To Life!

Food

Green And Glorious

Quick and healthy salads, as a side or a main dish.

ANNABEL COHEN

Special to the Jewish News

W

ith the weather finally warm-
ing up, it's time once again
for our annual salad recipes.
A cool crisp salad has plenty of crunch,
which is satisfying, and if you skip fat-
tening extras like deep-fried croutons
(often served in restaurants), they are
extremely healthy. .
The most popular salads start with
green — lettuce or something like it. As
simple as iceberg with creamy blue
cheese dressing or herb vinegar, drizzled
and tossed and topped with everything
from tomatoes to caviar, these are the
salads that often precede entrees (here in
America) or are served as palette
cleansers after a meal, as in Europe.
Other salads don't rely on greens at all
— potato salad, tuna salad, pasta salad,
to name a couple — are meant as side
dishes and take the place of a starch or
are served as secondary entrees.
Salads as entrees, too, are au courant.
They often contain more protein than
regular side salads — topped or tossed
with meats, chicken or fish. In fact, add
any of these proteins to the recipes
below to literally "beef" them up.
If you do decide to make any of the
following sun-friendly salads as a main
course, you may wish to double the
recipe. They're light, so eat up!

ARUGULA, SUNDRIED TOMATO
AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD
1 pound arugula, trimmed and cut into
bite-sized pieces
1 cup very thin sliced red onion
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved length-
wise
8 sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and
thinly sliced
8 marinated artichoke hearts, drained
and quartered
5 oz. soft goat cheese, such as Chevre,
crumbled
extra-virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar
kosher or sea salt and pepper to taste
Divide arugula among 6 dinner-sized
plates. Arrange the onion, tomatoes,
sundried tomatoes, artichokes hearts and
goat cheese over the arugula. Drizzle
with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to
taste. Serve immediately. Makes 6 serv-
ings.

6/23
2005

60

TUNA SALAD VINAIGRETTE
WITH ROASTED RADICCHIO
3 cans (6 1/2 oz. each) albacore white
tuna, drained
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup minced parsley
1 Tbsp. drained capers
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
sea salt and pepper to taste
Roasted Radicchio:
1 pound radicchio (2 heads)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Combine all ingredients in a medium
bowl and stir well. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 400F. Cut the radic-
chio into 12 wedges and arrange on a
baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over
the radicchio and roast, uncovered, for
10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and
cool completely. Arrange 2 wedges of
radicchio each on 6 salad plates and
divide the tuna among the plates. Makes
6 servings.

THAI-INSPIRED CHICKEN AND
FRUIT AND CASHEW SALAD
Salad:
4 grilled or poached boneless and skin-
less chicken breasts (about 1 1/2
pounds), diced into 1-inch pieces
1 mango, peeled and diced
1 small can mandarin oranges, drained
2 cups seedless green grapes halved
1 cup cilantro leaves
1 cup roasted cashews, salted or unsalt-
ed
1 cup chopped scallions, white and
green parts
1/4 cup shredded coconut, lightly toast-
ed on a baking sheet
6 cups torn romaine lettuce
Dressing:
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all the salad ingredients in a
large bowl. Set aside. Combine dressing
ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting
lid. Shake well, pour over the salad and
toss well. Makes 8 servings.

ROASTED SWEET POTATO
SALAD WITH ROASTED GARLIC
AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR
12 whole garlic cloves, peeled

3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled
and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/4 cup extra virgin olive
oil
1/2 cup finely
chopped onions
1/4 cup balsamic
vinegar
1/2 cup finely
chopped parsley
\
Preheat oven to
400E Place 1 large sheet
of foil on a flat surface.
Place the garlic on the foil
and spray the garlic and foil
well with nonstick cooking spray.
Bring the sides of foil up over the garlic
and press together the edges to create a
package. Place the garlic in the oven and
roast for 40 minutes, until the garlic is
tender.
Meanwhile, spray a baking sheet with
nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the
potato slices on the baking sheet, over-
lapping them if needed to fit. Drizzle
the oil over the potatoes and roast,
uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until just
tender (do not overcook).
Remove the garlic and potatoes from
the oven and allow to cool completely
before proceeding. Chop the garlic.
Arrange the potatoes on a platter.
Sprinkle the garlic and then the onions
over the potatoes. Drizzle the balsamic
vinegar over the potatoes and garnish
with parsley. Makes 6-8 servings.

SIX VEGETABLE AND
TWO FRUIT SALAD
8 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped parsley
1 cup diced celery
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 cups fresh diced tomatoes, drained
well
2 cups seeded diced cucumbers
1 cup chopped celery
2 cups chopped, peeled Granny Smith
apples
3 Tbsp. drained capers
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp. sugar
kosher salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a large
bowl and toss well. Serve on individual
salad plates or transfer to a large serving
dish. Makes 12-16 servings.

SLICED TOMATO SALAD WITH
1000-ISLAND DRESSING
Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup bottled chili sauce
1 roasted red pepper, chopped (jarred is
fine)
2 Tbsp. sweet pickle relish
1 tsp. hot red pepper sauce, such as
Tabasco (or more to taste)
2 heads Bibb lettuce
6 ripe tomatoes (about 2 pounds),
sliced into thin rings
1 cup mild sliced onions, such as
Vic-64a
4 hardboiled eggs, sliced into thin rings
2 Tbsp. drained capers
1/4 cup fresh dill sprigs
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to
taste
Combine all the dressing ingredients
in a medium bowl and stir well. Chill
until ready to serve.
Break apart the lettuce heads, but
keep the leaves whole as much as possi-
ble. Arrange the lettuce on a serving
platter. Arrange the tomatoes over the
lettuce. Sprinkle the onions over the
tomatoes and arrange the egg slices over
the salad. Sprinkle the capers over the
salad and tuck the dill sprigs among the
tomato slices. Place dollops of dressing
over the tomato slices and season the
salad with salt and pepper to taste.
Alternately, serve the dressing on the
side. Makes 8 servings. ❑

For more recipes, see
JNOnline. corn