I brought home some fresh “salad” turnips from a local market today that the lady working the stand described as “slightly sweet.” My three year-old son actually picked out this specific bunch because they were the “biggest” ones. She suggested we slice them in a salad. Two things came to mind: 1. I bet my boys will eat them sliced and 2. I can’t wait to make a salad with them tonight.

If you’d like to try it, here are the ingredients:

• 1 Turnip (small to medium) sliced as thin as you can, then cut in half
• Turnip greens attached to the turnip you sliced, Chopped in half
• 1 Tomato chopped
• 2 Red onion slices (thin)
• 1/4 Cucumber sliced and cut in half
• 1/4 cup Pecans toasted for a few minutes
• 1 TB Maple syrup (the real stuff)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cracked pepper
• 1 tsp Orange zest (before you cut up the orange) – more orange flavor with less liquid
• 1 Navel orange cut into pieces
• 1 TB fresh squeezed orange (from the rest of the orange along the rind)
• 1 TB Olive oil

Finishing directions:

• Put all vegetables into a bowl
• Drizzle with maple syrup
• Drizzle with olive oil
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper
• Toss well with tongs
• Sprinkle toasted pecans on top
• Let sit for 5-10 minutes
• Toss once more and serve
• Optional: top with Parmesan, Manchego, Goat or Feta cheese (my wife and I both commented that the salad was great, but a little cheese would have been nice too)

I would love to hear if you try and how yours comes out!

Happy cooking,
John

When you need a quick pasta dish that the whole family will like, try out this recipe. It’s a one dish meal. You can serve a green salad on the side also if you want more veggies (3 out of 4 of us at that too). My boys both loved it, but who can blame them with bacon, bacon fat and spaghetti?

I used this recipe from Tasty Kitchen as a base, but tweaked it a bit. I cut the recipe in half, which was perfect for my family (2 adults and 2 small kids), but adjust it to your needs.

Ingredients:

• Six strips of bacon
• 2 oz. cream cheese
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
• 1/4 cup of whole milk (or cream)
• 1 cup of frozen cut green beans
• 1/2 yellow or sweet onion diced
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 egg
• 8 oz. spaghetti (or other pasta)
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes chopped (optional topping)

Directions:

1. In a skillet with lid (contains splatters), fry the bacon. When done, remove bacon onto paper towel. Leave bacon fat in pan (this is the good stuff).
2. Sautee onion and garlic in bacon fat for three minutes, and then add in green beans. Cover and cook for about 8 minutes. Stir periodically, and cook until beans are done to your liking.
   
3. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until done (according to package instructions).
4. Place milk (or cream) and cream cheese in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until cream cheese is melted, and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat. Add the parmesan cheese, egg, and pepper. Whisk until blended.
5. Drain pasta (reserving 1/4 cup of hot water) and return to pot. Immediately add the white sauce and toss to coat. The hot pasta will cook the egg. Dump pasta mixture and crumbled bacon into the pan with the veggies.  Add the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce.
6. Serve!
   (This is an easy dish for your kids to use tongs and serve themselves getting some protein, pasta and veggies in one grab)

For some reason it always seems fun to get an interesting salad from a restaurant. They use ingredients I haven’t thought of or have on hand normally. They make me think that what they’ve done must be too difficult to do on my own. 

Thankfully creating restaurant quality salads is easier than replicating steaks, fish and so on. 
Below I’ve listed some ideas for ingredients. Feel free to add or subtract anything you’d like. That’s the best part about salads. You can add whatever you want to them!

1. Start here:

• Keep some handy ingredients in your pantry and fridge
• Make or buy some tasty salad dressings
• Take 5 minutes or less and prepare your salad

2. Ingredients I like to have around:

• Canned beans: white beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, etc.
• Cheeses: Parmesan, goat, feta, cheddar, blue
• Greens: romaine, iceberg, spinach, butter lettuces
• Nuts and seeds: walnuts, pine nuts, sliced almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds
• Meats: salami, pepperoni, ham, turkey
• Veggies: cucumber, carrots, tomatoes, red cabbage, sweet onion, red onion, peppers, 
• Fruits: Dried cranberries, raisins, fresh peaches, blueberries, strawberries
• Olives (I prefer jarred olives): green, kalamata, Greek
• My favorite dressings: Balsamic Viniagrette (this one from Emeril is super easy and tasty!), and my newest favorite is a creamy basil dressing I made: bunch of fresh basil chopped, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup full fat Greek yogurt, 2 tsp. lemon juice, pinch of salt and pepper to taste, 2 cloves fresh minced garlic. Mix all ingredients together in bowl or jar and spoon onto your salad. It’s thick!

3. Create:

• Pick a few of the different ingredients that you have on hand and put them together. I usually bring the dressing along in a separate container if bringing it to work.
• Here are some of my favorite combos:
  • romaine, red onion, peaches, pecans, cucumbers, tomatoes, goat cheese, balsamic dressing
  • iceberg, salami, green olives, feta cheese, tomatoes garbanzo beans, balsamic dressing
  • romaine, red cabbage, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, black beans, sweet onion, cucumbers, carrot (shredded), tortilla chips

Great ideas from other blogs / websites:

• Crunch-Crunch: A Week of Make-A-Head Spring Salads in Mason Jars
• How to Build a Salad Bar in Your Fridge in 5 Easy Steps
• Interactive “Create Your Own Salad” from Fine Cooking

Have a favorite salad blend? Let me know in the comments!