Food + Family + Friends

Salad

Mixed Greens with Roasted Chicken + Tomato + Basil

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I’m thinking of adding a category to my blog called “Everyday Salads.” There are countless salad combinations in our house but they never seem to warrant a written recipe. But perhaps they do. My original goal for the blog is to share food with family and friends and I’ve been leaving out so much of the actual food I prepare day in and day out because it seems not interesting enough or worth the effort for a post.  Rethinking this because a ton of what we eat is simple, healthy, and hardly recipe worthy but I’d be pretty excited if I could go to my recipe binder and find all the tasty combos I’ve made in the past. Maybe this is helpful to you as well!

Cheers,

Christina

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Mixed Greens with Roasted Chicken + Tomato + Basil

This salad is another version of our everyday salads around here – greens and a protein with whatever is easy and in season! Vinaigrette is often doubled or tripled and kept in a jar in the refrigerator to use all week.

Course Salad
Servings 2 servings
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 4-6 cups mixed greens + arugula
  • 1 cup roasted chicken, cubed
  • handful of tomatoes
  • 1 avocado, cubed
  • 4-5 basil leaves, julienned
  • ¼ cup sprouted pumpkin seeds
  • ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese

Shallot Vinaigrette

  • 1 tbsp shallot, minced
  • 2 tbsp champagne vinegar
  • 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp honey
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ tsp Himalayan pink sea salt

Instructions

  1. For the vinaigrette: Add the ingredients to a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake until emulsified.

  2. For the salad: Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and lightly toss with enough vinaigrette to coat the leaves. Divide between two plates.

Mixed Greens with Tuna Salad and Dill Vinaigrette

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It’s the most delicious time of the year! I’m pretty sure I said that same thing over 5 years ago when I began this little food blog. But it’s true… beginning with Thanksgiving and ending with decadent New Year’s Eve, (with my birthday in between) there are endless opportunities to indulge ourselves.  I try my best to keep things balanced all year long, but especially this time of the year, and hearty salad a few times a week – if not more – is the answer for me.  

Let’s be honest, salads can be kind of a pain to make on the fly, especially for one person, but can be super simple if you’re prepped and ready for it.  I don’t mean all the veggies that are cut up and waiting for you in the fridge getting more dried out as the week goes on, but having the basics ready to knock out a balanced, filling salad in under 10 minutes.  

The basics – protein, fat and fiber – the keys to a balanced salad (or any meal or snack!).  This salad has all of the key elements.  I keep a few prewashed bags of arugula and mixed greens as the foundation of all my salads.  I decide on my protein – in this case good quality tuna salad.  I add some fiber in the form of garbanzo beans and/or radish. And in addition to the olive oil in the vinaigrette, I decide on a healthy fat source such as avocado or nuts. If you have your protein prepared (I often choose grilled or roasted chicken, tuna or mackerel) and a vinaigrette waiting in a glass jar in the refrigerator, you can get this salad tossed in a bowl and into your belly in a matter of minutes.  

In the middle of a busy season, this salad is a good one to keep in your back pocket – or even better, prepped and ready in your refrigerator!

Cheers,

Christina

My husband loves a good sprinkling of slivered almonds
Tuna salad without carrots- less orange!
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Mixed Greens with Tuna Salad and Dill Vinaigrette

Having pre-washed packaged greens, a prepared protein and a jar of homemade vinaigrette allows you to get a balanced, substantial lunch salad in front of you in no time at all. Salads like these are a mainstay in my diet and one that provides me with 3-4 hours of satiety. They are easily adaptable but examples of key ingredients that I almost always have on hand. I hope you enjoy this herby bright vinaigrette that pairs so nicely with the tuna salad. If you're extra short on time, a drizzle of good olive oil and a squeeze of lemon on top of seasoned greens makes a pretty delicious dressing in a pinch.

Course Lunch, Salad
Keyword dill vinaigrette, mixed greens, tuna salad
Servings 2 servings
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Tuna Salad

  • 2 5 oz cans tuna, one canned drained of liquid I prefer Wild Planet Albacore Wild Tuna or Safecatch Ahi Wild Yellowfin Tuna
  • 2 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 2 stalks celery + leaves, chopped
  • 2 green onions, sliced
  • 1 carrot, grated on the small holes of a box grater optional but great for adding extra fiber
  • 2 tbsp parsley, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper

Dill Vinaigrette

  • ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
  • ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp finely chopped fresh dill
  • ½ tsp honey
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper

To Assemble the Salad

  • 4-6  cups mixed spring greens and/or arugula  I like to coarsely chop my leaves so everything fits on my fork
  • ½ cup sliced radish
  • 1 avocado, cubed or sliced
  • 2 tbsp toasted almond slivers optional

Instructions

  1. For the tuna salad: Drain one can of the tuna, place both in a medium bowl and use a fork to flake into pieces. Add the mayonnaise, celery, green onion, carrot (if using), parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper and combine well. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking, if needed.

  2. For the vinaigrette: Combine ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well.

  3. For the mixed green salad: Combine all salad ingredients, except for the tuna salad, in a medium bowl. Toss salad with just enough dressing to coat the leaves. Divide between two plates and pile a mound of tuna salad on top of the mixed greens. Season your salad with a touch of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Top with slivered almonds, if using.

Recipe Notes

*This vinaigrette makes enough for several salads. I highly recommend making the whole recipe and keeping it in your refrigerator for easy salads all week. 

* You’ll likely have enough tuna salad for another salad later in the week or as a delicious snack with Triscuit crackers. 

Mixed Greens Salad with Roasted Chicken, Goat Cheese, Figs and Shallot Vinaigrette

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I recently served this salad to my very happy, working from home hubby. It’s such a simple salad but both of us delighted in the flavors – that was a REALLY good salad was his remark when he finished with his calls. Food brought to you in the middle of a workday is generally very well received, but he was right, it was so good!

This salad was thrown together in a matter of minutes using leftover roasted chicken and the remaining figs and goat cheese from a snack board earlier in the week. The vinaigrette was already in a jar in the refrigerator – in my best Ina voice, How Easy is That? Light, protein packed, and satisfying.

I’ve got a ladies get together coming up soon and while figs are in season in CA a little longer, this just may be the lunch salad I serve.

Cheers,

Christina

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Mixed Green Salad with Roasted Chicken, Goat Cheese, Figs and Shallot Vinaigrette

A perfect light lunch salad that is great to serve for a luncheon, book club, or a working meeting. You can easily scale this salad up or down, I like to serve 2-3 cups of greens per person. Breadsticks or crusty bread with salted butter or a cup of seasonal soup are great ways to round out the meal.

Servings 2 servings
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 4-6 cups mixed greens, washed and completely dry
  • 1 cup roasted chicken, cubed
  • ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese
  • ¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted
  • 4 fresh figs, halved

Shallot Vinaigrette

  • 1 tbsp small shallot minced
  • 2 tbsp champagne vinegar
  • 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp honey
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pinch Maldon salt or any coarse flake salt

Instructions

  1. For the vinaigrette: add the ingredients to a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake until emulsified.

  2. For the salad, add lettuce and chicken to a large bowl. Lightly toss with enough vinaigrette to coat the leaves. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Divide between two plates. Top each plate with goat cheese, almonds and figs.

Chicken Salad with Almonds, Turmeric and Celery Leaves

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Pre-made, portable meals are my favorite, especially this time of the year when school and sports have ramped back up. Like so many with school aged kids, sports schedules and after school activities has us all over town in the afternoon and evenings, not to mention weekends! Maintaining a healthy lifestyle means running through a drive thru for a meal is just not an option for me and I rely on protein-packed dishes like this to eat on the go.

This roasted chicken salad is delicious and packs a powerful punch with anti-inflammatory nutrients. It leaves out the typical sweetened dried cranberries (though I still sometimes add a few) and heavy canola oil based mayo that so many chicken salads have. One of my favorite portable meals is a container with chopped up arugula or spinach drizzled with a little olive oil and salt and topped with this chicken salad and sliced radish or cherry tomatoes. It takes less than 5 minutes to throw together and I’m always so happy I did.

Cheers,

Christina

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Chicken Salad with Almonds, Turmeric and Celery Leaves

Chicken salads are a great protein packed lunch option to make ahead and take on the go. Perfect in a lettuce cup, scooped up with crackers, mounded in the middle of a chopped salad with veggies or simply on its own! This salad has added health benefits of almonds, turmeric and freshly ground pepper, as well as mayonnaise made with avocado oil. And don't throw away those celery leaves – they, along with the celery diced up, provide powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients.

Course Lunch, Salad
Keyword almonds, chicken salad, turmeric
Servings 4 servings
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup avocado mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1-2 tsp whole grain mustard
  • 3 celery stalks, chopped
  • ¼ cup celery leaves, chopped
  • ½ cup raw sliced almonds, toasted
  • ¼ cup parsley, chopped
  • 3 scallions, sliced
  • 3 cups roasted chicken, chopped

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, add all ingredients except the chicken and mix until well combined. Add chopped chicken and mix.

    *Taste for seasoning – if more tang is desired, try adding a touch more mustard or a splash of white wine vinegar. If you'd like a stronger turmeric flavor, add more (depending on the brand and freshness, flavor can vary.) For a hint of sweetness, sprinkle in a few unsweetened dried cranberries or raisins .

House Vinaigrette

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Every weekend, usually on Sunday, I have a list of kitchen staples that I prep for the week ahead. Some type of vinaigrette is always at the top of the list. After years of doing this, it remains a key part of feeding my family healthy meals throughout the week. I’m happy they are big salad eaters and I’m certain homemade dressings and keeping at it since they were little has helped a ton. I wrote about this years ago, but a strategy I used with my kids was to allow them to pick out one thing from their salad – almost always this included tomatoes – but this means they ended up learning to eat other food things like radishes, scallions, cucumbers, peppers, chickpeas, nuts and a variety of herbs that they otherwise may not have eaten. To this day, I still have two kids that will always pick out the tomatoes!

This is a flavorful vinaigrette that is delicious on mixed greens with any type of protein – it’s one of my top 3 that I make all the time and a house favorite. Two vinegars that I use the most are sherry and champagne and they can be used interchangeably in this recipe. The honey can be dialed up or down depending on your preference – I have a particular affection for avocado honey that I can occasionally find at my local farmer’s market.

I make a double batch of this in a mason jar and keep it in the refrigerator for up to a week. When I am ready to use it, I leave it on the counter and let it come to room temperature while I’m prepping the rest of the salad. On busy days, I’m always thankful I’ve got this in the fridge for a quick meal!

Cheers,

Christina

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House Vinaigrette

This is my go-to salad dressing. I make a double batch every single week and it makes putting together a salad for lunch or dinner a snap. When I can get my hands on local avocado honey, I make sure to use that, otherwise, any good, local honey will do.

Course Sauces snd Dressings
Keyword vinaigrette
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp champagne or sherry vinegar
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
  • ½ tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

  1. In a jar with a tight fitting lid, add ingredients and shake vigorously.

Southwest Chicken Salad with Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette

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Cooking during the summer, at home or on vacation, is a true pleasure for me. Summer’s bounty combined with high quality proteins I keep stocked up on in my freezer make for the easiest, healthiest meals. This dish is no exception. There’s almost never a time I don’t have these ingredients handy. And a quick trip to the weekly farmer’s market makes this salad that much more fresh and amazing. That said, frozen corn and grocery store cherry tomatoes are not a bad backup!

My family has been spending most of the summer away from our home. This means a ton of planning to make sure I have all the ingredients on hand to keep healthy and delicious meals available. I love a good meal out, especially with my favorite date, but definitely treat it as just that – a treat! Less crowds, cheaper, healthier, and often tastier (if I don’t say so myself) when we eat most of our meals at home.

The key to getting my family to eat things like radishes (rich in vitamin C, calcium and potassium) and arugula (loaded with calcium, iron and vitamins A, C, and K) is to CHOP THEM UP! I’m not yelling, but this was a game changer a few years ago to get my family to eat more of these nutrient dense ingredients. I used to just omit them and add more familiar ingredients like corn, tomatoes, etc. but salads are so much more satisfying and nutrient dense with these added ingredients. Since my kids were little, I allowed them to pick out only one ingredient from their salad, but when chopped, it’s pretty hard to pick out that chopped radish or arugula! I guess they got older with more advanced tastebuds or just plain tired of trying to find all of the ingredient they think they don’t like. #don’tmesswithmom! For the record, I almost always chop my lettuce, even when I’m just making a salad for myself. It just easier to eat that way!

Cheers to healthy cooking,

Christina

The deep red chipotle pepper combines with the bright green cilantro makes a strange colored, yet very tasty dressing
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Southwest Chicken Salad with Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette

Smokey, sweet, spicy, and healthy – this chicken and vinaigrette has it all! This is the kind of recipe that I make on a Sunday and eat all week long. During the summer – that means you'll rarely find my refrigerator without a mason jar of this vinaigrette or a container of this grilled chicken all ready for a quick salad. The chicken also is perfect on a BBQ chicken pizza or in a loaded quesadilla.

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper

Vinaigrette

  • 1 cup cilantro leaves and stems, roughly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1 large chipotle pepper
  • ½ large fresh jalapeno pepper, roughly chopped
  • ¾ cup avocado oil
  • ¼ cup lime juice
  • ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp kosher salt

Salad – optional ingredients

  • mixed greens/romaine/little gems/kale
  • black beans, rinsed and drained
  • corn
  • tomatoes, chopped
  • radish, sliced
  • green onion, sliced
  • avocado, diced
  • cilantro, chopped
  • pepitas
  • crispy tortilla strips for topping

Instructions

  1. For the chicken: Combine the marinade ingredients in a glass bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

  2. For vinaigrette: Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and process until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.

  3. Grill the chicken: Preheat the grill to high. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place chicken on the grill and discard the marinade. Cook chicken until juices run clear.

  4. Assemble the salad: Combine lettuce and desired ingredients in a large bowl and spoon enough dressing to lightly coat all the desired ingredients. Plate the salad and place chicken on top. Garnish with tortilla strips, if desired.

Recipe Notes

The vinaigrette makes enough for 4 entree sized salads as well as several salads throughout the week.  I don’t include quantities for the salad ingredients but for a single salad I like to do: 2-3 cups of chopped lettuce, 1/4 cup each of black beans and corn, a handful of cherry tomatoes, 2 radishes, 1 green onion, 1/2 of an avocado, a few sprigs of cilantro and about a tablespoon of pepitas.  I always top with a big pile of chicken and am full and satisfied for hours.  

Spring Greens with Radish, Flaked Mackerel and Toasted Walnuts

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“Don’t overlook the oily little fishes” -Michael Pollan, Food Rule #32

Eating FOR Health… it’s been a shift in my meal planning strategy for quite some time now and I wanted to share how I got there. I’m hoping it helps even just one person include more foods in their life that are pro-health. The kinds that make you feel good. The kinds that make you thrive!

Early on in 2020 I picked up the book, The Hormone Cure. It’s been around for awhile but wasn’t on my radar. It was recommended to me by a friend after telling her about my frequent headaches/migraines and silly aches and pains. Seems every conversation with a group of 40 and 50 somethings eventually leads to our list of grievances about getting older… for me it has been frequent headaches, low energy, unexplained joint pain and tendon injuries. In the grand scheme of things, especially in 2020, these were not much to complain about! But, I was determined to figure it out rather than go the route of my doctor who predictably prescribed medicine with a laundry list of side effects. 
I learned many useful tips from that book, but then it lead me to another book, then a podcast, then another book and down the rabbit hole I went… one thing I had was TIME in 2020, and I’m so thankful I did. 

After lots and lots of research, I determined that I need to ADD more to my diet rather than remove. There were some holes, things I could do better to improve my health. Once I spent some time analyzing two things: 1 – what I was eating (I needed more healthy fats and even more high quality protein than I was getting) and 2 – when I ate it (I feel 100x better when I eat later in the morning and earlier in the evening) – a few simple steps and changes made all the difference.

Notable changes included: INCREASING the good stuff – greens, fiber, high quality protein and healthy fat. Or as Kelly LeVeque refers to in her books Body Love and Body Love Everyday, the “Fab Four.” Her books made so much sense to me and were really the first ones that resonated with me regarding meal planning and balancing meals that result in being full for the right reasons – it’s a very pro-health lifestyle and way to plan and I love it. It aligns with things I was mostly already doing, (I’ve been happily planning healthy meals since 2006 so this is saying a lot!) but I found so many new ways to elevate my meals. It just makes so much sense and it really is that simple. Adding foods from these 4 categories to every single meal makes me so satiated that snacking – even the healthy kind, is rarely needed!  It’s really a mindset and knowing what foods make you feel good or not. ADDING pro-health foods rather than eliminating fits into a healthy lifestyle (NOT a diet!) that’s easy to maintain and works for me. Perhaps some of this resonates with you?

You can imagine there have been some minor tweaks to our pantry, fridge and freezer, but again, it was about making sure I had the foods on hand to balance any meal I was preparing. Since I prepare nearly all the food in my house, guess who was also adding these healthy foods on a regular basis?! I have 3 kids – 1 tween and 2 teens – and they have been awesome about the tweaks. (Although recently one of my kids found a tab open on my laptop for “black bean brownies” and said that crossed the line!) Keeping them informed but not deprived is very important to me. I figured if I’m providing meals primarily from the above categories, there’s less room in their tummies for the Doritos. 🙂 


The salad below is an excellent example of what a typical meal for me looks like – greens/carbs (lettuce, radish, bell pepper, herbs), fiber (garbanzo beans, obviously a good source of protein as well), protein (flaked mackerel), and healthy fats (walnuts and kalamata olives + olive oil dressing). I’m not necessarily taking away cheese (dairy), croutons (gluten), or refined sugar and oil salad dressing (ultra processed, refined ingredients), but after a bite of something this satisfying, why would I need to add anything? Plus, if I want some bread with my meal it’s going to be because I walked down to my favorite bakery, Backhaus, and picked up their Heavy Seeded Loaf or Rustic Country Bread. And I’m going to top it with some room temperature, grass-fed, salted Kerrygold butter. Yum. Nobody is being deprived here!

Cheers,

Christina

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Spring Greens with Radish, Flaked Mackerel and Toasted Walnuts

This bright refreshing salad hits all the key elements of a satisfying, healthy meal for me. It's full of crisp spring radishes, toasted walnuts, creamy garbanzo beans and tossed with a tangy lemon vinaigrette – and it's simple to prepare. Avocado and summer tomatoes would be lovely additions. If you haven't tried mackerel, it's a mild fish high in omega-3's; similar in taste to tuna. Be sure to look for wild, Northern Atlantic mackerel that is low in mercury.

Course Salad
Keyword lemon vinaigrette, mackerel, spring greens
Servings 2 servings
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 4-6 cups mixed spring greens I like to chop my leaves so everything fits on my fork
  • 2 4 oz cans wild mackerel, drained and flaked I like Safe Catch brand
  • ½ cup garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
  • ½ cup yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • ½ cup radish, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup walnuts, toasted
  • ¼ cup kalamata olives, sliced in half
  • 2 tbsp chopped dill

*Lemon Apple Cider Vinaigrette

  • ¾ cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice + zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp honey
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Combine all salad ingredients in a medium bowl. For the dressing, combine ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well. Toss salad with just enough dressing to coat the leaves. Season your salad with a touch of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper and divide between two plates.

Recipe Notes

*This vinaigrette makes enough for several salads. I highly recommend making the whole recipe and keeping it in your refrigerator for easy salads all week. 

Quinoa Salad with Arugula, Roasted Carrots and Fennel

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I had the pleasure of sharing this recipe in the January issue of our sweet local magazine, Hillsborough Living. It is not only a perfect recipe for anyone trying to “reset” after the holidays, but one of my favorite salads to enjoy year round. It’s refreshing, flavorful and satisfying as a main entree all on its own. Like many of you, I’d give anything to be able to gather my friends around the table, serve this salad on a big platter, and chat the afternoon away. It’s the perfect “let’s do lunch” salad and I’m holding out hope that can happen sooner rather than later. Until then, I’m continuing to make this salad regularly to nourish my body and soul! Something we can all certainly use right now.

This salad enjoys a nice protein kick from the quinoa. I like to toast it before cooking – it brings out the nuttiness and deepens the flavor. I also like to spread the quinoa, (and most grains) on a parchment lined baking sheet to allow the steam to escape while cooling. Leaving it to cool in the pot often causes the grains to clump, making it not as easy to incorporate into the salad.

For many, fennel may not be on the list of top veggie choices, but I sure have grown fond of it. My favorite way to enjoy this licorice flavored bulb is when it is roasted – it brings out the sweetness and has the most mellow, delicious flavor. Tri-color carrots are also fun in this salad, but certainly not necessary. I do subscribe to the thought that the more colors I can get in a meal, the better – and they are easily available at the farmer’s market or Trader Joe’s.

Arugula is my favorite lettuce for this salad, but mixed baby greens, spring greens or baby kale are all delicious as well. Feta or goat cheese are great choices for a tangy bite, but shaved parmesan is also a nice option. And right now, with meyer lemons in season, it’s my citrus of choice for vinaigrettes. I hope you enjoy this very versatile and healthy salad as much as I do!

Cheers,

Christina

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Quinoa Salad with Arugula, Roasted Carrots and Fennel

This is one of my favorite salads to make all the components for ahead of time. It takes just minutes to assemble and enjoy for lunch or dinner all week long. It's inspired by one of our favorite local restaurants, 31st Union, and I order a similar salad every time I dine there. It's a nutritious and satisfying salad on its own, but it's delicious with roasted salmon on top for a boost of added protein.

Course Salad
Keyword arugula, fennel carrot, quinoa
Servings 4 servings
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • ½ cup quinoa
  • 1 cup water or broth
  • kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 fennel bulb, halved, cored and sliced into ¼" slices
  • 5 medium carrots, peeled, cut half, then into ¼" sticks
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 5 ounces arugula
  • ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
  • ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted

Lemon Vinaigrette

  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400° Place carrots and fennel on a rimmed baking sheet and toss evenly with olive oil, 1 tsp salt and ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper. Spread the vegetables out in an even layer. Roast, turning occasionally, until golden and tender, about 25 minutes.

  2. Place the quinoa in a strainer and rinse under running water until the water runs clear, 1 to 2 minutes. Add rinsed quinoa to a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Quinoa will dry out and then after a few minutes will smell nutty and turn slightly golden. Add water or broth and a pinch of kosher salt and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook until all liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Take off heat and spread on a parchment lined sheet pan to cool.

  3. To make the vinaigrette, combine lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake vigorously to combine.

  4. To assemble, combine cooked quinoa, roasted vegetables and arugula in a large bowl and toss with enough vinaigrette to coat the leaves. Add feta cheese and toasted pine nuts and gently combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at room temperature.

Mixed Greens with Pecans, Gorgonzola and Apricot Jam Vinaigrette

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A perfect salad to begin a meal with or piled on a dinner sized plate next to a crusty baguette or hot cup of creamy soup. This salad is perfect year round and lends itself to many variations. All butter lettuce makes for a wonderful delicate salad, but peppery arugula also works well with this sweeter, flavorful vinaigrette. Sliced persimmons, pears or apples are lovely additions, and glazed or spiced walnuts are a great substitution for the pecans.

If raw red onion offends you like it does my husband, you can tone down the bite of the onion by soaking the slices in a bowl of ice water for 5-10 minutes before draining and adding to the salad. He doesn’t know I do this from time to time, but I can assure you that he doesn’t pick out so many onions when I take the time to do this extra step. Now that’s love, especially when I’m hungry!

Cheers,

Christina

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Mixed Greens with Pecans, Gorgonzola and Apricot Vinaigrette

This salad is inspired by a wonderful local restaurant called Stella Alpina Osteria. Their signature butter leaf salad called the "Stella" uses apricot jam in the vinaigrette. My homemade apricot jam that I make every year is put to good use in this delicate and flavorful salad.

Course Salad
Keyword apricot vinaigrette, butter lettuce
Servings 6 servings
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Vinaigrette

  • 2 tbsp champagne vinegar
  • 2 tbsp apricot jam
  • 1 small clove of garlic, minced
  • ½ tsp Dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup olive oil

Salad

  • 1 head butter lettuce
  • 1 bag mixed spring greens omit and use 2 heads of butter lettuce, if desired
  • ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
  • ¾ cup pecans, toasted or glazed
  • ½ cup dried cranberries
  • ½ cup crumbled gorgonzola

Instructions

  1. For the dressing: Add champagne vinegar, apricot jam, garlic, salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, and olive oil to a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake vigorously and taste for seasoning, adding more jam or a drizzle of honey if a sweeter vinaigrette is desired.

  2. For the salad: Separate leaves of the butter lettuce and wash and dry thoroughly. Tear large pieces in half and keep smaller pieces whole. Add butter lettuce and spring greens to a large bowl.

  3. Add onions, pecans, cranberries and crumbled gorgonzola to lettuce.

  4. Add enough dressing to coat the leaves and gently toss. Season with salt and pepper.

Green Beans Provencal

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This side dish is such a hit with my family that during the summer when green beans are in peak season, I make it on a weekly basis. Correction, my 13 year old son now makes it for us on a weekly basis. Lucky me!

I first enjoyed this salad while in cooking school and have been making it ever since. The original recipe is from Chowhound and delicious as written- thank you Chowhound for the inspiration! But this is my favorite summer version, especially when tomatoes are in abundance. I cannot get enough of these flavors. We eat a lot of Mediterranean cuisine in our house, so the ingredients used here are pantry and fridge staples for me. Along with weekly trips to the local farmer’s market, this is an easy and quick side dish that everyone loves. It is the perfect side dish to grilled pork, chicken and fish – mains we have a lot of!

I’m bringing this dish to a small, backyard, socially distanced birthday gathering this weekend. I cannot wait to share it with family and friends.

Cheers,

Christina

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Green Beans Provencal

During the summer months, this side dish is on repeat in my house. I first enjoyed this dish while in cooking school and have been making it ever since. The recipe is adapted from Chowhound and this is now my favorite version, especially during the summer when the tomatoes are in abundance. It is the perfect side dish to grilled pork, chicken and fish. Enjoy!

Course Salad, Side Dish
Keyword green beans, salad
Servings 6 servings
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp finely chopped shallot
  • 2 tbsp champagne vinegar red or white wine vinegar work as well
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp capers, drained, rinsed and coarsely chopped
  • 1 lb green beans, trimmed of stem
  • 2 tbsp kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup chopped cherry tomatoes
  • ¼ cup crumbled feta optional
  • 2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted optional
  • 1 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

Instructions

  1. Combine the shallot, vinegar, and garlic in a large, nonreactive bowl and let sit for 15 minutes.

  2. Add the mustard, salt and pepper and whisk until combined. Whisking constantly, add the oil in a slow, steady stream. Stir in the capers and olives and taste for seasoning.

  3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add trimmed green beans and cook until crisp-tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. The green beans should be cooked through but still have a slight crunch. Drain well in a colander and while still hot, add the green beans to the dressing.

  4. Toss until well coated. Add the tomatoes, and if using, feta cheese and pine nuts, and gently combine. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature- both are delicious. Be sure to give a gentle toss just before serving to make sure all the green beans are well coated.