Summer foods - the alternative to "soups on".

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Permalink Reply by AlanHeartsong on December 9, 2008 at 12:13am

We used to have Turkey at Easter, which is pretty warm for us here in California. So Mom found this recipe for a cold leftover turkey salad that just rocks. It's not one with measurements, so you sort of have to eyeball it and judge the proportions.

Take an avocado or two, and a little mayonnaise, smush together til it's well blended. Toast some slivered almonds and chop some celery. Mix leftover shredded (or chopped) turkey with the avocado mess, then stir in the almonds and celery. A little black pepper, and you're good to go. It's great on top of salad greens, or as filling for a sandwich. And, of course, you can do all sorts of things to spice it up, this is mostly just a good "start" for other things.

Since we roast our turkey on the grill outdoors, you could still cook it in summer and have this.

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Permalink Reply by BanksiaFaerie on January 3, 2009 at 1:05am

Don't know why... but this reminds me of the waldolf salads we used to have as starters. Must be the mayo, celery, nuts and lettuce. :)

Sadly, with 8 adults and 2 kids... there wasn't a lot left of our organic free range turkey. And I think it had been about 5 kilo!

BB - Banksia.

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Permalink Reply by BanksiaFaerie on November 12, 2009 at 2:02am

For those coming into the warmer weather now, like me, I thought I'd bump this one back up too. I love the soups on one, so here's its counter balance.

BB - Banksia.

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Permalink Reply by Laura Perry on November 12, 2009 at 8:10am

A nice salad dish I just discovered, which we've had twice in two weeks now since we like it so much, is a kind of salmon salad. I mound lettuce on a plate (should be nice and fresh and crisp) and top it with slivered red onion (in an amount to suit your preference). Top with a salmon fillet that's been pan-fried in butter with a little lemon juice, salt and pepper and drizzle with Russian dressing. Yum! I make homemade Russian dressing since it's hard to find a bottled variety that doesn't have unpronounceable additives. It's pretty simple:

Russian Dressing

2 Tbsp mayonnaise
2 Tbsp tomato ketchup
1 Tbsp prepared mustard (brown or Dijon is good)
2 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp sweet pickle relish or finely-chopped gherkins

This is also good on regular garden salads. I keep it in the fridge during warm weather to drizzle over whatever we've brought in from the garden that day. It turns a plate of tomato slices into an 'official salad' LOL

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Permalink Reply by BanksiaFaerie on November 12, 2009 at 8:04pm

Here's a recipe I wanted to add last night, but ran out of online time (ie: kids wanted dinner, bath, etc). :)

Its from the September/October 2009 edition of the magazine "Australian Diabetic living". Not that I'm diabetic... I just thought it sounded good. So good we're going to make it to see if it'll be a nice thing to serve for Christmas lunch this year. Got to practice and all. :)

I'm going to write them in as is as I'm yet to try then, but can see myself substituting/ removing/ working around the things I'm allergic to (garlic, etc).

Oh, and from reading through how dumbed down they make this, I'm surprised they don't include things like "hold the knife at the blunt end" or "remember to use oven mits to remove things from oven or you'll burn your fingers". ;P

Chicken and vegetable salad with balsamic and mustard dressing.

350g Japanese pumpkin, skin and seeds removed, cut into small wedges
1 red capsicum
olive oil cooking spray
1 cornco, husk and silk removed, halved crossways
1 bunch asparagus, woody ends trimmed, cut into 4cm lengths (about an inch I think)
2 large zucchini, peeled into ribbons, using a vege peeler
200g skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
40g mixed Italian-style salad leaves (cos, coral lettuce, butter lettuce, etc)

Balsamic and mustard dressing:

3 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar
3 teaspoons unsweetened apple juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard or gluten free Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, crushed
Freshly ground black pepper

Step 1:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius (that's moderately hot, no idea in F).
Line a medium roasting pan with baking paper. Place the pumpkin and capsicum in the roasting pan and spray with the cooking spray. Wrap the pieces of corn in foil and place in the roasting pan.

Step 2:
Roast vegetables for 15 minutes. Remove the corn from the pan and set aside. Carefully remove the pumpkin from the pan and set aside on a plate. Spray asparagus with cooking spray and add to the pan with the capsicum. Roast for a further 5 minutes or until the asparagus is just tender and the capsicum is slightly charred. Transfer the asparagus to a plate. Wrap the capsicum in foil and set aside for 10 minutes to allow the skin to soften.

Step 3:
Put the zucchini ribbons in a medium bowl. Spray with the cooking spray, then toss to coat. Place in the roasting pan and roast for 2 - 3 minutes or until just tender. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Step 4: The dressing...
Meanwhile, put the vinegar, apple juice, mustard and garlic in a small bowl. Season with pepper. Whisk well to combine. Set aside.

Step 5:
Spray a small non-stick frypan with the oil. Heat on medium. Add the chicken and cook for 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Set aside.

Step 6:
Diagonally slice the chicken across the grain. Peel the capsicum and discard the skin and seeds. Cut the flesh into strips. Carefully cut the corn kernels off the cob. Put the salad ingredients into a large bowl (ecept the dressing). Toss gently to combine. Add the dressing to the salad and toss to coat.

Step 7:
Divide the salad into servings... about 2 people for a light meal.

Okay, I started bridging it in the end as I got tired of the baby steps. :)

BB - Banksia.

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