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I was invited over to a friend’s house and his wife made this incredible first course salad. Where the name for this salad came from is beyond me, but it sure is one of my all time favorites. Chilled and crunchy, salty, cheesy and sweet all in bite after bite.

• 1 head of Iceberg lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 package bleu cheese crumbles
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 6 slices cooked, crumbled bacon
• freshly ground black pepper

Chill salad bowl for 10 minutes prior to assembly. In the meantime, slowly render and cook bacon until crispy. Reserve bacon fat for other use and pat dry bacon and crumble. Tear lettuce into bite-size pieces and put into salad bowl. In a small bowl, mix oil and lemon juice. Add raisins, bleu cheese and bacon. Pour this mixture over lettuce and toss to incorporate thoroughly. Place on plates and season liberally with crushed black pepper.

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This is a great salad to have with rice and any middle eastern meal. I love it with grilled lamb and steamed rice with a squeeze of lemon over it all.

Tabbouleh Salad:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup bulgur
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups finely chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

In a saucepan combine water and bulgur and bring to a full boil. Remove from heat, cover and let stand until the water is absorbed and the bulgur is tender, about 25 minutes. If any water remains, drain bulgur in a fine-mesh sieve. Let cool for 15 minutes or so.
In a small mixing bowl combine lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Add parsley, mint, tomatoes, and cucumber to the bulgur. Add the dressing and toss. Chill for at least 1 hour to serve cold and allow flavors to meld together.

Grilled Lamb:

• 2 lbs ground lamb
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix all in a bowl to incorporate completely and form into 4 individual patties. Grill to your liking and serve with salad and tzatziki on the side. (See recipe below).

Tags: bulgar wheat, lamb
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I was feeling like something grilled that had a really flavorful ethnic taste and went to my neighborhood international market. I realize not everyone has this luxury, but most of these ingredients you can pick up from any market. Grilled lamb burgers with tzatziki on the side with steamed rice and tabbouleh rounded out the meal.

• 1 large peeled  cucumber, quartered, seeded, chopped
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup (packed) finely chopped fresh mint
• 2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon plus pinch of cayenne pepper
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk the yogurt, mint, lemon juice, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper in medium bowl to blend. Add cucumbers and toss to coat. Season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Serve with grilled meats.

Tags: cucumber, mint, yogurt
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I wanted a fresh, light salad to go with yesterday’s post of Crunchy Parmesan Cod and thought about cabbage as a change instead of the usual mixed salad greens. I am not a fan of mayonnaise and thought that a fruit and yogurt dressing would add the right touch. Add some Craisins instead of the usual raisin and some toasted pecans and walnuts to round it out.

• 2 cups shredded green cabbage
• 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
• 1 large carrot, shredded
• 1 Gala apple, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
• 1/4 cup toasted pecans and walnuts each
• 1/4 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)
• 1 small peach yogurt
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp dried tarragon
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a frying pan toast the pecans and walnuts until lightly brown, making sure not to burn. Let cool and set aside. In a mixing bowl add the shredded cabbages, carrot and apples. Next add the Craisins and toasted nuts to the salad mixture, mix thoroughly. In a small mixing bowl and using a whisk, mix together the yogurt, vinegar and tarragon.  Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and mix thoroughly to incorporate completely. Serve chilled.

Tags: cabbage, tarragon
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One of the first restaurants I hit up when I arrived here in San Diego was Bob’s Big Boy. It is a great memory! The toasted sesame burger bun encased the best double-decker cheese burger. Fries and burger topped with the amazing Bob’s Big Boy seasoning salt and I was in heaven. They eventually went away here, but I am still able to order the seasoning salt over the internet. Their bleu cheese salad dressing was chunky and just the best. In this salad I have incorporated their dressing with balsamic vinegar to make a great combination dressing.

• 
• 4 cups of mixed salad greens, roughly cut
• 10 strawberries, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup sliced, toasted almonds
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup Bob’s Big Boy Bleu Cheese salad dressing
• freshly ground black pepper

Divide the roughly chopped mixed salad greens between two bowls. Slice the strawberries thin and place over greens. Add the toasted almond slices.

In a bowl mix Bob’s Big Boy Bleu Cheese salad dressing and the balsamic vinegar thoroughly. Drizzle on top, add the freshly ground black pepper and serve.

This makes two salads.

Tags: balsamic vinegar, strawberries
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Love, love, love the strawberries. Here is another way to use this amazing fruit, as a base for a salad dressing vinaigrette!

• 6 strawberries
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 green onion, with green top (optional)
• 1/4 vegetable oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Simply place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Chill and use as a salad dressing.

Tags: dressing, strawberries
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Ah the stories and rumors… who to believe. Caesar (Cesare) Cardini Caesar was born near Lago Maggiore, Italy, in 1896; he and his brother Alex emigrated to the U.S. after World War I. The Cardini’s lived in San Diego but operated a restaurant in Tijuana to circumvent Prohibition.

According to Caesar’s daughter Rosa, on July 4th 1924 the salad was created on a busy weekend at Caesar’s Restaurant. It is said that Caesar was short of supplies and didn’t want to disappoint the customers so he concocted this salad with what was on hand. To add a flair to this he prepared it at the table. This story is not certifiable however but it very well could have happened. I can vouch for the fact that this happens frequently in the restaurant business. The salad soon became a hit and people came to the restaurant just to get the salad. In particular the Hollywood set loved Caesars.

Believe me, this is good. Mix the dressing and croutons over chilled romaine lettuce leaves and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese!

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp tarragon vinegar
• 1 egg
• 1 finely minced garlic clove
• 1 tsp minced capers
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp dry mustard
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 4  anchovies, mashed to a paste

Place all of the ingredients in a chilled bowl, whisk until well blended.

Croutons
2 Cups white bread Cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Oil to baste croutons;
2 cloves garlic 1/4 cup garlic oil

Garlic Oil (to fry croutons)
puree 2 cloves garlic,
Mix with 1/4 teasp. salt and 3 Tbl Olive oil

Tags: anchovy, dressing
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For the life of me I can’t remember the reason for the name of this salad, but it is so simple and packs an amazing flavor. The tartness of the lemon mixed with the tang of the bleu cheese and the sweetness of the raisins is an incredible combination with one of my favorites – bacon!

• 1/2 lb bacon, cut horizontally and slowly fried until crispy
• 1 pkg bleu cheese, crumbled
• 1 head of cold iceberg lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 cup light vegetable salad oil
• dash of fresh ground pepper
• pinch of salt

Chill the bowl prior to starting this salad fo rat least 10 minutes. Fry the bacon until crisp, drain fat and cool on paper towels. Whisk together the oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper in the bowl. Toss in the cheese and raisins and mix well.  Add the lettuce and bacon and serve immediately.

Tags: bleu cheese, raisins
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This is an amazing mixed grain “salad” I serve cold with chopped strawberries mixed in at the time of eating. This batch makes a lot, enjoy!

• 1 cup rinsed wheat berries
• 1 cup rinsed pearl barley
• 1 cup of millet seeds
• 1 tbsp grated zest from rinsed orange
• 1/4 cup of fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves or 1 tbsp dried
• 1/4 cup chopped dried cherries or craisons
• fresh, washed, chopped strawberries or blueberries as needed

Bring 4 cups of salted water to a boil and add wheat berries. Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes covered. Next, add the barley and simmer an additional 20 minutes.

As this is cooking toast the millet seeds in a hot skillet over medium heat until they start to pop and turn a toasted light brown. Remove from heat after about 5 minutes.

Add the toasted millet to the cooked grains after 50 minutes, and simmer an additional 15 minutes or until all water has been absorbed. Fluff with fork and remove from heat to cool.

Make the dressing by whisking together the orange and lemon juice with the oil, then add the honey, orange zest, dried fruit, and mint. In a large bowl pour the dressing over the mixed, cool grains. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Top each 1 cup serving with fresh strawberries, blueberries or fruit of your choice.

Tags: Fruit, grains
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