Salad :: Leslie Durso

Archive for Salad

Spicy Bean Salad

By Leslie · Comments (1) · March 8th, 2013

Who says healthy has to be bland?? This is an easy bean salad I came up with when I didn’t have much but my staples in the house. It’s super tasty and tasted even better the next day! Definitely feel free to adjust the spice level to your liking

Spicy Bean Salad

2 cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

a handful of cilantro, chopped (about 1/4 cup)

2 roma tomatoes, chopped

1/8-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tbsp. white wine vinegar

salt and pepper

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and let refrigerate an hour or two, or overnight.

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Categories : featured, recipes, Salad

You Make My Heart Beet Salad

By Leslie · Comments (4) · February 13th, 2013

Are you cooking for your Valentine tomorrow? Impress them with this super fancy, yet shockingly easy, salad! The simplest way to make salad fancy is by using micro greens. They are tasty and look super expensive and rare, but alas, you can find them at a Trader Joe’s near you! In fact, I got everything for this salad at Trader Joe’s. No you don’t have to cut the beets into little hearts, but they’re so cute and going the extra mile will score you major bonus points You can also make this salad ahead of time, plate it, cover it and stick in the fridge until your honey comes home. Then just dress and serve!

You Make My Heart Beet Salad

Serves 2

1 head of endive, sliced

a few pinches of micro greens

1 cooked red beet (you can cook yourself, or you can buy pre-cooked at Trader Joe’s)

1 navel orange, cut into segments

dressing:

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

3 tbsp. olive oil

pinch of salt

pinch of sugar

Whisk the dressing ingredients together and set aside. Plate the salad ingredients and dress when ready to serve.

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xoxo

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Categories : featured, recipes, Salad, Vegan

Hearts of Palm Salad

By Leslie · Comments (1) · October 18th, 2012

A couple weeks ago at Green Festival in DC I met a lovely woman (well, I met a lot of wonderful people!), but one woman who described to me a vegan “crab” salad that sounded fabulous that she had eaten at a restaurant once. She challenged me to make a similar dish and from her description, this is what I came up with. The recipe she described also had quinoa in it, but I wasn’t sure it needed it, but feel free to add and let me know how it goes

Hearts of Palm “Crab” Salad

Serves 4

1 can of hearts of palm, drained and rinsed

1/4 onion, finely diced

2 celery sticks, finely diced

1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning

1/4 cup vegenaise

1 large avocado, diced

2 tomatoes, thinly sliced

What you’ll do:

Halve and slice the hearts of palm and combine with the onion, celery, and Old Bay seasoning in a medium bowl. Add in the vegenaise and mix well. To plate, lay a slice or two of tomato on the plate, top with some diced avocado and finish by scooping some salad on top. Serve chilled or room temp.

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Categories : Appetizers, featured, gluten free, recipes, Salad

Cucumber Salad

By Leslie · Comments (2) · August 31st, 2012

On a warm Summer day like today, a salad like this is refreshing, healthy, and perfect! If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter you know I’ve been in NYC the last few weeks. I heard about a new Whole Foods opening on 57th st. and I headed over to check it out. I found two things… a beautiful new store and all the produce to make this simple salad.

Cucumber Salad

Serves 6

2 cucumbers

6 oz. cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered

about 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

1 tbsp. sugar

1/2 tbsp. salt

1/8 cup white wine vinegar

Peel the cucumbers and slice in half lengthwise. With a spoon scoop out the seeds down the center of the cucumber. Slice the cucumber and place in a bowl. Add in all the rest of the ingredients and stir. Chill for a few hours and serve chilled.

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Categories : featured, recipes, Salad, Side Dishes, Vegan

Arugula & Corn Summer Salad

By Leslie · Comments (2) · August 21st, 2012

Corn is one of my all time favorite Summer produce! It can be like a burst of sunshine in your mouth when it’s sweet and fresh! Here is one of my favorite go-to simple salad recipes that’s always a crowd pleaser.

Arugula & Corn Summer Salad

Serves 6

6 oz. arugula

2 ears of corn, zipped

a handful of cherry or grape tomatoes

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

dressing:

1/4 cup champagne vinegar

1/3-1/2 cup olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Toss all the ingredients and the dressing together and serve immediately.

Comments (2)

Categories : featured, gluten free, recipes, Salad, Vegan, Vegetables: Corn

Sicilian Orange Salad

By Leslie · Comments (5) · July 17th, 2012

This week my Grandparents are in town and I loooove it when they are! I’m always learning new things and hearing new family stories When my Grandmother picked a basket full of oranges from the backyard tree, she suggested an orange salad. I was, as always, very excited to see what she’d do. She made a Sicilian orange salad exactly how her Mother used to make it.

It’s super easy and beyond tasty. It’s just oranges tossed in a few drizzles of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Give it a try, it’s a fabulous idea for a common item.

Comments (5)

Categories : featured, recipes, Salad, Vegan

T.A.C. Salad

By Leslie · Comments (3) · April 10th, 2012

This salad was a result of one of those lovely experiments that worked out I would love to tell a glorious story about how I carefully paired these ingredients to create this spectacular salad, but in reality in a 15 second thought process I had all items in a bowl and was tasting away. That said, it really is a special salad! The sweet corn, smooth avocado, yummy tomato, and pop of parsley are a heavenly combo. I plan on serving this salad at the first bbq of the year! This salad is super duper easy and so fast to make! Hope you enjoy it!

T.A.C. (Tomato, Avocado, Corn) Salad

Serves 4

What you’ll need:

1 ear of corn, zipped

1 large heirloom tomato, diced

1 avocado, peeled and diced

a handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped

2 tsp. red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

What you’ll do

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and serve chilled. I served it with some multi-grain bread so I could soak up all that fabulous dressing

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Categories : featured, recipes, Salad, Vegan

Strawberries and Kale… Spring Has Sprung!

By Leslie · Comments (2) · March 30th, 2012

I was in the grocery store the other day craving a spinach and strawberry salad… I spotted some kale and thought: hmmm…. what about kale instead of spinach? You know there are some thoughts you are just so happy you have? Well, this is one of them. Kale and strawberries are an excellent combo!! Definitely going to be my new go-to salad all Summer! And it’s just perfect for bbq’s and potlucks cause the more the dressing sits on the kale the nicer it tastes! Say goodbye to soggy salads this Summer!

Strawberry and Kale Salad

Serves 4-6

What you’ll need:

16 oz. strawberries, de-stemed and sliced

1 bunch of kale, about 8-9 stalks, washed well, stalks broken off and chopped

optional:

3/4 cup walnuts

2 avocados, diced

1/2 purple onion, thinly sliced

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

dressing:

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 tbsp. kosher salt

1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp. agave nectar or honey

3/4 cup olive oil

What you’ll do:

After you wash your kale well, pat it dry and cut the stalk off and discard. Chop the leaves leaving them salad lettuce size pieces and place in a big salad bowl. (the leaves will reduce to about 1/3 of the size when you dress it) Make the dressing. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Taste and vary as needed. Pour the dressing over the kale leaves and massage with your hands. Yup, you heard me correctly! Get your hands in the kale and massage it like you would dough. Do this for about a minute; you’ll start to feel the kale soften. Add in the rest of your ingredients and serve immediately or hours later. I promise you, this salad won’t wilt!

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Categories : featured, gluten free, recipes, Salad, Vegan, Vegetables: Kale

Springtime Salad

By Leslie · Comments (0) · March 21st, 2012

After a long Winter of eating tons of heavy food (way too much pasta for me!), the light delights of Spring are super appealing! This was one of those “this is in my refrigerator right now” salads and I have to say I kinda love it! Packed with vitamins and minerals and perfect for helping get this bod in shape for Summer

Springtime Salad

Makes 4 big salads

6 oz. of fresh spinach

1 cup garbanzo beans (if canned then 1 can rinsed, if dried then 1 cup after hydrated)

1 red bell pepper, halved lengthwise and sliced

1 green bell pepper, halved lengthwise and sliced

1/2 purple onion, thinly sliced

1 pint of small cherry or sugarplum tomatoes

a few basil leaves, sliced thin

Dressing:

1/3 cup red or white wine vinegar

2/3 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

What you’ll do:

Whisk the dressing together in a large salad bowl. Place all the ingredients in the bowl and toss well.

Serve immediately

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Categories : featured, gluten free, recipes, Salad, Vegan

Panzanella Salad

By Leslie · Comments (5) · March 20th, 2012

You may or many not know what panzanella salad is… but bottom line is you should! It’s a traditional Italian bread salad. And let’s face it, the best way to make salad better is to make one out of bread right?!

Panzanella Salad

Serves 8

What you’ll need:

1 loaf of Italian bread, sliced

1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced

8-10 roma tomatoes, de-seeded and diced

a large handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped

2/3 cup plus olive oil

1/4 cup plus white balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

What you’ll do:

In a large bowl, toss the onions with a big pinch of salt and add about a 1/4 cup of white balsamic vinegar and 2/3 cup olive oil. Set aside.