Arugala Salad

Ingredients:

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar, plus 2 tablespoons
1 bunch arugula, washed, stems picked
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, salted
Coarse salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

Heat 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar in small saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the vinegar in half, about 4 to 5 minutes. Let cool, and reserve for garnish. Place the arugula in a bowl, and toss with 2 tablespoons vinegar and half of the pumpkin seeds.

Season with salt and pepper.

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Asparagus Salad

You need a good pound of cleaned and prepped asparagus spears. By this I mean, take in both hands at the large end and bend until it breaks at the natuaral breaking point. cut off the tips and set aside. Blanche the ends for approximately 5 minutes and put them in cold water. . In a blender, put the asparagus spears and puree.

Now add 1/8 cup of balsamic vinegar, 1/8 cup of red wine vinegar and 1/3 cup of olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle this over shredded lettuce sparingly. It's just for the flavor. Julienne strips of red bell pepper and place them on the bed of shredded lettuce.

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Ceasar Salad

Ingredients:

3 heads Romaine lettuce
1 large or 2 medium cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons pureed anchovy
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 ounces extra virgin olive oil
3 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Remove the outer leaves of the Romaine heads, separate the remaining leaves and wash to remove all the grit. Cut into small pieces and reserve. In a non-pourous (glass or metal) salad bowl, mash the anchovies and garlic together. Add the dry mustard and the Worcestershire sauce, mixing well. Incorporate the lemon juice and slowly pour in the olive oil until an emulsion forms.

Toss the romaine lettuce in the dressing adding the grated Parmesan a third at time. Serve.

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French Dressing

Ingredients:

In the bottom of a jar put:
1/2 tsp. of salt,
1/4 tsp. of pepper,
1/8 tsp. of ginger.
Add 1 tsp. of worchestershire sauce,
1/4 cup of vinegar or lemon juice,
1/4 tsp. of mustard
about 3/4 cup of olive oil

Directions

Shake well and refrigerate for about 30 minutes and shake well before serving. You can add some chopped black olives to this and if you do add any fresh herbs, serve right away! KIETO'S CLASSIC CREAM CHEESE FRENCH In a bowl, mash and whip with a fork about 3-4 ounces of Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Add a well chopped medium white onion, 1/2 tsp. peopared mustard, a pinch of saly and pepper, and 2 tbs. chopped fresh parsley. As you are whipping this, gradually pour in about 1/4 cup of olive or vegetable oil and 1 1/2 tbs. of red wine vinegar. Then add 1 tsp. of sugar! Drizzle over your favorite salad and enjoy!

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Greek Salad

This is an incredibly good Greek salad recipe, nice and tangy and even better in the summer when you use fresh vegetables.

Ingredients:

Serves: 6

1 head romaine lettuce- rinsed, dried and chopped
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 (6 ounce) can pitted black olives
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, sliced
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 lemon, juiced
ground black pepper to taste

In a large salad bowl, combine the Romaine, onion, olives, bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumber and cheese.

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Lobster Salad

Ingredients:

4 one and a quarter to one and a half pound lobsters, cooked

1 yellow pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 red pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 avocado, peeled and cubed 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cubed
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
24 niçoise olives (or calamata olives), pitted
Coarse salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
24 croutons of stale focaccia, cut into cubes
8 cups baby lettuces such as mizuna, chicory, watercress, and magenta spinach.

Lemon-Basil Dressing

2 tablespoons Pommery (or dijon, or regular mustard) mustard
Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
16 basil leaves, very thinly sliced (save 12 whole basil leaves for a salad garnish)
Coarse salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Combine in a small jar; cover, and shake well. For a creamier texture, mix in a blender.

Directions

1. Break off claws from each lobster at the knuckle. Separate tails from bodies by twisting. (Reserve lobster bodies for another use.) Discard the heads. Using scissors, cut along the underside of the shell of each lobster. Remove the shell, keeping the tail meat in one piece. With a knife, devein each tail. Break off the small section of each claw. Using the back of a heavy knife, crack the large section of each claw. Remove the shell, keeping the claw meat in one section. Cut knuckles apart with scissors and remove meat. Cut meat into cubes, reserving claws for garnish.
2. In a large bowl, combine cubed lobster, peppers, avocado, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, olives, salt, and pepper. Add all but 2 tablespoons of the dressing; gently toss. Add the croutons, and let the mixture stand for 10 to 15 minutes, then toss again. Line a large platter with greens, and drizzle with the remaining dressing.

Transfer salad to platter. Garnish with reserved lobster claws and basil leaves.

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Italian Salad Dressing

When you go to the supermarket these days, they have a salad bar. This is where I go sometimes to pick out just the ingredients for my salad, rather than purchase the ingredients separately. It's cheaper and faster.

However, if you live in an area that doesn't have a Schnucks Superstore like we do here, just pick up from the store your favorite ingredients and leafy greens or iceberg lettuce. In a bowl, have just your salad greens. I have never measured this and will give it to you just as I do it and hope you can follow. What you are going to do is sprinkle over the top of the greens without tossing until the very end:

SPRINKLE ON TOP YOUR GREENS: (lightly)

salt
pepper
sugar
celery salt
garlic powder
onion powder

DRIZZLE: (lightly) red wine vinegar vegetable oil (or 1/8 cup vinegar 1/4 cup oil)

You say, why not mix all these ingredients together and pour it over greens? Well, you can but I prefer to do it this way because you mix with the salad the Italian way, with your hands and place it in a bowl and that's when you put your toppings on. If you put different meats in, serve with hot Italian or French bread, Mama Mia, you will have a meal!

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Tomato Salad

Serves: 3 to 5

Ingredients:

3 tomatoes, diced
1 small red onion, chopped
1 cucumber, sliced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 Tbs. chopped fresh basil
2 Tbs. chopped parsley
2 tablespoons crushed garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoons white wine vinegar

In a large bowl, combine the tomato, onion, cucumber, bell pepper, basil, parsley, garlic and vinegar. Toss and add salt and pepper to taste.

Chill and serve.