recipelink.com Chat Room Recipe Swap - 2001-06-26
From: recipelink.com

Favorite Salads and Salad Dressings
Compiled from Newsgroup postings

From: Janet
Date: 10-17-00
I just tear off pieces of iceberg lettuce, throw in bread crumbs, peanuts of any kind, pieces of tomato (if I have them) shredded carrots. a few rings of valdosta (sweet) onions (kind of cut them up some) bacon bits (fresh or from a jar). I use anything within reach. I have cut up a pop-tart, crumbled up a couple of crackers, opened up a can of mixed fruit, boiled egg pieces, celery pieces, green pepper pieces, just anything I find. As long as I have lettuce and ranch dressing, I am ok.

From: Janice
Date: 10-17-00
Tossed green salad with carrots, mushrooms, beets, kidney beans, red onions, green pepper, avocado, tomatoes and blue cheese dressing on the side. I also like to make it a chef salad with Monterey Jack cheese, ham and hard boiled eggs.

From: Shari
Date: 1-5-01
A light sprinkle of garlic and pepper seasoning salt and a grind of fresh pepper, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. So fresh tasting and no cover-up flavor. I can taste the veggies. Which I love. Vinegar based or creamy dressings cover the taste to me.

From: North of 60 Fan
Date: 8-9-00
Taco Salad: seasoned ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, grated cheese, sour cream, taco hot sauce, salsa, taco shells or nacho chips or soft taco shells optional - black olive, jalapeno peppers (only cooking is the ground beef)

From: Dog3
Date: 3-23-01
I make a Savannah Salad with butter lettuce, red pepper slices and chilled cooked shrimp. A simple Dijon vinaigrette, cracked pepper and kosher salt simply do the salad right.

From: Robin Cowdrey
Date: 3-22-01

1 head butter lettuce, washed and drained
1 small can mandarin orange segments, drained (reserve juice)
sliced blanched almonds, toastes
mayonnaise

Thin mayonnaise with enough drained juice to give pouring cream consistency.
Arrange lettuce on plates; add orange segments.
Drizzle with dressing; sprinkle with almonds.

From: Felice Friese
Date: 4-21-01

I really, REALLY like a salad of chopped, crisp iceberg with whatever is on hand -- tomatoes, mushrooms, croutons, radishes, anchovies, you-name-it.

From: jason
Date: 5-26-01

My personal favorite is the Caesar's Dressing. I have found many variations at restaurants around here but my favorite is the one I make at home:

1 cup Mayonnaise
4 cloves of garlic (maybe 3 if you find it strong, I decide depending on guests)
5 anchovy fillets roughly chopped (I use 6 sometimes)
3 tbsp Parmesan grated
bacon chopped and then fried
lemon and salt

You should blend all the materials except the cheese in a bowl (with a hand mixer or with a fork but "melting" the anchovies and garlic). Add Parmesan and stir. Then add bacon. You can add croutons if you like (fried cubes of bread) or if you want light version remove bacon (or replace with chicken). It should be pretty creamy when made many restaurants mix it with 1/2 cup (or something) Italian dressing (I think it is Italian dressing). I can't tell you exactly as I have never tried it. I like the creamy dressings.

Also there is the simplest of all salad dressings:
1 cup mayonnaise
100 g Roquefort or blue cheese
2-3 tbsp oil

Put cheese and oil in a bowl, nuke it (microwave) and add mayonnaise. You are ready. Goes well with tomatoes and green salad. I use various seasonings on it (garlic, pepper, balsamico vinegar and oil) but it tastes good by itself. It is one of the few recipes where replacing Roquefort with blue cheese gives better results.