More often than not, the salad from restaurants or pre-made salad from grocery stores are better than the ones I make at home. I’ve only been successful in salads when I buy the organic pack from the grocery store and then make my own vinaigrette.
Digging into a plate of pre-made Ranch Cobb salad was definitely delish for lunch. It even came with a buttermilk ranch dressing.
Although I must say that the salad I got from Subway this weekend was such a disappointment. They used shredded lettuce that’s why. I prefer bigger pieces of lettuce like the one in the …read more

Last night for supper I made myself a garden salad, and I mean a real garden salad. I used several vegetables straight from my garden and into my salad. It doesn’t get any fresher than that.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any fresh greens growing in my garden right now. Usually July and August are way to hot for greens to thrive in my Ohio garden. They probably would have grown great this year (in July I think our average temperature did not even hit 70`F).  But who knew?
I do have quite a few other vegetables growing in my garden right now …read more

This colorful and delicious green beans and cherry tomatoes salad was inspired by Food Network’s Giada De Laurentiis green beans salad recipe. While she also had wax beans (yellow) for an added color, I only used green beans and cherry tomatoes to keep it simple for the kids. The dressing is not hard to make either.
INGREDIENTS:
a bundle of green beans
a pack of red cherry tomatoes
water for boiling
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
sprinkle of red pepper flakes
1 tsp of honey
a drizzle of sesame oil just for taste
sprinkle of dried oregano
sprinkle of dried basil
Boil the water. Add …read more

When the weather gets hot, I find that I’m less enthusiastic about cooking. My kids will ask, “What’s for dinner?”  I have no clue.
Del Monte’s site offers solutions to those what-to-fix-tonight dilemmas. 
The recipe below can be found there. It features beets which are low in calories and rich in nutrients.

Beet and Apple Salad
Ingredients
1    Tbsp  brown sugar
2    tsp  butter
1/3    cup   pecan halves
1    can (14-1/2 oz.)   DEL MONTE® Sliced Beets , drained 
1  medium Golden Delicious apple , cored and diced
3    Tbsp  oil
5    tsp  cider vinegar
Lettuce
Directions
1. In small skillet, combine sugar and butter; heat until melted. Stir in pecans; cook over low …read more

Celebrate summer by enjoying a combination of fruits and a variety of cheese over salad greens topped with a honey vinaigrette. I have a feeling the summer heat will be bearable with this refreshing salad courtesy of National Board of Honey.
Ingredients
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
3/4 pound seedless grapes
3/4 pound fresh figs, apricots, plums or nectarines, sliced
4 ounces camembert or brie cheese, cut into narrow wedges
1/2 cup pecan halves, toasted
2 quarts salad greens
Directions
Combine honey, vinegar, oil, orange juice and poppy seeds in a jar. Shake well. Arrange clusters of grapes, …read more

It’s definitely salad season. Sure, I love a salad all year ’round, but this is the time of year when the Farmer’s Market is full of fresh from the Earth produce. Do you know how to keep your produce the freshest? 

Here are a few tips:
*I purchase bags of loose leaf lettuce at the Farmer’s Market, but when I’m at the store, I go for hearts of romaine. I move the plastic to the side, because I want to chose the romaine with the least amount of “rustiness” at the core. Heads of lettuce will last longer than a bag of …read more

The next time you’re in a restaurant and see something healthy on the menu, consider your meal choice very carefully. New research shows that when you see a healthy item in a restaurant, you will more than likely order an unhealthy one.
Mind boggling, isn’t it?

They think that the act of seeing something healthy and briefly considering somehow makes it “okay” in our minds to go ahead and eat the thing that’s bad for you. Oddly enough, when a menu had only unhealthy items on it, people would then gravitate toward the one that is the most healthy out …read more

While grocery shopping recently, I found a deal on Good Sense Salad Pizazz salad toppers. I  think it was 2 for the price of 1, something like that……
Anyway, I had never tried the toppers before, but they appeared to be full of nuts and fruits and seeds, just the sort of thing a salad lover like me enjoys.
I tossed both the Cherry Cranberry Pecano and the Honey Toasted Delites into my basket and I am so glad that I did.
They are  basically like a fancy trail mix that you can sprinkle over salad or in the case of the Cherry …read more

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Paula Deen was on the Today Show this morning showing Al Roker how to prepare crab cakes and a fruit and vegetable salad. The salad is a new one on me but it sounds delicious. Not surprisingly, she manages to give Al a case of giggles!