salads Archives - domenica dreams of calamari

August 5, 2018

Healthy Summer Grain Bowl

It’s been sooo hot (or at least soo hot for us coastal San Diegans) so I’ve been trying to come up with sneaky ways to avoid turning on the oven at all and still having protein/veggie rich meals. I love love love smoked fish but it can sometimes be pricy. This peppered rainbow trout from Trader Joe’s is the bomb and is also only $4 for a pack that has 4 servings. Thanks Trader Joe’s! Another shoutout to my dad’s friend, Tom, for supplying us with a steady source of avocados from his tree!

{serves 2}

2 servings of peppered rainbow trout or your favorite kind of smoked/cured fish
2 eggs
2 handfuls lettuce
1 cup bulgur (uncooked)
1 large tomato
1 small/medium avocado
5 slices cucumber
1 can garbanzo beans
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 splash red wine vin
salt/pepper
olive oil

soft boil eggs
cook bulgur according to package instructions
drain garbanzos and rinse, then move to a medium sized bowl and stir in dijon, red wine vin and salt and pepper to taste
halve and slice tomato and avocado, slice cucumbers
assemble bowls: a handful lettuce each, a spoonful of bulgur and garbanzos in each, distribute avo, tomato and cucumber evenly
peel eggs and place in each bowl and lastly don’t forget the fish!
dress with olive oil and more red wine vinegar

July 21, 2018July 21, 2018

Burrata, Tomato, Prosciutto and Nectarine Salad

It’s been very hot and this just sounded like the perfect thing to eat yesterday. This salad is a great Summer salad because you can chill it and it’s very refreshing. Not to mention it’s a gorgeous! The nectarines make it sweet, the tomatoes make it tart, the prosciutto makes it nice and salty and the burrata makes it creamy and decadent! Can’t forget basil and balsamic for depth of flavor! We grew these nectarines and they are AMAZING, also my uncle grew the basil which is also amazing. I will never get sick of burrata. Or prosciutto.

{serves 4 as a side salad}

2 nectarines
2 cups tomatoes
3 (long) slices prosciutto
7 large basil leaves
1 large ball of burrata
a splash of balsamic

cut nectarines into bite sized pieces
cut tomatoes in half
dice or slice prosciutto to the best of your ability
slice basil leaves in long thin strips (you can also choose to tear prosciutto and basil)
layer nectarines, tomatoes, prosciutto and basil into a long, somewhat flat dish
drain burrata and lay it on top, cut a + into the burrata and spread it over the lovely produce
drizzle balsamic on top and garnish with basil leaves!

May 11, 2018May 11, 2018

Smoked Yellowtail, Baked White Bean and Roasted Tomato Salad

For anyone who thinks salads can’t be exciting dinners, I have to disagree. We’ve been focussing on dinner salads for the past couple of weeks. It’s quick, versatile, cheap and easy. This one was especially notable. We picked up some smoked yellowtail at Seaside Market and I kind of based the dinner around that. I used to bake beans like this in college all the time. I lived with three girls who all loved to cook and had similar tastes and this was one of our favorite drunk snacks. We’d all end up back in the living room after a night on the town and I’d inevitably toss together some white beans (cannellini beans) and nuts with some mustard, tahini and vinegar mixture and throw them in the oven- side note, I’m kind of known for my strange drunk snacks. Anyways don’t knock it ’til you try it, it sounds kind of funky but it’s quite good. Also roasted tomatoes are never a bad idea and of course I have unending fondness for soft boiled eggs <3

{serves 2}

1 can cannellini beans
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 lemon
Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel Seasoning
a drizzle olive oil
1 tbsp tahini
2 rosemary sprigs, stemmed and chopped
2 thyme sprigs, stemmed
2 eggs
14 cherry tomatoes
8 oz smoked fish
pita chips (optional)
avocado ! (optional)
3 handfuls mixed greens
1 bell pepper

pre-heat oven to 350ºF
soft boil eggs; boil a small pot of water then turn it down to a simmer, add the eggs gently and cook for 6-7 minutes then remove w/ a slotted spoon and put in an ice bath for a few minutes –or hard boil them if that’s more your speed
drain beans and transfer to a medium sized bowl; add tahini, mustard, balsamic, lemon juice, herbs and Everything But the Bagel Seasoning
line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread beans on one half, then toss tomatoes in same bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil
spread them on the other half of the baking sheet
bake for about 30 minutes, checking and turning every so often after the first 15 minutes
rinse greens and chop, divide between two bowls
chop bell pepper and add that on top; slice fish and throw that in
let the beans and tomatoes cool slightly when finished them add them to the party and lastly top with the egg and avo! great with a vinaigrette and maybe a glass of crisp rose

February 17, 2018

Kale Salad with Chicken, Avocado and Mustard Vinaigrette

Kale salads can be really good or not good at all. The secret is massaging the kale and adding enough acidity and liquids so that the leaves relax a bit and it’s not just like, well, chewing on leaves.

{serves 2 or 1 hungry person}

1 bunch lacinto kale
1 handful dried cranberries
1 handful pepitas
juice of 1 orange
8 oz cooked chicken (I used some we’d bbq’ed last night but this is pretty much up to you)
generous dash of ‘Everything but the Bagel Seasoning’ (Trader Joe’s)- if you don’t know now you know- I put this stuff on everything
heaping spoonful capers
1/2 avocado
2 soft boiled eggs
truffle pecorino- or plain pecorino

vinaigrette:

1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 tbsp caper juice
a generous splash (or even a glug) of red wine vin

cut kale along stems so you get a flap on either side, then slice it into small strips
put prepped kale in a big bowl then squeeze the orange juice into the bowl and massage the kale, like I mentioned the acid from the orange juice helps break down the sometimes tough kale leaves so this is the most important step! Give it a nice massage
bring water to a boil in a small sauce pan, bring it down to a simmer and gently slip your eggs into the water, leave simmering for 5-8 minutes (5 for a very runny yolk), then transfer to an ice bath (I suggest using a slotted spoon)
in a small jar, bowl, or if you’re conveniently at the end of your mustard container, add dijon, caper juice and red wine vinegar and shake or stir until incorporated
pour this vinaigrette over the kale situation and use tongs to toss
then add pepitas, dried cranberries and Everything but the Bagel Seasoning and toss once again
let sit in the fridge to marinate; meanwhile peel eggs, slice chicken, avocado and pecorino
when ready to eat assemble all these components on top of the kale and you’ve got yourself a kale salad!

February 6, 2017February 6, 2017

Niçoise Inspired Salad

My mom got me these sardines as a little treat. Because those are the kinds of gifts we give each other 🙂 . So I made this niçoise inspired salad. It’s not really a niçoise because it doesn’t have olives, green beans or tuna but I replaced those with capers, cornichons, beets and sardines.

{serves 1}

2 handfuls of greens
1 soft boiled egg
4 cornichons
spoonful of capers
3 sardines packed in olive oil (we love matiz)
4 small tomatoes
a couple of slices of leftover beet terrine (or just roasted beets and goat cheese)

soft boil the egg (or a couple to have on hand); my theory is to boil a small pot of water then turn it down to a simmer, add the eggs gently and cook for 7 minutes then remove w/ a slotted spoon and put in an ice bath for a few minutes
in a bowl put washed greens, sardines, sliced beet terrine (or simply slices of beets and crumbles of goat cheese)
top with capers, cornichons and tomatoes and dig in!

December 5, 2016December 5, 2016

Farro with Crispy Prosciutto, Toasted Walnuts and Feta

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Farro is one of my favorite grains. It’s good for you, goes a long way and has a great texture. Crisping up prosciutto is also a great way to add texture and lots of flavor. The apricots, feta and walnuts balance out this ‘salad’ with sweet-salty-earthy flavors.

2 cups pearled farro (dry)
8 oz (1/2 lb) prosciutto
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup feta
1/2 cup scallions
1 cup dried apricots
dash of nutmeg
glug of champagne vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
a couple of handfuls of spinach

pre-heat oven to 350º F and spread walnuts on a small baking tray and toast for 8 minutes
cook farro according to instructions (2 cups farro, 4 cups salted water)
in a skillet heat one tablespoon olive oil and lay prosciutto in one flat layer, cook for 15 minutes on low or until brown on the bottom then flip each piece and continue cooking until crispy, remove from pan and let cool
move farro to a large bowl when finished cooking and season to taste with remaining tablespoon olive oil, champagne vinegar and nutmeg
dice dried apricots into small pieces, slice green onions, tear prosciutto and break walnuts into smaller pieces and crumble feta into the farro bowl
when you’re almost ready to serve, roughly chop or tear spinach and stir into the salad

August 22, 2016August 22, 2016

Tomato, Nectarine, Feta and Basil Summer Salad

We have tons of super-ripe tomatoes and can’t stop buying stone fruit at the farmer’s market so we started playing around with this salad idea. We’ve made it at least five times this summer and it’s seriously the perfect combination of summer flavors, in my honest opinion.

{serves 4}

3 large tomatoes
3 firm but ripe nectarines (mix of yellow and white)
6 sprigs basil
1/2 cup sheep’s milk feta
1 splash good quality olive oil
1 dash balsamic
freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
a bed of arugula

on a large plate lay a bed of arugula
with your sharpest knife, slice tomatoes and nectarines
arrange them on top of the arugula and crumble feta over the top of that
then julienne the basil and arrange that
then (right before you’re about to serve, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic and grind pepper over

June 16, 2016June 16, 2016

Smoked Salmon Spring Salad w/ Dill-Garlic Yogurt Sauce

I went to my cousins’ wedding in Seattle and got kind of obsessed with smoked salmon. I literally ate it in at least one meal a day for two weeks, which was possible on my college budget thanks to Costco. They have this two pack of black pepper covered smoked salmon that is definitely, probably not sustainably raised or caught but it is delicious and is justifiable in my little budget. One day I will buy only sustainably caught fish but…you gotta do what you gotta do. So anyways here’s a smoked salmon salad recipe with a kick-ass yogurt sauce.

1/4 cup marcona almonds
a couple chunks smoked salmon
1/2 avocado
bed of lettuce
1/2 cup thawed frozen peas, corn, green beans (or whatever veggies you’ve got on hand)

dill yogurt sauce*

2 cups plain yogurt (on the runny side preferably)
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp capers w/ 1 tbsp caper water
1 tbsp dijon mustard
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tbsp tahini
10 sprigs of dill

mince garlic and juice lemon
in a bowl combine yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, mustard, capers and caper waters
pick dill of stems and incorporate into sauce
add a dash of water if it’s too thick and continue to stir

*this sauce is better the longer it sits, I’d recommend making it the night before for the ultimate flavor

then assemble the salad and dig in

for more recipes to use any leftover yogurt and smoked salmon check out this savory spring oatmeal or this exciting risotto

March 15, 2016March 15, 2016

Potato Salad w/ Lots of Garlic, Dill and Mustard

I love all kinds of potato salad. This is a vinegar-y, herby one that I let marinate overnight. I was planning on having it as a cold salad but I had some lemon-infused cheese that was calling out to be used and melted cheese makes everything more exciting so I ended up sauteing it with the cheese.

{3 servings}

1/2 lemon (juice and zest)
5 sprigs dill
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
salt/pepper (lemon pepper preferably)
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp dijon
1 tbsp capers
15 tiny potatoes or 9 normal small fingerlings
1/4 cup hard salty cheese (pecorino or something similar)- optional

boil potatoes until easily stabbed with a fork
mince garlic
in a bowl whisk together olive oil, red wine vin, mustard and garlic. season to taste with salt and pepper
when potatoes are cooled, quarter them or chop (depending on the size of the potatoes you’re using)
pour the vinaigrette over the potatoes and gently stir to cover all potatoes without breaking them up too much
add the capers and chopped dill
marinate overnight
serve cold OR
in a medium sized sauce pan saute the whole concoction over medium high heat and shave cheese over the top
stir occasionally until cheese is melted and potatoes are starting to crisp
serve with fresh dill and lemon zest

(pictured with a spinach salad, lentils and a soft boiled egg)

March 15, 2016March 15, 2016

Cabbage with Dates, Capers and Salami

I got this huge head of cabbage at the farmers market last week because it was $1 (basically free). Cabbage is pretty awesome, especially for college students with sporadic schedules and limited funds because it lasts and it’s very cheap. While it’s not the most exciting vegetable out there, it’s versatile and can be quite tasty if you get creative.

1 medium sized head of green cabbage
1 large yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1 pat butter
2 tbsp olive oil
5 medjool dates
2 tbsp capers (w/ juice)
generous squirts mustard
salt/pepper
1/2 cup roughly chopped salami

boil a pot of water and quarter the cabbage
blanch the cabbage for 3 minutes then dunk in an ice bath and drain with paper towels
slice onion kind of thinly and mince garlic and salami (roughly)
in a large skillet add olive oil and butter over medium high heat
when butter melts add the garlic then the onions, let cook down, stirring occasionally, until onions are opaque
slice cabbage roughly
add the salami to the skillet and stir to incorporate
add the cabbage, season with salt, pepper and mustard and cover
let cook down, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes until cabbage is soft and it’s becoming soupy
pit and dice dates then add them and the capers and stir to incorporate and take off heat