Sesame Prosecco Salad

I've been wondering what I should do with our new wine vinegars. Their zesty flavors are perfect for salads, but pictures of my plain green salads and vinegar don't make blog posts(even if I do eat them often).

A sale on shrimp moved this salad to the fore! All the measurements are for 2 side salads so scale up however you need. The dressing makes a little over 1/2 cup, so it should last you a bit longer!

Sesame Prosecco Salad

8-12 medium shrimp, cooked
4 cups favorite greens
1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 lime, sliced into wedges *optional*
1 tbsp Sesame Oil with Garlic and Ginger
1 tsp light soy sauce
sesame seeds for garnish

In a saute pan, warm the sesame oil over medium heat. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. After 1-2 minutes, they should be almost warmed through. Raise the temperature to high and sprinkle with the soy sauce. Let caramelize for 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and toss with sesame seeds.

Assemble the salad with a good toss and drizzle with dressing.

Prosecco Lime Dressing

1/4 cup Prosecco Vinegar
1/4 cup Persian Lime Olive Oil
3 tbsp Honey

Place all ingredients in a sealed jar and shake.

Red Apple Pork Salad

As promised, here is the salad made with the leftovers of the Red Apple Pork. They were fun as chops, but this was even better. Next time I make pork chops, I'm making extra just for salad!

Red Apple Pork Salad

2 pork chops, cooked
1 red apple
1/2 medium head of cabbage
1 orange pepper
1 green pepper
1/2 red pepper
sesame seeds
3 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
2 tbsp Red Apple Balsamic

Slice everything into thin strips. You can substitute a bag of coleslaw mix for the cabbage. Put the whole thing in a large bowl and drizzle with the oil and balsamic. Toss to coat and give it a generous sprinkling of sesame seeds.

I think it's even better a little warm. Just pop your serving in the microwave for 30-40 seconds.

Red Apple Waldorf Salad

This is a great way to start off any meal. Or add some leftover turkey and call it lunch!

Red Apple Waldorf Salad

makes 4

2 tbsp Red Apple Balsamic

1 medium red apple

2-3 ounces hard white cheddar

1/4 cup slivered almonds or walnuts

6-7 large brussels sprouts

8 cups lettuce, any mix
1 avocado, diced
1 lemon, in 4 wedges
2-3 tbsp Tuscan Olive Oil
1/3 cup mayo or greek yogurt

Whisk the mayo or yogurt in a small bowl with the Balsamic. Add the olive oil 1 tbsp at a time until you reach a consistency that you like. I like it more on the thin side and add a little more olive oil to mine.

Cut the bottoms off the brussels sprouts and flake all the leaves off. I save the hearts to saute later, or you can dice them up and add them in too. Divide all the salad ingredients evenly in 4 bowls. Drizzle the top of each plate with the dressing and serve with a wedge of lemon.

Harvest Salad with Pear Dressing

I am starting off the week easy with this one. I really like the way this turned out. The colors look fantastic together. You can whisk up the dressing early and serve it on the side. But you may want to make a double batch, just in case someone pours more than their share!

Harvest Salad with Pear Dressing

2 heads Romaine lettuce, cut into ribbons
1 bunch spinach, washed and roughly chopped
1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
1/4 cup pecans
1/3 cup golden raisins, or dried cranberries
2 asian pears, scrubbed and diced
2 carrots, thinly sliced into matchsticks
4-5 radishes, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced

Dressing:
1/4 cup Pear Balsamic
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup Koroneiki Olive Oil

Toss all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Whisk the dressing together until it combines. Serve on the side or drizzled on top.

My Favorite Salad

This was my lunch today at the store. I love to bring in a salad and just go crazy with the balsamics as much as I want.

This is my go-to salad. Salad mix, chopped strawberries, Espresso Balsamic and a bit of Basil Olive Oil. There are a couple of raisins hiding on the bottom of the bowl, but they didn't make it into the picture.

Just a perfect combination for me.