The Gift of Salad: My Salad Recipe Collection

I was day dreaming about salads today and I realized I had a huge list of ones I love. 

Two nights ago I went to the Moscow CoOp just so I could have deli case salads for dinner. I got 4 kinds of salads because I couldn't pick just one or even two (and had leftovers for the next day)! I got a new one called Chickpea Turkish Apricot Salad and it was SOOO good. It seemed like a weird combination, but it worked so well. It has kalamata olives, dried apricots, a red wine vinaigrette...and I think they added basil instead of parsley that night. It was so delicious. I went internet searching for recipes and found a few! I haven't made them yet, but I'm super excited. The CoOp has a PDF cookbook online, which had a few of my favorite salads (and cookies) already put together in an orderly authentic recipe, such as Kale Slaw. 

There is ONE salad (I think I basically found online) that I ADORE at the CoOp and it's going to be my next big recipe to try-- CURRY TOFU SALAD. I love curry and I love the texture of the pan cooked tofu wrapped in this veganeese-ish curry sauce. FYI: I don't love to eat mayo based salads...so, most of these are mayo-free or low mayo. But--I believe there is a place for mayo in life. I'm not insane.

So, without further wait... here's my list of salads!!!!

SALADS

Chickpea Turkish Apricot Salad 

"Russian" Gnocchi (remake of Russian Dumplings)

I lived in Bellingham, WA, for many years while my husband and I went to school. Bellingham has great food because the city is full of organic hippy foodies. Things grow well for local farmers and I am spoiled to have lived there. One restaurant that exists is a hole in the wall- no frills- Russian dumpling place called Pel'meni. (1211 State Street, Bellingham, WA 98225) (SIDE NOTE: You can listen to THIS song about Bellingham and here the "Hot Russian Dumplings" mentioned.)

All you can order is meat (ground beef) or potato pelmeni (aka dumplings). (They're a little smaller that a traditional perogy.) They are made locally, and frozen. Once you order, they pull the selected dumplings out of the freezer and boil them in either the meat water pot or the potato pot. When they're cooked through, they put them in a little box, add melted butter, a sauce made of Sriracha hot sauce--watered down with some white vinegar and water, sprinkled with dry curry powder, cilantro, and served with a side of sour cream--oh, and a slice of rye bread (a weak version). It's $7. You can buy canned soda if you want to splurge but that's all the options (as of now). It tastes so good. I prefer the potato. It's just perfect easy uncomplicated food. 

The Best Salmon I've Ever Had

I posted about this Salmon back in 2012 but thought it was worth re-posting because it was the best Salmon I've ever had!!! At the time I first made this, I was trying to duplicate a meal I had at Salty's on Alki Point in Seattle. The restaurant has a few recipes online, but not exactly what I had eaten in the restaurant. So, I took elements from 2 or 3 recipes and merged them into what I thought I had ordered. The result was spectacular! Shaun and I happily oohh-ed and blissfully mmmmm-ed after every single bite.

The key to making most perfect restaurant food, other than technique and superior ingredient quality, is FAT. This recipe has lots of fat but its all worth it. So, if you happen upon some fresh (wild-caught) salmon this year, consider giving this recipe a try. It's Salmon baked in the oven--covered in a basil-garlic butter, then served aside are some garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus, covered in a pesto-butter sauce called Pesto Beurre Blanc.

Great Spaghetti Sauce and Homemade Ricotta

HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI SAUCE

(A recipe I found on the internet—that I improved the process/technique of for my tastes) 

By no means is this an authentic Italian style sauce. An suspect an Italian would be horrified. BUT-- I have not been to Italy, and it tastes great to me.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced (to taste)

½ cup celery, minced

¼ cup green bell pepper, chopped fine

2 Tablespoons butter

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 lbs sausage (like a roll of Jimmy Dean) or ground beef (80/20 mix)

½ teaspoon white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper (more to taste)

6 oz mushrooms (fresh), chopped fine

1 (6 oz) can of tomato paste

1 (28 oz) can of diced tomatoes

2 (10.5 oz) cans of beef broth

2 teaspoons oregano

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon ground thyme

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

3 Great Salads we LOVE

We had a graduation party for Shaun on Saturday. We served 3 salads, and had "Make Your Own Pizza."  I've posted the recopies used for the salads below! Enjoy. All are fantastic!! (Chinese Chicken Salad, Orzo Shrimp Salad, & Mediterranean Chop Chop)

Couples Late Night Baking

Shaun noticed a pretty cake on a website-- a Chocolate Truffle Raspberry one. We made it tonight after we put Enoch to bed.
See...

My Cupcake Shaun Loves His Cayenne Cupcakes....

Shaun made a request Monday night for cupcakes. Tonight, I finally made chocolate cupcakes --with four different flavored chocolate frostings. 

Secret Murray Family Recipe REVEALED!

This Memorial weekend marks the anniversary of when Shaun and I really met in Bothell, WA at a Memorial Day BBQ. Shaun needed to "home teach" (LDS church thing) my friend, Annika, who brought me, after the BBQ.

Banana Bread Recipe

BANANA BREAD
I discovered this in a homemade cookbook of a talented friend of mine. It is WONDERFUL!

1 stick of butter (softened)
1 cup of sugar
2 large eggs
4 ripe bannanas (mashed)
2 cups of flour
1 tspn. baking soda
1/2 C. walnuts

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Mix flour and baking soda together in seperate bowl. Blend other ingrediants together in larger bowl in the order they are listed--by hand (no mixer). Add four-baking soda blend gradually into wet banana mixture.

Grease two 9X5 bread loafs with cooking spray. Evenly distribute into two pans. Bake for 1 hour. Done with firm to touch. Cool on racks.


ENJOY!!