Archive | Salad RSS feed for this section

Peach Cherry Fruit Salad

17 Aug

I told you about my case of peaches and case of cherries… I also told you about my Peach and Cherry Crisp dessert that rocked my friend Walter’s world.

And, what about when you have no time to bake something? You create a fruit salad…

I discovered the wonders of ricotta cheese for breakfast already… you can use it as a base underneath some berries, you can layer it in between fruit and granola in a parfait, but you could also TOP some fruit as if it were yogurt or whipped cream.

PEACH AND CHERRY FRUIT SALAD

1 peach, peeled and cut into pieces
About 6 cherries, washed and pitted
One large dollop of ricotta cheese
About 1 tbs of raw turbinado sugar
  1. Now we just assemble… in the prettiest bowl you can find place the cut fruit and top with the dollop of ricotta.
  2. Sprinkle with raw sugar to sweeten the cheese and create a bit of sauce from the juices the fruit exude.

Wouldn’t this serve as a very pretty idea for a brunch or romantic breakfast??? Any other ideas on how to combine fruit and ricotta cheese???

Tags: , , , , ,

Papaya Mango Fruit Cup

8 Aug

Here’s the fruit cup… redefined. Ever since I finished my July 4th retreat I’ve been on a fruit thing. I have always mentioned you how I need and want to eat more fruits, but I am sometimes lazy. I’m getting over the laziness now. I am trying to have 3-4 fresh fruits on hand to eat as breakfast or a a snack while watching TV. Costco helps because I need to buy fruit in bulk and makes me eat fruit every day, several times a day before they spoil on me…

My favorite fruit salads are made from acidic and sub-acidic fruits… citrus, berries, kiwis, pineapple, grapes, peaches, plums, etc. I have made two of these Acid Fruit Salads for you already… But I also sometimes enjoy a sweet fruit combination – Papaya and Mango.

Papaya and Mango are both very soothing fruits to your system. They’re perfect when you’re feeling under the weather stomach-wise. I like this combination when finishing my days of fasting.

PAPAYA AND MANGO FRUIT CUP

Papaya, cut into small pieces, about ¼ of a small papaya
Mango, cut into small pieces
Hanfdul of raisins
Drizzle of Honey or Agave Nectar
Sliced almonds, optional but highly recommended

You determine how much is enough for your appetite…is I never measure, as you already know. This is more assembling the components than a recipe, really.

  1. Mix all the fruits together in a bowl. Drizzle with a bit of honey to add a tad of sweetness.
  2. Sprinkle with sliced almonds. I didn’t have any the other day, but I wanted to share this with all of you…

 

What’s your favorite fruit salad combination? Please share yours…

Tags: , , , , , ,

Acid Fruits Salad 2

5 Jul

It’s summertime… and coming out of a retreat where I have not eaten cooked foods for the last 6 days, I am still not ready to cook anything complicated again. Although, I would eat anything and everything being from the latest Vegetarian Times Magazine issue… no kidding.

I never have the time or energy to make a fruit salad just for me…  I always mean to eat fruit salads for breakfast, yet I only get to really do this when I travel.  I usually make do with making myself fruit smoothies. But yesterday, we raided Costco and got a variety of fresh fruits – peaches, strawberries, blueberries and green seedless grapes.

A nice fruit salad for breakfast was exactly what my stomach was craving.  So I have to take a chance while the fruits are fresh and in season, no??

 

ACID FRUIT SALAD 2

1 peach
1 strawberry
A handful of blueberries
About 10 grapes
A squirt of agave nectar
  1. Clean well all the fruits and peel them if you prefer. I peeled the peach…
  2. Mix them all together in a nice pretty bowl and drizzle the agave nectar on top.

 

Tags: , , , ,

Asian Salad

25 May

What makes this salad Asian??   The vinegar…

Ume Plum Vinegar is something I learned to use in a cooking class I took with Diane Carlson, from the Conscious Gourmet. This vinegar is made from umeboshi plums, which are fermented and therefore salty and sour all at the same time. The vinegar made from these plums is also salty and sour.

When in a rush, I dress salads using this vinegar and I do not need to add nothing else but olive oil for a delicious, exotic salad dressing.

ASIAN SALAD

Your favorite mix of salad greens – lettuces, baby spinach, sprouts
Chopped tomatoes
Sliced cucumbers
Drizzle of ume plum vinegar
Drizzle of olive oil
  1. In a salad bowl or even in your own dinner plate, mix together the salad components.
  2. Drizzle a bit of olive oil and ume plum vinegar over the salad. Toss to combine and dress well.

 

That’s it… enjoy.

Tags: , , , , ,

Caprese Salad

13 Jan

I don’t know what it is about tomatoes in Florida… but every time I visit my sister, we can’t contain the urge to buy lots and lots of tomatoes. They’re just so plump and red and sweet and delicious… And I learned never to put them in the fridge. Just leave them on the counter and eat from there. They’ll not spoil and you’ll always have the best tomato experience.

We would go to The Boys Farmers Market or to another smaller more traditional type of farmers market near my sister’s home and would always return home with a batch of delicious tomatoes.  I would make batches and batches of my Tomato Basil Brushetta mix and this Caprese Salad for my sister… her favorite.

 I always like to add a bed of crispy lettuce underneath to bump the nutritional value and heft of the salad. Even though its tradition to have only tomatoes, mozzarella and basil, I need lettuce to make it feel more of a real salad to me. All the components are readily available fresh from The Boys – mozzarella, basil leaves and mixed greens…

CAPRESE SALAD

6-8 romaine lettuce leaves, thinly shredded or baby spinach leaves would work well also
2 large tomatoes, sliced
½ ball of fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
10-12 basil leaves, washed and trimmed
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Coarse Sea Salt
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
  1. Just place cut lettuce or other greens  as a bed on a serving platter. Arrange tomato and mozzarella slices alternately on top of lettuce bed.
  2. Place a basil leaf in between each slice of tomato and cheese.
  3. Drizzle with Olive Oil and Balsamic. Sprinkle liberally with Salt and Pepper.

Don’t the tomatoes look scrumptious???

Tags: , , , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →