Rethinking the BLT: never better than in this salad

Who doesn’t love a BLT sandwich? On Sunday nights during my growing-up days, Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato on toasted bread with mayonnaise slathered on was a staple. Years had elapsed since I’d had one of these productions. So a sweet reminder of that childhood icon surfaced recently in a magazine article on options for the summer’s tomato crop—BLT Salad!

O, was this reinvented BLT sandwich ever yummy! The only change I made from the magazine recommendation was that I diced the bread into chunks to use as croutons in the salad instead of serving it as wedges on the side. The dressing of mayo/lemon juice/garlic tossed around the greens, tomatoes, and bacon slices was the tangy crowning touch.

Before long we’ll be missing those tomatoes of summer (although Hubby plans a fall crop just as soon as this summer’s broil gives way to more garden-worthy days). How great to have this BLT Salad as a remembrance of summer’s last tomato gasp.

BLT Salad

6 artisan bread slices, halved

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided (I used salt substitute)

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided

6 thick applewood-smoked bacon slices, chopped (I used turkey bacon) 

1 sweet onion, halved and sliced

1 garlic clove

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 pound assorted heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges

1 (5-ounce) package arugula (I used spinach)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle bread slices with oil; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoons each kosher salt and pepper. Bake bread in a single layer in a jelly-roll pan 12 minutes or until golden. Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until crisp. Drain on paper towels; reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in a skillet. Sauté onion in hot drippings over medium-low heat 3 to 5 minutes or until tender. Smash garlic to make a paste. Whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic paste, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. (If you want the dressing a tad thinner, add 1 to 2 tablespoons water.) In a large bowl toss together tomatoes, arugula, bacon, onion, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour mayonnaise mixture over tomato mixture; toss to coat. Serve immediately with toasted bread. Makes 4 servings. (Source: Southern Living July 2012)

Honey of a salad recalls days gone by

“This is just like a salad my mother used to make.”
“No, this is a perfect imitation of my grandmother’s salad.”

So went the conversation between me and Hubby about the Honey Apple Salad that we tried out at dinner a couple of nights ago. (Lots of chopping was involved, so when Hubby appeared at the door with his genial “What can I do to help?”, you better believe I shoved the cutting board and knife under his nose promptly.)

But on two things about this dish we did agree: (1) It truly was a honey of a salad, and (2) We surely were glad that on our blitz through Oklahoma recently, we had stopped by the Chickasaw Nation Nutrition Services to pick up some of its new, complimentary recipe cards. I get a lot of cooking ideas, such as this one, from that great source.

Apples, grapes, celery, and golden raisins (the recipe called for chopped prunes, but raisins already were on the shelf) with a light, honey-sweetened dressing—summery to the (apple) core. Honey, er Hubby, kept marveling that the dressing prevented the apples from turning brown. Chopped walnuts were dotted on top.

And, to solve the little debate between us, the recipe certainly must have been a throwback to the past. Considering the ingredients, we could be certain that some version of Honey Apple Salad had been on the tables of many family cooks that have gone before. We were glad it was a classic recipe that lived on to brighten the table on this hot summer night in 2012.

Honey Apple Salad

3 1/2 cups diced apples (we used Golden Delicious)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 cups grapes, sliced

1 cup sliced celery

1/2 cup chopped prunes (I subbed golden raisins)

1/4 cup light mayonnaise

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

In a large bowl toss apples with lemon juice. Add grapes, celery, and prunes. In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, honey, and sour cream. Mix well. Pour mayonnaise mixture over the apple mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle with walnuts. Makes 14 1/2-cup servings.

You can't be crabby with this peachy peach-crab dish

In my eternal quest for ways with peaches, I believe I stumbled on the most-unusual ever when I found the recipe for Crab Salad with Peaches and Avacados.

A smooth layer of fresh peaches puréed and tossed with honey forms the essence of peachy goodness for this unique salad. A crabmeat mixture that has been zested up with jalapeno, lemon zest, and lemon juice lies on top of the peach layer, with avocado chunks in-between.
Arugula, or in my case, spinach leaves, were sprinkled around the edges.

This made a cool summertime dinner dish, with the coolness growing more welcome as summer heats up. I love being able to walk through my kitchen without a heatwave from the oven knocking me in the face as I approach. No-bake dinners are much-desired these days.

Crab Salad with Peaches and Avocados

1 pound fresh jumbo lump crabmeat

2 tablespoons lemon zest

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced

1/4 cup finely diced celery

2 green onions, chopped

kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

5 to 6 medium peaches (about 1 3/4 pound) unpeeled and coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon honey

3 medium avocados, diced

 arugula

Pick crabmeat and remove any bits of shell. Whisk together lemon zest, next 2 ingredients, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Fold in jalapeno pepper, next 2 ingredients, and crabmeat. Use a rubber spatula to fold in. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste. Stir together peaches and remaining 4 tablespoons lemon juice. Reserve 3 cups peach mixture. Pulse honey and remaining peach mixture in a food processor 8 to 10 times or until smooth. Season puréed peach mixture with kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste. Spoon 1/4 cup puréed peach mixture onto a chilled plate. Place a 3 1/2-inch round cutter in center of peach mixture on plate. (a clean, empty tuna can with both ends removed may be used instead.) Spoon one-sixth of diced avocados and 1/2 cup reserved chopped peach mixture into cutter. Pack each layer firmly and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste. Top with about 1/2 cup crab mixture. Carefully remove cutter from plate. Repeat procedure with remaining puréed peach mixture, avocado, chopped peach mixture, and crab mixture. Arrange desired amount of arugula around each layered salad; serve immediately. Makes 6 servings. (Source: Southern Living June 2012)

Marinated Shrimp Salad with Avocado—summer food at its finest

This was as refreshing a summer salad as you could want—and talk about colorful! Red from the bell pepper and onion, green from the avocado plus salad greens, mint, and cilantro, and then orange sections—beautiful in appearance and delightfully healthy.

From my garden were the red onion and mint, although we expect the red bell pepper before the summer’s over. Shrimp and avocado have got to be one of the best combinations around.

To amp up the color one more notch I enjoyed serving this on my grandmother’s Fiesta dishes—not today’s new Fiesta so popular with brides but the authentic issue, which as a child I dined on at her table. Platters full of fried chicken were heaped on those plates once upon a time; today’s fare is a little more health-conscious, but the memories remain. What will our grandkids remember being served at our house?

Marinated Shrimp Salad with Avocado looks a lot more complicated than it is. All these steps are a breeze. As with the typical salad prep, the only time-consuming part is the chopping and slicing. It’s a goodie!

Marinated Shrimp Salad with Avocado

1 pound Perfect Poached Shrimp (see below)

4 oranges, sectioned

1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 small red onion, sliced

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Citrus Vinaigrette (see below)

2 cups chopped romaine lettuce (I subbed spinach)

2 medium avocados, cubed

Citrus Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon country-style Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Perfect Poached Shrimp:

4 quarts water

juice from 1 lemon

lemon halves

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons salt (or salt substitute)

2 pounds unpeeled, large raw shrimp (this recipe calls for 1 pound; you have 1 pound remaining for another recipe)

To prepare shrimp, fill a large bowl halfway with ice and water. Pour 4 quarts water into a Dutch oven; squeeze juice from the lemon into the Dutch oven. Stir in lemon halves, peppercorns, bay leaves, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; add 2 pounds (26/30 count) large raw shrimp. Cover and let stand 5 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. Stir shrimp into ice water; let stand 10 minutes. Peel and devein shrimp.

For salad combine first six ingredients in a large bowl; whisk together ingredients for Citrus Vinaigrette and pour over shrimp mixture. Gently toss to combine. Cover and chill 4 to 24 hours. Place lettuce on a platter. Spoon shrimp mixture over lettuce. Reserve vinaigrette. Drizzle with reserved vinaigrette. Top with avocado. Makes 6 servings. (Source: Southern Living May 2012)

Cool your socks off with this refreshing Cucumber Raita

Now for a dish that’s probably not going to automatically relegate itself to the “comfort-food” category as yesterday’s Peach Cobbler did, but I guarantee you that if you’re adventuresome enough to try it, it soon will become a favorite.

In fact, at first glance, to these Southern eyes this recipe for Cucumber Raita seems to have weird written all over it. I wasn’t familiar with the dish, so I did a little Internet research and found that quite frequently it pops up on cooking-idea websites; it often is served with Indian or Moroccan food. Interesting, since the provider for the recipe was the Native American tribe of which my hubby is a member. Yep, this is yet another dish that inspired by the Chickasaw Nation Health Services (see the inscription on the wooden spoon in the photo?), a favorite recipe source for me. They always have such good, though different, ideas.

Cucumber Raita is a magical, cooling salad that’s perfect for a hot, summer day. I could imagine taking it to a covered-dish picnic and having guests crow about this refreshing dish that’s way past the norm of potluck fare. Cucumbers, raisins, toasted walnuts, and mint leaves are stirred into plain, non-fat yogurt. The mixture is allowed to chill for at least 30 minutes before serving (but the longer, the better). Mint leaves make an attractive garnish.

Forget your ambrosia, cherry dream salad (made with whipped topping), or any of the other blissfully cool but standard summer-day dishes. When high temps are blowing the top out of the thermometer, cool Cucumber Raita with its healthy ingredients blows the top out of all the other choices.

Cucumber Raita

1 cup raisins

1 cup water

1/3 cup walnuts, broken by hand (not finely chopped)

1 large cucumber, seeded and died

2 tablespoons mint leaves, minced

2 cups plain, non-fat yogurt, drained

fresh ground black pepper

In 1 cup water boil raisins for 1 minute. Leave to soak for 5 minutes; then drain well. Toast walnuts for 10 minutes in a 350-degree oven. Cool walnuts completely. In a bowl combine all ingredients. Chill for 30 minutes; stir before serving. Makes 4-6 servings.