Grilled Asparagus and Melon Salad

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Although we've been battling the elements up here in the northeast, we did get in a few outdoor activities. I am lucky enough to volunteer for an amazing organization, Girls on the Run, in which we help young girls train to run a 5k at the end of their school semester. Their big race was this weekend, and I am thanking the heavens that the rain held off just long enough for all of them to finish. It's so inspiring to see 3rd and 4th graders run a whole 3.1 miles. Great job girls! I never would have been able to do that at their age! We also played a little golf, but mainly stayed glued to the tv watching the US Open (Brad is actually there today to see the finals - lucky guy!). 

Now onto the goods. This is a delicious and refreshing salad that would be perfect for a barbecue or any summer time outing. This sucker has everything - savory, salty, crunchy, and sweet. It's colorful and is really beautiful when all put together. It's rather hearty, but the dressing and sweet melon keep it feeling light, making it a great dish to serve when the weather warms up (if that will ever happen!). I never would have thought of combining all of these ingredients together, but they work surprisingly well and really balance each other out. If nothing else, the idea of baking the prosciutto into little crisps is genius!

Grilled Asparagus and Melon Salad

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis 

2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto

1 pound asparagus, trimmed

extra-virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 small melon, cubed

4 ounces mozzarella, cubed

2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted

• Preheat oven to 350℉.
• Line baking sheet with parchment, and place strips of prosciutto on top. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until crisp.
• Place prosciutto on paper towel, then roughly crumble.
• Toss together asparagus and 2 teaspoons olive oil in a medium bowl, and season with S&P.
• Heat grill pan over medium-high, and cook asparagus for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until tender but still crisp.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together lemon juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil. 
• Season to taste with S&P, add melon and cheese and toss until combined.
• Arrange asparagus on platter, then, using a slotted spoon, top with melon and cheese.
• Drizzle remaining vinaigrette over top, and sprinkle with prosciutto and pine nuts.

Easy Winter Salad

I'm not a very big fan of salads as main courses, so when I have them they are usually served on the side of the main attraction or as a starter. This leads me to have some problems with most of the salad recipes out there. You see, there are salads that are ridiculously simple and lack any imagination (or flavor really), and then there are salads that have so much stuff in them that you will be full by the time you are done. 

This is the exact predicament I found myself in when I was planning our little dinner last week. I finally decided to throw together some of the ingredients I thought would go well and dress the salad with one of my all-time favorite dressings. What came together was the perfect salad for a cold night. It's very flavorful but won't leave you too full. I know this isn't much of a recipe, but so many people seem to be on the lookout for tasty salads I thought I would share.

Easy Winter Salad

Toasted Walnuts

Parmesan Curls

Pear, medium diced or sliced

Pre-Washed Mixed Greens

Salt and Pepper

Ina's Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Combine all ingredients, except for dressing, in a bowl. Toss with desired amount of salad dressing right before serving.

Ina's Creamy Vinaigrette

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa - Ina Garten

1/2 cup Olive Oil

1 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard

1/4 teaspoon Honey

1 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Pepper

1 tablespoon minced Shallot

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together, or shake to combine in a salad dressing carafe. Dress salad just before serving.

Neelys Grilled Caesar Salad

This salad caught my eye mainly because it's being whipped up by the Neelys. You know the Neelys - the Memphis couple who focuses just as much on their loveydoveyness as their barbecue. I still can't figure out if I like them or if they annoy the heck out of me. They dance around the kitchen all "honey you're the best" and "help me do this, that and the other" without even an ounce of frustration at the fact that they are practically tripping all over each other. We have a small galley way style kitchen, and let me tell you, hubby-to-be knows he's not allowed anywhere near that area when I'm cooking. Maybe that's what it is - I just can't believe that 2 people can operate so lovingly (and in a major over-the-top way) while being all up in each others hair.

Either way, I've been really wanting to make something of theirs for a while, but have found it rather difficult as I don't have an outdoor grill and our whole apartment fills with smoke the moment I heat up the indoor grill pan. However, this salad has a 2 minute cooking time so I thought I might just be able to get it done without setting off all the fire alarms in the building.

It's a different take on your traditional caesar salad. First off, the romaine lettuce is slightly grilled with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. The dressing combines garlic, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and Parmesan cheese in a blender. Totally simple side dish to make - the whole thing took a number of minutes. I liked the idea of grilling the lettuce but it just didn't materialize quite the way I would have hoped. It got a bit soggy and the olive oil on it, even though it was just a bit, seemed to keep some of the dressing from melding well with the lettuce. The dressing was also a little off. It had a unique flavor and was not at all like the traditional caesar dressings I'm used to having. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't great either. I definitely might try grilling romaine another time and just leaving off the oil to see if that makes a difference.

Since this is the first dish I've made of theirs, and it wasn't really much of a meal anyways, I'll work to try something else they have soon. So, if you are ever up on the UES and see a pile of smoke coming from a window, pay it no mind, it's just me trying to bring some Memphis lovin' to our kitchen. :)

Please visit the link below for the recipe:

Neelys Grilled Caesar Salad
Adapted from Down Home with the Neelys - The Neelys

Mary's German Potato Salad

I find that I'm very partial to which tv cooks I decide to trust with my dinner, so when a new one shows up on the scene I'm always a bit skeptical. Enter Mary Nolan. As skeptical as I am, her title sold me on her show - Chic and Easy. This totally defines my personal style and the way I like things. Although I'm a bit uneasy about my abilities to produce anything "chic" in the kitchen, I was quite intrigued by the "easy" aspect.

After watching this show, I have to be honest, I was not feeling so tight with Mary. She uses a lot of "I" language and did not seem all too relatable. She also made a comment about how her grandparents used to own a farm with chickens and how she loved meeting the chickens before they were served up at dinner...totally creepy! I'm all for eating locally and knowing what you're putting into your body, but this was a little extreme. Needless to say, we will not be discussing the chicken dish she made on that show.



The potato salad, however, looked totally delicious and was unlike any potato salad I had seen before. This is not your typical backyard picnic potato salad. This one is served hot with a heaping pile of bacon. It's practically a meal in and of itself (and considering that I totally burnt the pre-marinated roast from the grocer that was supposed to be the main part of the meal, it was exactly that). It was tasty and very easy, but it certainly was not chic! In fact, it looked a bit of a mess. If you can get past the physical aspects, this is definitely worth making when the weather is a little cooler, as it is rather heavy. The combination of the bacon and the mustardy type sauce was just awesome, and it's already been requested to make a repeat appearance by my soon-to-be hubby. It would certainly make a nice replacement to the tried-and-true mashed potatoes, or even as a main course if the rest of your meal seems to hit a bit of a snag ;)


Thanks Mary - I'll keep watching and trying and maybe we'll end up BFFs after all!

Mary's German Potato Salad
Adapted from Chic and Easy - Mary Nolan

2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes (I used 4 medium sized)
1/2 pound thick-cut bacon
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons minced chives (These are meant for garnishing -- I'm lazy and didn't add them.

• Put the potatoes in a pot and fill with water until it is a few inches above the spuds. Add some salt to the water and up the heat until the water starts to boil.*
• Cook potatoes for 15-20 minutes or until they feel tender when you poke them with a fork. I would say it's definitely more on the 20 minute side, as when I was eating the salad it seemed like they could have been a bit softer in the center.
• When the potatoes have cooked, drain and slice them. I chopped them up a bit as I didn't want to huge pieces, but size to whatever your heart desires.
• While the potatoes are cooking, fry up your bacon until it's nice and crispy over medium-high heat.
• Blot it on a paper towel lined plate and discard of bacon grease until there is only about 1/4 cup left in the pan.**
• In the bacon pan, turn the heat down to medium and toss in the chopped onion. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the onions start to look slightly clear.
• In a small bowel combine the vinegar, sugar, mustard and salt.
• Whisk vinegar mixture into the pan containing the cooked onions until it begins to boil a bit and thickens up.
• Add potatoes and toss to combine with sauce.
• Place in serving bowl and crumble bacon over top.
• Serve immediately.

*I boiled the water first and then went to add the potatoes before realizing I did it backwards. I started over, but have no idea if it would have made a difference. I think it might have just increased cooking time -- thoughts?

**Note - it is not a good idea to put bacon grease down your kitchen drain or to attempt to pour it into a disposable plastic bottle because you think you have devised a "smart" way of disposing of it. Not that I think anyone would ever actually do something so unintelligent....

It's Summer!

You know it's finally summertime when the weather gets uncomfortably warm, you have a strange desire to go to work in your bathing suit and BBQ invites flood your inbox. Even though barbecuing in the city generally entails standing over a stove with a grill plate and turning the A/C off to imitate the "outside," New Yorkers will use any excuse to throw a party and socialize with friends, and there is no better way to do that than by having a good-ole BBQ. So this year, I'm coming prepared. No, I won't be venturing into the uncharted territory of throwing one of those wonderful parties myself, but I most certainly hope to be attending my share and will want to bring a stellar accompaniment to all that "grilled" meat.

So this year I'm coming with Nigella's coleslaw. This dish is super simple if you are lucky enough to own one of those Cuisinart choppers (thank-you wedding registry!). Otherwise, you could chop everything up with a knife at the small cost of your time and sanity, or just go to the grocery store and buy one of those pre-chopped coleslaw packages (if only life was full of decisions of these sorts...).

This dish is not only simple and yummy, but it screams summertime, and will be sure to make you a standout at any BBQ.

Nigella's New Orleans Coleslaw
Adapted from Nigella Express - Nigella Lawson, 2007

1 head white or savoy cabbage, about 2 pounds before prepared
2 carrots
2 celery sticks
4 scallions
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Salt & Pepper
2/3 cup chopped pecans (I used candied pecans because it was all I had and they made it delicious! If you have them or can find them I would definitely give it a try.)

• In the food processor chop up the cabbage into thin strips.
• Peel and grate the carrots.
• Slice the celery and scallions pretty finely.
• Combine the mayo, buttermilk, syrup and vinegar together in the bottom of a large bowl and whisk together. Add all the veggies on top and toss to combine.
• Add salt and pepper to taste. (For those of you who don't quite understand this line and have no idea what their "taste" for salt and pepper might be - like me - than just add a little bit-by-bit and keep tasting along the way. It's like blush, it's easy to add but hard to take away!).
• Top with pecans.
• Bring to BBQ and impressive friends/relatives/the cute guy who just moved into the neighborhood.