This is one of my favorite Ina Garten,  the Barefoot Contessa’s recipe. It can be served cold or at room temperature so it is a great salad for those backyard cookouts. The recipe is available here

the fashionista cook

the fashionista cook

This is made in many different ways. Here I increased the bulghur wheat portion to make it meatier by following the cooking instructions on the box.   Below I will give you the recipe that technically is the original recipe for tabbouleh.  It is courtesy  of Culina Mundi by Chef Hussein Fakih.

This salad can be a meal by itself since it has ham and bacon. Great for a summer lunch! this is courtesy  of Patricia Wells, The Paris Cookbook.

Lentil Salad with Walnut Oil

• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Ingredients

The Lentils

2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, minced

2 ounces of ham cut into cubes, about 1/2 cup

3 cups or 1 pond of french lentils, such as lentilles du Puy

1 quart if chicken stock

The Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon of French Dijon mustard

2 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

2/3 cup of walnut oil

1 shallot minced

sea salt and pepper to taste

4 ounces of bacon, cubed

3 tablespoon of chives, minced 

Directions

Add the olive oil to the pan over medium high heat, lower the heat add the onions and ham. Cook for about 5 minutes, till translucent. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Place the lentils in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse under cold water. Transfer them to a saucepan and cover with cold water. And bring to a boil. Then remove the pan from the heat and transfer the lentils back to the sieve and rinse again with cold water. Return the lentils to the pan and add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer, and with a slotted spoon skim off the impurities off the top. Let it simmer gently for about 30 minutes . They lentils should be firm in the center.

Meanwhile prepare the vinaigrette. In a large salad bowl add the mustard and vinegar and whisk to blend. Add the shallots and oil and whisk again. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a non stick pan fry the bacon till crisp. Drain over paper towels and set aside.

Drain the lentils in a sieve, discarding any liquid. place in the salad and toss in the vinaigrette. Let it it for about 10 minutes to absorb the dressing. Add the onion and ham.

Sprinkle with the chives and bacon and taste for seasoning. Serve warm.

Summer has officially started! Time for those backyard barbecues. This was a delicious salad to be served along with any grilled meats. This is courtesy of Alexandra Stratou, editor in chief of Gourmed, a Mediterranean food website.

Black-Eyed Pea Salad

• Time: under 2 hours
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Ingredients

• One 16-ounce package of dried black-eyed peas
• sat and pepper
• 4 scallions, finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 3 1/2 tablespoons of white vinegar
• 7 ounces of crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped parsley

Directions

Boil the peas in salted water for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the water turns a dark grey.  Drain well, then add the peas back to the pot with fresh water to cover. Bring to a boil, add salt and simmer to the peas are soft.

Drain the peas and place in a bowl. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Once cool, add the scallions, tomatoes, parsley,(reserve some for garnish) , olive oil, vinegar and pepper to taste. ( I mixed the oil and vinegar together and then poured over the peas) Mix together well. Add the feta and the extra parsley.

 

I love making this salad for small dinner parties. I make it a day before with the dressing in a small plastic container and store both in the fridge till serving time. It is courtesy of Rachael Ray.

Here’s the link:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/mozzarella-salad-recipe.html

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I made this salad last night with grilled salmon. Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis Serves 4.

1 pound of fregola, orzo pasta or Israeli couscous

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cups or 10 ounces cipollini onions, peeled and halved

kosher salt and pepper

3 cloves garlic minced

1 pound broccoli, cut into small florest

1/3 cup water

1 ( 15 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 large lemons. zested and juiced

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

3 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt divided

1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground pepper, divided

1 cup of fresh chives

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil add the pasta and cook till tender but still firm to the bite stirring occasionally. about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and place in large serving bowl. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium high heat and  add the onions   season with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until golden and tender, about 10 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and saute for 1 minute. Add the water scraping any brown bits from the pan with a wooden spoon.

Cover the pan and cook till broccoli is tender 4 minutes or till liking. Add the beans and cook for 1 minute till warmed through.

Transfer the mixture over to the bowl with the pasta, add the cheese and toss.

For the dressing;

In a small bowl, combine the lemon zest and juice, olive oil, honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Whisk till smooth and stir in the chives. Pour over the fregola and toss well till coated. Season with the remaining 3 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. and serve.