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Classic Broccoli Salad

April 4, 2013 By 6 Comments

Spring is here and it’s salad time. Time for Dill Potato Salad, Green Goddess Dressing, Macaroni Salad, Chicken Salad, and this Classic Broccoli Salad which will knock your socks off.

Even those with severe vegetable phobias have been known to squeal with delight at the sight of this broccoli salad. Dibs for seconds happen before the first plate is handed out. I suspect it’s the magic ingredient bacon that does this, but really the combination of all the flavours in this salad make it divine. I have seen recipes for broccoli salad that add raisins, but I’m not a raisin lover and as such they don’t land in my salad (see below). You can however add sesame seeds for some crunch if you’d like or sliced almonds. This salad is also best if made a day ahead so that the ingredients really mix, which makes it an ideal salad for all the parties and barbecues you’ll be throwing this summer. Right?

classic broccoli salad

Classic Broccoli Salad

2 heads broccoli, washed and chopped into bite size pieces
1/2 of large red onion, chopped fine
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tbsp vinegar (white or cider)

Mix the broccoli, red onion, cheese and bacon together in a large bowl. Whisk together mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar and pour over broccoli salad. Stir well to combine. Cover and refrigerate overnight. I say this serves between 8 and 10, but if you hear someone squeal with delight upon seeing it, it’ll probably be less.

broccoli salad

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Kraft Fruit & Veg Dressing

April 1, 2013 By 11 Comments


I recently had the opportunity to test the new Kraft Fruit & Veg Dressings. What I love about these dressings is that they’re made with real fruits and vegetables, have no artificial flavors or colors and, most important in this post-heart attack home, is that they are also low in salt and fat.

I’m happy to share the recipes I tried with Kraft Fruit & Veg Dressings because they each have a bold, fresh taste that is perfect for salads, but also because I found them extremely versatile and perfect for so many other recipes. I tried these dressings with greens, which were delicious by the way, but I also set out to see what else I could use these dressings in.

So without further adieu, meet the versatile Kraft Fruit & Veg Dressings, perfect for salads and so much more.

Fire Roasted Tomato with Basil Roasted Vegetable Pasta

Kraft Fruit & Veg Dressing

1 lb fresh pasta
Assorted vegetables for roasting (I used eggplant, zucchini, red onion, tomatoes)
1/4 to 1/2 cup Kraft Fire Roasted Tomato with Basil Dressing
1 oz goat cheese, crumbled

Heat oven to 400F. Slice zucchini, eggplant, and red onion, and tomato in 1/2 inch slices. Drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of kosher salt. Roast in oven 25 to 30 minutes or until brown and cooked through. Toss occasionally while in oven to ensure even roasting. About ten minutes before vegetables are done, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and throw in a large bowl. Remove vegetables from oven and cut larger pieces into bite size. Toss vegetables, pasta and dressing in bowl. Sprinkle crumbled goat cheese on top and serve immediately.

Kraft Fruit & Veg Dressing

Salad Option:Toss fresh watercress and cherry tomatoes with Kraft Fire Roasted Tomato with Basil. Serve with sliced baguette.

Roasted Yellow Pepper, Garlic & Lime Guacamole

Kraft Fruit & Veg Dressing

I actually took this recipe from the side of the bottle, since I’m a huge guacamole fan. Also, avocados, are good for the heart.

2 avocados, chopped
1/2 cup chopped roasted red pepper
1/3 cup Kraft Roasted Yellow Pepper, Garlic & Lime Dressing

Kraft Fruit & Veg Dressing Guacamole 2

Salad Option: Toss baby greens, chopped tomato, cucumber and a handful of cilantro with Kraft Roasted Yellow Pepper, Garlic and Lime Dressing.

Berry Balsamic Baked Goat Cheese Appetizer

Kraft Fruit & Veg Dressingn Goat Cheese Appetizer

Inspired by a recent trip, this recipe is a great appetizer and is extremely simple to make.

4 oz goat cheese
Half a square of store bought puff pastry
1 egg for egg wash
1 cup of each of Honeydew and Cantaloupe melons
8 tbsp Kraft Berry Balsamic Dressing

Preheat oven to 425F. Beat one egg with 1 tbsp water for egg wash. Wrap goat cheese log in pastry and place on rimmed baking sheet, seam side down. Brush with egg wash. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile drizzle 1 tbsp of Kraft Berry Balsamic Dressing on each plate, add a tablespoon each of Honeydew and Cantalouple melon. Slice log into 8 and place each piece on top of dressing and melon. Drizzle a little more dressing on top if you desire.

Kraft Fruit & Veg Dressing Goat Cheese Appetizer

Salad Option:Toss fresh baby spinach with halved strawberries, chopped walnuts, and red onion with Kraft Berry Balsamic.

Garlic Parmesan with Roasted Cauliflower Warm Potato Salad

Kraft Fruit & Veg Dressing Warm Potato Salad

3 lbs fingerling or baby potatoes
4 oz pancetta, diced
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
1/2 cup Kraft Garlic Parmesan with Roasted Cauliflower Dressing

Boil potatoes until soft. While potatoes are cooking, fry up pancetta until crisp. Drain potatoes and let cool slightly until you can handle them and then slice in half in a large bowl. Toss with crisp pancetta, green onions, dressing and Parmesan. Spoon onto plate and sprinkle a little more Parmesan on top before serving.

Kraft Fruit and Veg Dressing Warm Potato Salad 2

Salad Option:Try a traditional Caesar salad here with fresh, crisp romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, bacon, and croutons tossed with Kraft Garlic Parmesan with Roasted Cauliflower.

 

Looking for some inspiration of your own? Kraft Canada has an incredible salad creator to help you come up with your own masterpiece.

Kraft_Logo_RGB

This is a sponsored post by Life in Pleasantville on behalf of Kraft Canada.

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Dill Potato Salad

August 21, 2012 By 1 Comment

I’m all over this Dill Potato Salad from the Barefoot Contessa this summer. I think it’s better served slightly warm or at room temperature, but tastes delicious when refrigerated for a few hours as well.

Dill Potato Salad

3 pounds small white potatoes
Kosher salt
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped red onion

Place the potatoes and 2 tablespoons of salt in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes over the empty pot and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Allow the potatoes to steam for 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, dill, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Set aside.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in quarters or in half, depending on their size. Place the cut potatoes in a large bowl. While the potatoes are still warm, pour enough dressing over them to moisten. Add the celery and red onion, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Toss well, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Pleasantville Note: Okay, the recipe calls for “white potatoes”, how predictable ;) Live it up. Go with small red potatoes, or a mix of red and white. Also, call me crazy but I think Yukon Gold potatoes would work nicely as well. Live it up. It’s your salad. Also, if you don’t have buttermilk, you can use regular milk.

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Green Goddess Dressing

July 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

My friend Anita tries to pretend she’s not all that and a bag of chips in the kitchen, but I know differently. The girl jars her own salsa for Pete’s sake! One day she served me this dressing with a green salad. I almost licked the bowl. It’s also delicious as a dip for fresh vegetables.

Green Goddess Dressing

1 anchovy fillet* (or 1 tsp/5ml anchovy paste), optional
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp dried tarragon (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

*if you use the anchovy, soak it in cold water for a few minutes, pat dry then chop finely

Pulse all ingredients together in food processor until smooth. Keep refrigerated and use within a day or two.

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Macaroni Salad

June 12, 2012 By 2 Comments

Remember the macaroni salad your mom used to make for picnics and the beach? Whatever happened to that anyway, right? Well, here it is. It’s every bit as good today as it was when you were a kid and it’s a perfect summer side with chicken & ribs, or burgers. It’s also the perfect make-ahead salad when entertaining company around the barbecue.

Macaroni Salad

4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup white sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup grated carrot
4 radishes, thinly sliced

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni, and cook until tender. Rinse under cold water and drain. In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir in the onion, celery, green pepper, carrot, radishes and macaroni. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving to let flavours develop, but is best if made a day ahead. Stir well before serving.

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Lobster and Shells

May 23, 2012 By 3 Comments

I am currently obsessing over dill. I simply can’t get enough. So when I came across this recipe in my Barefoot Contessa book How Easy is That?, I knew I had to try it.

Lobster and Shells

Kosher salt
Good olive oil
1/2 pound small pasta shells
Kernels from 4 ears of corn
6 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded and small-diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 pound cooked lobster meat, medium diced
3/4 cup good mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup minced fresh dill

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt and some olive oil. Add the pasta and cook it for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. Add the corn to the pasta and cook it for another two minutes, until the corn is tender. Drain the pasta and corn together in a colander and pour them into a large mixing bowl. Add the scallions, diced pepper, tomatoes, and lobster, tossing gently to combine. Allow to cool slightly.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper until smooth. Pour over the pasta and mix well to bind the ingredients. Stir in the dill, 4 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for up to 6 hours to allow the flavours to develop. Check the seasonings and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Pleasantville Note: Lobster is expensive. There’s no two ways around it. So make this for people you really, really like. For those you’re sort of iffy on, a great substitution would be a pound of small cooked shrimp.

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Salad with Warm Goat Cheese

March 26, 2012 By 2 Comments

If I could eat this salad every single day for the rest of my life, without paying for all that goat cheese with thunder thighs, I would totally do it. Alas, it is not to be. I’ve heard “rumours” (I’m looking at you Theresa Albert) that cheese is supposed to be used as a condiment. So, so, sad. This is a Barefoot Contessa recipe so you know it’s scrumptious.

Salad with Warm Goat Cheese

3 – 4 fresh small goat cheeses (crottins)
8 slices country white bread
Good olive oil
Salad greens for 4 salads
Green Salad Vinaigrette (see recipe below)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Cut each goat cheese round horizontally into 2 or 3 half-inch slices. Place bread on a baking sheet, brush lightly with olive oil, and place a slice of goat cheese on each piece. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until bread is toasted and cheese is warm.

Meanwhile, place salad greens in a large bowl and toss with enough Green Salad Vinaigrette to moisten. Divide the salad among 4 lunch plates. Place 2 slices of toasted bread on each salad, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve. Makes 4 salads.

Green Salad Vinaigrette

3 tbsps champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp Dijon-style mustard
1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, garlic, egg yolk, kosher salt, and pepper. Gradually add olive oil, whisking until the vinaigrette is emulsified.

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Chickpea Salad

February 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

It’s possible that maybe, just maybe, I’ve been *ahem* overindulging lately. Perhaps I’ve had too many brownies, or maybe it was the lemon tart, possibly it could be the maple scones. It doesn’t really matter what recipe is to blame for getting me here, because the reality is my jeans are too tight. My bra is cutting in just a teensy bit. And my underwear is leaving lines. It’s not pretty people. Really. Needless to say, I have to pull it together, swimsuit season is on the way. Today, I had this for lunch and I didn’t even have dessert. You can applaud now. *taking a bow*

Chickpea Salad

1 19 oz can of chickpeas

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1/2 cucumber, chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 whole tomato, chopped

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp dijon mustard

Salt & Pepper to taste

Rinse and drain the chickpeas well. Toss in bowl with red pepper, cucumber, red onion, tomato. Whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and dijon in small bowl. Pour over salad and toss to combine. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight if so desired or eat immediately. Enjoy.

 

 

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Strawberry Clementine Spinach Salad

December 14, 2011 By 1 Comment

I have low iron, and I’m really bad at remembering my iron pills. So, as much as possible I try to eat iron rich foods. This salad is an iron extravaganza with baby spinach leaves, sesame seeds (did you know they were rich in iron?) and pecans but it’s also loaded with Vitamin C which helps your body absorb the iron. Finally, on top of being really good for you, it’s totally delicious!

Strawberry Clementine Spinach Salad

Dressing

2 tbsps sesame seeds
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp minced onion

Whisk all ingredients together, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Salad

Baby spinach, enough for 4 large servings
1 quart strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 clementine, peeled and sectioned
1/4 cup pecan pieces (you can substitute almonds or walnuts here according to your preference)

Toss salad with dressing just before serving. Enjoy.

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