Cucumber Tomato Salad

This may just be Mark's last supper request. Maybe it's a Russian thing, nostalgia for meals served in those warm, cramped apartments in the Urals, but if I serve this with crusty bread, sometimes broiled warm in the oven, sometimes not, it makes my man happier than anything.

Cucumber Tomato Salad

The Ingredients:

1 large cucumber, peeled and sliced on the diagonal

3-4 vine-ripe Tomatoes or equal to the amount of cucumbers, sliced

1 Shallot, sliced very thin

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

1-2 Tbl. Vinegar

1 tsp. dry Dill or 2 Tbl. fresh Dill

Salt and Pepper, to taste

The How-to:

Combine all ingredients ans serve with bread. It's as simple as that.

Tortellini Salad with Cranberries and Arugula

This is so much better than your average Tortellini Salad. The arugula and cranberries make the tortellini shine. It's definitely one I will make again and again.

Tortellini Salad with Cranberries and Arugula

Ingredients:
1 package cheese tortellini, cooked according to directions
1 plastic shell baby arugula or tender greens, 2-3 large handfuls
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted in a dry pan
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese, shaved Parmesan or feta cheese

The How-to:
Toss all ingredients with Shallot Vinaigrette or your favorite salad dressing. Poppy Seed would be yummy too. Serve immediately.

Shallot Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
1 small shallot, minced
2 Tbl. vinegar (I use Trader Joe's Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 Tbl. Honey
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup Walnut Oil or extra virgin olive oil

The How-to:
I prefer combining all ingredients in a jar and shaking like crazy.

Lettuce Wraps or Lettuce Wrap Salad

I had some leftover dressing from the Asian Noodle Salad, so I tried it in this recipe and it worked beautifully. So may I suggest you double the dressing recipe when you make the noodles one week, and use it for these the following week. Two birds with one stone and so yummy. Also, I prefer to eat this salad style because I just couldn't manage to keep the filling inside the lettuce leaf anyway.

Lettuce Wraps or Lettuce Wrap Salad

Ingredients:

1 Tbl. Olive Oil

1 lb. Ground Turkey

1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped

1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped

1 cup Carrots, grated or pre-packaged matchstick

1 can Water Chestnuts, drained and chopped

3-4 stems Green Onion, chopped

1 head Romaine Lettuce, cleaned

Asian Sauce (as used for the Asian Noodle Salad)

Combine in a blender until smooth:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 Tbl. creamy peanut butter
3 Tbl. rice vinegar
2 Tbl. sesame oil
1 tsp. ginger, freshly grated or minced*

The How-to: In a saute pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil and once hot, add ground turkey and cook until browned well. Add peppers, carrots and water chestnuts. Cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add sauce and cook until everything begins to caramelize, 3-4 additional minutes. Take off of heat and garnish with green onions. Serve over chopped lettuce or inside and rolled up in a lettuce leaf like a burrito.

Asian Noodle Salad (Take Two)

I know I've previously posted a recipe for Asian Noodle Salad, but this one is a lot better for a lot of reasons. It's easier to prepare and it can sit in the fridge overnight without getting gloopy or stiff. * It's a crowd pleaser. Thanks for the inspiration, Christina.

Asian Noodle Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb. Linguine
1 bunch green onions, cut on angle
1 large red pepper, julienned
1 large green peeper, julienned

1 large carrot, peeled, julienned

1-2 Tbl. sesame seeds, toasted (toasting is optional but optimal)

Cook noodles until al dente. Rinse with cold water to shock. To toaste sesame seeds, heat over medium heat in a saute pan 2-4 minutes until they smell nutty.

For the dressing, combine in a blender:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 Tbl. creamy peanut butter

3 Tbl. rice vinegar

2 Tbl. sesame oil

1 tsp. ginger, freshly grated or minced*

Blend until smooth.

Combine dressing with vegetables and noodles and toss until well coated. Garnish with green onions and toasted sesame seeds.

*If preparing the day before, wait and toss noodles and veggies with dressing immediately before serving.

*One of my new favorite tricks and to insure I always have fresh ginger at my disposal: peel a nob of ginger and throw it in a freezer bag in the freezer. Then it's always ready and even easier to grate.