GreenSunflower Cooks

Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad

 I made this as a side to my pork spareribs.  I let it marinate while they were cooking

GreenSunflower's Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad

• 2 seedless cucumbers, small chopped
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 1/2 rice wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Mix the vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar and let sit until sugar has completly dissolved.  Add the cucumber and onion.  Let sit for at least an hour.  The onion taste will mellow and the cucumber will develop more flavor the longer it sits.  It can sit at room temp or in the fridge.

Tomato Rice Salad

 
 It was Babe's Bday today, and I wanted to make him a nice dinner, but I DID NOT WANT TO GO TO THE GROCERY STORE.

So I thought up this little number, from what I had in my fridge and pantry.  Babe declared it delicious and that is he is soooooooooooo glad I am gluten free again and that he will be my dedicated taste tester for LIFE.

Tomato Rice Salad

3 cups cooked, cooled, fork fluffed jasmine rice (1rice:2/3water ratio)

• Place 2 tsp Knorr Caldo de Tomate con sabor de pollo* in rice water when cooking.

1 seedless cucumber, large dice

1 TB  red onion, small dice

3 stalks including leaves inner heart of celery, medium dice

1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar

1/2 extra virgin olive oil

lots of FRESHLY ground black pepper

Get your rice cooker going with the rice.  And go do something.  Let the rice cool a bit after cooking and then fluff it with a fork and let it sit OR let it sit in your freezer while your salmon fillet cooks for 20 min and frequently re-fluff it:)

Get all your veggies together in a bowl.  In another smaller bowl whisk the olive oil and white balsamic with as much pepper as you can stand (I love black pepper).  Do not add any salt the bullion has enough for the whole dish.

Pour the oil/vinegar mixture over the veggies, stir and let them soak it up for 5 mins or so because once the rice is in there, it is going to take it all.

Add rice, stir, taste.  Make more oil/vinegar/pepper if needed and add.

Serve!

*I am not absolutely positive this is gluten free.  It didn't irk my tummy, but all of us GFer's are different.  It does have "natural flavors."  My suggestion if you are concerned it to use tomato paste and GF chicken broth as the water for flavor instead. But you will need to add additional salt.

Pea Salad With Lemon And Goat Cheese

Summer is fast approaching and with it, all the freshness that are the varied salad possibilities. 

Tonight we had lamb and potatoes (very winter), but it was 75 degrees outside and I wanted to make it a little more warm weatherish.  So I barbecued the lamb, and made this salad.  It was different and very good and SIMPLE.

Pea Salad With Lemon And Goat Cheese

1 bag frozen green peas, defrosted at room temp
2 TB chevre
2 TB chopped red onion
2 small lemons
4 TB extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper

In small bowl, whisk chevre, onion, lemon, salt and pepper (to taste) together, whisk in olive oil.

Spread over peas and toss.

It's that easy.

Endive, Mango, and Goat Cheese Salad

Endive, Mango, and Goat Cheese Salad
Originally uploaded by greensunflower.

It is getting to be the time for crunchy summer salads again.  I started getting a produce delivery, just to have more variety.  I am loving it.  This was made with the mango and endive from the delivery.  We ate it along side crab, but I think it could be eaten alongside just about anything.

GREENSUNFLOWER'S ENDIVE, MANGO, AND CHEVRE SALAD

• 1 tb white balsamic vinegar
• 2 tb walnut oil
• s/p
• 2 scallions minced
• 3 heads endive, chopped
• 1/2 cup candied walnuts
• 2 oz chevre, crumbled
• 1 less ripe mango, chopped

Add scallions to vinegar and let sit for a little bit, then whisk in walnut oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Assemble all other ingredients in a salad bowl, top with dressing and enjoy.

Quinoa With Lemon and Parsley

Quinoa with Parsley and Lemon
Originally uploaded by greensunflower.

This is super easy.  It tastes great.  We had it with lamb chops.  Pictures to come soon.

Prepare 1 cup of dry quinoa with chicken broth according to directions on box.  When cooked, take off heat and add 3 tb chopped flat leave parsley and the zest and juice of one lemon.  Stir.  Serve warm or room temp

Ta-da!

Chicken Salad

Chicken Salad
Originally uploaded by greensunflower.

Babe loves Chicken Salad sandwiches.  I like to eat chicken salad on crackers.  It would probably be good with some greens too. Babe was craving for my "special chicken salad."  You know the one where I don't get chicken breast out of a can, add mayo, and slather it on bread.  Here it is. 

GreenSunflower's Chicken Salad

• 1 whole baked chicken, meat pulled off and chopped
• 1 rib celery, finely chopped
• 1/4 dried bing cherries, chopped
• 1/4 roasted almonds, chopped
• 1 tb finely chopped flat leave parsley
• 1 tsp lime/lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• salt to taste
• 1/2 cup good mayonnaise

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and fold/stir to combine.  Let sit in your fridge for an hour or two for the flavors to combine and become yummy.  Serve!

Beet and Grapefruit Salad

Beet and Grapefruit Salad
Originally uploaded by greensunflower.

I have seen many beet salads with cheese and oranges in them, but that didn't sound good to me.  I was walking through the produce section and saw that grapefruits were on sale.  I thought they would be a perfect compliment to beets, for my Valentine's Day dinner.

GreenSunflower's Beet and Grapefruit Salad

• 2 cans medium beets, eighthed
• 2 ruby red grapefruit, sectioned
• juice of one grapefruit
• 2 tb walnut oil
• 1 tb white balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper

Place beets and grapefruit segments in mixing bowl.  In small 2 cup measuring cup add grapefruit juice, walnut oil, vinegar. and salt and pepper to taste.  Whisk and blend well.  Pour over beets and grapefruit.  Toss to mix.  Let salad sit for a couple of hours before serving in the fridge.  When ready to serve, toss again, and serve with a slotted spoon, as this is juicy one.

Potato Salad with Dill

Potato Salad with Dill
Originally uploaded by greensunflower.

For Superbowl I made BBQ'ed ribs, with potato salad and baked beans.   Sometimes I think it is hard to know how to make a simple potato salad, so I thought I would put my recipe out there. Fresh dill instead of dill pickles really sets this off.

GreenSunflower's Traditional Potato Salad

• 2lbs baby red potatoes
• 6 boiled eggs, chopped
• 1.5 cups mayonnaise
• 2 tbs yellow mustard
• 1 tb sweet pickle relish
• 2 tsp chopped FRESH baby dill
• 1/4 grated onion
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Boil potatoes whole, until they are not tender enough to mash.  They will continue to cook as they cool, so have them a little underdone when you pull them out of the water.  Let them cool to room temp. 

Mix all other ingredients in large bowl (grate the onion over the bowl).  Cut baby potatoes in eights and add them along with eggs to mix of condiments. Serve.

Chill if you are not going to serve immediately and do not leave out too long.

Greek Salad

Greek Salad
Originally uploaded by greensunflower.

I love Greek food.  Babe thinks he hates it, but really he hates the idea of it, because whenever he eats it, he tells me how good it is.  I made this alongside some cooked crab we bought because it crab season.  He raved about how delicious it was and at the end I told him it was Greek inspired.  He shrugged his shoulders and plowed through it. 

GreenSunflower's Greek Heirloom Tomato and Veggie Chunk Salad

• 1 English cucumber, chunked and seeded
• 2 large heirloom tomatoes, seeded and cut into same sized pieces as cucumber
• 1 good sized chunk feta, cut into 1/2 inch squares
• 1/2 cup whole Kalamata olives, pitted or not
• 1 red onion chopped large
• 2 tsp fresh oregano leaves
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 2 tsp pasteurized egg product (to emulsify)
• 4 tbs red wine vinegar
• 8 tbs olive oil
• salt and coarsely ground pepper

Assemble veggies in a bowl.  In a blender place oregano, garlic, vinegar, and egg product.  Start to blend and stream in olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.  Mix with veggies and olives.  Serve with slotted spoon.

Crab
Originally uploaded by greensunflower.

Green Bean Salad with feta and olives

Green Bean Salad 002
Originally uploaded by greensunflower.

There is nothing I love more than feta and olives, but I was tired of the old Greek salad to get my fix, so I decided on this.  I was going to serve it for Thanksgiving, but the flavors are too strong.  It belongs with a charbroiled New York steak and a great Cab. 

Green Bean Salad with feta and olives

• 1 small shallot
• 3tb balsamic vinegar
• 6tb olive oil
• salt/pepper
• 2/3 cup chopped or crumbled feta
• 1/4 c pitted kalmata olives coarsely chopped
• 10 oz green beans

Heat salted water to a boil.  Add green beans and cook until vibrantly green.  Drain and place green beans in ice water.  In blender, place shallot, balsamic vinegar, salt/pepper, and 1/3 of the feta.  Blend and as blending stream in olive oil.  Drain green beans and dry in salad spinner.  Toss with vinaigrette, cheese, and olives. Serve.