Orange Walnut Salad

I served this salad at Thanksgiving this year, and it was delicious! For a special salad, a great rule of thumb is start with a base of excellent, organic greens and serve with a fruit, nut, and cheese that compliment each other. For this salad, I used oranges, walnuts, and sharp cheddar. You might try cranberries, pecans, and chevre (or other soft goat cheese). Another favorite combination is pears, pecans, and smoked Gouda. Let your imagine run wild! Then pair it with a homemade vinaigrette that enhances the flavors you've chosen for your salad. With this salad, I used orange champagne vinegar to compliment the oranges in the salad. The basic rule of thumb for vinaigrette is Dijon mustard mixed with a 3 to 1 ration of oil to vinegar (or as much as a 5 to 1 ratio). Follow the directions below for making a vinaigrette from any kind of vinegar.

Salad
baby romaine or spring mix, pre-washed and ready-to-serve
1 bag candied walnuts (from Trader Joe's)
4 oz. Organic Valley sharp cheddar cheese, cut into chunks
2 oranges, peeled and cut into slices
Orange Champagne Vinaigrette (see recipe below).

Combine all ingredients in large salad bowl. Toss with vinaigrette.

Orange Champagne Vinaigrette
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbls Trader Joe's Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar
3 to 5 Tbls extra virgin olive oil

1. Dip tines of fork into Dijon mustard (should be about 1/2 tsp). In a small, shallow bowl, whisk vinegar and mustard together until combined.
3. Slowly pour oil into the mustard and vinegar mixture, constantly whisking the oil with the fork as you pour into order to emulsify the oil. This method makes a creamy, thickened dressing but you must take care to add the oil very slowly in a very thin stream.

Thai Beef Salad with Cucumber Dressing

From The Treasury of Creative Cooking
Serves 4

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 red pepper, cut in thin strips
2 green onions, diagonally cut into 1-inch pieces
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce*
salt & freshly ground pepper
lettuce leaves
6 ounces rice pasta(vermicelli or linguini), cooked according to package directions**
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
Cucumber Dressing (recipe follows)

1. Prepare cucumber dressing; set aside.
2. Brown ground beef in medium skillet. Drain. Add red peppers, onions, and garlic; cook until tender. Stir in vinegar and soy sauce; season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Arrange lettuce leaves on four plates. Top with cold noodles and ground beef mixture. Garnish with cherry tomatoes. Serve with dressing.

Cucumber Dressing
1 medium cucumber, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon diced jalapeno or green chili pepper
Pinch of salt

Place cucumbers, onions, cilantro, garlic, peppers, and salt in food processor container; process 1 minute. Spoon mixture into small bowl and serve.

*San-J has wheat-free soy sauce
**I use Thai Kitchen noodles; they are gluten-free

Mediterranian Salad

Serves 4

1 head of romaine lettuce
4 soft-boiled eggs, cut into quarters
8 oz. uncured ham or turkey ham, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, cut into slices
1 cucumber, cut into slices
1 jar of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 small can sliced black olives
8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and serve with Giant's Simply Enjoy Ripe Olive and Feta Vinaigrette.