Mom made this before the super salads of today. It was fresh, crisp, and sweet, and set off a flank steak dinner perfectly. I often watched her make the sugared almonds and was mesmerized by the process of sugar magically liquefying in the pan. I recently made this again and found I wasn't crazy about the dressing after all these years. (Could have been because I poured it on each serving and didn't mix it in entirely as the recipe instructs. I'll have to try it again.) I substituted a poppy seed vinaigrette to pour on individual portions, and it worked perfectly. (We have a family member who is sensitive to soggy salads so I'm overly cautious about dressings.) I've included both dressing recipes.
Safe to double salad for a crowd. If doubling the salad and using the Sweet & Sour Dressing, double it. No need to double Rice Vinegar Poppy Seed Dressing.
Romaine Mandarin Salad
adapted from Betty Crocker's Cookbook, 1981
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 head iceberg lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
1/4 bunch Romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
2 medium stalks celery, medium chopped (about 1 cup)
2 green onions with tops, thinly sliced (about 2 tablespoons)
Sweet & Sour Dressing
1 can (11 ounce) mandarin orange segments, drained
Heat skillet to medium high. Add almonds and sugar and stir constantly over medium to high heat, until sugar is melted and almonds are coated. Cool and break apart. Store at room temperature.
Assemble salad just before serving if using S&S dressing. Place lettuces in plastic bag; add celery and onions. Pour Sweet & Sour Dressing into bag; add orange segments. Close bag tightly and shake until salad greens and orange segments are well coated. Add almonds and shake again.
Sweet & Sour Dressing
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
dash red pepper sauce
Shake all ingredients in a tightly covered jar; refrigerate.
Rice Vinegar Poppy Seed Dressing
also great with Spinach Bacon salads
2/3 cup white rice vinegar (plain, not seasoned)
1 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt (1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt)
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1-2 green onions, chopped
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Blend all ingredients except poppy seeds (did that once--big mistake). Stir in poppy seeds. Serve or chill until ready to serve.
Family Recipe Sharing
Monday, June 24, 2013
Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter
So easy, so delicious.
Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter
source: Cooking Light, September 2001
40 asparagus spears, trimmed (about 2 pounds)
Cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons soy sauce (low-sodium)
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Preheat oven to 400˚.
Prep tip: Pick up one asparagus spear and snap it. Line up this spear with the rest and cut to that length.
Arrange the asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet. Coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 12 minutes or until tender.
In a small skillet over medium heat, cook for 3 minutes or until lightly browned, shaking pan occasionally. Watch carefully; do not burn butter. Remove from heat. Stir in soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. (Careful! The sauce bubbles up ferociously. I always quickly place a splatter screen over the skillet. Learned this the hard way.)
Drizzle sauce over the asparagus, tossing well to coat. Serve immediately.
Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter
source: Cooking Light, September 2001
40 asparagus spears, trimmed (about 2 pounds)
Cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons soy sauce (low-sodium)
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Preheat oven to 400˚.
Prep tip: Pick up one asparagus spear and snap it. Line up this spear with the rest and cut to that length.
Arrange the asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet. Coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 12 minutes or until tender.
In a small skillet over medium heat, cook for 3 minutes or until lightly browned, shaking pan occasionally. Watch carefully; do not burn butter. Remove from heat. Stir in soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. (Careful! The sauce bubbles up ferociously. I always quickly place a splatter screen over the skillet. Learned this the hard way.)
Drizzle sauce over the asparagus, tossing well to coat. Serve immediately.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Grilled Thai Beef & Greens Salad
Meili craves this ... always.
Grilled Thai Beef Green Salad
1 pound flank steak or top-round London Broil (I've used a pack of petite sirloin steaks), about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick
3 tablespoons lime juice, divided into 1 and 2 tablespoons
3 tablespoons soy sauce (low-sodium)
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons red curry paste or chili-garlic sauce
1/2 head Romaine lettuce, torn (about 6 cups)
2-3 green onions, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup) + more for garnish
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, rinsed and dried
1 cup basil leaves, sliced into ribbons
Rinse and pat meat dry. Place in a plastic bag or glass dish.
In a medium bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the lime juice, all the soy sauce, canola oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and red curry paste. Pour half the mixture into the bag with the meat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice to the bag. Seal tightly, and marinate meat 4-24 hours, turning occasionally. Reserve the rest of the mixture in the fridge to dress the salad.
Spray grill or grill pan with cooking spray and preheat. Grill steak until medium-rare, 135-140˚, about 5 minutes per side. Let rest until room temperature then slice thinly against the grain.
Combine lettuce, green onions, cilantro, basil and beef in a salad bowl. Add the reserved dressing and toss to coat. Garnish servings with extra green onions.
Grilled Thai Beef Green Salad
1 pound flank steak or top-round London Broil (I've used a pack of petite sirloin steaks), about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick
3 tablespoons lime juice, divided into 1 and 2 tablespoons
3 tablespoons soy sauce (low-sodium)
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons red curry paste or chili-garlic sauce
1/2 head Romaine lettuce, torn (about 6 cups)
2-3 green onions, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup) + more for garnish
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, rinsed and dried
1 cup basil leaves, sliced into ribbons
Rinse and pat meat dry. Place in a plastic bag or glass dish.
In a medium bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the lime juice, all the soy sauce, canola oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and red curry paste. Pour half the mixture into the bag with the meat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice to the bag. Seal tightly, and marinate meat 4-24 hours, turning occasionally. Reserve the rest of the mixture in the fridge to dress the salad.
Spray grill or grill pan with cooking spray and preheat. Grill steak until medium-rare, 135-140˚, about 5 minutes per side. Let rest until room temperature then slice thinly against the grain.
Combine lettuce, green onions, cilantro, basil and beef in a salad bowl. Add the reserved dressing and toss to coat. Garnish servings with extra green onions.
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