Greek Salad

I love Greek salad.  (I love Greek food, but that's a different post entirely!)  Spring, summer, fall, or winter, I never seem to tire of cucumbers, tomato, feta, and olives piled on a bed of romaine and drizzled with red wine vinegar and olive oil.  Add chickpeas, grilled chicken, red onion, artichokes, and pepperoncini, and you've got yourself one delicious lunch!

YIELD: 4 quart-sized salads

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups chickpeas, drained and patted dry
• 1/4 c red wine vinegar
• 1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp Greek seasoning
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt (only if your seasoning doesn't contain salt)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 small red onion, diced
• 16 olives (pitted or whole, green, kalamata, whatever you love!)
• 8 pepperoncini
• 8 whole canned artichoke hearts, quartered
• 4 oz feta, crumbled
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, grilled or broiled and diced
• 2 c cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 large cucumber, halved and sliced
• 2-3 hearts of romaine, shredded

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the marinaded chickpeas: combine the chickpeas, red wine vinegar, olive oil, Greek seasoning, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.  Allow the chickpeas to marinade for 20 minutes (or longer.) 
2. Pack the salads: divide the chickpeas evenly among 4 tall quart-sized containers.  Layer the red onion, olives, pepperoncini, artichokes, feta, chicken, tomatoes, cucumber, and romaine in the jars. Refrigerate until serving.
3. Enjoy your salad: invert your salad onto a plate or into a bowl.

TIME-SAVING TIPS: Use 1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and patted dry, for the home-cooked beans.

SPECIAL DIET SWAPS: This salad is gluten- and nut-free as-is.  For a vegetarian salad, omit the chicken.  For a vegan salad, also substitute your favorite vegan feta for the dairy feta, or double the quantity of marinaded chickpeas.

Food styling, photography, and infographics by Robert Campbell.

Zucchini, Chickpea, and Edamame Salad

Late summer often means a bounty of fresh zucchini, and this salad is a delicious and unique way to enjoy it!  The lemony dressing and crisp veggies lend this salad a light, summery freshness, while the hearty richness of edamame, chickpeas, and parmesan keep you feeling satisfied.  This was an early salad we tested when we were first exploring this blog project, and remains one of our all-time favorites.  Wrangle up some zucchini this week (if you know anyone who has a garden, I bet that won't be difficult,) and give this salad a try!

YIELD: 4 quart-sized salads

INGREDIENTS:

• juice of one lemon
• 1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 c frozen shelled edamame, thawed and patted dry
• 1 1/2 c cooked chickpeas, patted dry
• 2 small zucchini, diced
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1/2 c shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 2-3 hearts of romaine, shredded

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the zucchini salad: in a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.  Fold in the edamame, chickpeas, zucchini, red onion, Parmesan, and basil.  
2. Pack the salads: divide the zucchini salad evenly among 4 tall quart-sized containers.  Divide the romaine evenly among the containers. Refrigerate until serving.
3. Enjoy your salad: invert your salad onto a plate or into a bowl.

TIME-SAVING TIPS: Use 1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and patted dry, for the home-cooked chickpeas.

SPECIAL DIET SWAPS: This salad is vegetarian, nut- and gluten-free as-is.  For a vegan salad, substitute sliced or slivered almonds for the parmesan, and pack on the side.

Food styling, photography, and infographics by Robert Campbell.

Antipasti Salad

I have always loved antipasti.  It almost feels like an adventure to me, navigating all of the different cheeses, olives, veggies, pickles, and other delicious snacks.  I often over-nibble and end up too full for my meal, so why not just make a meal out of antipasti?  Adding fresh, green romaine and crunchy, vibrant bell pepper to the traditional, flavorful, rich ingredients lightens up this salad for a satisfying lunch.  Enjoy!

YIELD: 4 quart-sized salads

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups cannellini beans, drained and patted dry
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 lb fresh cremini mushrooms
• 2 tbsp white wine or champagne vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 c finely chopped red onion
• 2 tsp minced fresh oregano
• 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp whole coriander seeds
• 4-8 pickled pepperoncini
• 1 14-oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and patted dry
• 16 whole kalamata olives
• 4 oz fresh mozzarella, patted dry and diced
• 4 oz smoked provolone, cubed
• 2-4 oz prosciutto, roughly chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 2-3 hearts of romaine, shredded

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the marinaded cannellini: combine the cannellini, red wine vinegar, 2 tbsp oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.  Allow the cannellini to marinade for 20 minutes (or longer.) 
2. Make the marinaded mushrooms: wipe the mushrooms clean and remove the stems.  Simmer the mushroom caps in water for 5 minutes or until tender; drain and pat the mushroom caps dry.  Combine the 2 tbsp oil, white wine vinegar, garlic, red onion, oregano, parsley, salt, peppercorns, and coriander seeds.  Add the mushroom caps and stir gently.  Allow the mushrooms to marinade for 20 minutes (or longer.) 
3. Pack the salads: divide the cannellini and mushrooms evenly among 4 tall quart-sized containers.  Layer the pepperoncini, artichokes, olives, cheeses, prosciutto, bell pepper, and romaine in the jars. Refrigerate until serving.
4. Enjoy your salad: invert your salad onto a plate or into a bowl.

TIME-SAVING TIPS: Use 1 can cannellini beans, drained, rinsed, and patted dry, for the home-cooked beans.  Substitute store-bought marinaded mushrooms from the olive bar at your local grocery store for the marinaded mushrooms.

SPECIAL DIET SWAPS: This salad is gluten- and nut-free as-is.  For a vegetarian salad, omit the prosciutto.  For a vegan salad, also substitute your favorite vegan cheese for the mozzarella and provolone.

Food styling, photography, and infographics by Robert Campbell.

summer vacation

We're taking a break this week for summer vacation.  See you next week with two new salads!

Insalata Caprese

Despite the unusual growing season we are having in Minnesota this year, we are finally starting to get some tomatoes out of our garden (and loads of lettuce and basil!)  I can't think of a more fitting way to feature the season's freshest garden tomatoes than in a caprese salad - tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, and greens simply dressed in balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Check lunch off the list this week with this fresh and flavorful salad!

YIELD: 4 quart-sized salads

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 c balsamic vinegar
• kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
• 4-8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, diced
• 2 (or more) cups tomatoes, halved or roughly chopped (depending on size)
• 1/2 c fresh basil leaves
• 8 oz mixed baby greens

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pack the salads: add 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp vinegar to each of 4 tall quart-sized containers.  Season with salt and pepper.  Layer the mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and mixed baby greens in the jars. Refrigerate until serving.
2. Enjoy your salad: invert your salad onto a plate or into a bowl.

TIME-SAVING TIPS:

SPECIAL DIET SWAPS: This salad is vegetarian, gluten-, and nut-free as-is.  For a vegan salad, substitute your favorite vegan mozzarella for the dairy mozzarella.

Food styling, photography, and infographics by Robert Campbell.