Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 lb beets, cooked, peeled and cut into slices
4 radishes, sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 apple, unpeeled, cut in half, cored and thinly sliced
1 fennel bulb, finely sliced
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp boiling water
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
Handful of walnuts, roughly chopped
Fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper

Instructions:
Place the sliced beets into a large salad bowl, together with the radishes, onion, fennel and apple and combine.

In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar in the boiling water, add the vinegar and olive oil and season well. Pour over the beets and allow to sit for about 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with walnuts and parsley and enjoy!

1 cup cranberry sauce (whole berry)
1 small sweet orange, zested and squeezed
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp honey
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 olive oil
spinach
turkey
chopped walnuts

Put the cranberries, orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, mustard, honey, and salt in a bowl and stir until blended.
Drizzle in the olive oil, slowly, whisking constantly, adding a bit of olive oil at a time until the vinaigrette becomes smooth and thickens.
Arrange spinach and turkey pieces on salad plates and top with generous amount of vinaigrette.
Sprinkle walnuts on top of salad and serve cold.

2 large cucumbers, peeled
1/3 cup rice vinegar
4 tsp white sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger root

Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise and remove any large seeds and extra pulpy flesh if necessary.
Slice into very thin pieces, crosswise, into crescent shapes.
In a bowl whisk together the vinegar, sugar, salt, and ginger.
Add the cucumbers to the bowl and toss together until well coated.
Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving so the flavors blend well.

photo credit: joaoism

3 cups thinly sliced celery
2 cups finely shredded red or green cabbage
1 medium cucumber, peeled and seeded if seeds are too big
1 cup plain yogurt
3 Tbsp sugar (more or less to taste)
1 to 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh mint

In a large bowl, toss together the celery and cabbage; set aside.
In a separate bowl, make dressing by first grating the cleaned cucumber into a strainer placed over a bowl, then pressing grated cucumber lightly with the back of a large spoon to squeeze out excess liquid; discard liquid.
Dump cucumber out of strainer and into a clean bowl, and add the yogurt, sugar, and mint, stirring until sugar dissolves.
Pour the dressing over the celery and cabbage mixture and toss well to combine.
Serve immediately or refrigerate if necessary for up to 1 hours. The salad will tend to get watery if you keep it any longer than that.
Toss again just before serving.
Makes about 4 to 6 servings as a side salad.

photo credit: Symic

In a large bowl, toss together the chicken, pineapple, onions, celery, peanuts, raisins and coconut and set aside.
In separate bowl, whisk together the pineapple juice, mayonnaise, curry, and ginger.
Pour this dressing over the chicken salad mixture and toss together until coated well, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before preparing finished salad.
When ready to serve, wash and cut both cantaloupes in half on the equator, then scoop out the seeds and pulp and discard, then scoop out the edible flesh with a melon baller making sure you get close to the rind, but leave enough support to form a bowl.
Put the melon balls in with the chicken salad and toss well, then spoon into the cantaloupe bowls and serve immediately.
Makes enough for 4 individual salads.

Ingredients:
4 beets
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 small red onion, finely chopped
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 small dill pickles, finely chopped
Salt and pepper

Instructions:
In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil and cook the beets until almost tender – about 30 minutes. Remove the beets (while keeping the liquid), peel and cut into bite-size chunks. Place the beets, potatoes and onion into the liquid and boil for a further 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to stand for a few minutes. Remove the vegetables and transfer them into a bowl. Then add some olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Mix in the dill pickles and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley and enjoy!

Start with the vinaigrette by whisking together in a small bowl the mustard, red wine vinegar, and chopped oregano. Keep whisking and drizzle in the olive oil until the dressing is light and creamy; add salt and pepper, taste and adjust flavor; set aside.

In a large salad bowl, toss together the radicchio, endive, and arugula, with the cheese and toasted pine nuts.

Pour the vinaigrette over and toss to coat.

Serve on chilled plates with a little more cheese for topping.

Thinly slice or shave the zucchini and yellow squash. It should be very thin. You can do this with a mandoline or with a peeler. Set aside in a bowl.

Cut the mint leaves into strips by rolling them together, then slicing into strips, then add the the bowl with the squash.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil and lemon juice, then continue whisking and add the salt and pepper; taste and adjust for flavor, add more if necessary.

Drizzle this dressing over the squash in the bowl, add the toasted pine nuts and toss together.

Let mixture stand for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

Serve in small salad bowls and sprinkle with more toasted pine nuts if desired.

Scrub the tiny squashes well, trim off both ends, then take a peeler and start peeling off long curls into a colander. Sprinkle with salt and let drain over the sink for about 20 minutes. This will help the squash sweat off some of the moisture. Dump onto a large surface covered with paper towels and use paper towels to blot off liquid, then dump squash curls in large salad bowl.
Add the salad bowl, add the celery, onion, and peppers.

Put the remaining ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until well combined. (You could also put the ingredients in a jar with a good lid and shake to combine.)

When dressing is well mixed, immediately drizzle a little over salad, mix, taste, and add more dressing as desired, tossing to coat after each addition.

When the slaw has the right amount of dressing, serve immediately or chill until ready to eat.

You’ll have enough for about 4 to 6 people.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put squash in large bowl with 2 tablespoons oil, cumin, paprika, and kosher salt, and toss together until coated well.
Dump onto a large baking sheet and mix around until in a single layer, then put in preheated oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes; stir and flip pieces then cook another 10 to 15 minutes until lightly browned and tender. Remove and allow to cool at room temperature.

Meanwhile, put lentils in a small bowl and soak for 10 minutes; drain, and put in large saucepan, cover with fresh water, add a dash of salt, and bring water to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and cook lentils until tender but firm, about 30 minutes. Drain in colander, rinse with cold water, and allow to drain completely and cool.

When ready to assemble salad, put cooked squash and cooked lentils in a large salad bowl, drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon oil over and toss; then add the arugula, half of the goat cheese, mint, and vinegar, season to taste with more salt and pepper, then toss.

Serve on cold salad plates and divide remaining goat cheese among each serving.
Will make 2 to 4 salad servings.