, my favorite salad dressing:

HONEY MUSTARD SALAD DRESSING
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup honey
2 tbls Grey Poupon dijon mustard

Combine all ingredients and store in a covered container in the refrigerator

Makes 3/4 cup

Annie

Here is a link to a wonderful Italian summer salad for which we always
get extravagant praise. This salad uses fresh tomatoes, basil, and
stale bread. Use a really good vinegar. We also have several other
summer salads you might want to look at.

go to recipes, then salads and look for panzanella