Category Archives: Salads

QUINOA SALAD WITH PISTACHIOS AND APRICOTS

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krogeringHard to believe, I know, but true.  And guess what — love is in the air at the grocery store.  There was a whole aisle of Valentine’s Day candy and gifts:

krogerRows of heart-shaped candy boxes just waiting to be given to some lucky person by some person who’s hoping to get lucky:

heart boxesHow about a box or two of heart-shaped Little Debbie cakes?

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But when you come right down to it, nothing quite says “I love you” like a heart-shaped pork chop:

porkchopI’m still recovering from the last round of holidays, and can’t even think about Valentine’s Day until after the Super Bowl and Chinese New Year.  And like these tenacious winter berries still clinging to their branch . . .IMG_3200

IMG_3200 (2). . . I am still clinging to the hope of keeping at least a few of my New Year’s resolutions.  Eating healthier, of course, is one of them, and this recipe for Quinoa Salad with Pistachios and Apricots was a definite step in the right direction.  If you can make it a day in advance, you’ll find that the pistachios and apricots soften and the flavors blend together deliciously.

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Recipe type: Salads
 
Ingredients
  • ⅓ cup orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cups cooked quinoa
  • ½ cup shelled pistachios
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons orange zest
  • ½ cup diced dried apricots
  • 1 large shallot, minced
  • ½ cup arugula sprouts
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, lime juice, and olive oil. In a medium bowl, mix together quinoa, pistachios, orange zest, apricots, and shallots. Pour dressing over. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Just before serving, mix in arugula sprouts, reserving a few for garnish.

 

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DEVILED HAM SALAD

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This Christmas, my Dad sent us a Ready-to-Cook, Bone-In, Corn Cob Smoked Ham from Harrington’s of Vermont:

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This was a special gift for two reasons.  First, gift giving used to be my Mom’s domain.  After she passed away in 2012, Dad half-heartedly took over gift giving.  I was impressed  — this was a really thoughtful gift, a holiday treat for the whole family to enjoy.  Second, this was a really great ham.  My Dad commented that my daughter would enjoy watching my husband carve it at the table.  He was remembering a Thanksgiving about a decade ago, when my young daughter could hardly wait for the picture-perfect turkey to be brought out in all its crisp-skinned glory.  My Dad, however, had carved the turkey in the kitchen, and when my daughter saw the pile of sliced turkey, she burst into tears.

The ham baked up nicely, and the tantalizing smoky aroma filled the house:

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As much as we enjoyed the baked ham, I think we were looking forward to the leftovers even more.  My daughter has set some aside for Spaghetti Carbonara.  The meaty bone will be put to good use in bean soup.  And today I made Deviled Ham Salad for lunch on this lazy New Year’s Day.

Whether you’ve got leftover ham, or just start with a package of ham from the deli section, Deviled Ham Salad is easy and tasty, either as an appetizer with crackers, or as a sandwich filling.  I like to finely chop the ham and pickles in a food processor, making sure not to overprocess, so that the ham salad has some texture.

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DEVILED HAM SALAD
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Recipe type: Pork, Salads, Appetizers
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups finely chopped ham
  • ¼ cup finely chopped dill pickles
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. Serve with crackers, or use a sandwich filling.

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The food processor makes quick work of finely chopping the ham

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The canned stuff ain’t got nothing on this!