After tearing through magazines I came out of 20 minutes well spent with half a dozen new recipes, including these two salads.  I wanted one for dinner my daughter wanted the other.  We agreed on making both.

I now know if I want them to make these dishes again,  rather than a piece of paper neatly tucked away in a categorized file of “salads” or “veggies”, I need to have it posted here.  A group of us are starting to clean up our diet this coming week beginning with a 5day program.  These will be a PERFECT addition to the menu!

Again, one of my favorite things about these two is that we had everything already;  well except the buffalo mozzarella or any mozzarella for that matter.

I’m going to start with my choice:

Greens With Roasted Grapes & Lemon Vinaigrette
Who would have thought roasted grapes would taste SOOOOO good!  The recipe called for pine nuts, arugula and spinach.  I had neither of them so we skipped the nuts (BUT YOU COULD ADD ANY NUT) and I used mixed greens.

1 cup (250ml) red seedless grapes, rinsed and dried
1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil, divided
Salt & pepper to taste (we grind our own)
2 tbsp (30ml) lemon juice
1/2 tsp (2 ml) Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp (2 ml) mayonnaise
1/2 tsp (2 ml) liquid honey
3 cups (750 ml) lightly packed washed and dried arugula
3 cups (750 ml) lightly packed washed and dried baby spinach
2 cups (500 ml) lightly packed pea sprouts or other sprouts
3 tbsp (45 ml) toasted pine nuts

Preheat oven to 400F (200C)

In a medium bowl, toss grapes with 2 tsp (10 ml) oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Tip grapes onto a parchment-paper-lined rimmed baking sheet and spread out in a single layer.
Roast until blistered and juicy, 5-7 minutes.  Set aside to cool completely.

In a small bowl whisk together remaining oil, lemon juice, mustard, honey, mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste.

In a large bowl, toss together your greens/sprouts.  Add just enough dressing to coat leaves (you may not need all of it) and toss gently.

Tip salad onto a large serving platter and scatter with grapes and nuts. Serve at once.

 

Grilled Zucchini & Buffalo Mozzarella Salad
Fortunately this recipe serves 6 – making perfect leftovers for a crusty bun sandwich the next day.  I’m Italian so needless to say I was wondering about the “buffalo” mozzarella vs cow mozzarella.  Some interesting facts on buffalo mozzarella:  it has a better texture for salads, it has a mineral in it that makes the calcium easier absorbed by the body and as one site put it – “Buffalo” here is not American bison. It is water buffalo, a cow-like critter which won’t crush you to death when you try to milk it.”

6 small zucchini, each about 6″ (15 cm) in length
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for grilling
1/2 tsp ( 2 ml)  dried chili flakes
1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice           
1 tsp (5 ml) lemon zest
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 ball (150 g) buffalo mozzarella
Handful of fresh basil leaves

Trim the stem end of the zucchini and slice each lengthwise into several thin slices.  Toss the cut zucchini with just enough olive oil to lightly coat, and grill over high heat until softened and lightly charred – this is where I beg to differ – they suggested about 2 minutes per side. Depending on how thick your slices are, time will vary.  Remove to a shallow platter.

To make the dressing, combine olive oil, chili flakes, lemon juice and zest and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Using your fingers, tear mozzarella into small bite-size pieces and scatter over the grilled zucchini.  Spoon dressing over the salad, lightly toss, and top with a handful of fresh basil leaves.

 

 

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