Chicken and Rice Salad

During the summer here in Georgia, there are days that are so swelteringly hot that you are loathe to turn on any heat-generating appliance in the house. Today was one of those days.

So what do you do for dinner on a day like this? Make a nice, hearty, cold salad like this one!!

Chicken and Rice Salad
my mom's friend Sue

2 6-ounce boxes long grain wild rice (recommended: Uncle Ben's)
3 ½ cups cooked chicken, torn into bite-sized bits
4.5 ounces ripe black olives drained and chopped
½ cup chopped green onion w/ tops
½ cup pecans chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
salt and pepper
1 ½ cup mayo (add gradually)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Cook rice according to the directions, but omitting any seasoning packet that might come with the box. Toss all ingredients together except for the mayo and parsley, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the mayo gradually, using only as much as needed to suit your tastes. Chill until ready to serve. Garnish with parsley. Serve with iceburg lettuce cups to make tasty wraps!

A Chilled Bean Salad for a Hot Summer Picnic!

Hello, dear readers! Sorry for the brief hiatus - the hubs and I were enjoying a long weekend at the lake with our friends. Good times and good eats were had by all. But now it's back to bloggin'!

One of my favorite things about our CSA farm is the crazy varieties of heirloom and specialty veggies that we get from them - these Chinese Red Noodle Beans come in every summer - they are over a foot long and naturally coil up like snakes. It's fun to cook with these because you can show your guests you're feeding what they look like before (ew!) and what they look like afterwards (yum!).

The recipe for this chilled bean salad comes from our CSA farm's cookbook that they make just for their shareholders. I've changed it a bit over the years, and it is a crowd pleaser every time. Now, don't worry about going out and trying to hunt down Chinese Red Noodle Beans! This salad is fabulous with regular old green beans, too! The dressing is slightly sweet and tangy, and the feta cheese gives this salad that creamy, zesty punch.

Purple Bean Salad
inspired by a recipe from our CSA farm's cookbook

2 pounds fresh purple beans, or a mix of yellow, green, and purple beans
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijonnaise
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Fresh thyme (optional)

Trim stem ends of beans and cut the beans into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Steam in the microwave or in a stove-top steamer until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse with cool water before transferring to a bowl. Cool to room temperature.

In a small bowl, combine vinegar, dijonnaise, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir until the sugar and salt dissolve. Then slowly stream in the olive oil while whisking the mixture. Pour over the beans, and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Sprinkle with feta cheese and garnish with fresh thyme.

Green Goddess Salad Dressing

We have really been enjoying our CSA farm baskets these past few weeks. Through the early part of the season, we get tons and tons of fresh greens from the farm. We eat salads through the spring until we nearly turn into bunnies, so it's a great time for me to make all sorts of fun salad dressings for us to jazz up our daily dose of roughage. Here's a great one, my own variation of Green Goddess Dressing, based on the famous dressing first made in San Francisco, California at the Palace Hotel.

Green Goddess Salad Dressing

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons anchovy paste or 2 small anchovy filets
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried minced onion
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a blender or small food processor, combine all ingredients until thoroughly blended. Chill until you are ready to serve with your favorite greens and veggies.

Fresh Blackberry Vinaigrette

Fresh Blackberry Vinaigrette

4 ounces of fresh blackberries, washed
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
about 2 tablespoons red onion, minced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a blender or small food processor, puree the blackberries with the lemon juice. Pour the mixture through a sieve or fine strainer to remove the seeds. Pour the resulting blackberry juice back into the processor.

Add the vinegar, the garlic, and the red onion. Pulse to blend. Next, stream in the extra virgin olive oil with the processor on medium speed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with fresh salad greens.

Grilled Salad with Sweet Italian Sausage

Here is the salad that we served during our wine-tasting party. It paired beautifully with the La Crema Pinot Noir. Everyone loved the ginger crostini in this salad - and you will not believe how easy it was to make. This would be a perfect salad to serve at a cook-out - the grilled flavors of the sausage and the onion are complimented so beautifully by the balsamic.

Grilled Salad with Ginger Crostini
Adapted from Rachel Ray

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 teaspoons ground ginger
6-8 slices crusty white bread
1 pound sweet Italian pork sausages
2 medium sweet onions, peeled and quartered
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
8 cups mixed greens
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette (recommended: Newman's Own)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil and the ground ginger. Brush the ginger mixture generously on the bread slices. Place them on a baking sheet, and bake until toasted and crispy, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, using a grill, grill pan, or George Foreman, cook the sausages over medium-high heat, turnning as necessary, until browned and crispy on all side, about 15-20 minutes.

Pour the balsamic vinegar over the onion wedges. Grill on both sides over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes on each side. The wedges should become soft and slightly charred.

In a large bowl, toss the greens with the balsamic vinaigrette until the greens are lightly coated. Divide the salad into 6-8 portions, topping each with a grilled onion wedge and a ginger crostini. Slice the sausages diagonally and divide the pieces among the salads. Serve immediately, and enjoy!