The Everything Salad Book (26 page)

1. Slice the jalapeño open, remove stem, and remove seeds. Finely mince the jalapeño flesh. Add the jalapeño, cabbage, tomatoes, and onion to a large mixing bowl.
   

2. Sprinkle the salad with salt, lemon juice, and cilantro. Toss gently to mix and coat. Serve immediately or cover and chill in refrigerator up to 4 hours before serving.
   

PER SERVING

Calories:..........23

Fat:..........0 g

Protein:..........1 g

Sodium:..........203 mg

Fiber:..........1.5 g

Carbohydrate:..........4 g

Kachumbari is a popular dish in East Africa and is like a mix between a salsa and coleslaw. The exact recipe changes from family to family, but the basic dish consists of shredded and chopped raw vegetables. Most kachumbari recipes call for cabbage, tomatoes, onions, and some sort of hot chili pepper mixed with vinegar or citrus juice. The dish may also include cucumbers, cilantro, and oil.

Change the salsa in the recipe to give the salad your own twist. The dish works with lime-chipotle salsa, mango salsa, or pineapple salsa.

1. Brown the meat in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Use taco seasoning according to package instructions. Stir chipotle pepper sauce into skillet and set seasoned beef aside.
   

2. To create each salad, fill a salad shell with ½ cup lettuce, ¼ cup beans, and 4 ounces of beef. Add ¼ cup cheese, 3 tablespoons salsa, 2 tablespoons tomato, and 1 tablespoon chili peppers. Top with 1 tablespoon guacamole or sour cream, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon olives, and serve.
   

PER SERVING

Calories:..........564

Fat:..........32 g

Protein:..........45 g

Sodium:..........742 mg

Fiber:..........5 g

Carbohydrate:..........23 g

The hot water in this recipe helps thin and liquefy the caramel sauce so that it coats the apples evenly.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Chop bread slices into 1-inch cubes and place in large mixing bowl. Lightly coat cubes with butter-flavored cooking spray. Spread cubes on nonstick cookie sheet and place in oven. Bake for 10–5 minutes, or until dry and golden. Place croutons in a bowl and set aside until needed.
   

2. Toss together the Washington apples, Granny Smith apples, and pecans in a large salad bowl.
   

3. In a mixing bowl, stir together the caramel sauce, lemon juice, and hot water. Mix well. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the salad and mix well.
   

4. Add the croutons to the salad and toss lightly. Serve salad immediately. Salad does not store well, but the dried croutons will keep for at least a week if stored alone.
   

PER SERVING

Calories:..........218

Fat:..........7 g

Protein:..........3.5 g

Sodium:..........155 mg

Fiber:..........3.5 g

Carbohydrate:..........38 g

It's important to use a high-quality cooking spray to coat the bread before drying it into croutons. A high-quality spray with a light and natural butter flavor enhances the croutons, but a cheap cooking spray will make the croutons, and thus the entire salad, taste like chemicals.

This recipe tastes best when served immediately. You can store the salad in the fridge for a few hours, but the berries get soggy if left for several hours.

Toss ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream and serve.

PER SERVING

Calories:..........162

Fat:..........9 g

Protein:..........2.5 g

Sodium:..........9.5 g

Fiber:..........3.5 g

Carbohydrate:..........20 g

This mixed fruit salad provides all the flavor of a banana split sundae without all the extra calories.

1. Toss the banana, strawberries, chocolate chips, caramel chips, and peanuts together in a large mixing bowl. Add pineapple (including the juice) to the bowl and toss to mix.
   

2. Chill up to 2 hours before serving. Do not store overnight, as leftovers tend to get soggy.
   

PER SERVING

Calories:..........236

Fat:..........9 g

Protein:..........4 g

Sodium:..........38 mg

Fiber:..........4.5 g

Carbohydrate:..........38 g

Oranges are given an exotic treatment with fragrant orange-blossom essence and pistachios.

1. Slice the tops and bottoms off the Valencia oranges and set them on one of the cut surfaces.
   

2. With a sharp knife, cut the peel and pith off the oranges in downward strips around each orange to reveal the flesh. Cut the oranges into thin slices across the width, making round wheel slices. Remove any seeds.
   

3. Arrange the orange slices on a plate and sprinkle the orange-flower water over them. Scatter the pistachios over the slices.
   

PER SERVING

Calories:..........129

Fat:..........3.5 g

Protein:..........3.5 g

Sodium:..........0 mg

Fiber:..........4.5 g

Carbohydrate:..........24 g

Valencia oranges are sweet oranges that are often employed in juice making. Seville oranges are bitter oranges and are used to make marmalade and liqueurs. Navel oranges are sweet oranges that have no seeds.

Chilling berries before mixing them into a salad helps keep each one firm so that it doesn't break during mixing and turn to mush.

1. Add raspberries and nectarines to a medium mixing bowl. Drizzle with lemon juice and toss gently to fully coat. Add macaroons to salad and toss to mix.
   

2. Add ¼ cup pudding to a dessert bowl and top with ½ cup salad. Repeat process to prepare remaining servings.
   

PER SERVING

Calories:..........171

Fat:..........5 g

Protein:..........2 g

Sodium:..........108 mg

Fiber:..........2.5 g

Carbohydrate:..........31 g

The term
macaroon
covers several different types of cookies, the original being a fluffy almond and meringue delicacy. The coconut version of the cookies became popular in Jewish communities because they use egg white for leavening, making them kosher for holidays, particularly Passover. Coconut macaroons are easier to package and transport than meringue, so the coconut version quickly grew in popularity.

This creamy salad makes a perfect side to a cold soup, or serve it alongside waffles for a great brunch.

1. In small saucepan, combine 1 cup apricot nectar with egg, 1/3 cup sugar, and flour; beat well with wire whisk. Cook over low heat 6–8 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat and chill until cold.
   

2. In large bowl, combine gelatin and 1/3 cup sugar and set aside.
   

3. Drain apricot halves, discarding juice. Chop apricots into small pieces and set aside.
   

4. Pour 1 cup orange juice over gelatin mixture. Stir to combine.
   

5. Combine 1 cup orange juice and 1 cup apricot nectar in microwave-safe glass measuring cup. Microwave on full power until boiling, about 5 minutes. Immediately pour into gelatin mixture. Stir until sugar and gelatin are completely dissolved. Add chopped apricots, then chill in refrigerator for 1½ hours, or until syrupy.
   

6. When apricot mixture is syrupy, beat the chilled flour mixture until smooth. Fold into the apricot mixture along with whipped topping. Pour into 1½-quart casserole dish, cover, and chill until set, about 4–5 hours. Cut into squares to serve.
   

PER SERVING

Calories:..........184

Fat:..........1.5 g

Protein:..........4 g

Sodium:..........25 mg

Fiber:..........1.5 g

Carbohydrate:..........40 g

You can use packaged or homemade vanilla pudding for this sweet recipe, as long as it's prepared pudding and not just dry pudding mix.

1. Drain the syrup from the cherries into a large mixing bowl. Set cherries aside. Stir vanilla pudding into the bowl. Mix well.
   

2. Add strawberries, bananas, apple, peach, and fresh cherries to the bowl. Stir gently to mix.
   

3. Add drained cherries to the bowl. Gently fold the cherries into the salad. Garnish salad with whipped cream and serve.
   

PER SERVING

Calories:..........145

Fat:..........2 g

Protein:..........2 g

Sodium:..........62 mg

Fiber:..........3 g

Carbohydrate:..........31 g

Maraschino cherries were traditionally Italian black cherries preserved in maraschino liqueur. These days, the treat is made with pitted cherries, usually Queen Anne cherries, soaked in sugary syrup. Red maraschino cherries usually have almond flavor added to the syrup and green maraschino cherries usually have mint flavor added.

This super-sweet salad is best served in small portions. Keep leftovers chilled to serve as a small snack the next day.

1. Mix bananas and pecans together in a medium mixing bowl. Drizzle lemon juice into bowl and mix.
   

2. Gently stir pudding into the bowl. Mix well and serve.
   

PER SERVING

Calories:..........212

Fat:..........14 g

Protein:..........2.5 g

Sodium:..........19 mg

Fiber:..........4 g

Carbohydrate:..........24 g

Use thawed frozen cherries if fresh are not available, but do not use canned cherry filling. The filling is too soft and turns the “salad with pudding dressing” into just pudding.

Gently fold the ingredients except the chocolate shavings together in a large mixing bowl. Serve immediately or cover and chill up to 12 hours before serving. Sprinkle with dark chocolate shavings before serving.

PER SERVING

Calories:..........224

Fat:..........12 g

Protein:..........6 g

Sodium:..........58 mg

Fiber:..........3 g

Carbohydrate:..........27 g

It's important to use real cream cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest in this recipe to give the dressing the right taste and texture.

1. Stir lemon juice, superfine sugar, zest, and vanilla together in a medium mixing bowl. Mix well, making sure the sugar dissolves fully. Stir cream cheese into the bowl and mix well.
   

2. Toss strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries together in a large salad bowl. Add cream cheese dressing to bowl and toss well to coat evenly. Split salad evenly between 4 bowls, garnish with graham cracker crumbs, and serve.
   

PER SERVING

Calories:..........199

Fat:..........8 g

Protein:..........4 g

Sodium:..........90 mg

Fiber:..........5.5 g

Carbohydrate:..........32 g

Granulated white sugar crystals come in many different sizes. The common “granulated sugar” mentioned in recipes actually means medium “table” size sugar crystals. Fine granulated sugar consists of small sugar crystals, making it easier to mix. Superfine sugar consists of tiny crystals, making it quick to dissolve in liquid.

In this easy salad, the gelatin retains the bubbles from the soda, so it really sparkles!