couscous, lentil & arugula salad with garlic-dijon vinaigrette

eatingwell.com (see a picture of the salad at this link, too!)

Last year Eating Well magazine did this amazing spread on salads - I got several great recipes from just one article!  This is the first one I am sharing here...more to come.

I love this salad because it is easy, hearty enough for a meal, and the flavors are bright and fresh. 

VINAIGRETTE

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup red-wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 4 small cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

SALAD

• 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth, or water
• 1 cup whole-wheat couscous
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup French green lentils, or brown lentils, rinsed
• 4 cups arugula, any tough stems removed, or mixed salad greens
• 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 
  

1. To prepare vinaigrette: combine oil, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard and garlic in a blender, a jar with a tight-fitting lid or a medium bowl. Blend, shake or whisk until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
2. To prepare salad: Bring 1 1/4 cups broth (or water) to a boil in a small saucepan. Add couscous, cover, remove from the heat and let stand until the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.
3. Combine 2 1/2 cups water and lentils in another saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until just tender, 15 to 25 minutes. (Green lentils will be done sooner than brown lentils.) Be careful not to overcook the lentils or they will fall apart in the salad. Drain any excess water and let cool for about 10 minutes.
4. If arugula leaves are large, tear into bite-size pieces. Toss arugula (or greens) with 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette in a large bowl, then divide among 4 large plates. In the same bowl, toss the couscous and lentils with another 1/4 cup vinaigrette; divide the mixture among the plates. Top each salad with cucumber, tomatoes and feta and drizzle each with 1 tablespoon vinaigrette. (Cover and refrigerate the remaining 1 cup vinaigrette for up to 1 week.)

fresh green bean, potato and steak salad

My sweetie grilled this salad up for me on a lovely summer evening.

The potatoes are tender, the beans crunchy, and the whole dish is bright and hearty.

What a nice meal (and man!) to come home to...

fresh green bean, potato and steak salad with horseradish dressing

eatingwell.com

ingredients

• 1 pound baby potatoes, scrubbed (you can prepare these ahead of time and refrigerate up to 3 days)
• 12 ounces green beans (about 3 cups), trimmed
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh chives or scallion greens
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar or red-wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound sirloin steak or strip steak (1-1 1/4 inches thick), trimmed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 ears corn, husked
• 
  
• 1. Preheat grill to medium.
• 2. Steam potatoes in a saucepan fitted with a steamer basket, cover and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board to cool. Add beans to the steamer basket, cover and cook until bright green and just tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Rinse in a colander with cold water until cool. Drain thoroughly and transfer to a large bowl. Cut the potatoes into halves or quarters and add to the bowl with the beans. Stir in chives (or scallion greens).
• 3. Meanwhile, combine sour cream, vinegar, horseradish, Worcestershire and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in oil.
• 4. Sprinkle both sides of steak with salt and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Grill the steak about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare, 6 minutes per side for medium. Grill the corn, turning occasionally, until marked and tender, 8 to 12 minutes total. Transfer to a cutting board; let the steak rest for 5 minutes. When the corn is cool enough to handle, cut the kernels from the cob. Thinly slice the steak crosswise. Add the steak and any accumulated juice and the corn kernels to the bowl with the potatoes and beans; toss with the horseradish dressing (dress lightly to start, adding more to taste - I find that this salad can be easily overdressed).

melon panzanella

This salad is too good to be true. Only it is true. It's hearty enough for a meal, but I also like to bring it as a side to parties so I can impress all of my friends.

Melon Panzanella

from eatingwell.com

4 ounces whole-grain bread, torn into bite-size pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 ounce thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into thin strips (about 1/3 cup)

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

4 cups torn arugula leaves

2 cups cubed firm ripe melon

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1. Preheat oven to 250 F

2. Spread bread pieces on a baking sheet. Bake until lightly toasted, about 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add prosciutto and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds more. Remove from the heat and stir in vinegar, salt and pepper. Sometimes I add extra vinegar and/or olive oil for extra dressing.

4. Place arugula, melon, basil and the toasted bread in a large bowl. Add the prosciutto mixture and toss to combine. Let the salad stand for about 20 minutes before serving so the bread can absorb some of the dressing.

Per serving: 130 calories; 8 g fat (1 g sat, 5 g mono); 3 g fiber;

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (16% daily value).

spinach salad with strawberries & goat cheese

Makes: 4 servings, about 1 1/2 c. each

I also like to split the whole amount, top with chicken or salmon, and make it a meal for two.

Dressing

1 Tbs pure maple syrup (or brown sugar)

2 Tbs red wine vinegar

1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 tsp packed, chopped fresh basil (about 2-4 leaves)

Whisk above ingredients together in small bowl or measuring cup with spout for dressing.

Salad

3 cups baby spinach

2 1/2 c sliced fresh strawberries (12 oz-ish)

1/3 c fresh chives, chopped

1/2 c toasted pecans, chopped (if you don't know how to toast nuts, I can help! let me know...)

1/4 c crumbled goat cheese

Add spinach, strawberries, and chives to a salad bowl. Toss with dressing. Divide among plates and top with pecans and goat cheese. Sometimes I put a bit of the goat cheese in before tossing the salad with the dressing, because it makes the dressing a bit creamy. Yum! Goat cheese...

Nutrition: Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Folate, Magnesium

Did you know...I planted chives in my herb garden outdoors 3 years ago, and it is still alive? That is a testament to its resilience, considering I really don't care for it from about September - February. It starts going crazy around April, and by the time strawberries are ripe for this recipe, I've got more than I could possibly use. I heart Seattle.