dijon cider vinagrette

makes 1/2 cup (enough for salad for 4)

1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
garlic salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients together just before serving.

crispy chicken with arugula salad

Topping the fried chicken with a lemony arugula salad may seem odd, but the salad functions kind of like a sauce, adding a second layer of flavors to the chicken. You can also make this with pork chops. You want to pound the thick part of the chicken breast until it's the same thickness as the thinner end, so the chicken cooks evenly.

serves 2

2 boneless skinles chicken breasts, thick end pounded to thinness of thinner end
1 cup dried breadcrumbs
1 tbsp montreal steak seasoning
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cups arugula, washed and dried
handful grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat canola or vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan. Toss breadcrumbs with steak seasoning and red pepper and spread onto a plate. Press each chicken breast into the breadcrumb mixture on both sides to coat. When oil is hot, add chicken breasts to pan. Fry for approximately 5 minutes or until first side is golden brown (you may need to adjust heat so that coating does not burn, depending on your stove). Turn and cook another 4 minutes on second side, or until golden brown. Remove from pan and place on paper towels. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.

While chicken fries, toss arugula, tomatoes, parmesan, lemon juice, and olive oil in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place chicken on plates and top with 1/2 of salad each. Serve immediately.

watermelon salad with feta and mint

A refreshing and easy summer salad.

serves 4

12 oz mixed salad greens, washed and dried
2 cups seeded watermelon, diced
3 oz crumbled feta cheese
8 fresh mint leaves, rolled and sliced in chiffonade
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Whisk lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper together and set aside. Place salad greens on 4 plates and top with 1/4 each of watermelon cubes and feta. Divide mint evenly among plates and drizzle with dressing.

spinach and strawberry salads with chicken

the sweet-tart flavor of balsamic vinegar pulls together the salad's vegetables and sweet strawberries. Adding pre-cooked chicken makes it a meal.

serves 2

2 cooked chicken breasts, cubed
4 cups baby spinach, washed and dried
1/2 cucumber, seeded and sliced
6 large strawberries, stemmed and sliced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

whisk vinegar and oil together in a large bowl. Add strawberries and allow to marinate for 5 minutes. Add spinach, chicken, and cucumber to strawberries and toss together. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

grilled ceasar salads

A few minutes on the grill impart a delicious flavor onto hearts of romaine. Don't be put off by visions of warm, limp lettuce - only the top layer of lettuce gets cooked, the rest is left perfectly crisp. Use hearts of romaine instead of full heads, the inner leaves are firmer and hold up to grilling much better.

serves 4

2 hearts of romaine, cut in half vertically
4 tbsp modern ceasar dressing
4 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
handful croutons
canola oil
salt and pepper

Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Brush cut side of romaine hearts lightly with canola oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. When grill is hot, lay romaine onto grill, cut side down. Let romaine grill for 2-3 minutes without touching, remove when grill marks appear. Drizzle each heart half with 1 tbsp dressing, top with croutons, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Grate more pepper over salad and serve immediately.

arugula parmesan salad

So simple it's practically instant. Arugula wilts quickly, so don't toss it with the vinaigrette until just before serving.

Serves 6

2 bags prewashed baby arugula
3 oz chunk of parmesan cheese
juice of a lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Whisk lemon juice and oil together in a large bowl. Immediately before serving, toss arugula in vinagrette and pile on salad plates. Top with curls of parmesan cheese.

wild mushroom panzanella salad

I had a salad like this a restaurant once, and have been craving it ever since. It turns the typical summery panzanella salad (with fresh tomatoes, basil, lemon, and mozzarella) into a celebration of fall. It's perfect as a starter, but to turn this into an entree, just add some shredded rotisserie chicken.

Serves 4 as an entree or 6 as a starter

For salad:

6 cups sourdough bread, cut into large cubes
4 cups wild mushroom mix (creminis, oyster, shitake, etc.)
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
2 cups arugula
4 celery stalks, sliced diagonally, not too thinly
1 medium yellow onion, cut in half and then sliced thickly
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup crumbled goat cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper

For vinaigrette:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread bread cubes onto a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season cubes with salt and pepper to taste and toss to coat. Bake cubes for 10-15 minutes or until toasted. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

While cubes are baking, heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When oil shimmers, add mushrooms and celery. Cook for 10 minutes until mushrooms are just browning. Lower heat to medium, then add tomatoes, onions, garlic, and thyme to pan and continue to cook until onions are translucent, about another 10 minutes. Season vegetables with salt and pepper. Remove from heat once cooked and allow to cool slightly, discarding thyme stems.

Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients. Toss bread cubes, vegetable mixture, arugula, and goat cheese with vinaigrette in a large salad bowl. Allow salad to stand for 10 minutes before serving to allow vinaigrette to soak in. Serve warm.

grilled pizza salads

Serves 4 (4 personal pizzas)

1 pizza dough (from pizza parlor or grocery store)
3 thick slices pancetta (italian uncured bacon), cubed
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
4 handfuls (about 8 oz) arugula
4 scallions, thinly sliced
cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (as many as you like)
cucumber, peeled and cut to your liking
perfect vinaigrette

Prepare a grill to 350 degrees (charcoal) or medium-high (gas). Cook pancetta in a skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels. Toss arugula, tomatoes, cucumbers, and scallions together with vinaigrette.

Cut pizza dough into 4 (entrée) or 10 equal-sized pieces and roll out on a floured surface until ¼ inch thick. Poke holes with a fork in dough, leaving a ½ inch edge with no holes (to make the crust).Brush both sides of dough with olive oil and place on grill. Grill one side for 5-10 minutes or until grill marks form and dough puffs up, then turn over and top with pancetta and blue cheese. Continue to grill until blue cheese is slightly melted, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Just before serving, slice each pizza into fourths and top with 1/4 of salad mixture.

panzanella salad

This is a great vegetarian dinner, very satisfying and addicting! I love to make this in summer to use up extra basil from the herb garden. The idea here is to cut all the salad elements into the same size pieces, about the size of dice.

serves 4 as an entree or 6 as a starter

1 baguette, cut into large cubes
1 10-oz container grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped into large chunks
16-oz mozarella, chopped into large chunks
1 bunch fresh basil leaves in chiffonade
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup perfect vinaigrette
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss bread chunks with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and spread out on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and toasted. While bread cools, toss vegetables and cheese with vinaigrette in a large salad bowl. Add cooled bread and mix. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes before serving to allow bread to soak up vinaigrette and flavors to combine.